The river press., 1913-03-12

ear strained attention to catch the
words that would usher into the chair
Of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln
the first Democrat to gain that high
place in score Of years.
Solemnly and distinctly, though
most of the waiting thousands hang
ing on the event of his words could
not even see the motion of his lips,
the chief Justice administered the
oath Of Office to the president elect.
An instant the waiting host stood ST.
lent. Then it became a shrieking, leap
ing mob, roaring pandemoniac
welcome to the nations new execu.
tive and all but smothering the salut-
ing cannon which first gave notice
that a new president had been inaugu-
rated and a new administration begun.
From the crowd in the square and
on the platform the other massed null
titudes that lined the broad sides of
Pennsylvania avenue took their cue,
and it was many minutes before Presi-
dent Wilson could begin his brief in
augural address. Even then so great
was the clamor that only those near.
est to him could distinguish what he
said.
Returns to Executive Mansion.
Immediately after the address was
finished President Wilson, accompanied
by the ex-president, fastened to the
Pennsylvania avenue side of the Capt.
toll, where carriages awaited to take
the party to the luncheon in the execu.
tive mansion.
During the drive Mr.. Taft sat on
the left of his successor. In this he
followed established precedent, a
precedent that was broken four years
ago by Colonel Roosevelt, who went
directly from the Capitol after the in
augural exercises We're over to the
Union station to take train for Oy-
ster Bay.
All along their route up Pennsylva-
mia avenue the old and the new presi-
dents We're greeted tumultuously. In
deed, to an observer not familiar with
the situation it might have been diff
cult to determine which was the in
coming and which the outgoing chief
executive, SO we'll did the genial Taft
smile match the beaming features of
President Wilson.
At the executive mansion the two
We're met by Mrs. Taft, who hitherto
had taken no part in the days cere-
monies, and subcommittee of the Of
ficial reception committee. President
Wilson also saw for the first time since
early today Mrs. Wilson and their
three daughters, who had been under
the escort of special military aids dur
ing the ceremonies at the Capitol.
There was a brief exchange of COM
pliments between Mrs. Wilson and
Mrs. Taft, in which the latter grace
fully turned over the suzerainty that
had been hers for the past four years
to the new mistress of the White
House. Soon afterward Mr.. and Mrs.
Taft quietly left through a rear en-
trance to take the 1905 train from the
Union station for Augusta, Ga. Here
they will spend several weeks before
going to New Haven, where Mr.. Taft
will take up his work as professor of
law in Yale university.
Wilson's Official Day Begins.
President Wilson's official day be.
gan at 10:30 this morning. At that
hour delegation of the congression-
al committee waited upon him at the
Shoreham to escort him to the White
House.
A similar delegation waited upon
Vice President Elect Marshall at the
same hotel, where the new vice presi-
dent will make his home during the
coming months.
At the executive mansion the incom-
ing president and vice president were
greeted by Mr.. Taft, and a few min
utes later the fateful ride to the Capt.
tol was begun. The president and
president elect occupied the first car
riage with two members of the con-
gressional committee.
In the carriage following We're Vice
President Elect Marshall and three
members of the committee, there be-
ing no retiring vice president. After
them strung along the carriages of a
host of cabinet officers and other high
dignitaries Of military and civil rank,
On the way to the Capitol President