Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-24
.FOROURB|GGESTSHOW
Three Months in Inaugural
Preliminaries.
TO ECLIPSE ALL OTHERS
A MONSTER TASK WILL BE AC-
CoMPLIsHED.
How the Cost Will Be Guaranteed
Coming Novel
ties.
TO ECLIPSE ALL OTHERS


ties.
Copyright. 1904. by John Elfreth Watkins)
Preparation for the brilliant Inauguration
of President Roosevelt Is to be q three
months task. The fact that active pre-
| liminary work has commenced month
| earlier than In the case of any other such
event is q. matter of good augury, and the
prospects are that the festival will surpass
in grandeur any other pageantry to which
the American public has been treated.
1t is estimated that there will be at least
100000 visitors within the gates of the cap
ital on March 4, which will mean a tempo
rary increase of the city's popula ton by 81
per cent. At the last ceremony there were
1872, 600 strangers here. Considering the fact
that national interest in inaugurals has III
| most steadily grown since the first event of
the kind. and considering also the great
personal popularity of Theodore Roosevelt.
the 200 600 estimate is considered conssrya-
tive.
Not Official Event.
The Inauguration is a national, but not n
official, event: Neither the federal nor state
governments pay the bills. 1t is customary
| LUZ SOu6icSS " dppiOpiihtc 3lv,oVV All liiS
| maintenance of good order. Outside of this
bonus all guarantees of expense are Shout
dered by the citizens of the District Of Co.
lumbia. 1t Is their tea party, and they in
wife their fellow Americans to come and
share of the fun. The Constitution would
be satisfied If Mr.. Chief Justice, in his
silk robe, entered the presidential bedroom
early on the morning of March and per-
formed the inaugural operation before the
Chief Executive-elect was out of his pa
Jamas So the greatest American festival
is entirely. due to a combination of District
Of Columbia hospitality and presidential
forbearance. On that day the servant Of
S0.000.O00 masters is expected to place him.
self exhibition and outshine REX" OF
the yelled Prophet"
The first step is the appointment by the
chairman of the national committee of the
President-elects party of a resident of the
District of Columbia to act as chairman
of the inaugural committee" Gen. John NJ.
Wilson, u. s. A. (retired), upon whom this
honor has just fallen, is a District man by
birth, a veteran of the civil war, an eX-
superintendent of West Point, an eX-master
of ceremonies at White House cleveland
regime) and an ex-ohief of engineers of the
army. He is empowered to appoint all OF
the officers and committees necessary to
the organization of the ceremony. His first
act was to appoint general inaugural
committee of about fifty leading Wash
ingtonians. About half of these were made
chairmen Of subcommittee, the most i'm
IL,
bankers and fnanciers, has control of all
ma tiers financial and raises a large guaran-
tee fund. That fund four years ago
amounted to more than $4,000. but this
year from s60.0OO to $4,000 will be asked
for.
The ceremony will cost, however, about
800, 900, and probably much more than this
| figure will be realized on grand stand tick
cts, ball tickets, concessions, etc. If there
! be a surplus it will be turned over to the
national board of charities and correc-
| tions; If deficit, it will have to be made
| good out of the guarantee fund, otherwise
| returned to the subscribers.
Sources of Revenue.
The source of greatest revenue will be
| the inaugural ball, held on the evening of
March 4, and the five succeeding con-
| certs in the ball room, to which the pub
| lie will be admitted for fifty cents head,
or 10 per cent of the ball admission price.
| Last Inauguration day over $50 900 was
| allied from tickets to these amusements
| ana to the inaugural ball supper The re-
| mainder Of the revenue was realized from
reviewing stand tickets, concessions, sales
of souvenirs, etc.
A large coterie of the very elite always
constitutes a reception committee whose
| chairman escorts the President to his box
| at the inaugural ball and whose other mem
| bers act as misunderstanding to the
| first lady of the land the Vice President
| and the 1atters wife or as escorts to the
governors of the states. who must be per-
| sonally met at the railroad stations, pro-
| vided with tickets and formally escorted
| to the ball room and reviewing stands.
Upon this committee also devolves he
| delicate task of seating the diplomatic
corps and Supreme Court in such wise
| that they will not come to blows over the
| vexed questions of precedence. Other sub
| committees will look after such matters as
| transporting guests, arranging for fire
works. Examinations. decorations, printing.
&c
The Headquarters of the inaugural COM
mittee has been located in a luxurious
| apartment in the f street front of the New
| Willard Hotel. The walls are paneled IN
+ mahogany, and rich draperies hang at the
| windows. There are carved tables and
| giIded chairs for the committeeman and
| desks for Gen. Wilson. Secretary Frank III.
Hitchcock and corps of clerks. All OF
| this luxury is enjoyed without expense 10
| the committee.
The President will leave the White House
IN an open victoria, behind his escort
probably his original regiment of Rough
Riders. He will reach the Capitol just be-
fore noon. receive the oath from Chief JUS
tice Fuller just as the clock strikes II, and
deliver his inaugural address from the dec
Grated stand in front of the Capitel-tne
same on which the oath was administered.
Then he will return to the White House
followed by the inaugural procession.
Parade Features.
The lieutenant general of the army Adna
r. Chaffee. will lead the procession as grand
marshal which commission was given in
1901 to Maj. Gen. Francis V. Greene, U. S.
", late police commissioner of New York.
Probably the greater part of the entire
military establishment of the east, including
the Annapolis and West Point cadets will
take part in the military half of the pa
rade The civic divisions, consisting of
hundreds of marching clubs. may be plac-
ed ahead of the military, experience having
proven that many citizen marchers break
ranks before the parade has finished, if kept
waiting long in the unpleasant weather.
The usual quadrennial crop of freaks,
pressing for a conspicuous place in the pro-
cession, are looked for. Four years ago a
man brought several trained bears to Wash
ington and insisted upon their marching
with him in the parade. Mr.. John Joy ed
son, then chairman of the inaugural COM
mittee, looked up from his desk one day,
shortly before the celebration. and was as
tonished to find a big bruin glaring down
upon him. Finally the owner of the train
ed bears appeared from behind the shadow
of the big beast and explained that he
brought the latter in as a sample of the
gentleness of the pets He forthwith put
the beast through a drill to demonstrate its
military fitness.