Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-07
BACKGROUND OF. EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Yesterday Old Sol looked askance at
the calendar, treasured himself that
Inauguration day had actually passed
and then, beginning with one of those
repressed smiles so Coolidgeite in It's
restraint, finally guffawed and fairly
chuckled, even as If he, too, we're like
former President Coolidge, let loose on
a long vacation where he could make
whoopee" all he pleased. How the sun
did shine yesterday! It made up for
all the clouds and drizzle of Inaugural
ton day
It's very strange that rain or snow
Is always so determined to be present
undertake to install new President.
How does Pluvius always hit it so ac-
curately? One of our oldest Citizens
tells us that he has seen the last IL
presidential inaugurations and every
one, except Cleveland's first, has been
inclement Certainly the marchers and
the bleachers of last Monday will agree
that that day was like the chronic
weather of sunny France"-if I know
what mean by sunny France" where
one always wears an umbrella un-
less he is a soldier who would be court
martialed if caught with anything SO
effeminate as an umbrella or lipstick.
1t would be premature to count the
cost yet of the exposure to Indictment
March 4, 1929, but some years
ago 19l2) when a progressive states
man desired to consider changing the
date of Inauguration from March 4 to
April 80. list of March weather VIC
tins was published in report 239, Sixty
second Congress. second session, 1912,
which showed the Washington casual
ties as the price of inertness in the
matter of coming in when 1t rains"
It is an adage that some folks don't
know enough to do that.
In 1891 it cost 80 cases of pneumonia,
| 80 of bronchitis and IS of congestion of
the lungs. 1t ran about like that each
Inauguration day up to 1910. when the
pneumonia cases numbered 100, bron-
chitis Is and lung congestion 3. The
total for the 20 succeeding March Is
was 1863 pneumonia cases, 376 cases OF
bronchitis and 173 OF congestion. Grip
does not seem to have been invented
then. Maybe all did not die, but that
was not Pluvius' fault-he did all he
could to kill them.
The total cases throughout May for
those 20 years was $50 of pneumonia,
235 of bronchitis and 1T of congestion.
| In short, the menace of exposure March
| in the 20 years might be figured
as the price of net excess of thou
sand lives lost or seriously endangered
| through pneumonia alone, aside from
other cases due to inauguration weather
4 4 *k
1t is blamed on the farmers. so what
| is to be done about it, so long as the
| farmers are still unSatisficd that they
get fair treatment from the long-suf-
| ferinq industrialStS? We might give
them tariff protection If they would
be so good as to protect us patriots
| from Inauguration sleet and rain and
| wind.
The only reason we must inaugurate
Presidents on March Is that George
| to get in their hay in June, then pillow
in July after finishing the thrashing
and get the Fall work out Of the way
| before Thanksgiving. And 1t took seve-
raj weeks for a statesman to ride his
horse through woods and plains and
| over mountains, to get to the Capital
ready for Inauguration ceremonies.
While the Congress was expected to
convene March 4, 1889, 1t failed to get
a quorum until April 80. Hence WASH
ingtons first Inauguration was nearly
| two months delayed.
When II States had ratified the new
Constitution OF the United States, which
was to succeed the confederation, or
September Is, 1898, the following reso.
luton was adopted by the Constitutions
Convention:
Resolved, that the first Wednesday
in January next be the day for appoint
ing electors in the several States which
before the said day shall have ratified
the said Constitution; that the first
Wednesday in February next be the day
for the electors to assemble in the re-
spective States and vote for President
and that the first Wednesday in Marcel
next be the time and the present seal
Of Congress New York City the place
for commencing proceedings under the
said Constitution"
The first Wednesday" In March
A7ea. happened to he the fourth Day o.