Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-09-06
WELCOMING DAY.
ELOQUENT SPEECHES sv GEN. W. v.
GIBSON ANo HON. FRANK AuRp.
welcoming Ohio's Mother and Sister
. States to the Centennial Celebration
Second Day of the Ohio Centenniar--
Pioneer and Catholic Days.

COLUMBUS, o., September 6-Yesterday
vas welcoming day at the Ohio Centennial.
The State, by prominent representatives,
welcomed the mother and sister states of
the territory, and the Governors responded.
Ex-President Hayes presided.
IL was 1870 O'Clock when two dozen car
riages, bearing Governor Foraker, Govern
nors Lounsberry and Brackett and their
followers, ex-President Hayes, General
William II. Gibson, Vice President Chitten-
den and the Legislative reception commit
tee, entered the central gate, the sun flash
ing from the gay uniforms of the staff off,
GERS and resting proudly on the colors
carried by the Governors. As they dis
mounted from their carriages the distin-
guished guests werce greeted by hurst of
melody from the Elgin band. which rem
dered medley from the Chimes of Nor
mandy in splendid style. During the
seating of the guests the band played
selection from the opera of Wilhelm Tell.
Ex President X. II. Hayes. who acted as
president of the day. stepped forward as
soon as the guests were seated and an
nounced that the invocation would be pro
nounced by Rev. DIR. Joseph NJ. Trimble.
The veteran minister. son of the gallant
Governor Trimble. stepped forward and in
eloquent words which proved that his elo-
quent lips had not forgotten the frey ora
toig W. AoutlHcE u
humble and thankful prayer 10 the Giver
OF all good for the manifold blessings and
prosperity which He had granted the people
of the commonwealth.
After another beautifully executed selec-
tion by the band. President Hayes stepped
forward again and introduced General W.
ii. Gibson. of Tiffin, the famous warrior
orator. vino had been selected to deliver
the address of welcome TO the mother
So. n
necticut General Gibson spoke in sub
stance as follows:
"The people of Ohio gather here to COM
memorate the first Centennial Of their his
tory, and by their warrant it is made my
agreeable duty to greet you as the honored
representatives of Connecticut Massachu-
sets and Nirginia-triune mother of our
commonwealth, and to bid you welcome tn
our homes and hospitalities. This intel
ligent assemblage and this great exposition
bear witness to what your Kindred have ac-
complished within a hundred years"
After depicting the condition found here a
hundred years ago, and the hardships of
pioneer, he said: "Wonderous changei The
thirty-eight whose voices first rang out in
strains of Christian minstrelsy i'm the woods
of the Muskingum. have passed to sanctu-
aries not made with hands. and four mil
lions of cultured people possess the land
promised to their seed, but which they were
only permitted TO view from a lofty mental
Pisgah. And since Ohio became the nur-
sery of sturdy. patriotic men, she has sent
forth from her cabins and cottages fully two
million cultured children to gladden. the
wilderness and solitary places towards the
setting sun with the beauties OF civilization
Their line of migration may be traced by
the school house and church; the well-kept
farm and prosperous village; the superb
city and iron highway burdened with the
teemiDg products of their enterprise and
industry
'.In Ohio, we have near ten thousand
miles of railway trsckage. costing five hun
dred millions OF dollars, while every i'm
pertant town and all the eighty.eigh seats
of justice, save one, is linked TO this mag
nificent Capital; and the marts of trade
throughout the continent by chords of
steel that tremble with the weight of traf-
iic, and equalize the wealth of an internal
commerce, more valuable than that of all
the seas
within our borders, electricity sweeps
over fifty Thousand miles of line, and in
every village the touch of an instrument
meets with a response from the remotest
hamlet in the Republic, and from the marts |
OF trade beyond the ocean.
''0hio has been careful TO make ample |
provision for the intellectual and moral |
culture of her people. and herein is her
glory and the secret of her honored posi-
lion in the sisterhood of States.
.Gen;lemen, behold the elder daughter |
of the State you represent We present |
her in no fancy garments, Authentic |
facts put 10 flight the widest dreams of |
fancy. We have not spoken of her jurists |
and divines. her poets and artists, her in |
ventors and statesmen; nor vet of her sol |
diers and sailors, who in every battle on |
land and sea fought since the star-lit BAN |
ner was unfurled on Ohio soil, have vindi- |
Gated their title to intrepid manhood, and |
shed imperishable luster upon American |
arms. And now in this presence every |
heart should glow with unmingled grati- |
tnde to their triune-God, who sustained |
our fathers in all their endeavors to pre- |
pare for us this goodly heritage, and who |
sustained us as we bore the ark of our po- |
itical safety through environed seas to |
the mount of peace, where it now rests. |
Swallowed by one flag and secure in the
affections of sixty millions of freemen.
again. gentlemen, we bid you welcome |
to our homes and hospitalities"
At the close of General Gibson's address, |
which was loudly applauded, the band |
played "Hail Columbia, which was greeted |
with cheers
Lieutenant Governor Brackett was then |
introduced, and in pleasing style delivered |
q scholarly and eloquent address. He said |
that thirty-nine citizens representing the |
executive and legislative departments of |
the State of Massachusetts, were present in |
manifestation OF the interest of their people |
in the celebration. This number was al |
most equal 10 the number who landed in |
the second Maytiower at Marietta in the |
spring of lTss- Massachusetts,, with pleasure |
and pride, recognizes Ohio as daughter,
and feels that she can receive no higher |
tribute than to be called mother of Ohio. |
Statesmen of that State assisted in framing |
the ordinance of 17S7, whose provisions |
have been fraught with consequences not |
less important to this section and the |
whole country than the national constitu- |
ton The Ohio river called by the early |
explorers 1.-The beautiful river" has claim |
other than that given by its natural charms, |
10 that title in that il marks the boundary |
of q region wherein nothing has ever been |
permitted to mar the beauty of reedom. |
Washington is reported to have exclaimed, |
at one = the darkest hours of the reyolu- |
tionary war, when the question of safety /
was before him, I'VE will retire TO the val |
lev of the Ohio and there we will be free"
In closing. Governor Bracket said if all |
the mother and sister states we're here, none |
of them could come with sentiments of |
deeper respect and warmer affection for !
Ohio than those cherished by the common
wealth of Massachusetts,
Governor Lounsberry was then intro |
duced and made speech which complete |
" carried away the audience, the orators |
style being as effective as his eloquent |
words. After referring in witty manner TO |
Connecticut's place ON the programme. and |
saying that while the mother of states had |
been the President producer. Ohio seemed |
10 have inherited that power, having given |
Harrison, Hayes and Garfield TO the ma
tion. and having plenty of timber left He |
spoke OF the pride Connecticut had in0hio,
and that Ohio should feel noble pride in |
her grand success, but she must not forget |
The tribute of gratitude she owes to her |
parent states.
Cosl se fallxy fn Tia lnoia |