Connecticut western news., 1901-09-19
THE OATH OF OFFICE
TAKEN BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
 IN BUFFALO.

Administered by Judge John n. Hs-
 gel of the United states District
 Court-Nsw Executive Promise. to
 Carry Out MeI<InIey's Policies.
 Mir. Roosevelt arrived in Buffalo Sat. urday afternoon after trip of twenty. four hours from the Adirondack camp. where he had been notified of tho ap. preaching death of President McKln. ley. He first visited the Mllburn house. where the dead president lay, and then went to the home of Ansley Wilcox. Here the oath of office was admins. tered to him by Judge John R. Hazel of the United States district court.
 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 It was used for some time as an army headquarters. While the house has been added to and improved. it 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 a bay window prettily set in palms and relieved with stained glass. It was in this em. 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 and Wilson. Postmaster General Smith. Senator Chauncey NJ. Depew, Judge Haight, John N. Scatherd, Mir and Mrs. Ansley Wilcox, Miss Wilcox, George r. Sawyer, Drs. Mann, Park and Stockton, Mir. and Mrs. Carleton Sprague. MT. and Mrs. John c. Mil. burn. William Loeb, IT,, secretary to the president; George B. Cortelyou. cretary to the deceased president: Dr. and Mrs. Charles Carey, B. c. Scatherd, J. D. Sawyer and William Jerrers, official telegraphor of the Unit. ed States.
 The scene was a 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 hls chnrncteristicnlly impulsive way he had gone first to the house of mourning to offer his condolence and sympathy to the broken hearted widow. Secretary Root. who twenty years ago had been present at a similar scene when Arthur took the oath after the death of another president who fell a victim to an assassins bullet, almost broke down when he requested Mir. Roosevelt, on behalf of the members of the cabinet of the late president to | take the prescribed oath. There was not n dry eye In the room. The new president was vislbly agitated, but he controlled himself, and when he lifted his hand to swear it was as steady as though carved in marble.
 With the deep solemnity 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 us In name. Deliberately he proclaimed 1t iu these words:
 "In thls hour of deep and terrible national bereavement I wish to state that 1t shall be my aim to continue ab. solutely without variance the policy of President Mckinley for the peace and prosperity and honor of our beloved country"
 The great farreaching significance of this pledge to continue the policy of the dead president, announced at the very threshold of new governmental regime, profoundly impressed his hear CTS, and President Roosevelt's first step after taking the oath was in line with its redemption.
 His first act wns to ask the members of the cabinet to retain their portfolios in order to aid him to conduct the gov ernment on lines laid down by him whose policy he had declared he would uphold. Such an appeal was not to be resisted, and every member of the cab met, including Secretary of State Hay and Secretary of the Treasury Gage, who were communicated with in Wash ington, have agreed, for the present at least, to retain their several portfolios. The president has made no plans as yet He said he was SO shocked by this national calamity that had thrust his new responsibilities upon him that he had had no time yet to think of his future career at Washington.