The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-17
Beautiful Weather, Large Attendance of
Members, and a Brilliant and Impos-
ing Street Display.
Spirited but Good-Natured Contest
Over the Ele ction of Officers.
The National Theater Thronged at Night to
Listen to Townsend's Poem and
Maginnis's Grafton.
THE PROCESSION.
Perfect Weather and a Splendid Street DEM
onstratIOn.

onstratiOn.
WASHINGTON, May 16.-Despite the lower
ing clouds and threatening weather of yes
terday, to-day has proved most auspicious for
the opening ceremonies of the reunion of the
Army of the Potomac. The showers of yes
terday laid the dust, and to-day fresh breeze
from the northeast, with a cloudless sky and
bright sum- made the day perfect one, both
for those who marched in procession and for
the thousands of spectators, who from an
early hour this morning, lined the streets.
By 8 o'clock this morning the various uni
formed military organizations which were 10
take part in the parade, were on the move,
and sounds of martial music greeted the ear
from dozen quarters At II A. NJ an escort
under command of BreVet Major-general R.
B. Ayres, U. s. A., took their station along
Fifteenth street, with the right resting
on Pennsylvania avenue. The society of
command of General A. A. Humphries, pres
ident of the society, and his staff formed in
column of fours at the Riggs House. At
11:20 the procession moved, breaking from
right to left and marching up Fifteenth
street past McPherson's statue thence
through Vermont avenue, Massachusetts av-
enue, passing the Thomas statue, to Rhode
Island avenue; passing Scotts statue, through
Connecticut avenue; passing Farragqts statue,
to Seventeenth street, to Pennsylvania ave-
nue., passing in review before the stand
erected upon the pavement opposite the
White House. Dense crowds of people lined
the entire route of the procession, and gave
ample occupation to the mounted police in
keeping passage open for the procession.
Shortly before II o'clock the President was
notified of the approach of the procession,
and with the members of his cabinet
and other invited guests, proceeded across
the lawn to the stand, which was approached
by flight of steps from within the White
House grounds Upon the stand were the
President, Secretaries Lincoln and Teller,
Attorney-general Brewster, PoStmaSter-gen-
eral Gresham, Justice Field, Senators Miller,
of California, and Butler, of South Carolina;
ex-senator Window, Representatives McKin-
ley and s. s. Cox, the English, French Span
ish, Brazilian and Chinese ministers and the
ladies of their families; w. w. Corcoran,
General Sherman and staff, General Hazen,
General b. s. Calef, General Livermore, Gen
eral Ingalls,, General Schofield, Admiral
Nichols, Admiral Rowan, the commissioners
of the District ex-Postmasters-genera II.
King and J. A. ]. Creswell, Marshal Nc
Michael and others.
The head of the procession reached the
stand at 1910 and the last of the carriages
which brought up the rear passed at 1850
p. NJ. Of the Society of the Army of the Poto-
mac there were about 1,60O men in line, and
together with the various organizations COM
posing the escort, about 8, 500 men passed III
review. Along the line of march there was
a liberal display of bunting and much en-
thusiasm. 1t was the first representative
gathering of the Army of the Potomac in
Washington since the war, and United
States soldiers of twenty years ago marched
past the stand, many of them gray-haired
and bearded, and bowed with the weight
of the intervening years. 1t recalled
the review of 1865, when the army
of the Potomac marched up the avenue and
passed in review before the President 100, 900
strong. In the procession were many we'll
known and familiar faces, and there was a
constant interchange of recognition between
the passing veterans and those upon the
stand. At l o'clock the escort was dismissed
at the Riggs House, the point from which
the procession started and the Society of the
Army of the Potomac marched to the White
House and paid their respects to the Presi-
dent, who received them in the East Room
and greeted each member as he was pre-
sented