Atlanta Georgian., 1913-03-04
CROWD SMASHES
ALL RECORDS
At CAPITAL
Streets, Hotels, and Grand
stands Thronged With Peo-
pie From Entire Country.

WASHINGTON. March 4.--The laIg-
est crowd in the history of Washington
inaugurals thronged the streets here
today to watch the ceremonial attend
ant upon the induction Of a new presi-
dent into office
Seemingly every Democrat who had
starved through sixteen long years Of
Republican supremacy had bought
himself a ticket to the capital and was
on the streets today determined TO
greet the triumph of his political faith
with appropriate noise and enthusiasm.
SLOUGH hated rail splitters from
south of the Mason and Dixon line,
tanned Westerners. SNUG citizens Of
the prosperous Middle West and dapper
. visitors from the Eastern states rubbed
'- shoulders in the Inauguration thrOngs
and WED with each other in lending
hilarity to the occasion.
Unofficial estimates placed their
number at well over the 100000 mark,
an attendance almost one-third again
as great as that which marked the 1904
Inauguration of Roosevelt or the cere-
mony which marked the induction into
once or BIeSlQent IaIt.
'- Weather Fairly Pleasant
~, No hint of the unreasonable weather
which attended the Taft inauguration
was evident today. The morning broke
cold and cloudy partially clearing with
the first appearance Of the crowds until
the shone down upon the seethng mass
thinly veiled by mist.
As early as o'clock the more ambi-
tious Of the slghtseers were on the
streets and by o'clock the first thin
lines of spectators were stretched along
the ropes which guarded the line Of
march of the presidential party from
the white house to the capitol and re-
turn. The center of interest for the
early crowds we're the Capital and the
Shoreham hotel, where President elect
Wilson and Vice Presdent-elec Mar
shall were breakfasting. Here the Wis
itors swarmed over the streets, cheer
ing Justify the appearance of every Vis-
itor who even bore a semblance to
fame.
The thin lines Of spectators along the
line of march, however, soon thickened
to a pushing. crowding throng, which
good -naturedly endeavored to secure
a good place from which to view the
passage of the president t-elect and his
Escort and later their return at the
head of the inaugural parade.
Those who had been thoughtful or
lavish enough to purchase grandstand
seats at the oxorbtant prices demanded
by the spectators were the last to take
their places. They were pushed about
by the late corners, who had been
obliged to walk to the scene of the
ceremonial by the suspension OF all
street car lines within the zone of the
parade.
Whole Scene Like Carnival.
The whole scene resembled nothing
more than a huge carnival throng in
tent upon admiring the decorations that
made gay the front of the buildings and
the thousands of pretty women, who
surged through the crowds decorated
with smiles and ribbons, bearing every
sort of inscription from Votes for
women" to Kiss me, I'm lonely"
Rowdyism. such as marked the pa
rade OF the suffragettes was noticeable
by it's absence though many casualties,
the inevitable result of the vast throng,
were reported by the hospitals
The hotels, whose registers bore the
names of men famous in the ranks of
Democracy, were the scenes Of much
excited gatherings intent upon viewing
the men who In a day or two will be
dignifed with high places in the admin
istration The Dewey the Shoreham,
together with scores of other hotels
held impromptu receptions in their lob
bies.