The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-03-04

streets muddy roads. The big event
was thus described in the Philadelphia
Aurora OF March IL; 1901:
AT an early hour on Wednesday,
March 4. the city of Washington pre-
sented spectacle of uncommon ami
nation occasioned by the addition to
its usua! population of a large body
OF citizens from the adjacent districts.
A discharge from the company of
Washington artillery ushered in the
day, and about one o'clock the Alex
andria company of rifiemen with the
company OF artillery paradGd in front
of the Presidents lodgings. At u
o'clock Thomas Jefferson. attended by
a number Of his fellow citizens, among
whom were many members of con-
gress, repaired to the capitol His
dress was, as usual, that of a plain
citizen, without any distinctive badge
of Office. He entered the capitol un-
der discharge from the artillery. AS
soon as he withdrew a discharge from
the artillery was made. The remain
der Of the day was devoted to pur-
poses of festivity. and at night there
was pretty general illumination"
"Man OF the People"
When Andrew Jackson was elected
in the fall Of 1928 the people of the
west and the radical elements of the
south scored a triumph and he was
hailed as man of the people" This
character was emphasized on the day
Of his Inauguration the following
March. for never before had such a
huge motley throng gathered in WASH
ington. Jackson's wife had died not
long before, and he asked that the
ceremonies be made very simple, but
the masses were too hilarious to heed
the request. The weather was pleas
ant and the east front of the capitol
was used for the first time for the in
auguration. In front OF it surged
10000 persons who were restrained
only by great iron chain. jackson
rode to the capitol on 3, white horse
and went through the ceremonies with
dignity, and started back to the White
House. Then began his troubles, for
the people broke loose with a ven-
geance
''The president was literally pursued
by a motley concourse of people, rid
ing, running, helter-skelter, striving
who should first gain admittance into
the executive mansion, where it was
understood that refreshments would
be distributed" wrote a contempo-
rary, Mrs. Samuel Harrison Smith. In
their mad rush the crowds smashed
furniture and dishes and seized the
food as If they were starving. FThe
| confusion became more and more al
palling. At one moment the presi-
dent, who had retreated until he was
pressed against the wall of the apart
ment, could only be secured against
serious danger by a number of gen.
tlemen linking arms and forming
themselves into a barrier. 1t was
then that the windows were thrown
open, and the living throng found an
outlet. It was the peoples day, the
peoples president, and the people
would rule
Too Much for Harrison.
For IL years the Democrats con-
trolled the destinies of the country,
and then the Wings elected William
I1SnIJ WIZ Wd0 E4lS0
March 4, 1S41. BY this time trans
portation was made easier by the
building of railways and the crowd
that fiocked to Washington was i'm
mense. 1t was much better behaved
than that which 'honored' Jackson,
but it was hungry for Offices. Horace
Greeley, who had conducted the Log
Cabin, Wing campaign paper in
New York, wrote: I'VE have nothing
now here in politics but large and nu-
merous swarms of Office hunting To-
Gusts sweeping to Washington daily.
All the rotten land spectators, broken
bank directors, swindling cashiers,
etc., are in full cry for Office, and even
SO humble man as am is run down
for letters, letters. Curse their nau-
seous impudence!"
Cold, wintry blasts swept the streets
of Washington that March day, and
Harrison, already old and rather
feeble, rode his white horse without
cloak or overcoat, and with his hat
off in salute to the cheering crowds.
The line of march was unprecedent-
edly long, and so was the inaugural
address, and then the president led
the procession back to the White
House. The exposure was too much for
him and within one month he was
dead.
When Lincoln Took Hold.
Immensely dramatic was the first
inauguration of Abraham Lincoln In
1861. From the day of his election
threats against his life were numer-
GUS, and detectives discovered and
foiled an organized plot to assassinate
him on his way to Washington. The
big bodies of troops that had been
employed at former inaugurations
merely to add pomp to the occasion
now were used for the protection OF
the president.
The day had opened cloudy, chilly
and dismal, but as the president step
ped forward to take the oath from
the aged Chief Justice Taney the sun
burst through the clouds and shoiie