Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-14
The Inaugural Ball Room.

The law passed by the Flfty-seventh Con-
gress relative to the use Of the pension Of
flee for the quadrennial inaugural ball was
not In terms. whatever may have been the
intention of It's trainers. positive prohibit
ton of the future use Of that building or
any other belonging to the government for
such a purpose. 1t was an express reserva-
ton by Congress of the right to grant fu-
ture permission. thereby inferentially dis
approving the practice previously In vogue
of treating the departmental buildings as
subject to executive direction and control.
Thus this winter It will be necessary for
those In charge of the inaugural ceremonies
on the part of the citizens Of Washington
to secure from Congress the necessary
legislative permission to the use Of the PEN
sion building. instead of gaining. as here
tofore. merely the assent of the Secretary Of
the Interior.
That such consent will be given prompt
ly Is fair assumption. Whatever may be
the sentiment of some members Of Con-
sress regarding the use for such purpose
Of that building or any other belonging to
the government, the fact remains that the
inaugural ball has become an established
feature of the ceremony OF Inducing a
President into office. however unofficial 1t
necessary part OF the great affair to enable
the citizens to defray the enormous ex-
penses Incidental to the proper marking of
the occasion.
1t may be assumed at the outset that the
public sentiment favors the continuation of
the ball. There Is at present no building
other than the pension Office suitable for
such a gathering. The only alternative to
the use Of this building Is the proposed re-
moval to Washington of the structure now
representing the United States government
at the ST. Louis exposition. To bring the
steel framework-all that could be moved
to Washington and re-erect it here would
call for legislation and an appropriation, and
the enterprise would require for success the
utmost speed from the earliest possible mo-
ment to the very eve Of the inauguration.
Thus In any event it will be necessary for
the committee in charge to ask Congress
for legislation. as indeed is always the case.
There must be authority for laying extra
railroad tracks, and above all there must
be appropriations for miscellaneous pur-
poses connected with the inaugural -- AS
long as a measure Is to be prepared in any
event 1t will be as easy to ask for and
perhaps as easy to get the necessary per-
mission to use the pension building as to
obtain the removal of the steel frame from
st. Louis.
1t may. however, be considered as de-
sirable to ask for the removal of the ex-
position building In any case. to be repro
duced here In permanent materials to serve
as the national center of great permanent
exposition. surrounded by state buildings.
or as a convention hall. There Is urgent
need of such a structure, whether of the
shape Of that at st. Louis or in some other
design. One OF the features OF the great
park improvement scheme now in hand Is
national armory and convention hall for
the miscellaneous meetings constantly be-
ing held in this city. Of both public and
semi public character.
If Congress is unwilling to allow the PEN
sion building to be used indefinitely for this
purpose It should at least take some steps,
while granting the necessary permission
this year. to provide adequately for the flu
ture. With government aid such a Struc-
ture would be possible. Without II there
is not sufficient inducement to private capt.
tai TO provide "a proper hall 1t may be that
the exposition building, if permanently re-
erected here, even though the work may
not be accomplished In season for the cere-
monies of next March. will answer all pur-
poses for some years to come.