The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-11-17
Especial Correspondence


the citizens Of Washington are laying
plans to make the inauguration of
William H. Taft the most notable vi
all inaugurals. They want the largest
crowd here next 4th of March the
capital has ever seen, and they realize
that something novel and striking in
the way of inaugural ceremonies is
necessary in order to attract the people.
OF course, there would be big crowd
in any event, but it is record-break-
ing crowd that is wanted, SO there must
be record breaking inaugural.
just what the novel features will be
has not been determined. In fact, ideas
have bttn discussed in only the most
tentative way. Nothing definite caa
be accomplished until the inaugural
committee has been appointed and gets
down to work. The chairman of the
inaugural committee will be designated
by National Chairman Hitchcock.
The selection appears to lie between
Cuno IL. Rudolph, prominent mer-
chant and banker, and Lieut.. Gen.
Henry G. Corbin, U. S. A, retired, with
chances favoring the latter. The in
augural chairman will select a large
committee of Washington citizens, and
there will be two or three months of
the hardest kind of preliminary work.
1t costs a lot of money to inaugurate
president of the United States, and,
contrary to a widespread belief, the
money is raised here in Washington by
popular subscription, congress appro-
priating not one cent toward defraying
the expenses. There is considerable
sentiment this year in favor of asking
congress to make an appropriation for
inaugural purposes, but nothing is
likely to come of it. In the past, before
it would grant use of the pension Office
building for the inaugural ball, con-
gress has required a real estate bond
to cover any possible damage to the
property. The attitude of congress
has always been that as the inaugura,
brought thousands of people to the
city, to the large profit of Washington
residents, they ought to finance the
ceremonies, and any request for an
appropriation is likely to meet with
scant consideration. The inaugural
features which involve an outlay of
money are no part of the necessary
ceremony of inducting a president into
Office, and as the show is gotten up by
Washington for the benefit of Washing
ton, congress will say it is entirely
proper that Washington should foot
the bills.
The inaugural ball is feature that
is going to give the committee greas
deal of trouble. Not only is this
highly popular feature of the inaugural
ceremonies, but the ball is depended
upon to furnish the bulk of the money
for reimbursing citizens who subscribed
to the inaugural fund. Without a
ball there would be meagre chance OF
paying back more than a fraction OF
the subscriptions, and subscriptions,
with this prospect in view, would be
mighty hard to get.
The lobby of the pension Office has
been the only place in the city ade
quate for the ball. Holding the ball
there necessitates suspending the WORK
Of the bureau for at least week. The
last two or three times congress has
granted the use of the building under
protest, and four years ago it did SO
only after the most positive assurance
that by the time of another inaugura-
lion suitable structure would be
erected. These assurances have not
been kept, and it is extremely doubt
full whether congress viii again allow
the pension office to be used. The only
'ther possible place is the new national
museum building, and this lacks lot
If being large enough.
One of the mos: attractive features
proposed for the inaugural parade is
hat the officers and men Of Admira.