Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1921-01-14
INAUGURAL TO BE
WITHOUT CELEBRATION

committee in charge of the Hard
ing inaugural today took the
President-elect at his word and
decided on a ceremony of "ex-
IRENE simplicity" in the chamber
of the Senate of the United
States.
There will be no ceremony on
the eastern portico of the Capt.
tol, no parade and no Inaugural
ball. The President and Vice
President-elect will merely take
the oath of Office in the small
chamber of the upper branch oil
Congress and go to work"
The telegram that Senator P.
G. Knox, chairman of the joint
inaugural committee, sent to Mr..
Harding late today as follows :
The joint committee on in
auguration has received your tel
egram, transmitted through me
as chairma u, dated January 10,
1921, indicating your desire for
extreme simplicity in the inaug-
ural ceremonies OH March 4th
next and that the same shall be
conducted practically without ex-
pense. The committee has con-
sidered your suggestion in the
spirit in which it was made and
decided, subject to your approval,
that the inaugural ceremonies
shall take place in the Senate
chamber, which involves no dis
turbance of the. arrangement III
cident to the inauguration OF the
Vice-President and involves no
expense, except such inciden tai
expenses ior police as the cir-
cumstances may require"
Uptown the citizens inaugural
committee, headed by Edward
B. Mclean, the millionaire pub
Usher, met and adjourned SUB
ject to the call Of the chairman
after agreeing to carry out the
mandate of the Pres;dent-eleCt
and to call off the parade and
inaugural ball.
President Harding will be in
augurated just as was President
Taft in 1909. The Taft inaugu-
raj was driven indoors by a biz
zard that ragged during the night
of March 3rd and the morning of
| March 4th. There was a parade,
However, down snow-covered
| Pennsylvania avenue after the
Taft inaugural, snow plows hav-
ing quickly cut a pathway on the
thoroughfare.
AS it is only a few hundred
persons will be enabled to set
President Harding sworn in. The
Senate galleries are small. The
lucky spectators will have plait
cards of admission, not even en-.
graved invitations. If Mr.. Hard
ing wants simplicity, he is going
to get it. If folks desire tc
stand up along the avenue they
may see the President ride back
to the White House-but that
will be the whole show.
AS a BALM for their wounded
feelings Wasllingtonians began
to talk today of a great local
celebration" to be staged by the
capital itself-a sort of holiday
festival. Prominent citizens were
interviewed BY the local papers
and averred that the idea was
great and would not run counter
to the Harding telegram.
| However, these suggestions
had rather hollow ring. With
no parade and no ball, Washing
ton is aware that local celebra-
ton and holiday will not be
like the genuine article.
Disappointment, nevertheless,
was not confined to merchants,
hotel keepers and other men folks
of Washington. Debutantes
and dowagers read in the morn
ing papers that the ball had been
called off and there would be no
great show on March 4th. There
was many breakfast table excl a.
nation of "oh, DEAR and ''isnt
that awful" as dowager and de-
butant rushed to the telephone
to cancel that order with the
dressmaker for a new gown.
And, at the same time, many
husband got in bad' with the
family by approving the step oil
Senator Harding and agreeing
that he did exactly right in Veto
ing inaugural balls and all such
foolislfness.
LantZ Mills. |