Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-18
MILITARY PART
TO Be FEATURE:
PAclFIcATIoN TROOPS FROM
CUBA AND BLUE JACKETS
TO BE THERE.

Washington, D. c., Feb. 16. = The
men who are in charge of the prep
arations for the Inauguration of Will
lam H. Taft as president of the United
States declare very confidently that
the pomp and magnitude of the pa
geant and ceremony will far surpass
at accorded any previous
chief magistrate. Some persons
who have grown blase through
attendance at many such spec
tacles are , won't to declare
that all inaugurations are alike, but
this has not been justified by such
events in the past and certainly it
would seem likely to be disproved by
the novelties and innovations that
will distinguish the big event of 1909.
The 1909 inauguration is to be rec
ord-breaker in various respects, it may
be safely said that its pre-eminence as
an imposing and dazzling spectacle
will be due largely to the exceptional
military and naval display which will
characterize the gigantic display. This
pageant is. in so far as the majority of
Inauguration spectators are concerned,
| the chief feature of the eventful day.
Not more than 10000 spectators will
witness the administering of the oath
of Office to the new president on the
east front of the capitol, but probably
not less than 100000 people will watch
the vast army of civic and military
merchers sweep up historic Pennsyl-
vania avenue, escorting the newly.
sworn president from the capitol to
the White house and requiring five or
/ six hours to pass in review before
him
The Military Feature.
i General Bell, chief Of staff of the
United States army, who is in charge
of this portion of the inaugural pano
rama, is one of the closest personal
friends OF President-elect Taft and he
has spared no effort to have the mill
tary and naval show eclipse anything
of the kind heretofore seen on this
continent. Two circumstances have
by chance, greatly facilitated this
project. The withdrawal of the Ameri
can troops from Cuba and their de
barkation in the United States a
Newport News, Va, renders it pos
sible to summon this great body o
soldiery to the capital intact and ere
the various organizations are scatter
} ed to the different military posts tt
, which they are detailed Secondly, the
completion at Hampton Roads on Feb
ruary % of the famous round-the
, world cruise Of Uncle Sans battleshil
! fleet, will make it possible to have il
, Washington for the inauguration
5 thousands of the globe-girdling blu
jackets.
:. 1t is planned that there will b.
!: 8 1000 troops from Cuba in the corteg
: that will follow Taft up Pennsylvani
Z avenue and upwards Of 1000 artillery
men from the forts along the Atlanti
: coast, making total of 1000 regr
e lars. The troops from Cuba that will b
. welcomed home by the inauguratio
:, spectators will include the headqual
: tiers band and second and thir
squadrons of the Eleventh cavalry
batteries A and B of the Sec6nd fiel
artillery; the headquarters band an
: second and third battalions of tn
f Fifth infantry, the Headquarters ban
l. and first and second battalions of tn
:, Twenty-seventh infantry. The nayf
: contingent will comprise from $500
: 5000 blue jackets from the principe
e battleships, representing the pick
our globe-trotting men-o'-war's men.