Evening star., 1940-12-06
$1,000 Is Voted
To Add 1000
inaugural Seats
TotoI Capacity to Be
Same os in 1887;
Republican Objects

NSHS~S oSlS
Preparations were made today to
increase the size of the grand
stand" on the Capitol Plaza for
those persons who want to watch
President Roosevelt take the oath
of Office for the third time Janu-
airy 20.
About 1000 additional seats are
to be constructed as result of ac-
tion of the Senate and House yes
terday in agreeing to dip into their
respective contingent funds to the
extent of $4,000 each to pay for the
lumber and the wages of carpenters.
With the additional $1,000, David
Lynn, supervising architect of the
Capitol, said there would be about
IS 800 seats available for the cere-
monieS-the same number as erect
ed for Mr.. Roosevelt's second in
augural in 1887.
Circus Seats Offered.
District Commissioner David Nc
Coach. as a member of the Executive
Committee of the Inaugural Com
mittee, which met yesterday as the
guests of Chairman Joseph E.
Davies, reported that in view Of the
quantities of lumber being used by
the Army in camp housing construc-
ton, it might be wise to look
around for grandstand material.
Col McCoach is sending a repre-
sentative to New York to investi-
gate the possibilities of obtaining
existing stands that could be taken
down and moved here. 1t also was
reported that John Ringing North.
proprietor of Ringing Brothers
Circus. had offered enough circus
stands to seat $500 people.
Costs Had Curtailled Plans.
Originally it was planned to have
the same rumber of seats for the
1941 Inauguration as there were in
| 1887. Congress last summer appro-
priated s35 900 for erection of the
stands, the same amount that was
advanced four years ago. But since
then lumber prices went up and so
did the wages of carpenters. AS
result Mr.. Lynn found he could not
/ provide 15,600 seats, as he did in
( 1887.
/ There was some objection In the
House to the additional appropria-
ton. The chief opposition came
from Representative Michener, Re-
publican, of Michigan, acting mi
nority leader in the absence of
Representative Martin, Republican,
of Massachusetts,.
! THE press and the people Of the
country do not expect a lavish and
Eexpensive inaugural ceremony in
Washington at this time in view Of
/ our financial condition" he declared.
Favors Humble Ceremony.
81 think it would be better II We
did not have single stand and
the President came up here in the
humility of his Office at this par
ticular time and was sworn in and
went back on the job without all
| this show. without all this expense.
without all this grandstand. without
all these bands and without all this
useless expenditure of money at a
time when dollars are bigger than
| horse blankets to every man in
/ America"
Representative Lambertson. Repub-
/ lican, of Kansas complained about
the new and different" activities
to be introduced in connection with
the inaugural. He called particular
attention to an announcement that
Miss Dorothy Thompson, newspaper
columnist. has been selected ito sell
/ the inaugural to the whole coun-
try. which is something new"
Chairman Cochran of the Ac-
counts Committee. which controls
/ the House contingent fund, replied:
It have never had the pleasure
of meeting Miss Dorothy Thompson.
I do not know what her idea is, but
the Congress does not always fol-
low the ideas of columnists."
Decide to Open Court.
The Executive Committee yester-
day decided to decorate the open
space on Pennsylvania avenue in
front of the White House and name
it either The Court of Freedom"
or The Court of Free Americas"
The committee is now considering
details of the program designed to
typify the solidarity in thought and
the support of freedom by the re-
publics of the Western Hemisphere.
Program features under consid-
Grafton include religious ceremony
on Sunday. January 10, and con-
cert presenting Americas greatest
instrumental. operate and concert
musicians.
Members of committee who met
yesterday with Chairman Davies in
cluded Robert v. Fleming, Mrs.
George R. Holmes, Mrs. Arthur D.
Condor, Corcoran Thorn, James A.
Councillor, Commissioner John Rus.
sell Young, Col. McCoach, Alfons B.
Landa, Earl Goodwin, Stanley p.
Richardson and Melvin D. Hildreth-