Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-08-05
SEEN BY A REPORTER.
Imagination of Journalist Turned
Loose on the Inauguration

The Fargo of Paris, two days after
President McKinley's inauguration.
presented to its readers a viyacious
account of the ceremonies of the day,
drawn from Partisan Imagination,
which conveys some striking and en-
tertaining facts that have undoubtedly
escaped the closest attention of Ameri-
cans even those who were present.
| Nothing is more curious than this
ceremony, observes the French Jour
nal, to which an altogether individual
character is lent by the temperament of
the American people The hero of the
day, Mr. Mckinley, has been for
week installed with his family modest
/ ly in little villa, far from the noise
and the crowd Surrounded by his
! family he has staid till midnight of
March in his office, and his secre-
taries, who have been warding off Of
! fice-seekers in the next room, declar-
ed that they heard champagne corks
popping above the joyous bursts of
laughter that kept up all the evening!
On Thursday, when noon struck, the
president-elect, without uniform or
pomp of any kind, clad in an over
coat and n high hat, went on foot TO
the capitol to take the oath and to
come into contact with the people
| There is nothing more primitive or
more grandioso than this procession,
which characteri2es the American
: n In =,
, The only official elemnt in it is de-
tachment of soldiers and marines. who
march at its head but surrounding,
preceding, and following Mr.. Mckinley
there is a vast mass of humanity,
which stretches as far as the eye can
| reach. The marshall" or chief of
police keeps it at proper distance by
a sign.
| When he reaches The threshold of
the palace the president uncoveTs and
walks in alone. Having taken the oath
and delivered his speech and reviewed
the garrison of Washington, he re-
turns to the White House, all the time
aioot and continually hemmed in by
! thousands of people singing Yankee
/ Doodle" or Star Spangled Banner"
/ Mr.. Cleveland welcomes him and
hands him the keys of the house
Then comes the diplomatic reception
and the first cabinet meeting.
! But the fatigues of the day are not
yet over for the new president. He
has to be present at a public banquet
| OF 10000 covers, at 81 % a head served
in tents in the public garden and to
open the ball, which is the last of the
! festivities. At the dinner Mrs. McKin-
ley does the honors, dazzling in the
charm of her youth, wearing a gown of
white satin spangled with silver and
adorned with Venetian lace ard pre-
/ cious stones. The menu offers variety
of extraordinary dishes-fried oysters,
chicken outlets, veal in rice, chicken.
lobster and crab sailed; pates de foie
grass and punch. If wine is passed it
/ is certainly not with the approval of
! the temperance societies, who have
Organized a demonstration the day be-
fore against the generous wines of
| FlaLce,
/ The ball that marks the close of the
festivities is of an unheard of mag
Eif!cence and it certainly is no com
mon sight to see 10000 people dancing
at the same time in tent in the pub
| lie garden.
For tie future tho new president
does not belong TO himself, but is the
Prey of journalists and reporters
Already they have published the list
OF Il irgs contained in his baggage and
tfat Of Mrs cKnley-clothes, linen.
jewelry, silverware, toilet articles
everything has been counted, labeled
and delivered over to the curiosity of
the public. One transatlantic journal
has even published a picture Of the
sfeep whose wool furnished the cloth
from which the presidential coat was
made