New-York tribune., 1909-01-24
PLANS FOR THE INAUGURATION OF Mr.. TAFT
A Strong Committee in Charge
of the Ceremonies at
Washington.
From The Tribune Bureau. ]


Washington. Jan. 23.-The greatest political
Show on Earth is coming. It's only forty days
away. Thousands OF managers. impresaTios. ar
lists scene shifters. stage hands carpenters cleo
tricians and snpernumeraries working like
Trojans complete the tasks attendant upon the
production of the enormous spectacle and 1t may
be emphaticaIly announced that. rain shine.
hot cold, the performance viii be given at
Washington on March 1, and that for this single
colossal presentation there will appear as twin
stars Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard
Taft
Assisting them upon this noteworthy occasion
will be q company composed OF such talent as the
Supreme Court of the United States. the Senate
and House Of Representatives, the diplomatic
corns the army and navy and West Point and
Annapolis cadets. the National Guard OF half the
states of the Union 2 hundred civic and military
organiza tions and last but not least, concourse
of the plain people that will crowd the hauohai
oapital for a week.
The inauguration show is in the making; in fact
II is more than half made at this time and If 1t is
fraction of the success its builders predict for
II the show Of will eclipse all previous affairs
Of the kind that have taken place upon the induc-
tion of the Executive Of the nation since that far
dav one hundred and twenty years ago when
George Washington took the oath of office in New
York City.
Edward ]. Stellwagen, prominent banker ana
business man of Washington, Is the chairman OF
the Taft inaugural committee. the manager In chet
o> the great show and upon him VIII fall the glory
OF blame for it's success or failure Those VINO
know him and know the men he has gathered ABOUT
him 10 assist IN the mammoth task know that
there is no possibility Of failure The goideh
stream dollars is pouring in to turn the wheels
of the undertaking. II looks now as though there
would he subscribed nearly $4,000 for the guarantee
fund The amount subscribed for the inaugura-
ton four years ago s62 $50, and that was
huge success all the world well knows In
1897 the inaugural subscriptions amounted to &6SSO
and IN 1898 less than 5000
How is an inauguration made? Does the fncom-
ing or outgoing President have hand in its prep
aration7 Does Congress appropriate the money for
the parades the hands, the lights, the stands, the
carriages. the fireworks. the flags, the medals and
the thousand and other features Of the huge
ouadrenniaI jolfcation? Does the Secretary Of the
Treasury go down into Uncle SANS Golfers and
find the hard money needed foot ali the bills,
Is the cash forthcoming from some other source?
Probably not one In every hundred visitors to the
national capital knows where the money comes
frou-if he cares at ali about the subject. He
knows that for the price Of ticket to Washington
and accommodation at hotel or boarding house
he can see the old President go out of office. the
new President come in, and one OF the
most brilliant and diversified parades in the world,
a parade that consumes five or six hours in passing
a given point That is sufficient for the transient
traveller. Those OF nquirins bent. however.
would learn If they asked the proper persons, that
neither the government as represented by the Sec
retary OF the Treasury nor Congress nor any other
high official authority pays the bills The busi-
ness men OF Washington supply the sinews that
are needed to bring the show through TO success
ful finish. and reap the reward in the shape Of
increased trade and town pride
In other words. the Inauguration Of the President
Of the United States IS purely local affair far
the preparations and the paying of the bills
concerned. OF course 1t is a great national,
might almost say with international,
event OF the first importance, when viewed from
the point OF view OF its purpose and the result
achieved. But there really is necessity for all
the noise and gold lace. all the parades and fire.
works. The President could take the oath Of cfhce
at the White House or at his home In the woods
or down In the lowest levels of a coal nine and
II would be just as binding upon him and he would
be none the less the President OF the biggest Re-
public on earth. The wild hurrah OF the crowds