Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-21
Woshinqton's Bio Day

Inc hallmark of an old Washington
hand on this-the National Capitals big
days an anxious eye on the weather.
With something like 100000 visitors
in town to watch President take his
oath OF office, the people of Washington,
IN their role as hosts, are as weather.
conscious as it is possible for humans to
BE- But they are in the unenviable posi-
ton OF feeling responsible for something
over which they haven't the slightest
control.
The Twentieth Amendment to our
Constitution shifted inaugural day from
March 4, which, weather-WiSe, can be
very bad, to January 20 Tin this instance
January 2D, which can be worse. It
would be nice, from the point of view of
both Washington and its guests, if the
Swearing-in could be held in January,
and the celebration in May. But that is
not likely to happen.
In fact, only one President, George
Washington, has been inaugurated at a
Seasonable time of year, and that was
something of fluke. 1t seems that in
1889 the weather and the atrocious roads
interfered with the assembling of a Sem
ate quorum. So it was not until April IA
that General Washington, at Mount Yer
non, was formally notified of his election.
Then he borrowed 5000 and set forth by
carriage for New York, but it was April
80 bemore he arrived and was able to
take the oath before large crowds"
Thomas Jefferson, on March 4, 1901,
MOS 6a Grcf g. - i
in Washington, and he did not set good
precedent for the festive affairs that were
to follow. 1t seems that Jefferson, pro-
Tossing to distrust pomp and ceremony,
wanted a quiet inaugural.
John Adams, the outgoing and politi-
cally unhappy retiring President, had
gone to his home in Massachusetts. He
wanted no part of his successors inaugu-
ration, be it simple or otherwise And
Jefferson was keeping it simple He
mounted his saddle horse "Wildair" at
his lodgings, and rode unattended to the
Capitol. There, he hitched the "Dlooded
nag" to fence and went into the Senate
chamber to take the oath.
One may be pardoned for suSpecting
that there was more than dash of poll
tics in this stark simplicity. For a con-
temporary newspaper account conf1deS
that Jefferson, at the time, owned a
"daShing coach and four" The horses
were bright bays" and had cost him
81 900, which was a very stiff price for
the times. But there we're compenSations.
We are told in The Star of 1889 that old
residents Of Washington spoke of them
as "the finest team ever seen on PennSyl-
vania avenue"-seen, presumably, when
the voters were not in town to witness
some official ceremony.
Since JefferSon's day, there have
been good inaugurals and others not so
good.
President Buchanan took office on
March 4, a century ago, on beautiful,
balmy day." The oath was administered
to him "amid the sky-rending shouts of
the multitude" Grant and Taft were
sworn in under weather conditions unfit
for man or beast. Andrew Jackson and
Warren Harding took a leaf from Jeffer-
sons book, and made quite show of
auSterity. On the other hand, Grover
Cleveland, leading the Democrats back
to the promised land for the first time
since the Civil War, really lived it up.
One estimate, probably exaggerated, said
that 100000 of the party faithful trooped
into the Washington of 1885, and the
Pennsylvania State Militia, 10000 strong,
just about took the town apart
The inauguration of 1857 is quieter
affair. But we hope that all concerned,
both guests and townsfolk, will have a
good time. AS for the weather-if it is
not good, it could be worse, and there is
nothing, in any event, that we can do
about it.