The record-union., 1897-03-05

NA@eNA
sal opinion that there was but enough
and not one bit too much of any one
| class of paraders. There was no Ions
| drawn out massing of Uniformly attiret
regular troops or militia. pleasing
| enough to the military eye but weari.
some to the spectators who made III
/ the vast crowd. Nor was there any
| preponderance of widely separated civic
organizations. whose identity was
| scarcely distinguishable through the
| presence or absence of a high hat ol
different colored overcoat Instead
the military display was just large
enough and had just enough variety tC
| give the people a pleasing opportunity
| to dwell upon the difference between
| the three great arms of the service
| while as for the civic organizations
| their leaders showed the necessary in
genuity in the variety of their costum-
ing TO make it a delight to look upor
their closely drawn lines. 1t was no.
| ticeable. by the way, that some of these
| civilians marched in a style that might
with reason make the military forces
| jealous.
Amid the merry spectators a hearty
round of applause and a reverential un-
covering of heads was called forth by
| the passing of the limping and battle
SCARED veterans of the war, now few
in number but of sturdy heart
When the head of the parade came in
sight of the thousands lining the way
to the Capitol Pennsylvania avenue
was swept as clean of intruders as
though the whole town was deserted
for behind the wire rope a steady pa
troll of police had forced a hundred
thousand people.
Ahead of everything in the line of the
parade rode Major William G.. Moore
Chief of Police of Washington, and
Captain Austin, both in full uniform
They were not scheduled for this posi-
ton in the programme, and the ma
jority in the crowd cheered them lus-
tily under the impression that it was
doing honor to General Horace Porter
Grand Marshal.
Behind this advance came a dozen
mounted police, and next the Govern
Or's Island band in the blue and white
| uniforms of the infantry, their silver
instruments shining in the sunlight
and the strains of their marching mus
ic floating up clear and resonant above
the broken hurrahs of the crowd. Then
in an apparently endless vista down the
avenue stretched the magnificent ar
ray of the first grand military divis-
ion. The twenty files across the pla-
toon after platoon in close order
marched like a great machine, glitter
ing brass helmets, flashing side arms
sunlight Glittering on hundreds of bay
onets that stretched from side to side
of the avenue as far as the eye could
reach. the infantry blue and white, the
artillery with its dash of crimson, the
marines conspicuous in their blue storm
coats, with the crimson Innings, the
golden striped hussars on their black
steeds, while over the whole foated
hundreds of flags, regimental banners
and fluttering guidons.
Behind General Porter and his inn
mediate staff there were 200 special
mounted aides, each with high silk hat,
yellow gauntlets and broad white sash
from the shoulder to the right side. An
interesting feature of the special
mounted aides which did not appear,
except to those familiar with the ar
rangements, was that in the aggrega-
ton there We're five sons of eX-Presi-
dents of the United States. They
were L. S. Grant, w. H. Hayes, H. y.
Garfield, c. A. Arthur and Russell Har-
rson. Immediately behind the group
of special aides came the escort to the
President, the black horse troop of
Cleveland.
If they looked brilliant in the morn
ing during their ride to the Capitol
they were now imposing as they swept
into column at the head of the car
riages and all up and down the ave
nue. rose great cheer that rolled back,
and was taken up and repeated again
and again as the carriage of the PreSi-
dent and ex-President rolled into view.
President Mckinley, with a white
silk handkerchief around his neck, held
his hat in his eft hand, raising it now
and then to right or left in response to
some particularly enthusiastic cheer.
He still looked pale, but he was smil-
ing as he neared the end of his tri-
umphal pilgrimage. Ex-President
Cleveland, now seated on the left of
President Mckinley, was smiling in
contract to the stolid expression he
bore most Of the day.
Behind the carriage of the President
and x-President marched little band
in the plain dark blue coats and slouch
hats of the G.. A. r. They stepped
proudly, wearing blue pennons, blazon~
ed with Twenty Ohio" in gold.
They We're the veterans of the old regl-
ment in whose battles the President had
won the title of Major, and fittingly
they were given the place of honor di-
rectly behind their old-time comrade.
Then in full array swept down the
head of the first grand military divis-
ion, led by General Granville NJ. Dodge,
chief marshal, with his gold trapped
staff on pranoing horses scattered out
at regular intervals over the great ex-
panse of the avenue like an immense
chess board set all with knights. Be
hind them again "ame smaller group
of mounted officers headed by General
Wesley Merritt, u. s. A, marshal of
the First Brigade. and behind this, Col
onel Boland, commander of the corps
of United States engineers and staff.
Thus the whole great body of military
officers rested like a gigantic wedge
with its apex against the broad front
of the dismounted forces that followed
Leading these were the engineers
with their banners, white on a scarlet
field mingling its folds With the stars
and stripes that floated at it's side,
Rank after rank, the dismounted
squares swept by, then another mount
ed staff, that of Major Tracey. COM
manding the Seventeenth United
States Infantry. whose full dress
helmets glttered as they swung
in and obliqued to gain the
center of the avenue. Behind them
came a dismounted regiment of United
.l-...- cA..Ail ll1,,-- L..