Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-23
THOM IS APPOINTED
Named Head of Inaugural
Finance Committee.
SUM OF $3.50 SENT IN
Headquarters Are Opened in the New
Willard Hotel.
NO CHANGE IN BALL CUSTOM
Wives of President and Vice Presi-
dent Will Be Only in the
Grand March.
70 CHANGE IN BALL CUSTOM
Subscriptions Received.

lOtdI ""'o"'
With the appointment of Corcoran
Thorn as chairman of the finance COM
mittee and the opening OF headquarters
at the New Willard Hotel. Chairman VIII
liam Corcoran Eustis Of the inaugural
committee got down to business with a
rush today. Mr.. Eustis and the officers
of the committee that he has appointed
realize that only short time intervenes
before the inauguration Of Wilson and
Marshall March 4. and that vast
amount of work must be done.
While Mr.. Eustis already has selected
many members Of the inaugural commit
tee, he is withholding the announcement
of these appointments until he is ready
to announce the entire membership.
Mr.. Thom's appointment was made
and announced Immediately, so that he
could quickly get together hnance
and begin the collectlon OF
the large fund which will be needed 10
make the coming inaugural ,celepra.,on tod
the greatest ever held in Washington.
Mr.. Thorn is prominent in financial cir,
cles in Washington. and Is considered
a fine selection as chairman OF this I'M
pOrtant subcommittee.
Needs Two or Three Days.
Mr.. Thorn announced that he would
not be able to appoint his committee
for two or three days. He requested
that subscriptions be sent, however
as soon as possible to him at the
American Security and Trust Company.
AS soon as Mr.. Thom's appointment
was announced several business men
called on him and rendered suoscrip-
tions. so that by / o'clock this aiter-
noon he had already received cohtripu-
tions amounting to $3.50. .,o
No effort will be made to chanGe ths
usual forms observed at the inaugural
ball, it was said today In the past; tile
grand march at the inaugural bai!. III
Which the President. the Vice Presiden.
and their wives have no part. mas atwuss .
his wife. and the Vice President Win nls
wife. No other women have taken Pure
in the grand march. The others IN .ns
Darade have been members OF the ., nooi
COMMITTEES and specially designated hleni
hers of fhe Inaugural committee. Inc re-
r,ort that the wife OF the chairman ol
the inaugural committee was to Walk WIN
the President In the grand march at inc
ball was, therefore, erroneous.
Place for Robert N. Harper.
whire no official announcement has yet
been made, It Is understood that hopeIl
N. Harper, one of the foremost cahui-
dates for the position Of chairman OF the
inaugural committee before the appoint
ment of Mr. Eustis, will occupy prenli
nent place on the committee. W. w.
VicE secretary Of the inaugural COM
,,dtfee was i'm conference with Mr.. Har-
ner today. and it is believed that II was
in reference to such an appointment.
At the temporary headquarters OF tne
committee in the Corcoran ouliul.s wi. nL
E,,stis and Mr. Wick were early at Work
today. e. J. Stellwagen chairman Oh the
inan9,,ral committee four years ago, ana
CorcOran Thorn, who was secretary vi
the committee at that time, cahed Oh MI
Eustis and gave him ttrs tneir a%siIH aa,atine to
fhe arrangements for the Inauguration
The appointment Of Mr.. Thom as chaiI-
man OF the finance committee was iha1e
soon afterward, and about CLOCK inns
afternoon the committee ho'eu w '0
New Willard Hotel.
Expect Early Contributions.
II is anticipated that the fund neces-
sary for financing the inaugural celebra-
ton will be quickly forthcoming. Four
years ago the guarantee fund was paid
back in full to the contributors. and a
balance was left in the hands OF the COM
this money in the interests OF the pro-
posed change in the inaugural date, and
1t was turned over to a national commit
tee on the change of inaugural date to
the last Thursday in April. This COM
mittee, headed by Henry B. F.. Mac
farland, is composed of the governors of
forty states and about fifteen residents
of the District.
Mr.. Macfarland stated today that only
s125 of the balance Of the inaugural fund
nf hv
his committee, and that that was all that
had been requested from the treasurer
of the last inaugural committee, Clarence
F. Norment, and ali threfore that he had
paid over.
Mr.. Macfarland stated that the last in
augural committee had. at its last meet
ing, voted that any balance of the in
augural fund remaining should be util-
lied, If necessary, for the campaign for
the change of the inaugural date, which
the committee heartily approved.
DID Not Need Large Sum.
1t was not expected, he stated, that any
considerable part of this money would be
expended unless Congress passed the res
olution providing for a constitutional
amendment to change the date. in which
event 1t would have been necessary to
send representatives Of the committee to
present the matter In very state legisla-
ture, and the money would have been
used to defray their travelling and hotel
expenses But as Congress has not pass
ed the resolution there has been no oc-
casion to expend any more than the
small amount required for incidental ex-
penses.
Mr. Macfarland stated that he was
authorized this morning by Mr.. Norment
to state that the remainder of the bal
ance of the last inaugural .und $3,91S2U,
Is, still in. his hands as treasurer of the
last inaugural committee. subject to the
future request of the committee OH the
change Of inaugural date.
Political Lines Ignored.
That politics was to play small place in |
the personnel of the inaugural committee
,scame evident at a meeting Of Chairman
u,ustis and the other officers of the COM |
m,ttee yesterday. 1t was decided to se-
ect as far as possible men prominent in |
who had had charge of the |
work OF the inauguration of President |