Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-21
THE INAUGURATION
TASK OF PREPARING FOR GREAT
CEREMONY is HER
CULEAN.
Committees Named BY National Re
publican Chairman Will Have
Charge of Details and viii Have the
National Capital Ready March q.

National SdPitdi nSaoy "o'sh II
Washington, D. c., Feb. Is. -(Spe-
ciaD- 1t Is no mere child's play to
inaugurate president Of the United
States. OF the 100000 men, women and
children who will visit Washington on
March 4, few If any realize the amount
Of work involved in planning and
carrying into execution the plans for
inaugurating president. The people
come; are cared for; and see all the
wonderful sights. without giving al
thought as to how it has been ar
ranged or who pays for it.
Early last December Hon. George
B. Cortelyou as chairman of the ma
tional republican committee appointed
General John M. Wilson, former chief
of engineers. U. S. A. and man with
a distinguished military record, as the
chairman of the inaugural committee.
General Wilson is Washingtonian by
birth and by choice. He has gathered
about him a corps of assistants who,
in the capacity of chairmen of sub
committees, are working night and day
that the ceremonies and festivities in
cident upon the induction into office
Of President Roosevelt may be sue
cessful.
These chairmen have appointed
members Of their respective commit
tees in numbers varying from ten to
500 and they devote much of their
time and more of their energy to
these plans and preparations for
which they receive no remuneration
fhA tIot
succeeded and the appreciation ex-
pressed by the citizens of Washington
and some Of the more thoughtful visi-
tors.
Work Of Committees.
One committee is charged with the
comfort Of all guests. 1t arranges for
hotel accommodations, securing lodg-
ing and board in private houses for
those who cannot afford more pretsa-
tious quarters. It will have members
at the railroad stations to see that all
strangers are directed to their proper
locations, and 1t has corps of expert
enced men whose duty it is to see that
no hotel or lodging house charges
more than fair price. This commit
tee, also, has arranged for free quar-
who will be in Washington for the in
auguration. Four years ago these
troops occupied the corridors and hall
ways in the big government public
buildings, but since that time congress
has passed a law which prohibits such
occupancy and it became necessary to
look elsewhere. The committee APP
pealed to congress and secured the pas
sage Of law permitting the occupancy
of a score Of vacant houses in the
square upon which is to be built the
magnificent senate Office building.
Another committee is charged with
the illumination of the city and it has
arranged to place mammoth search
lights on top Of the Washington mon
ument and in the dome of the CAPT
toll which will throw light from one
structure to the other, bringing both
out in bold relief against the black
ness of the sky; the committee on fire.
works will set off about $4,000 worth OF
balloons. Roman candles and all sorts
and conditions Of pyrotechnics; and
the committee on music will see that
chorus Of 600 voices will welcome
the President as he steps on the stand
at the east front of the capitol to take
the oath Of Office.
Cost Is Great.
Other committees have their du.
ties until the smallest detail is pro.
vided for. But while these plans cost
nothing to evolve, they do cost some
thing to execute. It is not generally
known that all the festivities and ex
element incident to the Inauguration
of a president, including the parade
and the inaugural ball, are arranged
conducted and paid for by the citizens
of the District of Columbia. The two
: hundred thousand persons who will
flock into Washington will be the
guests OF the citizens of the capital
city, for an inauguration is not a ma
tional, but local affair.
This may not be so in theory, but II
is In fact, and there has been consid
cradle talk Of placing inaugurations ir
the hands of congress and a congress
sional committee, instead of leaving i
entirely to the discretion of the people
of Washington. 1t costs about $50,
600 to tnduct a president into Office
and to fittingly celebrate such induc
ton. Sixty thousand dollars every
four years would soon bankrupt the
local treasury and consequently the in
augural managers many years ago hit
upon the scheme of giving an inaug
ural ball and charging for admission
thereto, the "paltry and insignificant
sum of SIS head. The Pension build
Ing, where the inaugural ball will be
held, can accommodate between 10000
and $4,000 persons, and the committee
of 1905 is counting upon an attendance
of at least 10000 on the night o.
March 4. This number, at the rate O
SIS per, would bring the gross receipts
up to exactly 100000, which will off
set the expenditure of the entire day
ceremony. This considerable amour
of cash. however, does not come in un
til after all expenses have been paid
consequently it was found necessar.
to secure the sixty thousand in ad
vance. To this end subscription list
were opened in the various banks O
the city and in no time at all sun
approximating $4,000 was subscribe
and maid n This Or en- much pf II a