Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1929, Page 38

THE. EVENING ST.»\I'\". .WASHINGTON. ‘D. C, MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1929. MANY PROBLEMS STUDIED IN WORKING TO SUCCESS Nearly 1,000 Prominent Citizens of City Tackled Task With Col. Grant. Few Details Remain. HREE months of conscientious and detailed work neared an end today for the hundreds of citizens of Washington who gathered under the leadership ot Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, to ar- range the greeting of the Capital City and the Nation to President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Cur- tis. Weeks of arduous and painstaking labor ended with a job well done as the colorful units of the military and patri- otic societies, welfare organizations and State units marched down Pennsylvania avenue behind the President. The work of the inaugural committee is virtually completed, but certain details remain to be cleared up before the task of or- ganizing the civic welcome to Herbert Hoover is ended. From the date that Col. Grant was appointed chairman of the inaugural committee, on December 7, and imme- diately gathered about him these volun- tary workers on his inaugural commit- tee, this group of nearly a thousand prominent _citizens worked as one man to make the Hoover-Curtis inaugural the complete success it is shown to be today. Unusual Situation Met. At the outset the committee was faced with the unusual situation of a Presi- dent-elect thousands of miles away, even while plans for his inaugural were | maturing, for Mr. Hoover a short time after his election in November embarked from California on his trip through South America and consequently was not. available for consultation as to his wishes with respect to most of the de- tails incident to his inaugural. On his return to Washington early in Januar however, he gave complete indorseme: to the plans of the committee as out- lined to him by Chairman Grant, and the machinery of the inaugural moved forward with renewed speed, after a | period of indecision as to just how pre- tentious the affair could be. Reports had come to ‘Washington from South America quoting Mr. Hoo: ver as favoring a simple inaugural, pos- sibly less extensive than that of Mr. Coolidge. which bade fair for a time materially to reduce the inaugural pa- rade and seriously to curtail other fea- tures of the civic celebration. With the return of Mr. Hoover to Washington and his complete approval of all the plans that had been made by the com- mittee the work moved rapidly forward, and two weeks before today’s celebration all the details were well in hand. Practically all that remained to be done a fortnight ago was to complete construction of the inaugural stands in which thousands of persons sit today. ‘With the appointment of Col. Grant as chairman of the committee, some observers professed to see a trend to- ward official recognition of the civic| section of future inaugurals, with the| possibility that control of the civic end might be centered in a Government body or group of officials, and that Coy might ultimately enact legis- lation placing the parade and civie celebration under definite regulations to be supervised by the Federal Gov- ernment. This, it was pointed out, ‘would at the same tfine place upon Con- gress the duty of appropriating the in- augural guarantee fund _heretofore raised by the citizens of Washington, and Congress would delegate an official body, possibly the War Department, to handle it. But Senator Arthur Capper, chair- man of the District committee of the Senate, and Col. Grant himself saw in the appointment of the Army officer to the chairmanship of the inaugural com- mittee not a move toward transferring the civic part of the inaugural to Con- gress, but simply the appointment of an engineer officer famillar with handling large affairs to supervise the big job of a civic celebration in honor of the incoming President. Col. Grant is a Republican, and although he is not ac- tive in the political sense, his appoint- ment was looked upon in some quar- ters as a reward for his many years of Jabor in the Engineer Corps. The chair- man himself looked upon the job of head of the inaugural committee as a welcome opportunity to embrace a line of duty which differed materially from his vost of executive officer of the Division of Public Buildings and Public Parks and the many duties which that post entails. He swung into the job with customary assiduity, revealing the efficiency of Army training in his handling of details, and soon after his appointment had transformed the cha- otic mass of detail work into an orderly routine whose parts fitted together with the precision of well oiled machinery. Difficulties Pointed Out. Senator Capper believes, with Col.! Grant, that any touch of official super- vision of the end of the inaugural cere- mony heretofore handled by the citi- zens of Washington might reduce the spontaneity of the civic greeting and might conceivably run into difficulties in the matter of appropriations, which would seriously embarrass the inaugural committee. Necessarily, in the view of Col. Grant, the civic celebration under such circumstances would be conducted along much the same time-honored lines as that of today. But if its extent were regulated by the Federal Government, much of the per- sonal contact of the citizens of Wash- ington and the genuineness of their greeting would be removed, Others point out that a-Congress hostile to the new administration could hold up an appropriation for the inaugural until 100 late to arrange many of the details. For the inaugural committee fumc- tions in a financial way in addition to arranging most of the detajls of the civic greeting to the new President. Grandstands must: be contracted for, decorations purchased and supervised, | together with the assumption of many | more financial responsibilities. There is always the possibility of damage suits | against the committee. For these pur- | poses a fund of more than $100,000 was | raised by the committee in charge of .he celebration today,donated by public- spirited Washingtonians and friends of | the incoming Chief Executive, as a | guaranty measure that the committee might not find itself paralyzed for lack of funds. Most of this amount may be paid back from receipts of sales of | tickets in the lengthy stretch of grand- stands, and the committee hopes re-!| ceipts may be large enough to pay | back the guarantors 100" per cent, as | was done on the occasion of the Cool- | idge inaugural. Early in the marshaling of the plans for the parade the possibility of” ani inaugural ball s injected into the discussion. But Mr. Hoover followed precedent of recent years in not wish- ing to attend an inaugural ball, and; the project to make the ball an offi- cial affair graced by the presence of the President and rs. Hoover was dropped. In its place an_inaugural charity ball, arranged by Mrs. John Allan Dougherty, is to be held tonight et the Washington Auditorium. Mr. Hoover will not be in attendance, but Vice President Curtis has promised to attend, together with a large propor- tion of the diplomatic corps and scores of officials high in public life. Plans for the ball moved forward together with other plans for the civic celebra- tion, for the charity ball early received ing of the Capital to the new admin- istration. As plans for the inaugural moved forward ggt became plain, with Mr. Hoover's Ninal approval, that the civic greeting to Mr. Hoover and Mr. Curtis would move out of the class of “simple” inaugurals, established in 1917 by Woodrow Wilson, and would partake more of the nature of an old-time cele- bration than any similar affair since Mr. Wilson's first inaugural. Brig. Gen. Anton_Stephan, commanding the Dis- trict National Guard, was placed in charge of the parade and soon found himself confronted with the task of curtailing the procession in order that it might not come too long. He finally settled on a parade of about 4 miles in length, to take about two hours to pass a given point and to be marshaled in two grand divisions. Co- incident with the growth of the parade scheme, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps joined in plans for an aerial| demonstration, weather permitting, with crack military pilots wheeling heavier- than-air machines over the city and a naval air unit led by the giant dirigible Los Angeles, commanded by Lieut. Comdr. Rosendahl, a member of the crew of the ill-fated Shenandoah. Realizing that a large part of the job of organizing a spontaneous and hearty greeting to the incoming Chief Executive revolved around the choice of the personnel comprising the inaugural committee and its various subcommit- tees, Col. Grant gathered around him a group of Washingtonians with records of achievement in this and other lines, which functioned with precision and culminated its work today in the glory of a display such as the Capital City has seldom seen. For the important chairmanship of the committee on reception to gover- nors he chose E. F. Colladay, a promi- nent attorney and a man of large af- fairs, who handled the reception at the Willard last night. For the head of the committee on general entertainment he appointed E. C. Graham, another prominent business man, and for the chairmanship of the committee on transportation, which entered into re- duced fare arrangements to Washing- ton and return with most of the rail- roads, he appointed Henry B. Spencer, a man whose lengthy experience in matters of transportation well fitted him for the post. Chairmen of the other subcommittees were named as fol- lows: Committee on historic sites, Miss Mabel T. Boardman, former District Commissioner; committee on budget and auditing, James A. Councilor; com- mittee on printing and engraving, Charles F. Crane; committee on public order, Commissioner Proctor L. Dough- erty; committee on legislation, Joshua Evans, jr.; committee on finance, Rob- ert V. Fleming, president of the Riggs| Bank: committee on medals, badges and | souvenirs, Julius Garfinckel; committee | on medical aid and emergency arrange- ments, Gen. John A. Johnston; com- mittee on decorations, W. C. Miller: committee of press relations and com- munications, Theodore P. Noyes; com- mittee on invitations .and tickets, J. B. Reynolds; committee on housing and hospitality, Mrs. Virginia White Speel committee on parade, Gen. Stephan committee on grandstands, Charles H. Tompkins, prominent builder; commit- !eed.on membership, T. Lincoln Town. sent q4 Little Time Wasted. ‘These men and women wasted little time in preparing and putting into execution the plans agreed upon at frequent meetings of the general com- mittee of several hundred persons and | at committee meetings during the plan- preparation period. Not the least of the big jobs done was that of Mrs. Speel's committee, which compiled a list of more than 50,000 available rooming ac- commodations for the many thousands of visitors to Washington, carefully in- spected and forced to meet high stand- ards of cleanliness and accessibility. This committee was regarded as one of the most important because the thou- sands of visitors to the Capital who had not made hotel reservations had to have some place to stay while here. Mean- while the hotels cast aside their cus- tomary competitive feeling and under a committee headed by Augustus Gum- pert, arranged for a clearing house through which- the largest posslw number of guests could be acconf- modated without competition. ‘The congressional joint committee in charge of the induction ceremony, headed by Senator Moses and Repre- sentative Snell of New York, worked separately from the inaugural commit- tee, but maintained a constant liaison with the latter body, particularly in the m=z=r of -rranging accc.amoda‘i~ns for constituents and friends of mem- bers of the legislative body. For this job Marshall W. Pickering, a Capitol attache,” was designated, and he gathered about him a committee which worked hand in hand with that headed | by Mrs. Speel. While all the units of this highly varied pattern were being gathered together, Chairman Stephan of the parade committee, in charge of the most colorful feature of the cele- bration, was swamped with requests from scores of organizations and indi- viduals to march in the parade. His task became one of reduction, and he | was forced by the limit set on the| parade to cut down the number of many groups of marchers. Largest Since 1919. ‘Today's parade far eclipses in number of units and number of participants any similar ceremony since 19089. i- dent Hoover has as his official escort a group of 10 veterans of the Civil War, while behind him stretches an impressive cavalcade of representatives of the military strength of the Nation, whose Chief Executive he became a few minutes ago; hundreds of friends, | nearly twoscore governors of States, | delegations from the National Guard | units of the States, military schools, the | American Legion, marching clubs, cow- | boys and Indians, representing the old | West, with nearly 40 bands furnishing | the martial airs to which this great group of marchers proceed down Pennsylvania avenue toward the White House. Washington's greeting to the scores of thousands of visitors gathered here today to welcome Herbert Hoover to the presidency does not end with the com- pletion of the parade march, for this is the heart of the Natéon today and every day. Washington is literally keeping open house for the visitors within its gates. Every place of public interest which can be kept open is| open. Historic Mount Vernon opens | wide its hospitable arms to those who have not visited the home of the first President, and many have already vis- ited or plan to visit the last resting place of the Nation’s heroic dead across the Potomac at Arlington, the great Washington Cathedral rising on the heights of St. Alban’s, the various mu- seums, the Congressional Library or the !Capitol itself. Various formal and in- iformal affairs, in addition to the charity ball, have been arranged, and there is |to be a fireworks display tonight on the Mali. Over at Fort Myer the crack 16th Cavalry has already put on one | exhibition and will put on another to- morrow afternoon. The parade takes on an'official note tee; (20) Henry B. Spencer, chairma; (4) Frederic A. Delano, vice cl chairman, committee on legislation; (13) M. D. Rosenberg, general counsel Dougherty, chairman, public order committee; (16) Charles H. Tompkins, tickets committee; (18) C. F. Cran LTHOUGH _ Thomas Jefferson leads the Wst of Presidents in- ducted into office in the Federal City on the Potomac, the first President passed through the tobacco plantations which were the site of the present Capital City on his way to New York to attend his first inau- guration. He came from Mount Vernon by boat, a galley pulled by brisk colored youths in white skirts and trousers and red sashes knotted around their waists. The weather was mild in early April and he alighted near Suter'’s Tavern where he spent the night. This was the earliest place of public refreshments established in what is now the District of Columbia. It was a low rambling frame house with the entire first floor given over for refreshments, after the prevailing tap house manner, while on the second floor just under the eaves there were two large and well furnished bedrooms. Suter's Tavern was the headquarters of Gen. Washington in all his visits to the Federal territory, and he returned by practically the same route as in 1789. In 1793, he came through on his way to Philadelphia for the second conferring of the honor, On this journey, however, he left the boat at Alexandria and came. the remainder of the way by horse, crossed the river oin ihe ferey, passd ho night ot Suter’s and half way to Baltimore he was met by an escort and entered a coach in which he was brought in safety and some scmblance of state to the Quaker City. Thomas Jeflerson was an accom- plished horseman and the journey to and from Monticello meant nothing. He rode up from his home in early February and remained with some friends at the Union Hotel until he was inaugurated, and he used this same favorite mount which had brought him from Monticello to ride up Pennsylvania avenue for his solemn induction into office. From the third President to the sixth, the recipients of ths high honor were already living in Washington, as indeed Jefferson also lived here while Vice President, but he was frequently absent. James Madison and James Monroe both were Secretaries of State, the one for Jefferson and Monroe for Madison, when they received the supreme honor. Records of the day are filled with pleasant allusions to their co-operation with the citizens planning the parades and both departed from their own homes to return as head of the Nation and to occupy the. White House. John Quincy Adams was likewise Secretary of State for Monroe. He cerved the fifth President throughout his two terms and had previously been, Mr. Madison’s first Minister to Russia, where he remajned from 1809 until 1814. Then he went to London to re- place for two years Willlam Pinkney of Maryland, who had resigned. Nat- urally, Mr. Adams after a continual service of more than 20 years felt that his private affairs needed some atten- | tion before he assumed the burden of state to which the House of Repre- sentattves had elected him on February 9, 1825. So he ventured North to his| long-neglected home about the middie of that month. b i On the homeward journey he was | presence as marshal of the second grand division, of the chairman of the Republican national committee, Hubert Work of Colorado. Behind Gen. Sum- merall and his staff march nearly 4,000 representatives of the military might of the Nation, whose commander-in-chief Herbert Hoover became today. The official greeting of the inaugural committee to President Hoover and Vice President Curtis is two gold med- als, bearing likenesses of Mr. Hoover and representations of notable events in his life. Similar medals in bronze with the presence as marshal of the the indorsement of the inaugural com- ittee as an integral part of the zBex- 1 chief of staff of the Army, Maj. Gen. Charles P. Summerall, and the added are being sold today along the line of hairman, general committ: irman, reception committee; (11) T. caught in a snowstorm at Dedham, Mass., and instead of following the rou- tine of merely taking breakfast at Gay's Tavern and receiving, according to the advertisement, a hot drink of Holland gin and sugar house molasses, the popular morning beverage, with bread and bacon, he was laid up all day, and then began the trip to Provi- dence by sleigh. In the years of the nineteenth century before the railroads made regular trips, travelers from New England began their journey at the Marlboro Hotel in Boston just as the clock in the old North Church was striking 5 in the morning. The post road was used to Providence, where a boat was to be gotten to New York. ‘This boat never left until the last stage coach had rolled in. From Boston to New York 24 hours were consumed and the trip included $10 baggage cost. Landing in New York at India Point, Jjust below the city, any number of what were deemed quick methods of trans- portation were available. Mr. Adams took another boat to Baltimore, since traveling by land was heavy and pre- carious. This took three days and then his way was clear and he rode into the Capital on the coach road, which is now the modern Baltimore Pike, before Feb- ruary was over. But he brought them news of all these trivuiauions oy ine way and the story of his adventure made a thrilling topic for conversation for weeks after. Gen. Andrew Jackson was in his home, the Hermitage, in Tennessee, when he received the news that he had been given'173 electoral votes against 83 cast for President Adams. But he was sorrowing over the recent death of his wife, Rachel Donelson Roberts, and he never ceased to mourn her. Gen. Jackson's journey was without incident, for he was a seasoned cam- paigner and knew how to make a com- fortable trip despite adverse circum- stances, His inauguration was as stormy as the eight years of his terms proved to be. For holding President Adams re- sponsible for calumnies against his wife march, together with the official pro- ] grams of the inaugural Suter’s Tavern, where George Washington spent the night on his from Mount Vernon to New York to be inavgurated the first Preside: (1) S. J. Prescott, vice chairman, general committee; (2) Mgs. Edward B. McLean, vice chairman, general committee. (5) Mrs. Mabel P. Noyes, cliairman, press and commu (14) E. C. Graham, chairman, committee on general entertainment; (15) Proc ‘man, committee on grandstands; (17) J. B. Reynolds, chairman, invitations and chairman, committee on printing and engraving; (19) Mrs. Virginia White Speel, chairman, housing and hospitality commit- committee on transportation: (21) Brig. Gen. J. A. Johnston, chairman, medical committee; (22) Julius Garfinkle, chair- spread during the bitterest campaign hitherto held, he refused to call on him or to appear at any assemblage where Mr. Adams was present. The outgoing Executive felt this acutely and in order to avoid further embarrassment, on March 3, 1829, he moved from the White House to the residence of Com- ‘modore Porter in the western suburbs, where he remained until he departed for Boston. Martin Van Buren was Secretary of State under President Jackson for two years when he went to London. He served as Minister for a year, but the Senate did not confirm him and he re- tired soon after he had been notified of this by Edward Livingston of New York, who had succeeded him in the State Department. Mr. Van RHuren had a lengthy service in public life in Washington and had two different, though not continuous, terms in the Senate. Election year of 1836 found Mr. Van Buren living in Albany, but frequently in Washington consult- ing with Gen. Jackson, whom history credits with having forced his nomina- tion on the party. Elected by a sub- stantial majority, ~ the President-elect spent much of his time at the Capital and he was living in a commodious red brick house south of the Capitol when he was installed with brilliant cere- monials, as the eighth President. ‘William Henry Harrison, “Old Tippe- canoe,” was a grim and hardened war- rior and -although he fell a victim to the capricious March climate of the Capital, he had made campaigns entail- ing more discomfort than his journey from Ohio in 1841. He made part of the journey by rail, a circumstance which caused quite as much popular flurry as the advent of an' illustrious public man by airplane would have created two years ago. Follows Well Traveled Road. ‘When James K. Polk journeyed from | his home in Tennessee he followed a | well traveled road and made the -trip | with no adventure and a minimum of fatigue. Railroads were none too | plentiful in the South but boats were Jjourney nt, 3) Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, general ardman, vice chairman, general committee; (6) Postmaster General Irvin (7) William T. Galliher, treasurer; (8) Robert V. Fleming, chairman, finance committee: 9) Gen. Anton Stephan, chairman, com- ations committee; (12) Joshua Evans, jr., tor L. man, committee on souvenirs; (23) James A. Councilor, committee on budget; (24) Brig. Gen. George Simonds, chief of staff, inaugural parade; (25) W. C. Miller, committee on decorations; (26) T. Lincoln Townsend, committee on membership. = etting Here to Be Sworn In The Early Presidents Often Had a Tough Time of It. (to be gotten at easy distances and they were luxurious affairs as for food and sleeping accommodations with every devices. Zachary Taylor was another warrior ‘who had campaigned in all seasons and had traversed the country from end to end. So he made nothing of a trip to the Capital where so much honor awaited him. Even if he began his journey in a blinding snowstorm, travel was getting easier in 1849 and he came into Washington on a fairly fast and well equipped train. Conditions were more rigorous with Franklin Pierce in 1853, who was living in his home at Concord, N. H. He had a_ brilliant military record during the Mexican War and had retired with the rank of brigadier general. The son of an officer of the Continental Army, Col. Benjamin Pierce, this President had been a member of the State militia and had encou the Amoskeag Veterans to make trip to Washing- ton in order to be present at the 4nauguration of the first native born son of New. Ham| . It had been Gen. Pierce’s intention to make the journey with these veterans, who were lineral decendants of the regiment his father had commanded and who wore the . Continental uniform and m-~rched to the fife and drum. He was. nowever, persuaded. to come to Washlrigton about two weeks before his taking his seat as Chief Executive. It was a bitter cold Winter in 1853 and for the best part .of the journey from Concord to Boston he traveled by sleigh with a small detachment of State militia in attendance. * Reaching Boston he pro- ceeded in luxury-along the well known route of the.fine boats which ply from | Fall River'to New York and thence he | made a rapid trip by rail. ‘When James Buchanan was inducted into office four years after Gen. Pierce, he came by what was then deemed the high wave of soeed and elegance in traveling. At this inauguration the Pennsylvania troops arrived in over- whelming numbers, as well as fire com- panies, amateur musical organizations and numbers of the personal friends of the incoming President. Makes Dramatic Entry. It was a different story when March 4, 1861, rolled around. Every honor and dignity possible was planned by the local ‘citizens’ . committee, by Congress and by the many supporters of the Great Emancipator, but he probably made the most inconspicuous entry into SPECTAL INAUGURA L SECTION. 'LACK OF CAPITOL SPACE IS INAUGURAL PROBLEM Foreign Diplomats to Much Cr Often Subjected owding and Confusion. HE attendance of foreign diplo- | mats at the inauguration of American Presidents, a custom | which was started as a matter of courtesy when George Wash- ington took his firs§ Zmth of office as President, has now grown to the point where it presents a most difficult prob- | lem to the guiding spirits of present- | day inaugurations. | ‘When Mr. Hoover took the oath to- day, the brilllantly attired diplomatic representatives of 55 foreign govern- ments would have been in attendance if all the nations entitled to_this privi- lege had sent delegates. Because of lack of space at the Capitol these for- eign_ dignitaries are often subjected to much crowding and confusion when they take their places among the hun- dreds of other prominent persons en- titled to be present on this occasion. The probability that each of these diplomats might have exercised his privilege of bringing an aide with him further complicates the work of those who must see to the comfort of the visitors while they are guests at this Nation's most noted ceremony. No Such Problem at First. When the custom was first started no such problem arose. The diplomatic corps which presented felicitations to President Washington on April 30, 1789, was composed of !our‘ members—Count de Mousitier of | Prance, Senor Jose Ignacio de Viar of | Spain, Meinherr Pletra von Berkel of | the Netherlands and Herr Pedro Blicker Olsen, Danish consul who had been specially commissioned for the casion. lwl’l’efllflent Jefferson’s induction into office March 4, 1801, was the first staged in this Capital, and the corps had been considerably augmented through the past 12 years. George III had relented sufficiently toward his rebellious colonists to send a repre- sentative, and 1801 found an amiable charge d'affaires, Edward Thornton, up- lifting the British flag on the legation house on Pennsylvania avenue. Mr. Thornton is of interest because he was the grandfather of the distinguish- ed British diplomat, Sir Edward Thorn- ton, who came to Washington in time for President Grant’s inauguration in 1869, and who later built the fine man- slon on Connecticut avenue and N street used for legation and embassy purposes since 1872. Affable as Charge d'Affairs Thorn- ton proved, he could not but feel the Aiscomforts of the new city, and he discloses in 1803 in a letter to his| chief in London that his home was merely roofed and closed in but con- tained no conveniences whatever, no fixtures for lighting—that is, brackets for candles or lamps—and that the| only water on the place was from a pump_at the end of the street. More- over, Pennsylvania avenue was a morass and he would never have reached the Capitol to see the induction of Mr. Jefferson if Daniel Carroll of Carroliton had not courteously placed a horse and gounted colored orderly at his disposal. ‘Theoretically, the few diplomats en- titled to the privilege of witnessing Mr. Jefferson’s taking the oath of office | had been made comfortable, but not all of them had the luck of Mr. Thorn- ton, The Spanish Minister, Count Carlos de Urijo. atempted to ride in state to the Capitol. A handsome equipage had been obtained from among his friends in the Maryland gentry, for the count played a leading role in the opening chapters of social manner of amusement to be had in | history and many horses and carriages the way of games of cards and other | were at his disposal. But the road to | the Capitol was not in condition for a coach of state and outriders and the representative of the count was compelled to abandon his carriage and to plod to the legislative halls only to meet the procession on its return. Mr. Jefferson invited all those in the seats of the mighty to call for refresh- ments in the White House on the afternoon of the great day. That the new Chief Magistrate paid undue at- tention to Louls Pinchon, French Min- ister sent by Napoleon, then first con- sul, put Mr. Thornton in a low state of mind. Provisions for Diplomats. | When James Madison became Presi- dent in 1809 he made special provision | for the diplomatic corps, then recent!y} enriched by the coming of ths first Russian minister, Baron Andre de Daschkoff. Mrs. Madison knew every member of the corps very well. ever the envoys and their staffs did ne number 20 persons, and they were al regarded as the flower of resident so- | ciety. The inaugural ball was a select | affaj with the guests approved by ommittes from the Washington | assembly which Mrs. Madison had | helped to form. Baron de Daschkoff | danced several times with the First Lady, sat at the presidential round table at supper with the other diplomats and leaders of the day. Mr. Madison had teas in the garden at appropriate times, and the serving of ices and cakes in the | Octagonal Blue Room. .as the historic | reception room was called in her day. and society, foreign and domestic, had little cause for complaint. | Mrs. Monroe gave a touch of Old World stateliness to the amenities of Mr. Monroe’s term. beginning with the in- augural ball. Washingtn had a marshal for the District by this time and the | precise place where the corps was seated was made known to the mem- bers by special messenger, each seat being numbered. The fifth President was the first to have an al fresco inauguration in a tent erected in front of the Capitol facing the east. Various reasons are. ascribed by current writers for this departure, but the obvious one is that the Capitol, having been damaged as to its flooring by the British troops after the defeat of Bladensburg in 1814, was deemed unsafe for a crowded gathering. The | Washington of any of his predecessors bound on the same mission. In many aspects it was the most dramatic. For, warned of impending trouble and that if he accepted a military escort through the streets he might be jeered or even injured, Mr. Lincoln, accompanied by a Pinkerton detective, left the train which had conveyed him at a point In .the suburbs of the city, since identified as about the intersection of - New York avenue and . First street. northeast, where for so many \years a way station was conducted for | the benefit of commuters. It was typical March weather, heavy rain tumning into sleet and a sharp wind blowing at intervals. - No conveyance of any variety had been provided, perhaps owing to a lack : of . knowledge of - the President- elect's exact plans, and street cars in those days were few and none ‘passed this locality. 8o with his companion aiding with his heavy canvas traveling bag. and having a previous knowledge of the city, Mr. Lincoln made his way through devious alleys and unfrequented streets to the Willard Hotel, where quar- ters had been engaged by the inaugural committee. But, avoiding the main entrance, he asked at a side door to see Mr. Willard, the proprietor, with whom he had some personal business, and was allowed to wait for some time in a small entry off Willard's office. But eventu- aly the President-elect was led through | day was fair and the guests of honor were under shelter, and though it was a back stairs into the rooms reserved, where he was made as comfortable as possible. The late Henry Kellogg Wil- lard, son of the host of President Lincoln, Henry Augustus Willard, had cherished one incident of this momen- tous chapter of history. Mr. Lincoln had worn new and somewhat snug- fitting shoes. His long walk in the rain and slush had made his feet so raw and | swollen that he was compelled to bor-) row a pair of slippers from Judge Wil- | liam C. Bradley, father-in-law of the proprietor, who was visiting the ecity. Mr. Lincoln returned the slippers after a cobbler had olled and stretched his shoes with a characteristic note of thanks, which is highly prized by Wil- lard’s descendants. In recent years Presidents who were not in residence have arrived to find throngs waiting to hurrah their ap- nearance. Many strangers express amazement at the size of the outer vestibule at Union Station. It was de- signed to meet the demands of inaug- uration ‘crowds, and vast as it is there have been times, notably at the Roose- velt, Taft and first Wilson inaugurations when it could have doubled its capacity and then not have been adequate for | the massed humanity within, windy and a bit chilly for a long time in the open air, no protests were offered. At John Quincy Adams’ inauguration the corps was a resplendent group & which every influential country Europe was represented and many ef the diplomats knew the incoming Presi- dent through his prolonged service in the capitals from which they came. Sir Stratford Canning sent by George IV, had met Mr. Adams in London when he was Mr. Madison’s Minister. Baron de Tuyll had known him in St. Petersburg. The corps, then number- ing 32 members, including secretaries on the staffs of Ministers and charge d'affaires and the women of their fami- lles, were given numbered seats just above the circle in the Senate chamber where members of the House were placed. Mr. Adams had published in the local daiiies the full order of pro- cedure and had in addition sent to all guests of rank a written invitation in- cluding a card of admittance to the Senate chamber. The ball of March 4, 1825, dignified and attended by many of the envoys and their wives, was too crowded for comfort. The National Intelligencer mentioned that the gown of Baroness de Tuyll, wife of the Russian Minister, w cruelly rent. Chaos reigned most of the time during Andrew Jackson’s two term: beginning _with the unruly crow at the Capitol, but at the in- auguration of Martin Van Bureau, who, like John Quincy Adams, had a diplo- matic career behind him, more cordial relations were resumed with the now large foreign contingent. Baron Gerold represented the Kingdom of Prussia and the North German Union and the Hanseatic League had an envoy in resi- dence, Herve Hans Rumff, sent to negotiate a treaty of friendship, trade and commerce. Portugal, Brazil and four of the recently liberated Latin countries to the south had repre- sentatives, with all of whom the Presi- dent and his Secretary of State, John Forsyth of Georgia, were on terms of cordial friendship. But the membership of the corps and the number of Sena- tors and Members of the House in- creased while the space in the Senate chamber remained stationary. Com- plaints about torn garments, of paying for suppers at inaugurals which, be- cause of crowds, they did not obtain were received by the State Department after every inauguration day. Some Unable to Enter. The climax came at Gen. Grant's first. inauguration into office. The diplomatic corps made an effort to be present at the Capitol and to attend the widely heralded ball. All went well at the Capitol, but the ball was so crowded that some of the foreign diplo- mats never obtained an entrance, and the supper advertised for days proved a regular barmecidal feast. Few ob- tained as much as a cup of coffee. The menu printed with other announce- ments of the great day named terrapins. oysters, salmon, Montpelier saddle of venison, saddle of mutton, cold game, patties, roast beef a la mode, spiced and pickled, cold roast beef, cold boned turkey, hot roasted and stuffed turkey, wild turkey, partridges. quail, cold ham and tongue, lobster salads, breads and cakes, hot and cold and of all kinds, and ices, fruits, preserves and con- | serves and coffee. Of the corps Sir Edward Thornton and Lady Thornton made the entrance in safety. They danced all evening, Lady Thornton going through & quadrille with Gen. Washburne, after- ward dancing an involved number with Gen. Acosta, Minister from Colombia. Some of the diplomats excluded from the ball after receiving official and per- sonal invitations to be present were the Minister. from Sardinia. Count Colobri- ano, and later the Envoy of Victor Emmanuel when he became King of United Italy: the Minister from Austria, | Count de Lederer, and the charge d'affaires of Greece, M. Rangubu. Wal- demar de Bodisco, a member of the | Russian legation and nephew of the former Envoy of the Czar, Alexander de Bodisco, failed to get into the ball- room. He missed his only opportunity | to dance with Miss Nellie Grant, as he | was transferred to Paris soon after. The committee of citizens in charge of the inaugural ball waited on those who failed to gain entrance to the ball and presented apologies that they had been mcsnn\'en;el}\‘ced. " di A ince John Quincy Adams’ day space has been reserved for the corps and under existing methods it may be held until each one arrives. Inauguration balls of the old-time pomp have passed, and members of the present corps at the charity ball at the Auditorium will be placed in boxes. Dancing on the occasions of inaugu- rals went out at the first Cleveland ball, and the grand march and promenade succeeded at ensuing events of this nature, | | SOCIAL POLICY IN DOUBT. Whether Refreshments Will Be Served at White House Question. Will Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Hoover follow the “no refreshments” policy which has been adhered to at officlal White House receptions ever since the war? Washington soclety is wondering. In the days of the Taft administra- tion various dainties, ranging from a regular supper to ice cream and cake, were served. Then came the war and with the consequent stern economy edict the Wilsons set the pace by cut- ting the refreshments down to mere c;)ld water. That has been the custom since. ‘Those who like a bit of flourish and trimmings are wondering if the Hoo- vers, with their world-wide experience in entertaining, will not let down the bars a bit and bring back the good old Taft days. “A bit of frosting in the White {-{ouse," as one epicurean Senator puts e, RECALL HOOVER ILLNESS. President-Elect Given Up as Dead When Baby With Croup. How Herbert Hoover had a severe at- tack of the croup when a child and was given up for dead is related by George Hoover, a cousin. George's mother, Ellen Hoover, and Hulda Hoo- ver, mother of Herbert, were great friends and when one was in trouble the other always went to her assistance. “I remember very well of my mother returning from a night spent at my Aunt Hulda's” says Mr. Hoover, who is an attorney for the Interstate Com- merce Commission. ‘“Herbert was a chunky little fellow and was subject to croup. The night he had this bad attack they sent for my mother. 'y vorked over him for hours, but finally gave him up for dead. They laid him out and Herbert’s moih-r, who was a Quaker preacher, b>: to pray over him. He began to show signs of life, Aunt Hulda always attributed his re- covery to her prayers,” 3