The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-01-25
Inaugurations Too Costly


The House recently passed the
Senate resolution appropriating ter
thousand dollars for the protection
of life aud preservation of order du
! ring the inaugural ceremonies, anc
! authorized arrangements now under
way.
While displaying no great antag
onism 10 the programme for inaugu
raj ceremonies, Representative
Bell, populist, of Colorado, who is
member of the Appropriations
Committee, spoke strongly on the
tendencies toward elaborate display
upon such events.
The Colorado member said these
inaugural events had come to be
great business enterprises to the
people of the district. 81 do not
object TO that" he added. 81 am
glad to see the people here making
this a great occasion But it seems
to me they ought to pay the expen-
ses connected with it, outside of the
necessary expenses of providing the
place and the like" Mr.. Bell then
spoke of the inaugurals of Govern
ors in different states and of the
fact that recently some of them
were glorying in simple ceremonies.
A millionaire Governor of a west
ern state six years ago-Governor
Adams of Colorado-had been in
Quoted into Office at a cost of only
SIS. The Governor of New Hamp-
shire had been inaugurated the other
day in the old fashioned simplicity.
Mr.. Bell then told of the grand
ball at the Pension Office four years
ago, and of the parade, people pay
ing all the way from 50. so to So
for seats on the reviewing stand.
"And, according TO my remem-
brance," he added, "when the inau-
guration ceremonies were over, the
committee of citizens of the District
had large surplus arising from the
different means they had adopted to
meet the expenses. Mr.. Bell spoke
OF the profits hotels aud business
men got from the inaugural, and
declared that the Inauguration of a
president cost the government from
S250,OOO to $500, GOO; also that
'the government submitted lis in
terest to the interest of the specu la
tors around the city of Washing
ton" because Of so much elabora-
tion, which entailed the suspension
of work in the Pension Office for
ten days, during which time the
clerks did no work. Mr.. Bell adj
ded that he was in favor of giving
the Executive ga decent, a moder-
ate becoming inauguration" but
he was not in favor of giving up
the parks, giving up the Pension
Office for nine or ten days, and
charging the people good prices for
seats on the reviewing stands and
for the inaugural ball. He was OPP
posed to the city making "untold
dollars out of the visitors here aud
the government paying expenses.
GLOW much did it cost to inau-
gurate Thomas Jefferson?" asked
Mr.. Gaines, of Tennessee.
cit cost the price of a boy to
hold his horse" rejoined Mr.. Bell,
following the popular version, which
has often been denied.
s'He hitched his horse to tree"
said Mr.. Maddox, of Georgia.
Subsequently Mr.. Gaines lnquir-
ed diligently about tickets to the
inaugural ball, and wanted TO know
if members did not have some priv
Ilege on the floor after voting the
"What foor2" inquired Mr..
Babcock.
Mr.. Gaines paused as though he
could not remember the name of
he Pension Office 'sThe ground |
ioor," lie said, finally.
After considerable parleying the
resolution was passed.