The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-30

Davis. and John Davis. committee on ar
fanEements OF the Senate.
The sth OF March fell upon Sunday, and
consequently the Inauguration was upon
the 5th. On the morning OF that day the
Intelligencer had the following editorial
paragraph.
"SUch vas yesterday the complete tS-
hsusti6n Of as we'll Of the officers q the
twO houses as OF our reporters, that !,
has been impossible 10 offer our readers
q regular report OF the proceedings Of
either house during the sitting OF Satur-
day"
Another paragraph IN the same issue
will give 10 the journalist Of the present
day lively sense OF the vicissitudes that
attended tire distribution Of the Presi-
dents utterances half a century aEo:
Arrangements have been made by the
Post-ofiice Department for the convex
snce BY express Of President Taylor's in
auEural 10 New York, and, II practicabl
as far as Portland Ne, The express car
Will leave the depot to-day about noon,
under charge of Mr.. GrisRold. one OF the
post-Office agents"
The issue OF March contains the ad-
dress OF President Taylor. Fillmore's ad-
dress, and these. with the complete ae-
count Of all the scenes attending the m
aUguration. make but a little more than
three columns. In large type IL was not
until the morning OF the 9Th that three
fOuFths or a column account OF the three
inaugural balls was presented, one being
at Carusrs Hall, another at Jackson HaIl,
and the greater one at City Hall Saloon
All the dignitaries were there, but no
names Of women are mentioned, no cos
TUNES described, nothing that appeals TO
the trained and eager reporter OF such
a scene in these days.
Death of Pres dent Taylor.
The brief tenure OF President Taylor
was singulariy free from chickering's and
while the period Was brilliant one So
ciaIly, there was little stir politically
The glamOr Of war victories enveloped
everything, and the young hostess OF
the White House was a partsker in the
glory. In the twinkling of an eye, al
most, all this came to an end. On FIJI
day, July ), 1850 the President was seri-
ousy indisposed. and on the following
Tuesday night ne died. The Intelr ,ncer
went into mourning until after fu-
neral at the Congressional Ce- -ctery.
The issue Of the morning succeeding the
death Of Taylor contained an editorial
eUlogy OF twenty lines. in the following
vein;
Weep, felIow-citizens! The hand of
death has stricken down a great and good
mani Zachary Taylor. our bonored and
beloved President. is no more, A malig-
nsnt and rapid disease has swept him
from among the living. He died
with the composure which conscious vir-
tue. fOrtitude, and confidence in the good
mess Of God alone can impart. His last
Ineligible words were: I am not afraid
TO die; / have done my duty; my only
regret is leaving those who are dear 10
me-
in all this wide world there is not a
heart which honors the noblest attributes
of our nature-truth, bravery. humanity.
patriotism-that will not throb with pain
and grief at this national bereavement.
The general voice
Sounds for him courtesy. behavior truth,
And every fair demeanOr an example.
Titles o. honor add no, 10 his fame
Who was himself an honor TO the title.
All the arrangements for the funeral
were under the direction of Gen. Winfield
Scott, and among the pall-bearers were
Daniel Webster, Henry Clay. Thomas H.
Benton, Robert G. Winthrop, Chief Jus
llCe OIdHCH, LEWIS CdSS. GeOrEe WASH
ingtOn Parke CUStis. and distinguished
military comrades of the dead President
The body was placed upon a "catafalque,
or moving bier" which was drawn by
eight white horses. and between this and
the family carriages a groom led "Old
Whitley" the horse which was ridden by
Gen. Taylor throughout the Mexican war
This was the second of the only two
deaths of Presidents which have occurred
within the walls of the White House,
Harrison having died there nine years
before. The other two Presidents who
died in Office were both assassinated
Lincoln passing away in a house on
Tenth street, which is now a museum of
Lincoln relics, and Garfield dying after
months of suffering at Elberon, on the
Jersey shore.
Since her marriage with Mr. cambridge.
nearly forty years ago, the former mis-
tress Of the White House has lived in
the quaint city of Winchester, but there
fingers in her mind at this time a pur-
pose 70 yet come TO Washington and bear
part in those social scenes so similar
and yet so different to those of the day
when she was the first lady of the
land"