Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17

The formal movement to secure change
of the inauguration date has attracted ia
vorable notice from all parts Of the coun-
try, the necessity being universally recog-
nized. The freedom with which the sub
jecf is discussed warrants the hope that
at last sufficient public interest has been
awakened to keep the matter alive until
the needful constitutional amendment can
be secured. Some of the comments are
amusing as for instance that Of the Chi
cage Tribune, which recently undertook to
point cut the difficulties in the way Of
change of date eliminating in the neces-
sity to amend the fundamental law. NO
serious advocate of the plan has ever over
looked that fact. The Tribune proceeded
to propose an alternative plan, to avoid
the need of an amendment. 1t says:
1T is not absolutely necessary that the
day when the President enters upon the
discharge of the duties Of his office shall
be marked by imposing ceremonies. The
professions and the balls can be postponed
for month or two, and 1T has been sus-
gested that this be done. Then no change
in the Constitution will be needed. me
coronation of the King of England Is not
going TO take place until long after he has
become king.
One of the most striking reasons for the
change of date is that It will incidentally
permit a frightening Of the short session
of Congress, which, as the Tribune ac-
krowledged in It's previous remarks, Is
nationally desirable. But even without
such motive for the change the demands
of the Inauguration point Enthusiastically to
the later date desirable 1t is true that
no law calls for the spectacular features
of the induction into Office But it Is also
true that no American would be satisfied
with a mere swearing in of the President.
and the discharge of the perfunctory rites
required by the Constitution. The habit
of coming to Washington when the admin
istration changes is too firmly fixed to be
broken, even by continuous bad weather
Nothing is more impressive in all the func-
tiens of the American body polite than the
auadrennial gathering here Of tens of thou
sands of citizens from all the states, some
of them from the outermost limits of the
American territory, eager to participate
personally in ceremony which signifies
the close relations of the executive and the
people.
An inauguration program carried out two
months after the formal induction into
office would never appeal to the American
spirit. The ceremony March is not a
Coronation" 1t is an expression of the
principle of POI liar government. Every
man in the crowd in the capital on that
day stands his own chance Of being some
day the chief figure at a similar proceed
ing. delayed popular celebration of the
fact would be wholly foreign to the spirit
of promptness which pervades American
institutions.
The President must be inaugurated with
all the ceremony incidental to the occasion
on the day of his taking the OATH The
date now fixed by law has proved to be un-
suitable and dangerous. The simplest way
to remedy the evil is to shift the date The
prospect of success is not so remote as to
discourage the enthusiastic exertions Of
citizens, not only of the District, but of
every state In the Union