The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-12-19
An Inauguration Myth.

l
ley will be the grandest affair OF its
kind in American history. There is
a certain vain-glory and lack OF taste
in the announcement. adds the
"Times. Mr.. Mckinley would do
we'll to follow the Jeffersoni&n pre-
cedent as literally as the changed con-
ditions will allow. Let him dismount
in front of the Capitol. hitch his hob
by TO the fence. and go and he sworn
in. Thus he will earn the gratitude of
his countrymen, if he will also forget
to remount his hobby when he comes
out:
Oar New York contemporary has
been deluded by a tale which has de-
luded generations of people. intelli-
gent and unintelligent. There was no
such JefTersonian simplicity about
Jefferson S Inauguration in 1901 as
most of the books have been telling
us. \ newspaper of that cay gives
the story thus: AT an early hour on
| Wednesday. March 18th. the City of
Washington presented a spectacle Of
uncommon animation, occasioned by
the addition to its usual population of
large body of citizens from the ad-
iacent districts. \ discharge from the
company of Washington artillery ush-
cred in the day, and about 10 O'Clock
the Alexandria company of ritiemen,.
with g company of artillery, paraded
in front of the Presidents lodgings.
At y o'clock Thomas Jefferson, at
tended by number of his fellow-citi
zens, among whom were many MEM
bers of Congress. repaired to the Capt.
tol. His dress was, as usual, that of
& plain citizen, without any distinctive
badge of office. He entered the Capt.
tol under a discharge from the artill-
cry. AS soon as he withdrew
a discharge from the artillery was
made. The remainder of the day was
devoted to purposes of festiyity, and
at night there was a pretty general IL
luminatiOn.''
This is an extract from the aurora,
of March IL, 1901. well-known news
paper of that day, and it has corrob-
oration from other contemporary
sources. The story that jefferson
rode on horseback to the Capitol all
alone on Marc., 1. 1901. thath hitched
his horse to the Capitolfence and went
in and assumed the duties of the Presi-
dency without any sort OF surface con-
Germ from himself or anybody else. as
if revolutions in the Government were
everyday transactions, is a tale for
the marines. 1t is picturesque and di-
verting, like the William Tell and the
Washington hatchet stories, but it
''ain't So" The truth is. of course.
there was as much ostentation in the
simplicity-the simplicity which was
authenticated and which will stand
of jefferson and Madison as there was
in the ceremonialism of Washington
and Adams. Simplicity was a sort of
fad and cult among a certain small !
element of the United States admirers. !
of whom Jefferson was one. of the !
French Jacohins in the closing years
of the eighteenth century. and the
opening years of the nineteenth. but
there was hollowness and dishonesty |
about it which quickly became very
plain and very nauseating to the rest
of the country. and this rest was a |
majority of the people, in Jefferson's |
own party as we'll as outside of it. |
Even if that hitching-h g-his-horse-to-a-
fence tale were true it would not be a |
precedent which should be followed |
now. On the contrary. it would be |
precedent which should be shunued. |
This is a big country. the Presidency
is a high post, and the induction of
President into office is an interesting
and important function. If little OF |
the pride, pomp and circumstance of
glorious politics is thrown around the
no we'll regulated person
will feel that republican institutions
are imperiled thereby.-Globe- Demo