The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1909-02-19
INAUGURAL BIBLES
ARE HIGHLY PRICED
New Volume Used For Each lnoom-
ing Executive Unless other
wise Provided.


the incoming President always takes
the oath OF Office on Bible and that
the Chief Justice of the United States
administers the oath Is generally
known, but where the Bible comes
from Is fact concerning which the
public knows less The one who Is
able to give more information on this
subject than any other fl James H.
/ Mckenney Clerk Of the Supreme
/ Court who Is the man who always
has the sacred book at the right place
mt the right time, and In whose hands,
strange to say, IL always SO opens that
the august parsonage who Is about to
pledge his fidelity to the Constitution
and the best interests Of the people
OF the United States. finds his palm
resting upon some passage which is
an augury OF good for all concerned
The purchase Of the book is one of the
"perquistesn OF the clerk.
NO" said MIR. McKenney, in re.
SPONGE TO a question; no, we do not
use our century.old Bible for the
Swearing In of presidents bat 1t often
happens that the Clerk supplies a new
book for the occasion II Is the In.
| tention that the man who takes the
oath of Office should have the volume
as a keepsake, and 1t generally trans
pires that his family, II not himself,
set much store by IT, Not always
however, nor even In a majority of
cases, are we called upon to supply
new book, for ii frequently happens
| that the President or some member
of his family Is the owner of some
treasured volume OF the Scriptures,
which ii is desired that he should use
upon this sacred and important oc-
| casion.
This was the case when Mr. Cleye-
| land was inaugurated He was the
owner Of small Bible, not longer
| than your hand and which apparent
ly had seen much usage His mother
had presented 1t to him when he was
| a boy and he had treasured 1t ever
since When he was consulted about
| taking the oath, when first inaugural
ed ais President, he stated that he de-
sired his mothers present should he
used for this purpose When the
oath was administered to him at the
| beginning OF his second administra-
/ tion the same volume, which ON this
occasion had been hunted out by Mrs.
Cleveland. was again brought forword
and presented as the one upon which
! her husband should make his pledges.
quite In contrast with this little
i volume was the one used in admins
/ tering the oath t0 Mr. Mckinley. The
negro bishops joined together aud pre-
sented to Mr. Mckinley one Of the
biggest books have ever seen. II
was an extraordinary large family bib
le bound III heavy morocco. trimmed
( iii gold and stored III il much orna-
mented box remember very well
thar was quite tagged out from car.
ryine il to the Senate chamber aud
from that chamber to the platform
I'll front of the capitol After the Bible
had been used for this purpose | turn.
ed il over 10 the President but. not.
withstanding he had already received
1T. the donors afterwards called at the
/ White House aud presented il with
formal speeches. TO which Mr. Mckin-
lev made appropriate reply,
President Roosevelt Was sworn IN
ON i Bible which had been used for
the same purpose when he was inau.
guated Governor of New York We
had bought a Bible for his inaugura.
tion when we received word from Mrs.
Roosevelt that she preferred the use
of their cwn volume, and It was ac-
eordingly substituted.
I'VE still have on hand the Bible
bought for that occasion, but We shall
not use it for Mr. Taft Unless he
furnishes a book himself, we will get
a new one and will keep the Ro0se.
velt Bible on hand for emergencies,
such for instance as occurred when
Arthur took the oath of office in this
city. He had been sworn in In New
York, but Il was suddenly decided that
it would be safer to again administer
tho oath in Washington Accordingly
Chief Justice Waite and about twenty
other people Of prominence We're call
cd very suddenly together IN the Vice
Presidents room at the capitol had
20 send uptown for a book. and had
but d few minutes in which to execute
the commission / succeeded, however
In getting the book In time for the
ceremony and was one of the few pres.
ent when Mr. Garleld's successor was
initiated into his high Office.
We now make II point To- have
an available book on hand at all time
and will probably keep the Roosevelt
Bible for that purpose