Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-21
Change the Date.

When tomorrow the House committee on
Judiciary considers the Hoar joint resolu-
zion providing for change of the inaugural
date only one question should be permitted
to enter into the discussion. Is the country
longer TO suffer because of the inadvertent
mistake of the organizers of the govern
ment who chose wholly unsuitable date
for the great national ceremonial, being in
tent only upon the practical ends of lie
immediate present and unaware of the ex-
traOrdinary development which lay before
the people? Had those who arranged the
first chronology OF the republic appreciated
what Inauguration day would in time be-
come as a national festival, they would
presumably have sought to arrange some
device to carry the date forward perma
nently to that which CHANGED to have been
selected by George Washington for his first
inaugural There is, however. but faint
evidence that any of those men accurately
foresaw the expansion of the country
across the entire continent, and it's growth
within few score years to a population
of nearly a hundred millions. They evident
ly did not clearly estimate the significance
of the executive office and induction cere
mony in the minds of the people They
could not reckon upon the assemblage at
the federal capital of more than a quarter
Of a million of American citizens from all
sections of the country to witness the TAX
ing of the presidential oath of office. The
inauguration was then regarded as per-
functory affair. rather local in its outward
manifestations and not of a character to
persuade the citizens to abandon their
tasks to go many miles to witness 1t. The
introduction of the steam railroad and the
steamboat changed everything and permit
ted the people to travel long distances for
pleasure and in patriotic devotion.
The extraordinary changes in material
and political conditions which have caused
the inaugural ton to be known as the great
American ceremony, summoning a large
representation from all the states, should
be recognized in the calendar of the re-
public. That Is all there is in the appeal
for the prompt passage of the Hoar resolu-
tton- The people having adopted the event
a national rite and indicated their pur
pose to attend 1t even at the risk of health
and comfort 1t is incumbent upon the law
makers now to take cOgniZance of their de-
mand for a more suitable season. If incl
dentally other errors in the chronology
have been disclosed. if the changes of con-
ditions have brought other incongruities
into the federal system, they likewise de-
serve dIteHIlON- but the CndnSe-OI-
date plan is distinct from all such as these
and should be considered separately and on
its merits. In view of the past experience
in a similar effort. il is the part of wisdom
to allow the Hoar resolution to go before
the House in shape which will simply
extend the present executive term from
March 1. 1905, to the last Thursday in that
month, in order that thenceforth the people
may have an opportunity to attend the
ceremonial with safety to their health.
Should the House, the Senate later con-
curing. amend the resolution by including
some reasonable plan for a change of the
date of the meeting of Congress. the re-
sponsibility for that change should be
placed upon the bodies themselves A
simple action affirmatively reporting the
resolution TO the House for such a decision
as it may choose to make is all that Is re-
auired now TO put the matter in its best
possible shape for some rational solution
of the long-pending problem.