Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-02-14

That the incoming president always takes the oath of office on Bible and that the chief justice of the United States administers the oath is gener- ally known, but where the Bible comes from is fact concerning which the public knows much less. The one who is able to give more information on this subject than any other is James H. McKenney, clerk of the supreme court, who is the man who always has the sacred book at the right place at the right time, and in whose hands, strange to say, it 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 rest ing upon some passage which is an au- gury of good for all concerned. Tie purchase of the book is one of the "per quisites' of the clerk.
 "No,n said Mir. McKenney, in re- sponse to question; "no, we do not use our century-old Bible for the swear ing in of presidents, but it often hap pens that the clerk supplies new book for the occasion. It is the inten- ton that the man who takes the oath of office should have the volume as a keepsake, and it generally transpires that his family, if not himself, set much store by it. Not always, however, nor even in a majority of cases, are we called upon to supply a new book, for it frequently happens that the pres ident, or some member of his family is the owner of some treasured volume of the Scriptures, which it is desired that he should use upon this sacred occa. sion.
 "This was the case when Mir. Cleye- land was inaugurated. He was the OWL. CT of small Bible, not longer than your hand, and which apparently had seen much usage. His mother had pre-. sented it to him when he was boy, and he had treasured it ever since. When the oath was administered to him at the beginning of his second administra- ton, the same volume, which on this occasion had been hunted out by Mrs Cleveland, was again brought forward and presented as the one upon which her husband should make his pledges
 "Quite in contrast with this little volume was the one used in adminis- tering the oath to MT. Mckinley. The negro bishops joined together and pre- sented to MT. Mckinley one of the big gest books I have ever seen. It was an extraordinary large family Bible, bound in heavy morocco, trimmed in gold, and stored in a much ornamented box. l remember very well that was quite Tagged out from carrying it 60 the senate chamber and from that chau- Der to the platform in front of the Capitol. After the Bible had been used for this purpose turned it over to the president, but, notwithstanding he had already received it, the donors after wards called at the White House and presented it with formal speeches, to which Mir. Mckinley made appropriate reply.
 "President Roosevelt was sworn ;n on a Bible which had been used for the same purpose when he was inaugurated governor of New York. We had bought Bible for his inauguration when we received word from Mrs. Roosevelt that she preferred the use of their own vol tune, and it was accordingly substituted.
 "We still have on hand the Bible bought for that occasion, but we shall not use it for MT. Taft. Unless he furnishes a book himself, we will get new one and will keep the Roosevelt 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 New York, but it was suddenly decided that it would be safer to again administer the oath ill Washington. Accordingly Chief Jus tice Waite, and about twenty other peo- pie of prominence were called very sud denly together in the vice president s room at the Capitol. had to send up town for a book and had but few minutes in which to execute the com mission. I succeeded, however, in get ting the book in time for the ceremony and was one of the few present when