The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-03-04
As Soon as Roosevelt Becomes Private Citizen He
Quickly COEgratulates His Successor
ldent Walks Out of Capitol Amid Cheering
Ihrong That Also Greets President
Taft as lie Drives to White House

| thousands. who had planned to attend
the inaugural ceremonies.
PresidentElect and Mrs. Taft spent
last night at the White House as the
guests of President and Mrs. Roose.
welt.
always knew 1t would be a cold
day when | was made President of the
United States" was the laughing re-
mark of Mr.. Taft this morning, as he
looked out Of the White House win
dows ON one of the prettiest winter
pictures eyer seen. The snow. cling
Ing to the trees and shrubbery. had
transformed the White House grounds
into veritable fairyland of dazzling
white and fantastic forms II was 9
o'clock, and Mr.. Taft had just finished
his breakfast. He had spent the
earlier hours of the morning going
over his inaugural address, eliminating
paragraph after paragraph, which he
intended TO omit In reading the docu-
ment today. The address for publica-
ton. he allowed to stand In full
MIR. Taft said he had never felt bet
ter il his life. and personally, the
weather was not a hardship TO him.
ditions that confronted the men of the
militia, and the marching clubs, who
had Travelled SO many miles TO have a
part in the parade.
President Roosevelt, who has AL
ways chosen stormy weather for his
most strenuous riding and walking ex-
petitions, greeted his successor with
rare good humor as they met at break
fast, and there was much bantering
between the two friends, who played
today such important roles In the new
ly written chapter of American his
tory.
With the break of day this morning.
the weather bureaus prophecy of fair
and somewhat cooler" was found to be
but an empty dream The parade,
planned for the afternoon, will un-
doubtedly be so curtailed as to spoil
what promised to be one of the most
splendid spectacles OF marching men
ever seen on Pennsylvania avenue.
Washington is filled with a record
breaking throng, whose disappoint-
ment Today knew no bounds Owners
OF reviewing stand privileges and
ticket spectators will lose thousands
Of dollars
Today's storm-the worst Washing
ton has known in ten years-followed
weather. which for a time on yester-
day, was suggestive Of late April. Fog
was followed by heavy showers and
rising temperature.
Thunder and lightning played about
the city during the afternoon, and then
at night snow began to fall The
~. h,.r L. o,.k Ia
promise Of fair weather for today, how
ever, and, as the wind had shifted
from the east to the north and west,
Washington people were inclined to
smile at the snow as calculated simply
to send cold shivers down the backs
of the governments optimistic proph-
cts At midnight, in spite of the con-
tinuous fall Of snow and the white COW
cIing OF streets, the weather bureau
adhered TO its prediction. and pro-
claimed anew that the day OF Mr.,
1anPs Inauguration would be ideal
Prof Willis T. Moore, in charge Of
the weather service, sent a message
TO Mr.. Taft at the White House last
night, assuring him. through the gale
of binding snow, that he would take
office under cioudless skies, with q
food of sunshine and temperature
of about 40 degrees.
Down town Washington was de-
serted this morning during the hours
when previous inaugural wears have
witnessed the struggling of thousands
for places of vantage along the side
walks of the route of the big parade.
Street car traffic was so uncertain that
few people In the residential districts
cared to venture forth. Hundreds, who
yesterday had paid fancy prices for
grandstand seats, remained at home
/ regardless of their pecuniary loss.
When Mr. Taft and President Roose-
yelt met this morning in the break
fast room, Mr. Taft's greeting to the
man he was soon to succeed was:
"Mr. President, even the elements
protest
"Mr. President-D -Dlect, ! knew there
would be a blizzard clear up to the
| time | went out Of ONCE"
! Notwithstanding the fury of the
| storm outside. there was happiness
| and cheer inside the White House, up
TO the moment that Mr.. Taft and
| President Roosevelt started for the
| capitol Yice-Prcsident Fairbanks and