The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-03-05

Liz "" OI IL I'LL was In0 court OF
honor, where the president reviewed
the parade. It extended from the
treasury building, with its severe
classic facades'and columns of state,
war and navy building, with it's i'm
posing italian renaissance architecture
comprising the stretch in front of the
executive mansion. Guarding the
entrance we're gigantic white pilons
surmounted by Chinese urns for the
Greek fire at night. Doric columns,
like sentinels, were beneath the white
rooted stands in which the distin-
guished personages were seated, while
other columns ran in semi-circle
through the white house grounds. It
was as beautiful as the setting in a
theatre.
The brilliant and impressive scene
in the senate when the vice president
elect was inducted into office was re-
served for few hundred. The public
had no part in it. While the distin-
guished audience was gathering in the
senate chamber the president in a
little side room was signing the bills
which the dying congress was sending
to him. The senate galleries were
already filled, tier on tier with hand
somely gowned women and men con-
spicuous in every profession of life.
The diplomatic corps, headed by the
ambassadors as the personal repre-
sentatives of their European sover-
eigns marched in, glittering with gold
and aflame with ribbons. The ad-
miral of the navy and the general of
the army stiff in gold braid, had taken
their places. The judges of the su-
preme court in their satin gowns, the
speaker and memb bers of the house,
the governors of the states were all
there when the brilliant assemblage
felt all electric thrill as the vice presi-
dent-elect was announced. The great
est curiosity existed to see the man
who has been SO much in the public
eye during recent years and instantly
all eyes We're turned toward him as
wheat in field is all blown one way
in gale. He halted minute beneath
the clock at the entrance, drew him
self up until he seemed foot taller
and marched down the aisle erect and
with the bearing of a soldier He
acknowledged the sound of applause
that greeted him and smiled up at the
gallery where his wife and children
sat. The president, who was the
last to enter, got an even more lively
| reception. He never looked better and
never seemed more graceful and at
case. When the ceremony in the SEN
ate, little tedious despite it's brill
liancy was over the floor and galleries
emptied into the corridors, through
which the people jostled and squeezed
into the rotunda and out onto the plat
form erected on the east portico Of the
capitol building. Upon it were to be
seated the senators, representatives,
diplomatic corps, supreme court and
some Of the invited guests. Flanking
it on either side we're the stands, alive
with people, while the steps to the
house and senate were precipitous
hillocks Of people. Overhead on the
Lodges of the facade and even on the
gallery surrounding the dome were
others still, as if a great tidal wave
of humanity had been dashed against
the front of the capitol and receding
had left many people clinging to the
dizzy projections. Below the null
tudes filled the plaza and beyond,
down the dive1ging avenues, patches
OF color and myriads OF points of steel
indicated the assembled soldiery as
far as the eye could reach.
AS the first of these from the senate
appeared fine drizzling mist began
falling which changed quickly into
pelting rain. Soon it was verita-
BILE downpour. The forbidding aspect
drove some back into the rotunda,
but many handsomely gowned women,
most Of the senators and represent
atives and every member of the su-
preme court and the entire bespangled
diplomatic corps braved the elements.
They stood on the platform in hud-
died groups, most of them without
umbrellas, in the rain, trying to shield
themselves. The diplomatic corps
suffered the most with their bedrag-
gled ohapeaux, ostrich plumes and
court finery.
The president and vice president.
Mrs. Mckinley, chief justice and sew
eral others in the rallied and covered
enclosure jutting out into the crowd
were protected from the storm. There
in the presence of 10000 and in the
sight of twice that number of people
standing in the soaking rain the presi-
dent took the oath of office and de-
livered his second inaugural address,
The multitude waited breathlessly to
see him kiss the bible and then in
spite of the rain they awakened the
echoes of Arlington, across, with their
cheers and plaudits.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.