Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05
THOUSANDS AT RIvEHvIEw PARK
South Sidcrs Nuke Great Success of
Thcir Celebration.

South Sidcrs Make Great Success of
Their Celebration.
The South Siders celebrated the national
holiday with truly patriotic ardor at
Riverview park yesterday. In this they were
assisted by fully 10000 visitors. who came
from every part of the city and its suburbs
to spend the afternoon in languorous ease
on the thickly shaded slopes, listen to the
blending melodies of the bands and watch
the constantly increasing crowd that
threaded its way along the avenues and lin
gered to catch the beautiful view across the
river.
1t was almost the first introduction of
the people of Omaha to this magnificent
stretch of shaded slopes and valleys that
promises to become some day the most beau
tiful resort In eastern Nebraska Many of
the people who visited the park yesterday
had regarded 1t as an unpromising eXpanse
of territory that had been converted into
a park principally because it was good for
nothing else. and their surprise and graft
fcation at the really beautiful scene that
lay before them were constantly expressed.
1t was a perfect day for out of door jollif-
cation. The atmosphere was heavy with
midsummer heat but the shifting masses
of clouds brought intermittent relief from
the sun and cool refreshing breeze blew
up from the river and across the undulating
terraces of the park. People began to ar
rive early in the forenoon and by IL o'clock
the park was well populated. From that
time until late in the afternoon every motor
train was crowded to more than It's capacity
and II there had been twice as many trains
they would have been nearer adequate for
the patronage. Hundreds came on wheels
and in vehicles and the streets in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the park were lined with
pedestrians who took one look at the al
ready overcrowded street cars and con.
cluded that walking was easier.
There was only one drawback to the sue
cess of the celebration, and that was the
facility with which the committee on ar
rangements changed their minds. The ex-
ercises OF the day had been widely adver-
tised to occur at 1890 o'clock. At that
hour some of the committee concluded that
more people would be present in the after
noon and announced that the program would
be postponed to 2 o'clock. Later on how
ever, they again made a change and when
the people came pouring in at o'clock they
found that the exercises had Just been
completed
The program of the day was begun shortly
after noon John Rush acted as master OF
ceremonies, and Victor b. Dolliver of Fort
Dodge, Ia, was the speaker of the day. The
exercises opened with selection by the
Twenty SECOND infantry band after which
prayer was offered by Rev. s. Wright Butler.
Then the Ancient Order OF United Workmen
band contributed selection. and Frank
Lea Short read the Declaration OF Inde-
pendence. Another selection by the band
preceded the address OF Mr.. Dolliver
The speaker Of the day received an en-
thusiastic greeting from the immense crowd
that was assembled around the grand
stand. and his remarks were several times
interrupted by hearty rounds OF applause
Mr. Dolliver had no set speech but his re-
marks were able and entertaining and
seemed to take with the crowd to an eXcep-
tional degree. He first captured the sym
pathes of the audience by spirited refer
ence to the Transmississippi Exposition,
which would follow In its wake and aroused
marked enthusiasm when he said that these
benefits would not accrue to Omaha alone
nor TO Nebraska. but to the whole west
and declared that Iowa would not be behind
hor sister state In helping TO carry forward
the great enterprise.
GROWTH OF THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY.
Referring more particularly TO the senti-
ment OF the day Mr.. Dolliyer spoke at some
length OF the events that had added to the
galaxy OF patriotic associations that clus-
tered around the Fourth of July. He re-
viewed the growth OF abolitlonism traced
Its beginning In the hearts Of a few men
advance OF their time, and followed II
through the four years OF civil war, which
had accomplished the emancipation OF the
slave and made the sentiment that all men
were born free and equal a glorious reality
on every foot OF American soil. In this
connection the speaker paid an eloquent
tribute to Abraham Lincoln whose name
was so closely interviewer with the story
OF human liberty and American patriotism.
Hs then made a timely reference 10 Mrs.