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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1917)
X THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. U1 w a ill 18 It VI J i r 11 r ii r mml SIT i uaiis of merasi- eJ- Plow sliopkeeping PFasli gton evened up on cam paign expenses : : Lorn- edyy 1 ragedy and Splendor have been mingled in this spectacular affair v IUSSIDKNT WILSON called attention wry widely In 11)13 to Hie undent WZjSS and honorable cuMiorn or noming an Inaugural bull to welcome the new PL J president to his Job by refusing to l.tfmjA sanction the nITalr. And owing to "pressure oi oiuciui uusinoss mere will be no Inaugural ball this year of fM, 1017. In other wordH, American of I nVJJ flcluldom Is In no mood for gnyoty. The inaugural nan, pays mo nunsns City Star In a historical article, la not a Htato function, financed by the Nation, uh most of tho '.Nation believes. Undertaken at first aa a wol como to tho now president by Washington society It has become of lato years tho business venture by which Washington merchants recover tho money they spend to hang the capital with bunting and hlro bands nnd fireworks to make the occa sion lively. While tho ball costs a largo sum of money, tho profit from tho sale of tickets, priced nowadays at $f, Is estimated at $20,000, and this profit Is. distributed among tho men who sub scribed tho funds to mnko tho celebration a suc cess. Hut tho Inaugural bull does cost tho Nation something, because It discommodes whutever de partment of statu lends Its building for tho fes llvltlcs. lteceut bulls have been held In the pen sion building, and u vast deal of trouble and ex 3enso has gonu Into the organization of their gayety. There has been balls In tho past, like that state ly first ball that welcomed President Monroe, notablo for tho brilliance of tho assemblages, tho beauty and wit and fashion displayed, truly great nodal occasions, worthy of tho dignity of tho occa sion they celebrate. And there havo been balls of which old timers In Washington still talk, notablo for tho widespread Inconvenlenco they havo caused. For Instance, there Is the second Lincoln Inauguration ball, when Horace Greeley lost his hat and standing on the steps of the treasury building put a curso on the city of Wash ington lurid enough to set fire to the snowdrifts that, blanketed l; then there Is tho ball that wel comed President Grant, held In n vast pavilion of muslin, unheatcd, whoso walls swayed to and fro In nn Icy blast thnt froze dainty cars and finger tips yes, and noses and put a damper on tho merrymaking not to bo forgotten. March 4, 1809, was the sort of chill, dump, un comfortable day Washington expects for the pres idential Inauguration, but In this year the Incon veniences of bad weather In tho new little cnpltal wcro fur worse than they could posslbjy bo today. Tho sprawling, ragged, unfinished city had no pavements. Itoads wero so deep In mud that many m coach was mired as It carried Its load of dis tinguished persons to witness tho lnnugural. Thero were few hotels and boarding houses, nnd theso wcro crowded to suffocation on tho great day. nut tho society of tho capital and notables from far and near wero determined to overcome all handicaps of weather, for this drear evening was to mark tho first presidential lnnugural ball. An organization of young men, tho "Wnshlngton Dancing assembly," formed seven yours before, had tho nffnlr In chnrgo nml hud secured tho as sembly room of Long's hotel on Capitol hill. Tho "four hundred" In America originated with this first presidential ball. Washington society represented tho best of tho Nation. Tho Influence of tho Southern families of aristocratic tradition was strong. Thero wero few peoplo of wealth, but mnny of culturo; nnd society was gny without ostentation. Tho men of tho dancing assembly who drew up tho list of those who would bo nsked to buy tickets to tho Inaugurnl ball found thnt four hundred would include all persons of breed ing and worth. When George Washington and Thomas Jefferson wero Inaugurated they wero glad to go enrly to lied nftcr tho day of ceremonies, but on this night ex-President Jefferson, personally opposed to os tentation, appeared In tho ballroom promptly at noven o'clock, tho tlmo of Its opening. Ho came running and happy, glad to see his friend succeed ilm In the direction of tho Nation, happy at hav ing tho bui'don off his own shoulders, oh he con fided to a friend during tho evening. Tho orchestra played "Jefferson's March" as iho ox-prcsldcnt entered. "Am I too early?" asked the great Democrat. You must tell mo how to behave, for It Is more than forty years since I havo been to a ball." Soon nfter tho musicians played "Madison's March," and tho guests flocked about tho door to greet tho now president, a slight, short flguro of a mnn, whoso gray hair was brushed smoothly linck from his high forehead nnd tied with n black ribbon. Ills small hazel eyes woro remarkable for u humorous twinkle, for Madison, In private llfo, enjoyed n good Joko nnd sprightly banter. His long, pendulous noso camo low over a long uppor Up. Ills teeth wore noticeably whlto nnd oven. Tho now president woro plain black, with nifties nt tho throat and wrists, with black smalls nnd Hllk stockings. Thero wero big silver buckles on his shoes. Hut It was to Dolly Madison, formerly tho fas cinating "Widow Todd of Phllndelphla, thnt nil eyes turned. The now mistress of tho Whlto House was a center of attraction wherever sho went Without great benuty of fuco or figure, sho tind a mnnner which won friends instantly. Her ready tact, her good humor, her vlvnclty, made her easily a social lender nnd tho best-remembered nnd beloved of tho ninny "first ladles." Mrs. Mttdlson woro palo buff velvet made very plain, with n long train and no trimmings. Her head wus surmounted by a turban from Paris of nolo buff velvet nnd whlto sntln When America's first "four hundred" danced at thoMadlson ball tho ulr of the assembly room be came? very closo and tho guests finding they could not idwer the window sashes broke tho glnss Tor Ventilation. Thnt Is tho only recorded Inconven lenco, uddo from tho universal Inconveniences these notables experienced In getting to Washing ton, hut the balls held In later years mado a less enviable record. Probably tho ball held to cole brato tho second Inauguration of President Lincoln was ono of tho most notablo for tho unlvcrsul dis tress It cnused. Mnry Clemmer Ames, In her book "Ten Years In Washington," snys of this exciting carnival: "The air throughout tho entire building wns perforated with a fine dust, ground until you felt that you were taking In with every brenth a myriad homeopathic doses of desiccated grind stone. Tho agonies of that ball enn never be writ ten. Thero aro mortals dead In their graves be causo of It. Thero aro mortals who still curse, and swear, and sigh nt tho thought of It. There aro diamonds, nnd pcnrls and precious gnrments that aro naught to their owners because of It. Tho scenes In thoso cloak and hat rooms can never be forgotten by any who witnessed them. Tho colored messengers, colled from their posts In tho treasury to do duty In these rooms, received hats and wrnps with perfect facility, and tucked them In loopholes as It happened. "Hut to give them bnck ench to its owner, thut wns Impossible. Not hulf of them could rend numbers nnd thoso who could soon grew be wildered, overpowered, Ill-tempered nnd Imperti nent under tho hosts thnt advanced upon them for cloaks and lints. "Plcturo It I Six or more thdusnnd peoplo clnmorlug for their clothes 1 In tho end they were all tumbled out 'promiscuous' on tho floor. Then enmo tho sloge I Few seized their own, but many snatched other peoplo's garments anything, some thing, to protect them from tho pitiless morning, whoso wind enmo down llko tho blto of death. Delicate women, too scnsltlvo to tnko tho property of others, crouched In corners nnd wopt on win dow ledges, nnd thero tho dnyllght found them. Carriages, also, hnd fled out of the scourging blast, nnd men nnd women who emerged from tho mnr blo hnlls, with very llttlo to wenr, found thnt thoy must 'foot It' to their habitations. Ono gentle man walked to Capitol hill, nenrly two miles, In dancing pumps nnd bnreheadedj another per formed tho same exploit wrapped In n lady's son tag. "Poor Horaco Greeley, after expending his wrnth on tho stnlrs nnd cursing Wnshlngton nncw as a place that should be Immediately blotted out of the universe, strode to his hotel hatless. Tho next day and tho next week wero consumed by people searching for their lost clothes, and Gen eral Chlpman says ho still receives letters de manding articles lost nt thnt Inauguration ball." Ono would suppose thnt tho lesson of tho Lin coln ball would havo resulted In great reforms when tho Inauguration ball, which welcomed Pres ident Grant, four years later, was held. Ono re form was notable, a complete checking system for wraps was devised, but on this occasion not a guest parted with bis wraps! They did not dare, for as It was, noses and enrs wero frozen. Tho Grant Inaugural ball cost $00,000 and great things wero expected of It. A pnvlllon 3S0 feet long, with n bnllroom 300 by 100 feot. was built In Judiciary squnrc. This pavilion was mado of light bonrds, roofed with tar paper and sealed with pink and whlto muslin. "Tho mighty Ameri can eagle," to quotu tho ofllclnl report, "spread his wings over tho president's platform and from his pinions spreud strenmers 100 feet long, caught up on either side by coats of arms. Tho presi dent's reception platform wns GO feet long and .10 feot wide. Twelve pilasters supported nltornnto gold figured, red nnd bluo stnnds, which held pots of blooming flowers. Platform and steps wero richly carpeted and thousands of cannry birds wero placed toward the celling to ndd their chorus to tho music. Tickets to this niagnlUcent enter tainment cost $'-0. Then enmo lnnugural day with n bllzzurd nnd cold wnvo so severe that marchers In the lnnu gural procosslon dropped by tho way, overcome by cold I Tho north wind swooped down on the muslin pnlnco nnd rattled Its flimsy grnndeur un til the roof was swaybneked In ono place nnd bnl looncd out In another, while tho tar paper and loose boards rose In tho gusts nnd rattled down fnr nnd wide. President Grnnt recovered sulllclently from thy exposure of the Inauguration to spend a short tlmo nt tho ball, arriving nt It o'clock In tho evening. Ho and his brilliant suite f guests, many of them foreign dlploinnts, and their brilliantly clad ladles. retnnlncd huddled In voluminous wrappings, look ing down upon tho guests dnnclng In overconts and wraps, dnnclng llko mnd In order to keep from freezing to denth. Tho canary birds did not sing. They tucked their heads under their wings and shivered piti fully. The elaborate refreshments froze Into blocks of Ice. Tho boll ended before midnight The first Inaugural ball In tho pension building wns that held to honor President Cleveland's first Inauguration. Tho building was then unfinished and the courtyard was roofed by temporary con struction, elnborately, decorated nnd lighted by tho thon new electric lamps. The ballroom floor was 310 by 110 feet, and It was crowded. Tho ticket sale for this ball brought In $40,000. It Is pleasanter to contemplate moro recent In augural balls. A notnbly brilliant bnll was thnt which welcomed President McKinley. It wns held In tho pension building, nnd for thnt night the building wus transformed by bunting of white nnd gold. Not a particle of woodwork or original dec oration of the building wns left uncovered. Elab orate electric lighting (elaborate for 1807) and a huge fountain were notnblo features of this bull room. Judging by contemporary accounts this bill wan n complcto success, soclnlly and finan cially. Mrs. William Howard Taft, in her charming book, "Recollections of Full Years," tells tho story of the last Inaugurnl bnll. Mrs. Tnft's nccount of how tho Taft futility moved Into the White House Is thoroughly cnptlvntlng becnuso of Its many bits of domestic color, bits that find nn echo In com mon experience everywhere. It wns at tho close of a very busy day that Mrs. Taft put herself Into tho hands of her nervous hnirdrQSscr and sat looking at lior now bnll gown, sprend out on tho bed. Tho ball gown hnd ar rived at tho very last minuto nnd tho new "first lndy" hnd wondered for several anxious days what In the world sho would wenr to the ball If the dressmaker failed her. "It was made of heavy whlto satin which I hnd sent to Tokyo to hnvo embroidered," writes Mrs. Tuft, "and tho people who did tho work surely knew their nrt. A pattern of goldenrod was out lined by n silver thread and cleverly fitted Into tho long lines of tho gown, and no other trim mings hnd been used except some lace with which tho low-cut bodice wns finished. It fitted mo nd mlrnhly nnd I hoped thnt, In spito of nil tho mis haps In my prcpm-atlons, I looked my best ns ! descended from the Whlto Houso automobile at the entrance of the pension ofllce. "Tho pension ofllco was not built for balls, in augural or otherwise, nnd on tho evening of Mnrch I, 1001), nfter n dny of melting sleet nnd snow, tho entrance wns not especially Inviting. Neither wns tho dressing room which hnd been nssigned to me. I suppose thnt for years It had rung with the causeless click of scores of typewriters nnd thnt Its walls hnd beheld no moro elnborato cos tumo than a business blouse and skirt sinco tho occasion of tho last lnnugural ball which had marked tho beginning of tho second Roosovolt administration, four years before. Hut ns I needed to do very little 'prinking' It really didn't matter and I quickly rejoined the president and pro ceeded on his arm to tho presidential box, this being a small round gallery abovo the main en- tranco of the great ballroom, which Is Itself, In everyday llfo, tho principal workroom of tho pen filon ofllce. "A brilliant, nn nlmost kaleidoscopic, scene spread before us. Tho hall is of tremendous pro portions, plllnred with red mnrblo and with walls tinted In the same color. Every Inch of floor space seemed to bo occupied. Tho bright colors nnd the gleam of women's gowns met and clashed or harmonized with tho brighter colors of dlplo matlc uniforms. Ofllccrs of the army and navy In full regalia met nnd mingled with the hundreds of mon In tho plain black of formal evening dress, It was n wonderful, glittering throng, moro mng nlllcent Hum any I bad ever seen. It was not pos slble to distinguish Individuals except In tho spuce directly below tho box, but there, ns I looked down I saw n great semlclrclo of faces thousands, It seemed to me smilingly upturned toward us. Tho din of human voices was terrltlc: even the loudest band procurable had dllllculty In making Itself heard. Hut tho sceno wus so gay In color, nnd the faces that gazed up nt us wero so friendly nnd huppy thnt I felt clnted nnd not nt nil over whelmed." REAL RULER OF RUSSIA A cloth manufacturer Is todi' tll renl power behind tho Russian tlnrone. At his will tho czar Issues ukases 'nd promulgates decrees. The membership of tho cnblnet la entirely changed, the . traditional and legnl order of tho Im perial council completely revolution ized, the dumn prorogued nnd threat ened with dissolution, nil becnuso of the activities of a political adventurer who knows how to make use of tho sinister forces pervading Russlnn life. Ills name is Alexander Dmltrovltch ProtopopolT nnd ho Is the cznr's min ister of tho Interior. A few years ago Protopopoffs only distinction was the fact that ho was the owner of ono of Russia's lnrgcst cloth mnnufacturlr.g establishments. Today he holds In his hands the fate of ministers; the duma fears him; Russian democracy hates ltfm and 'the nllles nre uneasy over his moves. The fortunes of humanity and civilization. to a certain extent, depend on the way he will carve Russia's future policy. Born In 1S05, ho received a nillitury education nnd served in the cavalry up to 1800, when he resigned. He settled on his largo estate In the province of Simbirsk, where ho devoted himself to business and social work. Nntlonnl politics wero foreign to Protopopoff till 1008, In which year he wns elected to the dumu by tho octobrlsts the party of tho center. Shrewd, persistent, ambitious, Protopopoff was unlike the standard typo of Russian politician. His qualities, to be sure, could never win him popular admiration und respect In Russia. But opportunity never found Protopopoff asleep or slow. When the Junior vice president of the dumn resigned some years ago Protopopoff was suddenly advanced to fill tho vacancy. "THE JAPANESE ROOSEVELT" Baron Shlmpel Goto, Japan's great medlco-stntesmnn, who holds the port folio of tho Interior In the Terauchl cabinet, has sometimes been called the "Japanese Roosevelt." He Is tho grandson of Choel Takano, ono of tho pioneer progressives of the latter To kugawa period, who was put to death by tho Tokugawa government for his denunciation of tho policy of exclud ing foreigners. Goto was educated for tho profession of medicine, and In 1800 he went to Germany, receiving the M. D. degree from the University of Berlin. In Japan ho became n leading au thority on health and sanltutlon. He wns sanitary commissioner during the Japnn-Chlnn war. Later he estab lished a reputation ns an executive while civil administrator of Formosa. His vigorous administration of that Island won him promotion nnd dis tinction until he became known us Jnpnn's greut colonist-orgnnizer. He displayed ability us the first president of the South Manchurlnn railroad, tho company becoming an independent orgnn of colonial administration of Manchuria. A very romantic incident marked his earlier career. His daring Imagina tion nnd strong sympathies Induced him to take part In n quixotic plan to rescue a former dalmyo from the hands of a band of supposed persecutors. The dalmyo had been imprisoned by relntlves on tho plea of lnsnnlty. Goto's activities resulted in his arrest and Imprisonment on the charge of complicity In obtaining illegal possession of the Imprisoned noblemnn. But his motives were found to be honorable. He was acquitted and restored to his ofllclnl position. It Is a coincidence thnt the judge who exnmlned him wns his pres ent collengue, Minister Nnkajoshi. i ii L0N6W0RTH JOKES M'ADOO Representative "Nick" Longworth likes to have fun with tho secretary of the treasury, Mr. McAdoo, and per haps thero Is n bond of sympathy be tween them since both married prin cesses of a reigning house. Mr. Long worth's mnrriago to Miss Alice Roose velt wns the great social event of tho Roosevelt administration, ns was tho wedding of Mr. McAdoo and Miss Wil son tho most interesting nffnlr of tho Wilson regime until the president him self wns married to Mrs. Gait. At a dinner party recently Long worth nnd McAdoo were guests, nnd when It came Nick's turn to submit a few remarks ho ragged tho secretary of tho treasury In good-nntured fash ion. "I well remember tho time when I was tho fnlr-hulred boy," snld Long worth, "when I wus tho ofllclnl son-ln-law. But that time passed long ago, and now tho secretary of tho treasury wears tho honor. It Is he who Is now pointed out ns the president's son-in- law; it Is he who tnkes the center of the stage. Fume, Indeed, is fleeting." Longworth Is one of tho most populur members of the house, and Is well liked by his associates of both parties. He Is a ready spenker nnd enn hnndlo himself well In debnte. BOLD BOIES PENROSE Boles Penrose of Pennsylvnnlu Is n bold mnn, nnd when he feels like It, and Is there, he enn make himself very obnoxious to those who do not like him. At n dinner on McKinley day In Pittsburgh he Is reported to havo snld that tho next tlmo Presi dent Wilson appeared before tho sen ate to discuss public mntters "I will engage him In colloquy and debate, in which I shall be strictly within my rights, as ho Is within his rights In coming there. Doubtless other sena tors will Join in the debate, although I shall not ask them to do so. The president will bo addressed as was Washington moro than one hundred yenrs ngo, nnd I think I enn suy thut this second appenranco of Mr. Wilson will bo his last." The senator said that this was what ho expected to do If he should be present; but some of his constitu ents do not think he will be there un less ho brenkB his record for nonuttendance. If he should enrry out Ida nnnounced purpose, however, no ono would enjoy a debitto moro thun tho president, nnd when It ended tho senator from Pennsylvania probably would know thnt there had been a fight V