The Washington herald., 1921-03-05
Crowds damned About White House
Gates Cover Every Vantage Point
Hour Before Start of Procession

Crowds lined Pennsylvania avenue
from Jackson to Madison places.
and many took their positions as
near the White House gates as al
lowed by the police, a full hour
before the Presidential party was
scheduled to leave for the Capitol.
Every point Of vantage was occu-
pied when the automobiles were
about to start.
The full battalion of the WASH
ington High School cadet corps was
drawn up In front of Lafayette
Square. facing the Executive Man
sion. Shortly before 1880 o'clock.
the four troops of cavalry from
Fort Myer, which acted as the guard
of honor. wheeled into place before
the White House.
Secret service operatives, head
quarters detectives. local police Of
ncials and members of the Home
Defense League clustered about the
gate through which the party was
to make its exit. Boy Scouts, armed
with wooden poles. walked up and
down outside the ropes, for the pur-
pose of keeping the crowd In o1der.
Crowd Unenthusiastie.
The presence OF these authorities
appeared to be unnecessary. Those
who waited in shivering ranks for
a President and his successor to ride
to the Capitol were either too cold
to be noisily enthusiastic or in
stinctively felt the lack of the Gus
tomary inauguration atmosphere.
The sight at the White House
was chiefly impressed on the mind
OF the crowd by the fact that the
departure for the Capitol was
twenty-five minutes behind sched-
ule. Several false alarms were
marked by a forward surge of the
mass of witnesses. the restless clop
of the hoofs of the cavalry horses
and increased ennui on the part of
those who were ''in the know"
The departure was mainly stamp
ed on the consciousness of the OBJ
server by the singularly cold re-
ception given the Presidential party
by the people who had waited so
long for It to appear.
Few Cheers, Few Hats Doned.
When. the automobiles bearing
President Harding and Woodrow
Wilson rolled out of the White
House gates, a few scattering cheers
went up. At that time, the two
foremost figures of attraction were
conversing together. With a weary
gesture, Wilson raised his hat and
Harding followed the action. In
striking contrast to the courtesy
paid the war President by WASH
ingtonisns when his car left the
White House in past years, scarce
ly a man in the great number near
the gates raised his hat as the ma
chine passed.
The Presidential car stopped at
Madison place to permit the cavalry
escort to get into position. Whine
the automobile waited, a boyisb.
treble raised itself from among the
gaping crowd.
Hello. Hardin" was its greet
ing.
The wsll-known Harding smile
came into play for q moment. ana
then the car resumed its journey.
Wait. But ImpatientIy.
Many fingered around the White
House for more than three hours
TO see the Presidents return. Pres
ident Harding's car arrived long
after those of his friends and rela-
tives who came to the White House
for luncheon "a belated luncheon,
as was testified by the appearance
of comely kitchen attendants and
colored walters in spick- and span
uniforms at the windows; but ali
apparently thought the event justi-
fed slight delay.
q on second thought, all did not.