Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-07-27

Crowd-The exposition gets a Benefit-A
Million and n half of Strangers i'm the City.
From our Special Correspondent
PHILADELPHIA, July 18th. 1876.
The Official National Celebration of
the Nations Centennial Birthday-for
such the 4th of July ceremonies at Phil
adelphia must be called-was a proud
affair, the recollection of which will
doubtless be transmitted through an
other century. Yet grand as it was
the occasion was not wholly unmarried
by conspicuous defects. The President
OF the United States who outside of all
personal considerations, should have
been present as the head of the govern
ment, had to be apologized for on the
platform, and the National Congress
for which joint session in Indepen
dence square at noon had been very APP
priately suggested, put in no appear
ance as body. The reason assigned
Is that the senate failed to act upon the
resolution passed by the House provid-
ing for such session. The Philadel-
phia papers have justly spoken with
some bitterness of these defects for
which no apologies are adequate.
The features of the occasion were
parade, an grafton, poem and cho-
rus. These the simplest elements of
such commemoration, comprised the
programme, the rest being made up by
the sovereign people who were here in
hundreds of thousands, manifesting
the sober and reverent joy of patriot
ism the proud glorifcation of the he
rOic fathers who, one hundred years
ago founded government of the peo-
pie and for the people. The many present
on the opening day of the great Expo
sitiOn have been more than equalled,
but the trace of careless and cosmo-
politan gathering have disappeared.
Men are still here from all lands. The
scion of the royal house of Sweden,
stood by General Sherman on the grand
stand, and the Emperor of Brazil in his
rigorous incognito sat upon the plat
form at later hour. The ancient and
fading Declaration of Independence
was taken from its seclusion for the
first time, and held with reverent hands
by descendant one of its signers. The
flags, the uniforms and the troops of
thirteen united colonies gathered for
the first time since the Revolution in
this garrison town of the war of INDIE
pendence, but their march was headed
by the Towering youth of national
army-the West Point Cadets-and the
long line marched past thronged and
crowded ranks, which showed the ac-
cent, the bearing, the manners and the
habits of forty States and Territories,
and naturalized citizens drawn from as
may alien nationalities. If the General
Government was absent, the general
people were here. If Congress failed to
meet in the old hall and round the CEN
tury with another general and CONT
mental Congress, the people from early
morning were passing in q constant
and orderly stream through the ancient
room- The fraternal greeting with
which Boston surprised the nation
year ago was not the salient feature of
this national gathering. 1t was not
needed; but its fruits were here in full
harvest, and men saw without comment
or murmur Confederate general lead
ing the troops of the united colonies
through the streets of Philadelphia.
The parade in point of numbers, was
the largest ever seen in Philadelphia,
Though no larger than the writer has
seen at six o'clock in the morning on
the fourth of July in New York, where
the city regiments all turned out. But
it was brilliant parade because COM
posed almost entirely of crack organi-
cations from all parts of the country.
The Centennial Legion received one
continued ovation all along the route,
and the southern regiments in it, under
command of Gen. Heath, were greeted
on every hand. The march was long
and the heat almost intolerable which
caused number TO drop out from ex-
haustion, but there wereno serious cases.
The exercises were concluded in In
dependence Square which could hold on
ly fraction of the throng upon the
streets Upon the platform sat the EN-
peror OF Brazil, Dom Pedro; Sir Edward
Thornton, the British Minister; Prince
Oscar of Sweden, Governors Hayes and
Hartranft, Secretary Cameron, Gener-
ais Sherman. Sheriden and Hancock,
and host of other officials. The mu-
sic was under the direction of the ire
pressible Gilmore and Theodore Thorn
as. Acting Vice President Ferry presi-
ded in the absence of the President.
His modest remarks Oh being called to
the position were full of tho spirit of
that declaration so familiar to every
American. The grafton by VIM. NJ.
Evarts, of New York, was worthy of
the occasion; but no doubt most of your
readers will have perused it thought
fully ere this letter reaches them. If
they have not let me advise them to do
so.
These extra occasions interfere with
ny regular descriptions of the exhibits
on the Centennial grounds, and have
some interesting notes for my next let
ter. 1t is estimated that $500 stran-
gers were quaEtered in the city on the
night Of the 4th, and their presence has
told upon the Exhibition in the succeed
ing days. Notwithstanding all the 9TH
er attractions of Tuesday, every avenue
of the wondrous city at the Park was
thronged with delighted guests, and
the various structures on the ground
seemed for the first time actually crowd
ed. So great was the influx of sight
seers, that though both steam and
street cars almost doubled their carry
ing capacity, they were still unable to
transport the multitudes as fast as they
congregated at the various stations
along their routes. A careful inquiry
into the character of the attendance
showed that although a large proper
tion Of the guests were from Pennsyl-
vania and adjoining States, one-third
of the whole came from towns and cities
very far distant from Philadelphia,
while not few had but recently arriv-
ed from the other side Of the Atlantic.
|, In the afternoon the attendance was
sill more increased by the arrival of
excursions from the Eastern and Mid
die States, and at the close, the depart
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