The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-03-05
WILLIAM H. TAFT
AT The HELM
THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN
WASHINGTON WAS GREAT
DISAPPOINTMENT.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WE'RE
THERE TO WITNESS THE IN
AUGURATION EXERCISES.

| Washington, March 4.-William
Howard Taft was inaugurated pres
ldent of the United States at 70: SIS
this afternoon. At the time of the
Inauguration a fierce storm was rag
ing and snow and sleet covered the
streets and the stands erected for
the inaugural ceremonies, making
them unsafe and uncomfortable for
use, so the ceremony, which had
been planned to take place in front
of the capitol on a platform which
had been erected for the occasion,
was transferred to the senate cham
Der instead.
The inaugural address was de-
| livered to the handful of people who
could crowd into the chamber, in
stead of to the thousands who would
have listened to it had it been de-
livered on the outside of the CAPT
tol as had been planned.
Just before the Inauguration of
President-elect Taft, the new vice
president and presiding officer of
the senate, James Schoolcraft Sher-
man, took the oath of office in the
senate chamber.
The swearing in Of Vice President
Sherman was preceded by an ad
dress by Vice President Fairbanks,
who spoke in glowing terms of his
successor and predicted for him
success during his term of service.
After taking the oath, Vice Pres
ident Sherman addressed the aus
sembled people as follows:
Senators: There is no need to
recite the history of this great leg
slative body, proud Of it though
we be; nor yet to suggest methods
which might in coming time enhance
| its usefulness. The world knows the
one and you understand the other.
"In government for and by the
| people the necessity of clearly de-
fining the rights and limitations OF
the several branches thereof is man
ifest. An hundred years has dem
onstrated the far-sightedness and
wisdom of the farmers Of that in
strument which has furnished the
Foundation of our legislative action.
The vice president is not one of the
makers of the laws. His duties are
rather to regulate in this body the
method of making them; to regulate
not in accord with his will and ideas
but in accord with rules which you
yourselves have established. 1t Is
for the presiding officer to require
you to act in conformity with you'd
self-possessed regulations just as il
is the duty of the supreme court tc
determine if your action is in &C
cord with the constitution. Two
decades of service in this capitol
though not in the chamber, have
impressed me with the weight OF
senatorial responsibility and the
value Of senatorial duty we'll done
1t is neither well to minimize the
| former nor exaggerate the latter
but to have both ever in mind.
81 am aware that the great bur
den is on your shoulders, not mine
l do not, however, fail to realize
that l have duties to perform
1 y
and controlled temper. l shall
strive to perform such duties will
courtesy impartially and fairness.
II am indicted into the vice pres
dency with appreciation of the dig
nifty and honor of the lofty place
and with pleasurable anticipation
of close association with men oil
high ideals and patriotic purposes
II accept, sir, from your hant
the gavel with the earnest hope tina
I may measure up to the STANDARD
you have set and If l do l feel tina
| shall have met the expectations o
the most exacting.'
1t was then time for the inaugu
ration services, which would install
in office William Howard Taft, tn
president-elect. The ceremony dit
not take place before the expected
thousands of people, for the storm
kept them in their hotels and othe
stopping places, while many thous
ands of people who were on thei
way to the capital to take part Il
the ceremonies were blockaded o.
railway trains stalled in snowdrift
miles from the scene which marke
the induction of president int
office.
President Taft did not finish hi
speech until 1892, and when he ha
ceased to speak, ex-President Roose
, welt was the first to congratulate
, him, and two minutes later the e,
president started on foot, escorte
by the republican county com
mittee of New York, for the Penn
sylvania depot, where Mrs Roost
welt awaited him and at two o'cloc
left with his party for Oyster Ba,
At 1:45 the inaugural parad
started on it's march through til
icy streets, but the line was sma
: one.
Washington, March 4 = Taft W.
the first chief executive to take oat
of Office in the senate chamber
: seventy-six years.
y William Howard Taft was accoI
: paied to the capitol by Presidel
g Roosevelt and a guard Of hon
n which passed through swirlin
;Ssxzztztz9..<acwx Taft returned