Inauguration Of New U.S. President Today

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26943, 20 January 1953, Page 7

Inauguration Of New U.S. President Today

Thousands of Americans in Washington today will watch Mr Eisenhower take the oath of office as thirty-third President of the United States, the first Republican to do so for 20 years. The inaugural ceremony, whicK will last less than an hour, will be held on a huge stand built on the steps of the Capitol. When Mr Eisenhower is sworn in by the Chief Justice (Mr Fred Vinson) he will place his hand on the Bible which was used by General George Washington when he took the oath in New York on April 30, 1789. The Bible was borrowed for Washington from St. John’s Lodge No. 1, of the Ancient York Masons, when it was found that, nobody had thought to provide one. The Bible has been in the possession of the lodge ever since, and it will send three members to Washington with the book to see that it is not taken away. Five hundred thousand visitors will be in Washington for the inaugural festival, which will last for three days.

j The chairman of the inaugural committee (Mr Joseph C. McGarraghy) says that the festival will be the biggest, most expensive, and the best in history. Including the cost of the Capitol stands, which will seat 15,000, the expenditure will be about 1,100,000 dollars. Mr Eisenhower originally decreed that the inaugural ceremony should be “plain and simple,” but 50 Hollywood stars were brought to Washington to entertain visitors last evening, and today there will be 340 American Indians in the inaugural parade, and an escort of 49 horses from Long Beach, California, to escort the Vice-President-elect, Senator Richard Nixon. The committee is also providing a special service to find lost babies along the parade route. One of the problems that the inaugural committee has had to deal with has been to get tickets for people all over the United States. Dozens of stands have been built, and they will seat up to 65,000, but they will not meet the needs of all the people who want tickets. Fifty thousand have been asked to attend the inaugural balls.' but the demand for tickets has been so great that Mr McGarraghy has had to arrange three balls, which will accommodate less than half of those invited to attend. One million board feet of softwood timber has been used for the stands outside the Capitol and along the parade route of 10 miles down Pennsylvania avenue. There will be 39 stands along the route—nine more that the Democrats had four years ago. The elaborate stand in front of the White House, where Mr Eisenhower will review the parade, will cost 73,000 dollars. The stands outside the Capitol were built at a cost of 100,000 dollars. After the festival the timber in the stands will be sold to a wrecker who will sell it to home builders. Inaugural Medal Some of the funds for the festival are being raised by the sale of a bronze inaugural medal showing a profile of Mr Eisenhower on one side and an eagle on the other. The price of the medal is three dollars. Mr Eisenhower objected to a preliminary model of the medal, which had the corners of the Presidentelect’s mouth turned down. He thought the profile looked too grim so the sculptor turned up the mouth. Originally the President-elect took the oath of office in March. President Roosevelt’s first inauguration was on March 4, 1933. The change to January 20 Was made in 1937 to shorten the period between the election of the President in November and his assumption of office. Outgoing President One important figure at today’s ceremony will be the outgoing President. Mr Truman will ride to the Capitol with Mr Eisenhower. But in the past there have been times when the man who was about to become the former President did not appear. President John Adams was annoyed with Thomas Jefferson and left Washington before his inauguration. His son, President John Quincy Adams, likewise refused to be seen when Andrew Jackson was sworn in. General Ulysses S. Grant and President Andrew Johnson were not on speaking terms when Grant was elected in 1869, and they refused to ride together up to the Capitol. President Grover Cleveland, however, warmly welcomed his successor. William McKinley, to the White House. “I had a drink of rye with him, put on my hat and walked out, a private citizen,” said Cleveland, recalling the occasion in later years.