Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04
First Inauguration and That
of Roosevelt.
GROWTH OF FUNCTION
SELECTION OF MARCH 4 PURELY
WITHOUT DESIGN.
Always Has Been Ball-Raid During
Grants First Festivi-
ties.

Between the first Inauguration and that
of President Roosevelt there is a great
gulf fixed. The wealth Of pageantry. the
lavish expenditure Of money and the care
full organization that is now necessary to
satisfy the host of visitors to the great
luadrennial display would have staggered
the fathers of the country had such a
thing been suggested when Washington
first took the presidential chair. 1t was
declared to SAVIOR too much of monarchy
and aristocraCy when Livingston turned to
the crowd after Washington had first taken
the oath and called Long live George
Washington" Probably it would have I'M
seated the new government had an in
auguraI committee of hundred persons
expended over 100000 in leading the first
President to his new official home. But so
gradual has been the transition that the
inaugural committee with its steadily grow
ing expenditure is now looked upon as a
matter of course, and without the months
Of preparation the pageant in its present
form could not exist.
Few people seem to realize that but for
Washingtons spirit of self-abnegation the
much mooted question of an Inauguration
on the 4th Of March might never have
existed. The 9Th of March is only a date
Of chance. Washington was installed for
his first term on April 80. There is 4 cur
rent superstition, founded about as well as
current superstitiOns usually are that the
4th of March was selected for the Inaugural
ton because after intricate calculation it
was found that the 4th in the presidential
years never fell on Sunday. Prevalent as
is this belief. it is only necessary to recall
Mouroe's second Inauguration in 1921 and
TaylOrs in 1919 to see that both these
dates were Sundays, and in each case the
President was indugurated the next day.
When Washington took the chair it had
only been determined that the electors
should be chosen on the first Wednesday
in January, that they should assemble for
casting their votes on the first Wednesday
IN February. and that the Inauguration of
the new president should be on the first
Wednesday in March. which in that year
happened 10 be the fourth. The presidency
was for Il term of four years, and Wash
iugtOu did not arrive in New York till al
most two months after the time set for his
Inauguration. s. that had he been disposed
to press the point he might easily have
retained the presidency for the full four
years and we would than have had in
ausuratons on April 80. much more fit
ting season in Washington
1t was owing to WashingtOn's deep
seated personal popularity tEat both of his
iuaugurations were greater functions than
those of Presidents for many years after.
1t had been his wish that the ceremony
should be as simple as possible Even the
oath he wished administered in private
But the people would NOT near OF IL his
long and at that time arduouS journey
from Mount Vernon to New York was the
occasion for a continuous ovation. People
a that time could not go to the capital iof
an inaugural ton. and they welcomed the
new President at every point along the
route. When he arrived in New York
there was large delegation Of citizens
with a barge of state 10 take nm
across to Manhattan. There a crowd of
go 900 people was waiting to do him honor,
and his advisors declared t impossible
that the oath should be administered 70
him in private. Accordingly il was upon
the balcony of the federal building at the
corner Of Broad and Wall streets that the
chief justice Of the United States admin
istered the first oath TO the first President,
and in response to Livingston's appeal, the
crowd below the balcony took up the shout
of Long live George Washington. That
cry. so the old records say. was heard ana
echoed clear across ON the Jersey shore.
Washington was we'll night overwhelmed
at his reception. and it is said that his re-
Spouse to the chief justice was almost IN
audible.
Always Inaugural Balls.
Inaugural balls commenced with that first
installation of the President, and have con-
tinted in vogue ever since For many
wears the only inaugural committee was
that Of volunteer gentlemen, who had
charge of the arrangements for the ball.
and MANI are the tales of stress and heart
burning first in efforts to get into the BAH,
and afterward 70 get out of it The ola
crowds were even less manneriy than those
Of the present day, and the arrangements
for their handling were much less eHectlVe,
so. that, save on the occasion OF the nfst
iuausuration. the balls frequently degen-
Grated into disgraceful scrambleS Tor 1000
and precedence. Washington himself was
by nature and descent an aristocrat. lie
was one of the richest-indeed, one OF the
few rich men of the country-whcn he was
selected for command OF the army. In
and HEpQTtTnGu he was one
of The old school. and the description OF mis-
dress at the first inaugural was at that
time the height of elegance lof the couIi-
Try brown broadcloJh small clothes, hair
ro,ydared and gathered in a bag, steel
hited dress sword. white silk stockings and
silver shoe buckles set with brllhantS- The
han that followed his Inauguration was at
tended only by the higher officials of the
government, the diplomatic corps and
some of the old, aristocratc families OF
Manhattan Washington himself led the
n,fnuet with Miss Van Zandt of New York
and danced subsequently with Mrs. Living
ston The ball itself was an occasion of
splendor and brilliancy.
Very different We're some of the later
balls after the admission had come TO be
by purchased ticket, and the crowd con-
sisted of many as could pay their way
in 1t was not ut ball TO be sure. but at
- rpcgutfOn at the White House. that Jack
sons western followers ran riot and nearly
wrecked the Executive Mansion. That de-
bdUch has been alluded 10 time and again
I'm history. Crowds OF booted ana Spufieu
yyesterners climbed over the damask furni-
ture in the east room, carried off the pen
dants Of the chandeliers as souvenirs. and,
hroacn.na casks Of vine and cider on the
lawn turned the presidential grounds into
a ref,ular taproorn for the time being.
Grants First Inauguration.
I; was not much better after Grants first
inauguration. when Ike ball held in
the Treasury Department. Here there were
5000 people pre@ent. supper was not served
quick enough for tHe:g liking and they raid
ed tl.s kitchen and pantries and would have
actually carried OFF the food from the
stoves But here there appeared goddess
out OF the machine in the person OF one of
the old negro cooks who had helped pre-
pare the supper Armed with dirty dish
cloth and n pan OF hot water she descend
ed on the invaders and threatened TO scar
ify'' the vloIators OF her domain, They re-
treated en- rnasse. But the riot was re-
sumed at the cloak room later In the night.
The attendants could not serve the guests
fast enough. and they crawled through the
transoms and helped themselves TO coats