HOOVER BECOMES TO-DAY PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6850, 4 March 1929, Page 7

HOOVER BECOMES TO-DAY PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES

Coolidge Hands Over

OUTWARD SIGNS AND INNER MANOEUVRES DISCONCERTING CHOICE OF CABINET. United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. Received Monday, 2 a.m. WASHINGTON, March 2. That curious aftermath of a national political campaign, namely, the Presidential inauguration, will occur here on Monday. The outward vagaries for the ceremonial itself are one thing; the inner political manoeuvres and leanings aro another and in the ease of Mr. H. C. Hoover’s induction into office, these latter are by far the most important and doubtlessly the most interesting. It cannot bo forgotten he :s not a professional politician and his choice of a Cabinet was more than faintly disconcerting to some stalwart politicians, who inevitably are the backbone of the Republican Party. His choice of an avowed Democrat for the office of Attorney-General,. his far searchings for figures often little known, although perhaps technically competent, is the ferment that bubbles deep within the inauguration ceremonies themselves. Outwardly, Washington is in the thrall of anticipation of a picturesque event.

Mr. Curtis will swear the oath on a German Bible 350 years old. Tho city itself is a mass of bunting interlaced with miles of reviewing stands.

It was mooted that President Hoover deprecated ostentation and there will therefore during the celebrations be only a touch of military display, accompanied by airplano stunting. The Vice-President elect, General Dawes, to-day received a service of silver from his Senate associates, properly inscribed. It is reported he was so affected by speeches of eulogy that he was compelled to leave the reading of his reply to the Senate clerk.

The Coolidges have packed their belongongs, which filled several railway cars and early on Monday they will return to their modest house in Northampton, Massachusetts. Mrs Coolidge has been the recipient of a magnificent diamond brooch from a group of lady admirers. A large supplementary force of prohibition agents has been added to the regular corps to keep the city dry. Tickpts to a charity ball on the inaugural eve are now impossible to obtain. Tho city is jammed with visitors and a particularly largo foreign complement has come to see the sights. Australia will be well represented by the Young Australians, who have been given a prominent placo in reviewing stands and Mr Dow, official secretary, who is the Commonwealth official and representative.

But what is the political reality behind the picture of outward semicarnival?

Tho old Congress has been wrangling and filabustering over little scandals involving wholesale frauds in the administration of the National bankruptcy law and President Coolidge has been signing last-minute resolutions for inquiries into the activities of many well-known Federal judges.

Hundreds of measures have been jammed through in the last hours of the legislature and the mill continues to grind. Congress will sit on Sunday and early on Monday to pass hundreds more of similar laws, that will never receivo too much publicity. There is, moreover, a great crowd in the city of not merely visitors. There are hordes of office-seekers, who are waiting impatiently for March 4 to descend upon White House and demand a share in the spoils of victory. It is all a spectacle of an uneven but arresting character and in tho words of one observer "Its a strange tuppodrome of legislation and politics, of tinsel and traders.”