Evening star., 1926-11-28
Presidential
lamentations

so years ago, with the presidential is
sue certain to be the
PRESIDENTIAL most important ques-
1nauguratlons. Washinston turnedt to
think of the inauguration on March
4, which would fall on Sunday. In
The Star of November u, 1874, is the
following:
Notwithstanding the fact that a
presidential inauguration is invariably
made a public ceremony, neither the
Constitution nor statutory law makes
any provision for any public display
on such occasion. BY common con-
sent. however, inaugura tions have
taken place in public and it is not like
ly the custom will ever be departed
from The official records of the Gov
ernment show that only on one Oc-
caSion was the propriety of the Gus
tom questioned. This was at the see
ond Inauguration of Washington in
1898, in the city Of Philadelphia. The
ceremony took place i'll the Senate
chamber and the records show that ON
this occasion a question was raised
whether the oath of office should be
taken by Gen. Washington privately
or in public. The matter was dis
cussed in a cabinet meeting, which de-
cided for the public inauguration,
Washington himself inclining to that
mode.
1.-The Constitution is also silent in
regard to the place where the Pres
ident shall take the oath of office.
Official data show that six presi
dental inaugurations-thOs of John
Adams in 1897 Madison in 1909 and
1913, Monroe in 1921, John q. Adams
in 1925 and Jackson in 1633-haVe
a.. I, ,Il ,-F+ ,f
Representa- tiveS. FOur-thoSe of Wash
ington in 1889 and 1898 and jefferson
in 1901 and 1SO5-have taken place in
the Senate chamber, and 12@inaugura-
tions have taken place on the eastern
portico of the Capitol. The first in
augurat'on from the eastern porticO
was that of James Monroe in 1917.
This precedent was not followed until
1929, when Jackson was inaugurated
on the same spot. His next inaugura-
ton, however, took place in the hall
Of the House, but thereafter every in
coming President took the oath and
delivered his inaugural address from
the east front Of the Capitol.
THE Constitution and statutes fail
ing to prescribe the manner in which
the oath of office shall be taken or the
place where it shall be taken. there is
nothing to prevent the incoming
President fsom qualifying privately
before any person authorized by law
, to administer OathS, from sending his
inaugural in writing to Congress and
from. entering upon, his duties when
ever his term Of office begins
Soon after the disclosure that the
presidential election in 1876 was in
doubt and that
Troops Ordered contest over it in
to Washington Congress Cone @r6Ha was Iero Iner
issued for the movement of troops
to Washington for the purpose Of pre-
serving order in case of partisan dem
onstrations. The Star of November
| %, 1876. says:
"It is doubtful if more eXaG-
gerated and false reports were ever
! telegraphed from Washington than
were sent to the New York Sun and
Herald Monday regarding the move
ment of 45O regular troops to the
arsenal in this city. The Sun dis
patch represents Washington on sun
day night as being in a state of eX-
citement unparalleled since Sumter
was fired on in '61,' that thousands
| were in the streets and hotels and
| that hundreds more of people were
| hocking in from the auJolnlhG coun-
| ties, etc, We need only to inform
our distant readers that the severe
storm which prevailed all day and
night on Sunday kept people indoors,
| while the lobbies of the hotels were
thinly occupied and unattended with
| any excitements whatever. 1t is
doubtful if two dozen persons at the
utmost knew until Monday morning
that any troops had arrived here.
1.-THE Herald dispatch, not TO he out
done by the Suns, makes a large draft
on the correspondents imagination
and puts a heavy armament In Fort
| Whipple, locates siege guns in Fort
Bunker lillian old and battered
earthwork used in the late war
measures the range Of artillery in the
streets Of Washington, examines the
strength and capacity of the two
bridges across the Potomac. and does
other highly wonderful warlike and
| sensational things.
1.-The Sun yesterday prints a dis
! patch showing that most all of its
! news the day before was untrue
while the Herald ridicules its CORE
spondent's sensation by saying: If