The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-03-07
TALES Of OTHER
INAUGURATION
Incidents That Marked the Day
in Former Years.
WASHINGTON'S OATH-TAKIlG
New York Scene of His Induction
Story Of Jefferson's Simplicity a
Myth-"PeopIe's Day" When
Jackson Took Office.
eBy e. w. PlCkARD.


Woodrow Wilson is the twenty-sev.
enth man to be inaugurated president
of the United States, but the twenty.
fifth to be inaugurated in Washington.
George Washington took the oath of
office in New York and John Adams
in Philadelphia. Moreover, the Fa.
ther' of His Country was not inaugu.
rated on March 4.
Arriving at Elizabethtown Point,
N. j., on April 23, he entered barge
rowed by IL pilots cladN.in white,
and passed through the Kill Won Kull
into New York harbor, which was full
Of all manner of craft gaily decorated
and loaded with cheering crowds. The
Spanish man Of war Galveston broke
out the colors of all nations, and
fired salute Of 13 guns, to which the
American frigate North Carolina re.
sponded.
Arrival at New York.
AS Washington stepped ashore at
Murray's wharf the guns of the Bat
terry roared out their salute and Gov.
George Clinton and many members of
congress saluted the first president.
He was taken to the residence of
Samuel Osgood, and for an entire
week there was revelry throughout
the city.
Finally, on April 30, all was ready
for the inauguration. Washington
was escorted to Federal hall, then
the capitol, which stood on the site of
the present sub-treasury at Wall and
Broad streets. The streets had been
filed since sunrise with waiting
crowds, and the enthusiasm was in
tense. In the senate chamber Wash
ington was joined by Adams, Knox,
Hamilton, Won Steuben and few 9TH
ers, and all of them appeared on the
balcony. Robert r. Livingston, chan
cellor Of New York, administered the
oath and cried Long live George
Washington, president of the United
States" whereupon there broke out
a mighty tumult Of cheering, bell-rings
ing and the noise of cannon. Re-
turning to the senate chamber, Pres
ident Washington read his inaugural
address and the history of the
United StatesJ under the constitu-
ton began. =
Myth About Jefferson.
If you are a good Democrat, no
doubt you believe that Thomas Jeffer-
son rode unattended to the capitol on
horseback, tied his horse to the
fence, and was inaugurated with less
ceremony than would attend the TAX
ing of office by keeper of a dog
pound. Such is the old story, but it
Is pure myth and is first found in
a book Of travels in the United
States written by John Davis, an. Eng
lishman. Davis asserted that he was
an eyewitness of the simple ceremony
which he described, but it has been
proved that he was not in Wash
ington at the time.
The inauguration Of Jefferson, which
marked the defeat Of the Federalist
party Of Hamilton, Washington.
Adams and Jay, was the first to take
place in Washington. The newly es-
tablished national capital, then but
a few months old, contained only 5000
inhabitants, many of them negroes;
the houses were mostly huts and the
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 a spectacle of uncommon AMI
nation occasioned by the addition to
its usual population Of 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 riaemen with the
company of artillery paraded in front
of the Presidents lodgings. At ~
o'clock Thomas Jefferson, attended by