Evening star., 1921-02-27
TIME fourth big epoch in the devel-
opment of this government will
be ushered in by the inaugura-

opment of this government Will
be ushered in by the Inaugural
ton of Warren q. Harding next
Friday. and the responsibilities that lie
before his administration are stupendous
beyond the conception or imagination of
the three others.
First-Washington fathered this new
born nation in its struggle for existence,
following war with the mother country.
Second-Linco,n dominated the policies
in the struggle to see whether the
adoiescent nation should survive half
slave and half free. when the country
was torn by civil, fratricidal strife.
Mckinley directed the nations
affairs in the Spanish-American war.
when the opportunity was afforded for
cementing the entire country in a war
of defense. when the grandson of
Ulysses S. Grant was seen marching
beside the grandson of Robert Z. Lee
against a foreign foe.
Fourth-Comes Harding when this
union of states. fathered by Washington
tested by Lincoln. cemented by McKin-
rey, have come to be not only a world
{ power in politics. finance and commerce.
but which has dominated the world with
its ideals and to which the entire world
is looking today for leadership.
Harding, on his inaugural. must vision
, this nation not only as an Independent
government, not only in its domestic
policies, not only united against a foreign
foe, but in its position as exemplar for
the world.
We have fought and won the battles
of the world for human liberty. Peace
has not yet been n2deciared. The nation
has just spent S32, ,o0O. 100000 and the
aftermath will consume about twice as
much more The cost of maintaining
the government has grown to $4,000. .000.-
900 a year. For the first time this is
a creditor nation, with the countries of
Europe owing us SO much they cannot
pay even the interest. For the first time
the United States is a world power in
commerce.
The Harding administration faces the
task of settling International relations. II
possible. so as to beget world peace.
and also Of reising taxation and tariff,
so as to lift the burden from the people
and take the shackles OF of business.
Harding. taking the oatn as the
twenty ninth President OF the United
States at the s;thIrty- ninth inaugural
exercises, goes back to Washington's
Bible to give pledge to the American
people. Ih personality and general
policy Mex inisy is his prototype. He
goes to the White House from Con-
gress as Mckinley did. and so again
may bring the Legislative and execu-
tive branches OF government into
closer cooperation for the common
good forisns; MekinieE h WAS was the f'Tst ;s
vited into the southland, where he
was wonderfully received. Harding
has beensby personal association get
ting the Viewpoint of the south
A* *
THE oHh that Harding will take
= as Resident. prescribed by the
Constitutbnr Is as follows:
II do solemnly swear that I will
faithfully execute the office of Presi-
dent of tie United States. and. to the
best of my ability. preserve, protect
and defend< the Constitution of the
United States-s
- =
THE inaugural Ceremonies are held
quadrepnialiy on March 4. be-
cause the first Wednesday of March.
1879. was fixed by the old Continental
Congress al the day for commencing
proceedings under the Constitution of
the United- States. that being the
fourth of the month. This Constitution
was adopted by. the convention over
which George Washington presided
Sn September IL. 1879. and was to be-
come effective on the acquiescence Of
nine of the thirteen original states.
By July. 1883, ten of the states had
ratified the Constitution. and Septem-
Der 13. 1888. the Congress, Of the fed
GRAFTON selected the first Wednesday
in January for appointing electors.
the first "wednesday in February for
casting their yotes>and the first We'd
nesday in March for commencing pro-
ceedings-
ONLY four times in the entire 145
years. since the United States be-
came a separate nation has March 4.
as Inauguration day, fallen upon a
Sunday. There is story to the effect
that this date was originally chosen
as the commencement Of the Presi-
dents term because Congress figured
IT up and found that the 4th Of March
was the one day in the year which.
auadrennialiy. would fall less fire.
Quently on Sunday.
= *
THE United States has had lpst one
President for a day" in John
Gaillard of South Carolina-in 1921.
Millard Fillmore has the distinction
OF having been President for two
hours, until Zachary Taylor took the
reins of Office. His biographers erro-
Heously claim that David r. Atchison.
senator from Missouri. was acting
President" on March 4. 1s49 Thomas
White Ferry. senator from Michigan.
in 1877. just missed being President
for a day" 1t was the falling of
March 4 on Sunday that occa stoned
these makeshifts.
The official records show that twice
in 1s49 and again in 1S77-this
country was for twenty-four hours
without a legally qualified person TO
perform the services of President of
the United States 1t IS Il matter Of
history that President -el,c- Taylor
did not arrive in Washington Until
the morning of March 5. but for0L-
nately nothing happened 70 call for
the speedy action of 4 chief executive
Senator Ferry's term ended with tina.
, OF Grant on March 3, 1877. and ne
! was not sworn in again until March
honors with Senator GaIllard. As il
was. the United States was again
without head for twenty-four hours
WHILE March is the fixed date
for the inaugural ceremonies, it
has happened that the Presidents
have been sworn in on other dates.
and not always in Washington. and
; in Washington not always at the
Capitol The first inaugural of Wash
tngton was the only one occurring in
the city of New York-Appii 20 l-sq