The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-17

will be the only features unchanged.
The weather of an inauguration day
is guaranteed to be unpropitious.
Usually 1t Is cold. Almost always IL
is rainy or snowy. Four years ago
wet, clinging snow fell all through
the inaugural ceremonies, and the
marching thousands went to their
homes after the glortficatiOn was over
and had pneumonia. Doctors traced
hundreds Of deaths to exposure during
the second inauguration Of President
Cleveland. The bitter experience of the
cadets from West Point and Annapolis
at the second Grant Inauguration led
the authorities to order them kept in
their quarters at subsequent Inaugural
lions. The military cadets are to come
out again this year, I believe for the
first time since Grant was indicted into
office for his final term.
Washington was not inaugurated on
the 4th Of March, and there is no sense
in making that the day Of inauguratio
For some reason which historians fail
TO give Washington did not serve four
years after the first Inauguration. I'm
der the constitution he might have
served until the 3Oth Of April, or the
9Th of April at the earliest, and If he
had we would have had a balnly,
bright season for the inauguration Of
other presidents, and the lives Of a
good many thousand enthusiastic
Americans would have been saved
The constitution of the United States
prescribed no way for putting the ma
chtnery of government into operation.
IT provided that the president should.
mold his office during the term Of four
years" and that the members Of tho
house OF representatives should hold
C1hce Tor two years, but it did not say
When these terms were to begin, nor
did 1t say that the beginning of them
should be coincident. The details of
putting the government into motion
was left to the continental congress,
which was to act when nine states has,
ratified the constitution When the
congress met in September, 1888, it
was found that eleven states had ra.ti-
fed the constitution. So congress
passed resolution that 1.-The first
Wednesday of January next be the day
for appointing electors in the several
states which before the said day shall
nave ratified the constitution, that the
first Wednesday in February next be
the day for the electors to assemble in
their respective states and vote for a
president, and that the first Wednes-
day in March next be the time and the
present seat of congress the place Ter
commencing proceedings under the SAID
constitution
The first Wednesday in March. 1889
happened to fall on the 4th. There was
not quorum of either house in New
ork on that day, and it was not until
April 6, after many adjournments, that
congress mustered quorum to count
the votes. Then it took two weeks to
notify George Washington of his cleo
ton and bring him to the capitol. Ar
rangements-@were made for the inau-
guration after his arrival, and it was
April 80 when he took the oath of office
standing on the balcony of the city
hall.
The terms Of the members of con-
gfess began on the 4th Of March, 1889
But did the term of 1.-The president be-
gin before his election on the 9Th of
April or even before his Inauguration
onA51tfles Both? Washington seemed to
thnk it did. He vacated the office on
the 4th of March, 1897, at noon. Wash
ington in his first term did not serve
four years, as provided by the consti-
tuition. He served a little more than
three years and ten months.