Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-05
M'KNLEY IS PRESIDENT imposing Was the Inauguration
 Ceremony AND GREAT THE DISPLAY The NstiouaI Capital the Scene of Monster
 Gathering FROM ALL SECTIONS OF HE UNION Full Text of the Inaugural Address, the Last Words ot Vice-President Ste- venson and the First of Vice.
 President Hobart
FROM ALL SECTIONS OF THE UNION

Washington, March 4.-William Me- Kinley, of Ohio, was today installed as president of the United States for the term of four years continuing until the 4th of March, 1901, and Grover Cleveland for the second time passed from the ex- ercise of the high office of president and re-entered private life.
 In his capacity as ex-president he has but one living contemporary, his imme- diate predecessor, Benjamin Harrison. All the others who within the last thirty years, by election or succession, have presided over the destines of the great American republic-Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Arthur-have joined the silent ma jortty.
 Incidental to the actual assuming of the office of president, and slightly pre- ceding it in point of time, Garret A. Ho- bart, of New Jersey Ca gentleman not heretofore prominent in national politics., took the cath of office as vice-president of the United States and was installed as ex-officio presiding officer of the senate.
 SCENES OF THE DAY.
 The proceedings of the day were char acterized by all the imposing spectacular effects and demonStra tions of popular in- terest which have become growing feature of inaugural ceremonies, as the nation has advanced in population and wealth. Between 10000 and 10000 men formed in procession, partly military, partly civic, and escorted the president and the president-elect to and from the capitol. At least 10000 people witnessed the administration of the oath of office on the eastern portico of the capitol, and listened or attempted to listen to the de- livery of the new presidents brief in augural address; and at night gorgeous state ball. at which the president and vice-presdent will be present. will close the proceedings.
 CLEVELAND AND M'KINLEY.
 The graceful interchange of courtesies between the outgoing and incoming offi- cials, which has only twice been inter- mitted--once when bluff John Adams packed his gripsack and slipped out at the white house at daylight on the 4th of March to avoid shaking hands with his hated federalist successor, the illus triouS Jefferson, and once within living memory when Gen. Grant, because of his strained personal relations with An drew Johnson, drove in his buggy from the old war department to the capitol, accompanied only by Gen. John A. Raw lins, his chief of staff--were on this oc- casion exercised to the full extent. MT. Cleveland and Mir. Mckinley rode side by side to and from the capitol. They had dined together at the white house the day before, and they lunched in each others company on the day in which they trans ferred the government of this great na- ton the one to the other.
 An additianal air of cordality was ln- fused into the proceedings by the simi- larity between the views entertained by the retiring president and his cabinet on financial questions, and those upon which the successful candidate of the republi- can party was elected.
 Mr. C1puaJand in truth faIt Qrati- fication probably in installing at the capi- tol as his successor the leader of an op- posing political party than he would have had in escorting under like circumstances the leader chosen by his own political associates as their candidate for the presidency. This innovation on the usu- ally closely drawn partisan lines of American politics gave added piquancy to the proceedings.
 UNAVOIDABLE CONDITIONS.
 Repeated but unsuccessful efforts have been made of late years to change by legislation the date of the inauguration ceremony to a later period of the sea- son, so as to avoid the uncertainties and frequent inclemencies of climate which prevail in Washington in the early part of March. In 1869, when President Grant was inducted into office for the first time, the weather was so bitterly cold that the soldiers froze at their posts, and many of the participants in the proceedings subsequently, died from the direct ef fects of the exposure to which they were subjected
 Garfield's inauguration was ushered in by an early morning snow storm, which, however melted rapidly in the subse- quent sunshine Benjamin Harrison rode to the White House in a cold and drench- ing rain, worse to endure than snow, and delivered his address bareheaded in the open air at the peril of his life to an au- dience hidden under a forest of um- brellas.
 For eighty years ever since 1877, when James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, initiated the practice, 1t has been the almost unbroken custom for the chief justice of the United States to administer the oath of office to the president-elect in the open air. the high participat ting officials standing on plat form erected in front of the eastern DOT tion of the capitol. This rule has occa- sionally been deviated from when pres ident was reelected to succeed himself, or when a v1ce-president has succeeded to the office through the death of the president. There was one other notable exception in the case of President Hayes His inauguration day falling on Sunday and there being still unsettled questions as to the validity of his title, he, out of abundant precaution, took the oath of office in the White House on the day be- fore he delivered his inaugural address These established Al Fresco features of the proceedings necessarily caused those entrusted with the arrangements of to- days ceremonies to look forward with some anxiety to the weather conditions
 THE WEATHER.
 Severe blizzards in the extreme west in the latter part of February had made their effect felt to some extent in the national capital, and had caused alarm for inauguration day. But after a slight snow furry on Friday last. and a freez- ing spell for several days followipg, the weather conteniporane0tis1y with Maj. McKinley's arrival in Washington took on the pleasantest of spring aspects, the thermometer ranging between 50 and 70 degrees and balmy sunshine bathing the streets and lighting up the gaily-colored decorations with which every house on the president-elect's line of progress was