Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-19
For an Official Inauguration.

Representative Sherman's bill providing
for truly national Inauguration of the
President is gratifying evidence of a dis
position TO solve permanently the problems
that have arisen In this connection during
the present season. 1t puts the case pre-
csely where 1t belongs. 1t makes for an
official ceremony from start to finish, under
the auspices of government officers, upon
whom rests the sole responsibility TOT
the entire program. Under such law the
United States would induct its Presidents
into Office officially, with appropriate cere-
monies. solely at government expense. That
is as the case should be, and as it should
always have been.
The conduct of the preparations for in
augurating the President is no more the
duty of the citizens of Washington than Of
the citizens of New York state, of which
Theodore Roosevelt is a legal resident, or
of Ohio, or Illinois. But 1t has naturally
resulted from the inadequacy of the gov
ernments provisions for this event that the
Washingtonians. partly from local and
partly from national pride. have tried to
supplement these provisions with others OF
their own devisng. They have come to as
sumo a responsibility altogether out of pro-
portion to their real obligations as citizens,
a responsibility which has cost them heavily
in money, time, energy and even reputation.
They have given gratuitously services which
could not possibly be hired. They have as
sumed the burden of a great guarantee
fund depending upon uncertain elements
for reimbursement. They have exhausted
themselves physically that the preparations
for the great affair might be pushed to a
satisfactory finish in the three months
available. They have been roundly scolded
for trihing errors of Judgment, incident to
the hurry of the work. and to accidents
arising from circumstances beyond their
control and held to a money accountability
for damages done to public property in the
conduct of an affair which has been solely
for the benefit of the public and the govern
ment. They have been scurrilously abused
as mendicants, lacking public spirit and
civic pride when they have suggested to
Congress the customary inaugural legisla-
ton through which the nation meets q
small fraction of it's obligations in the mat
ter
They are quite willing and ready to lay
down this burden and allow the United
States to assume 1t. They would greatly de-
plore any change of plans which would re-
suit in a meager, inadequate, undignif1ed
Inauguration. But as this result is not
apparently threatened, there seems to be no
reason why they should not gladly welcome
relief from a thankless task, which is grad
ually becoming impossible of performance
by them without a total loss of dignity and
self-respect.
So now the appearance of the Sherman
bill is to be welcomed as sign that the
government will thus tardiy assume It's
proper responsibility in the premises and
undertake the Inauguration of the President
in all its details a public function. The
bill itself is drawn along right lines. 1t
makes the whole program of March Off
cial by placing 1t exclusively under the
supervision of a joint committee of six
senators and representatives, with clerical
force for the incidental labor drawn from
the various government departments. 1t
places the affair on proper scale by NAM
Ing 100000 as an expense fund. a good
round figure, which measures we'll with the
scale heretofore maintained by the citizens
1t incidentally and theoretically guarantees
that the features of the inaugurations of
the recent past which have made the event
of March 4 one Of the most notable in the
view of the whole world will be preserved
by providing that the services of one or
more citizens of Washington may be Sc
cured without cost.
All the District wants is that the inaugu-
ration shall be fittingly impressive and
beautifully framed. 1t matters nothing to
the citizens what persons do the Incidental
work. so 1t is done. They would Infinitely
prefer. under the vexatious conditions which
have been stated, to have the work done
by the government than to be compelled
through motives OF patriotic interest, to do
II themselves as volunteers. And If the
Sherman bill should pass, or some other Of
similar import, they will stand always
ready to supply the gratuitous expert as
distance, contemplated by the pending BILL
In generous measure and with unflagging
enthusiasm.