Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-12
WASHlNCToN'S LOSS is
THE NATIONS GREAT GAIN
Hardinos Veto Of a March HullabaIoo
and Janboree viii Restore Dignity
and Good Taste to Sober

largely accountable for their popularity.
| Americans. as they are eager TO assert. are
mo pikcrS." which means. among other
things. that their tolerant generosity ex-
tends to payment for things which are not
| only intrinSically vauccsS but which arc
| positively VcNatiOuS. This suifCrancc of
what really ought to be the insuffcrabc has
| been strained to distressing extremes at
! rroSidcntol inaugurations. Mr. Harding
| has snapped tn" cord
Dashed by n mandate to the arrange
| mcnts committee arc hopes of misreprc-
sentative inaugural ball. hopes of Washing
! ton hotel keepers with window space TO sell.
! hopes of pompously caparisoned marching"
! clubs, of tinhorn politicians, of rowdies mis-
! called revelers. Hans Bretmanns famous
| party has not passed more irretrievably into
nothingness than the expectations heretofore
| entertained of staging again one of the most
| preposterous scenes in the native social
| pageant.
Senator Knox. battling as emotionaly for
| a fifty thousand dollar ceremony fund as
though the fate of his precious separate
| peace with Germany were once more at
stake, is halted in midcourse Mr.. Borah.
| who has been insisting that ten dollar bill
would suffice for inauguration "fxin 5, -
| suddenly finds himself undcrbid.
The President elect respectfully requests
that "CongrcSs will not appropriate any
fund whatever. and has expressed the wish
that the "Cor"mony take place within the
Capitol or on the cast porch. in its sim
p"ity without extra preparation for the
occasion.
1t is inronccivablc that the national lcgiS-
latorS will oppoS" this explicitly stated pro-
gram. They are probably stunned at the
outset by the Injection into the situation Of
the principles of good taste.
The novelty alone can hardly fail to excite
interest That Of the commcrcialstS. who
have capitalized the quadrennial inaugurals
with the 2rSt of Il war profitcpr dominccring
over compliant vctimS is concrivabIy of
dark and rucful complcxion.
The public for moment may feel rather
at loose end The plight Of an imaginary
monarch who found I'll" world ""xtrcmcly
fiat with nothing whatever to grumblo at is
analogous. 1t will seem queer not to BE-
jammrd upon jerry built grand stands
w"arly to witness the dcte of boobies from
Painted Post and Lonesome Pine. It will
seem Ntrang" not to hand over the Hope
diamond or its equivalent for the exquisite
privilege Of converting n billiard table into
Il bed on tunultuOus inauguration eve.
l'ut even inexpensive reforms in time win
their need " favor, and it is not. further
more. to be prodiratcd that Washington will
not be- crowded on March " and t nor that
Somo ordinarily infclicitou~ lodgings will
not be in demand
But the conventional spectacle the un-
dignjGcd and spurious iamborcc will b, mod
ulat"d. If the urge to parad" is irrrprcsSi-
bic. IN" will I" sanction is not what it once
was
Mr.. Harding is the last person in tho land
to diSrouutrnanre sincere. poIllar mani
f">tation. 1t is the spociouS character Of the
Inauguration trimmings which i offensive.
and what the President elect nm, So ON