The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-10
PREPARING FOR MARCH a.
WASHINGTON GETTING READY FOH
THE INAUGURATION.


Attendance VIII Be Small, Com
pared with Previous Events-The
Offices Are All Filled and There
is no Inducement for 'the Faith
full" to March in Line and Catch
the Grip to show Their Party 10y
atty.
Washington, Feb. 9.-washington is be
ginning to take on its quadrennial prepa-
rations for the second Inauguration of
President Mckinley. Pennsylvania ave
nue.. that grand thoroughfare which has
been the route OF so many memorable pro-
cessions is being temporarily dishgured
with reviewing stands from which visit
ors are expected to view the inaugural
procession of March 4. The fronts of big
buildings and little buildings are also
Scared with flaming signs announcing
that windows may be reserved for IN
auguration day at prices ranging from
s. to $50 per head. The hotels have es-
tablished a rate for the entertainment of
enthusiastic pilgrims who may come to
Washington to witness the installation OF
President Mckinley in the White House
for a second term, at prices ranging from
s. to IS per day-with four persons in
room Already the clearinghouse keep
ers have advanced their prices, and they
are preparing to entertain a large con-
course OF visitors who are not able to
meet the rates fixed by the hotels. The
boarding houses are figuring on extract
ing from 81 to 50 per day from each Wis
itor who may come 10 Washington during
the inaugural season, which lasts about
five days.
The railroads have offered special in
ducements in the way of transportation
for inaugural excursions. But whether
the extraordinary rates for hotaI enter
tainment or the fact that no radical
change in the administration is anticipat-
ed will affect the attendance at the APP
proching Inauguration is a problem yet to
be solved. Thus far the returns made by
the agents of the various railroad COM
panies are not encouraging for an un-
usually large assemblage here on March
L.
The inaugural committee is making
elaborate preparations for the event and
the details are in the hands of gentlemen
who are usually successful in their under
takings. Never before in the history of
this Government was a guarantee fund
subscribed more readily and in excess of
the requirements than in the present in
stance The expenses of the inaugural
ceremonies are betrayed exclusively by
local subscriptions with the expectation
that the receipts from the inauguration
ball will cover every reasonable outlay
and leave handsome surplus to be do
mated to charitable institutions. There
are no dead-head tickets TO an Inaugural
ton ball. Every man, woman and child
excepting the President-elect and his wife
are expected to pay five dollars for the
0F tf1fVN t9r,ar tn f6af
social function. Even the Vice-President-
elect and all other dignitaries including
representatives of great newspapers are
required tC pay their way at an inaug-
uration ball. The price of the tickets is
five dollars and there has never been an
inauguration, possibly with one exception
when the receipts from the ball did not
more than cover the entire outlay for the
ceremonies including the pyrotechnic dis
play.
If the large crowd expected here ma
terializes. it will find ample and substan-
tial accommodations for viewing the in
augural pageant so far as Pennsylvania
avenue is concerned. The committee
reviewing stands have obtained special
permission to occupy temporarily all of
the government reservations along that
magnificent boulevard. Although inau
guration day is more than three weeks
away, many of the large reviewing stands
are in course of construction.
The principal stand is that in front of
the executive mansion. There the Presi-
dent after his inauguration at the capital
surrounded by his family, personal and
official friends, reviews the parade. At
the present writing a portable saw and
planning mill has been established inside
of the White House grounds, for the
dressing of lumber used in the PreSiden-
tial stand The demand for tickets of adj
mission to that exclusive stand is far
beyond the supply 1t is customary to re-
serve seats in that stand for the Presi-
dent-elect, the Vice President, the MEM
bers of their families, members of the
diplomatic corps, and their families, and
other prominent officials of the govern
ment, legislative, judicial and department
tai. according to the seating capacity of
the structure.
The center of attraction on such an
occasion is the Capitol. There the official
act of swearing in a new President oc
ours. That scene brief as 1t may be, at
tracts more attention and greater crowds
than all of the ceremonies attending the
advent of new administration combined.
Thousands and thousands of citizens will
stand jammed together for hours at a
time for the small privilege of seeing
President lift up his right hand and swear
that he becomes President of the United
servation," etc Then they will stand an
other hour or more while he reads his in
augural address which usually cannot be
heard by one-tenth Of the throng which
congregates around the east portico Of
the Capitol.
without intending to reflect upon the
personal magnetism of President McKin-
ley, it is safe to assume that his second
inauguration will not arouse as much en-
thusiasm or attract as many people to
Washington as did his first induction into
the highest Office within the gift of the
American people. AS a general rule the
great majority OF participants in an In
augural procession are politicians, who
have received or expect to receive some
consideration at the hands of an incom-
ing administration. In the present in
stance there is but slim attraction for the
army of officeseekers. All or nearly all
of the desirable places in the public SER
vice are occupied by friends of the present
administration. The latter naturally feel
that their services to the country were
Endorsed by the voters at the polls last
November, as much as the administration
of affairs at the White House. They nat
uraIly expect 10 be continued in Office, and
those unfortunates, who are outside the
breastworks, probably consider il a waste
of valuable time and hard earned money
to come to Washington without any pros
poets of being rewarded for their services