Arizona sun., 1949-01-07

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after the event
was to have taken
RAI1KuAcE place, as the ma
ton waited anXi-
iously to hear the fate of its SOW
ereign-to-be, a shocking and ludi-
crous thing occurred.
One of the country's leading news
papers came out with report of
the coronation, mentioning even
minor details just as if it occurred
(and just as it did occur later).
This journalistic faux-pas was
forgotten by most people outside
of the profession, but { was to
be reminded of it when ! went to
work on a rival newspaper in
London many years later and
heard the tale rctOld as a grim
warning to pressmen and jour-
naliStS.
The editor of the erring journal
didn't think he was taking much
Of chance He knew the corona
ton program never varied from the
reign of one sovereign to another.
Up until that time, l suppose. no
English king had ever been rash
enough to become i'll and change
the program.
AS matter of fact, didn't take
the warning seriously. Later I was
able to insert much color in my
report of the wedding of a royal
German princess by the simple ex-
pedient of translating story of the
nuptial ceremonies of her brother
which had appeared in a Berlin
newspaper some years before.
But no one could attempt to write
up the inauguration of an American
President from the account of a
previous ceremony. A mere two
centuries is short enough in ma
tion's history, to be sure, but many
changes have taken place in our
habits and customs since George
Washington took over the presiden-
tial oath of office.
1t is sale that George Wash
ingtOn never considered himself
Americas first President, never
referred to himself or was re-
ferred to by his contemporaries
as such, since others served be-
fore him under the first cOnSti-
tuition. The United States was
already a nation, recognized as
such by the presence of foreign
ambassadors on April 80, 1889,
the day Washington took the
oath of office.
The position of the previous
presidents" was largely honorary
and not filed by popular vote, and
when the day came to invest Wash
ington with the new powers, there
was no precedent. no set of rules
to follow.
New York was the capital, and
General Washington set out from
Mount Vernon to New York on the
long journey which turned out to
be a spontaneous tour of triumph
with reception at every city along
the way.
There was no dearth of ideas as
to the social program. A hower-be-
decked barge, accompanied by
whole f1otilla of private craft. car
ried the President-Elect across the
Hudson, and he was wined and
dined and welcomed with gaily-
bedizened guards of honor sur
rounding him.
But when ii came to the actual
ceremony, deadlock occurred.
The senate argued for an hour as to
whether it should receive the new
chief executive seated or whether
the members should rise. Indeed,
they might be talking still if the
house of representatives had not
suddenly appeared. Washington
then entered the building with due
pomp and finally wa led to an out
door balcony where the crowds of
Broad street witnessed his oath.
That part of the ceremony
the taking of the oath out Of
doors is now an established
precedent, although it was ei-
ther forgotten or ignored until
James MOnrOe's day. The cham
Der of the senate or the house
where IL took place until Mon
rOe's time was, however, usual
ly open to as many Of the pub
Lie as could find room.
Circumstance has contributed TO
variations IN the program. Besides
the moving Of the capital In the
early days. there have been the