The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-04

hail. and they were splendidly supple
mented and surrounded by the attend
ance in the galleries, consisting in
large part of the wives, relatives and
friends of the men who occupied seats
n below, many of them as distinguished
4 in private and social life as the others
in the public service.
i Practically all the variety of hue
4 and VIvacity of scene came from the
! galleries, for aside from the decora-
4 tions worn by the foreign representa-
tives and the gold lace with which the
uniforms of the few army and navy
! officers present were decorated, there
was a dull level of black and brown
on the first floor. This mOnOtOny was
II relieved somewhat in the background
by sprinkle of gold on the gray
walls of the chamber. but it was not
4 sufficient to compensate for the alb
h Sence of animation which only the
4 ladies, with their flowers and ribbons
Il and feathers, could contribute. The
/ section of the gallery usually devoted
Il to the private use of senators was to-
! day entirely surrendered to what may
be called the executive party, and was
occupied by the families and lmme-
| diate friends of the president and vice
! president and of the members of the
supreme court and the cabinet. The
front row of seats on one side of this
| section was filled by the members OF
the presidents household, and the cor
responding row on the other side by
those OF the vice presidents, Mrs
Roosevelt and the wife and mother of
Vice President Fairbanks being promi-
nent among them.
The diplomatic gallery, which is
4 rarely occupied by more than two or
three persons at a. time, was crowded
\ today by the wives of representatives
/ of the various foreign embassies and
/ legations. all manifesting much eager
I ness to witness what they evidently
considered an exceptional ceremony.
/ Directly opposite that quarter numer-
/ Gus members of the newspaper fra
! ternity occupied their usual places in
4 the press gallery, most of them dill
/ gently engaged in portraying the inter
/ esting scenes about them. Other pOr-
tions of the gallery were given over to
persons holding special tickets. Every
niche and Granny was filled, but the
careful Encouragement which limited
the number of tickets to the exact ca
pacity of the hall prevented unseemlyl
crowding.
The gallery visitors were practically
all in their seats before the official
guests began to make their appearance
This circumstance was due to the fact
that while the officials were detained
until a specified time, the gallery doors
We're opened at IL o'clock and ticket
| holders permitted to enter any time
thereafter. They found none of the
star performers in their assigned places,
if senators may be excepted. but the
wait was not long, and in the mean
time the gallery visitors easily devised
entertainment among themselves. The |
senators, many of them showing fatigue
as the result of recent long hours of
labor, were grouped together compactly
on the Republican side of the chamber.
an arrangement necessary to make
room for other dignitaries.
The two big round-faced gold clocks /
which front with solemn nien and in
stately service from The north and
south walls of the senate chamber, had /
measured the time up to II: As when the |
first of the special guests arrived. I
These were the members of the house /
-
over in a body to the quarters of the /
senate through the long corridor from
their own hall at the other end of the I
capitol headed by their redoubtable /
assurance of an invading army, and |
when the south doors of the senate |
chambers swung open and Assistant
Sergeant-at-armS Layton announced |
THE speaker and the house of repre- |
sentatives;" they walked proudly to the
seats assigned them on the Democratic I
side of the chamber, accepting as their
due the honor done them when, upon
the stroke of the gaval of the president
pro tempore, the senate and its visitors
rose as one person to welcome them.
The speaker had scarcely taken his
seat at the side of the presiding officer, !
and senators and guests had not more
than resumed their chairs, when the
doors again parted and AlonzO H. !
Stewart, also assistant sergeant-at- |
alarms, heralded in genuine feudal
style the approach of the diplomats
headed by Count Cassini, dean of the
corps.
''The ambassadors and ministers
plenipotentiary. he said in ringing
tones, and again, upon the fall of the
gaval, all came to a standing posture,
While Serg eant-at-ArnS RanSden eS- |
cOrted the foreign dignitaries to their |
places fronting the presiding officer. |
The foreigners attracted much at
tention, and the brilliancy of their |
dress and the distinction of the gen
tlemen themselves, were the subjects |
of much admiring comment
Events followed quickly. From this !
time until Senator Fairbanks began |
his address the senators and their vis- |
itors were kept quite constantly en- |
gagged in rising to receive newcomers. |
The ministers were sharply followed |
gowned in long monkish robes and /
with Chief Justice Fuller, distin-
guished in appearance, leading the
van The judiciary was in turn sue
ceeded by Lieutenant General Chaffee
chief of staff, and his aid. The navy
was not represented.
Gradually the hall was filed. and
the scene had become more and more
anima ted, until for the last time in
connection with the occasion. the
doors were opened to admit a guest !
He was the guest of guests-the presi-
dent-the president and the president
elect. Theodore Roosevelt.
THE president and his cabinet"
proclaimed ergeant-at-Arms Rams
dell in we'll mOdulated phrase.
Again all were on their feet. and
again was attention sharply fixed In
the entire assemblage there were COM
DaratlVely few who could not boast
personal acquaintance with the chief
executive. but this fact did not prevent
a general craning of necks to observe
him on this, the crowning occasion in
ms career All eyes were turned upon
hlm as, accompanied by the congress
sIonal committee and the members Of
the oIilclal household, he walked down
the center aisle of the chamber in the
nf vs-,~~ 2 f-eat