Evening star., 1950-04-14
35.Gun Salute
Tomorrow 10
Open Sesqlui
Two-Hour Pageant
Expected to Attract
Thousands to PIozu

A 35-gun salute will sound over
Washington tomorrow morning.
signaling the opening of the spec
tacular Salute to Freedom"
pageant and the city's sesquicen-
tennial celebration.
Vice President Barkley will de-
liver the principal address. The
two-hour ceremony will begin at
1918 o'clock and is expected to
draw thousands of spectators to
Capitol Plaza. A concert and fire.
works display will be held at the
Washington Monument at 7:l5
pm. to conclude the days activ-
tiles.
President Truman had been in
vited to speak at the celebration,
but the press of business after his
return from vacationing in Key
West, Fla, made his appearance
impossible.
Special Stands Go Up.
The celebration will inaugurate
a series of events extending
through the rest of this year. All
are designed to commemorate the
150th anniversary of the moving
of the Capital to Washington.
Work on special stands at the
Capitol-to seat 1000 special
guests, including ranking Wash
ington- officials. diplomats and
civic leaders--is being completed
today. The final touch will be a
huge reproduction of the official
Sesquicentennial Commission seal
in the center of the stands, direct
ly above the Capitol steps. This 18-
foot plastic -and-wood figure will
reproduce the figure of Freedom
atop the Capitol dome.
Stars of the stage. screen and
opera will participate in the pag-
cant.
Edward Arnold and George
Murphy. Hollywood actors are
arriving today. Miss Ann Crow
ley. star Of the Broadway musical
Miss Liberty, already Is on
hand. Others coming include Lu-
cille Manners, opera singer; Mu-
rial Rain. star of Carmen
Jones'" Miss IRA Petina, star of
Song of Norway" and William
Warfield, baritone who made his
debut at Town Hall last week.
Gladys Swarthout To Appear.
Gladys Swarthout, operate star,
will fly here tomorrow morning
in the private plane of Governor
Jim Folsom, of Alabama, from
a concert appearance in Monroe,
La. She will take the part of the
Goddess Of Liberty" in, the pag-
cant.
The combined Marine, Army
and Air Force Bands will be on
the 75-foot platform and stage in
front of the Capitol. The Capitol
Plaza will be bright with 81 State
and Territorial flags. plus the
colors of various veterans organi-
cations.
Eight men from the famous
Monticello Guard, of Charlottes-
vile, Va. will take part in Colonial
uniforms. The guard is said to be
the oldest military unit in the
country. formed in 1745 as "Tfe
Gentlemen Volunteers of Abe
marle"- to fight the Indians.
Choral groups from American,
Catholic, Maryland. Howard,
George Washington and George
town Universities will sing, as will
groups from the Agriculture De-
partment and the Washington
and Cathedral Choral Societies.
Children to Sing.
Some 10000 school children
plus cadets from public and
private high schools here are ex-
pected to be present. They will
sing the Star Spangled Banner
to close the program.
Representative Koran, Republi-
can, Of Washington, will make the
Introductory address. He is a
member of the National Capital
Sesquicentennial Commission.
The Most Rev. Patrick A.
O'Boyle, Catholic Archbishop of
Washington, will give the invoca-
ton. The Right Rev. Angus Dun.
Episcopal Bishop of Washington,
will give a Prayer for Freedom" F"
The Evening Star station,
WMAL, and other stations here
will broadcast the ceremonies.
Among the special guests at the
celebration will be a Washington
woman whose grandfather and
father saw the assassination of
President Abraham Lincoln in
Fords Theater the night Of April
IA, 1865.