Evening star., 1937-01-20
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CITY'S HOSPITALITY SERVED WITH SKILL
Capital Is Stretche e d
Suddenly to Enfold Le-
gions of Guests Arriving
for Greatest Ceremony
in Story of the. Admins
tration and Continued
Life of American Nation

Life of American Nation
By Blair BOlieS.
IKE wolves on the fold, thousands OF pa
triots from north, east, south ana
- west from California and New Eng
land, the deep South and the great
- Northwest, swept down on washington
for the inauguration-and each one
brought problem for the city they were Visi'-
ing.
The problem was providing all with rooms
and seeing that they were Hospitality cared Tor.
II all the citizens of Richmond Va, suodeniy
decided to quit their James River residences
and move en- masse into quarters In the US-
trict It would present about the same question
As caring for the patriots who converge on the
Capital to witness the ceremony OF beginning
new presidential term.
-. The number of men and women who go TO
and fro in Washington daily, the usual popu-
lation, is about 100000. But on wednesday
the city stretched, and 100000 more or less
were at home in the District OF Columbia. Eacn
one had place to stay and place to eat the
city welcomed them ALL and therein lies tne
story of feverish days and nights OF work py
oroup of men and women who were determined
that hospitality should be the keynote OF THIS
January inaugural
AS long ago as November hotels received re-
n,,ests for reservations for the affair OF January
TO- Twenty-four hours after election day' the
Shoreham had $50 rooms set aside Tor the oc-
casion, BY the first of December, at least TO-
600 requests were scattered among the noteS.
Just before Christmas the jig-saw work OF nno-
ing short-visit rooms for thousands OF others
began.
Ess than q month before Inauguration
day. the inaugural Housing and Hospi-
talitv Committee looSed . Nationwide
- campaign of instruction. Radio, street
car advertising, newspaper announcements ana
other publicity media sent the message across
the country that the time to arrange for rooms
I'm Washington was now. Every one OF wash
tnpton;s 45O daily newspaper correspondents got
the story Every one Of 400 country papers
within 200 miles Of Washington was sent the
facts
Letters arrived en- avalanche. From Iowa
wrote a stanch New Dealist:
- "The Inauguration Is something WouldnC
miss for million dollars. But after going to
Washington from way out here, I won't have
much money left. Could you let me know how
can be put up for not too much?"
The Inaugural Housing and Hospital Com
mittee went into action. Step number one was
to find out for the Iowan the cheapest way OF
reaching Washington and returning home. The
committee compared time tables bus routes,
railroad lines It computed to the nickel how
much the hegira would cost the man out IN the
Middle West, beyond the Mississippi. who Is
United States.
- The next business was to flnd him a room.
The committee has listed thousands OF houses
whose owners are cooperating in caring for the
swarm of visitors Quarters In these different
homes Of course vary in cost. You can't sleep
in ball room sized super-suite for the same
price as a rooming house hall room But Mr.
Iowa obviously wanted nothing extravagant
The committee sent him number OF moderate
ly-priced rooms and the addresses of the WASH
ingtonians in whose houses they were avail
able.
The prospective inaugural visitor made his
choice and wrote back to the committee. Writ
ten notification was sent to the owner OF the
room that John Iowa would arrive at his house
january 10. Mr.. Iowa at the same time was sent
an identification card, informed of the citys
Transportation facilities and of eating places
near his temporary home and another American
was all set to make the pilgrimage.
HHIS procedure was gene through for the
$4,000 or 100000 Of the visitors who
sought the aid of the Housing Committee.
4 1t meant work. night and day work.
and more intensive work this year than ever
before.
In years past OF course, the President took
his oath of office March 4. The Inaugural
Committee, accordingly, had from November,
when the election was held, to prepare for the
ceremonies-about four months. Now. however,
It Is q new story. Election in November as
usual But Immediately afterward the President
left Washington and made no move toward ar
ranging the Inauguration until late in Decem-
ber. And a constitutional amendment made
the ceremonies necessary January 20. The
Housing Committee set up its offices only three
days before Christmas. Scarcely more people
left England for America in the Seventeenth
century than hustled into Washington in jan