Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-03-11
GREATEST IN HISTORY
Scenes at Washington Such as Have
Never Before Been Witnessed

sceneS at " aSnlnStOn Sucn as have
Never Before Been Witnessed
The influence of the greatest multi
tude that ever invaded the city over
Swallowed all the pageantry and most
impressed the mind. Washington had
decked herself as never before for the
second Inauguration of Mckinley, and
the induction into the vice presidency
of Theodore Roosevelt. The committee
in charge had insisted upon uniform
and harmonious decorations. The
scheme was superb, and it was adj
mirably executed. The gem of it all
was the court of honor, where the pres
ident reviewed the parade. 1t extended
from the Treasury building to the War,
State and Navy building, comprising
the stretch in front of the executive
mansion. Guarding the entrance We're
gigantic white pylons, surmounted by
bronze urnS for the Greek fire at night.
Doric columns, like measured sentineIs,
stood before the White-rOofed stands. IN
which the distinguished personages
were seated, while other columns ran
in a semi-circle through the White
House grounds.
Only a comparatively insignificant
portion of the vast multitude saw any
thing Of the actual Inauguration cere-
monies at the Capitol. The great UNI
numbered thousands were content to
wait in the avenue below to see the two
men on whom the mental attention of
the world was fixed and the great pro-
cession which followed them.
When the ceremony in the senate was
over, the floor and galleries emptied into
the corridor through which the people
jOstled and squeezed into the rotUnda
and out onto the great platform erected
from the east pOIticO of the Capitol
building. AS the tIrst of those from
the senate appeared Il fine driZzling
mist began falling which changed quick
ly into pelting rain. Soon it was a
veritaDle dOWnpOur. The fOrbidding
aspect drove some back into the ro-
tunda, but many handsomely-g
women, most of the senators and repre-
sentatiyeS, every member of the SUI
preme court and the entire bespangled
diplomatic corps braved the elements.
The huShed multitude waited breath
lessly to see him kiss the Bible, and
then, despite the rain. they awakened
the echoes of Arlington across the Pc
had the inaugural been finished when
the rain abated. turning into a driz-
zling mist again and later ceasing alto
gethcr.
When the president and vice prcsi-
dent had quilted the scene To take their
places at the head Of the procession. the
spiders stretched across the plaza
where the multitude had been, their
bright uniforms, gay standards and ac-
coutrements of brass ana gold and steel
showing no bad effects from the wet
ting they had received. The procession
wound down the hin and up the broad
rain-drenched avenue. through living
lane of people. The crowds had waited
patiently through tue rain rather than
lose their place and when the parade
appeared their ardor seemed un-
dampenCd.
The craniug, eager crowd had eyes
only for the open barOuchc drawn by
four horses. in which the president and
Senator Hanna. chairman of the COM
mittec on arrangements sat. The eN-
plOSiOl of applause which greeted the
chief magistrate. were rcdoubled rs
Vice President Roosevelt in another
carriage, drawn by two horses, came
into view. The hero of san Juan IL
anything. received more flatterinS
reception than the president himself.
\ detachment OF the Twenty-third
Ohio. the presidents own regiment our
ing the rebellion. battered and griZzled
by time. trudGing along or foot In the
wake of the carriage testified 10 the
loyalty of the presidents old comrades
of the Civil war The military as a
whole attracted unbounded admiration.