The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-09-16
ROOSEVELT
TAKES OATH.

United States at 3.3J O'Clock yesterday
afternoon. STANDING in Il low-ceileI. mar.
row room in tile quaint old mansion oc.
cupied by Ansley Wilcox, in the fash
ionahle part OF Delaware avenue, the
arlstocratic' thoroughfare Of Buffalo, MIR.
Roosevelt swole tc administer the laws
of the government .of which he is now
the head.
His first act was to administer the
following proclamation:
"A terrible berei vement has befallen
our people. The president of the Unit.
ed States has been struck down, a
crime committed not only against the
chief magistrate, but against every
lawabiding and liberty loving citizen.
president Mckinley crowned a life
Of largest love for his fellow men, of
most earnest endeavor for their well
! fare, by Il death of Christian fortitude,
and both the way in which he lived
his life and the way m which, in the
supreme hour of trial, he met his
death will remain forever a precious
heritage Of our people.
1T is meet that we as a nation eX-
press our abiding love and reverence
for his life. our deep sorrow for his
untimely death.
Nov, therefore. l, Theodore Roose-
welt. president of the United States of
naIifn In unnniut 'NbnrnIjn,
Sept. 10, the day on which the body Of
the dead president will he laid in it's
last earthly resting place, as 4 day Of
mourning and prayer throughout the
United States. earnestly recommend
all the people to assemble on that day
in their respective places of divine
Worship there to bow down in submits
sion to the will Of Almighty God and
to pay out of full hearts their homage
OF love and reverence to the great and
good president whose death has smit-
ten the nation with bitter grief
Theodore Roosevelt passed the end
Of his first day as president rather
quietly at Mr. Wilcox's home, dining
quite late. Governor Odell, Congress
man Lucius I.ittauer and William War
den OF Buffalo called. as did also Colo
mel Russell Harrison. The president,
while altable, still showed some eff.
fects Of his long journey. However. he
found time to have a little chat with
Governor Odcll.
The president was besieged with
pf ,.nt ,II1 t In
so many came that no attempt was
made to open the large majority of
them.
Where Roosevelt Took the Oath.
The house in which the president
took the oath Of office is a picturesque
old mansion Of colonial style, built
somewhere back In the thirties and
standing upon ground once the prop
erty of the United States government.
1t was used for some time as all army
headquarters. While the house has
been added to and improved. 1t has not
been allowed to lose any of its colonial
charm. The room in which the oath
was taken is ceiled high in dark oak,
the floor heavily polished, and the only
bit Of relief to it is bay window
prettfly set in palms and relieved with
stained glass. 1t was in this en-
brazure where the president and Judge
Hazel stood when the oath was admin
istered. Those present when he swore
to the oath were:
Secretaries Root. Hitchcock. Long
aud Wilson. Postmaster General Smith,
senator Cha,mcey NJ. Depew. Judge
llai@ht, john n. Scatherd, Mr. and
Mrs. .Ansley Wilcox, Miss Wilcox
George y. Sawyer, Drs. Mann. Park /
and Stockton. Mr.. and Mrs. Carleton
Sprague, Mr.. and Mrs John &. Mil |
burn, William Loeb, Jr., secretary b
the president; George r. Corttlyou,
secretary TO the deceased president:
DR.. and Mrs. Charles Carey. B. c.
Scatherd, J. d. Sawyer and william
,]etIers, official telegrapher Of the Unit +
ed States
Tie scene was Il most affecting one.
The new president had just come from
the Milburn house. where his noble
predecessor lay cold in death. Over
come by the deep personal sorrow he
felt, in his Enthusiastically impulsive
way lie had gone first to the house OF
mourning TO offer his coincidence and
Svlnnnthy TO the broken hearted widow.
Secretary Root, who twenty years
ago lad been present at Il similar scene
when Arthur took the oath after the
death Of another president who fell Il
victim to an assassin's bullet. almost
brake down when be requested Mr.
Roosevelt on behalf OF the members
of the cabinet of the late president to
take the prescribed oath. There was
not dry eye in the room. The new
president was vislbly agitated, but he
controlled himself. and when he lifted
his hand to swear 1t was as steady as
though carved in marble.
To Follow Mckialey's Policy.
With the deep Splemnity Of the oc
casion full upon him he announced to
those present that his aim would be to
be William McKinley's successor in
deed us well as in name. Deliberately
he proclaimed it in these words:
I'm this hour Of deep and terrible
national bereavement | wish to state
that 1t shall be my aim to continue alb
'olutely without variance the policy of
President Mckinley for the peace and
aud honor of our beloved
The great farreaching significance Of
his pledge to continue the policy Of
he dead president, announced at the
'ery threshold Of new governmental
egine. profoundly impressed his hear
ers, and President Roosevelt's first
tep after taking the oath was in line
With its redemption.
His first net WAS To aSl tho m omlhars | 8