El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-12
THE CONVENTIONS FIRST DAY.
A Largely Attended Session in the Op
Ia House and a Warm Welcome.

second convention Of the Texas Fire
, mems association: and it opened anC
ends auspiciously. The events of tht
day began with Il sereuade in front o
headquarters in the Sheldon block b,
the 18th infantry band under Lieuten
ant Wurm. The band turned out its
full strength, twenty-three men, anC
the precision and snap with which
they played is worthy of extended
commendation. The fremen formed
in line at 10:3O a. M, and headed by
Chief Connors, of this city, in buggy
with President Drake, of the state as
sociation, marched to the opera house,
headed by the infantry band: The line
was in column of twos and
was extended along for some
three blocks. Following the band
came the city councilmen and officials,
headed by Acting Mayor Whitmore
and mmediately leading the parade
came President Edwards OF the Ell PasC
department, Rev. H. w. Moore, the
chaplain of the convention and Mr..
Millspaugh, and these were folio wed
by nearly eighty visitors and home fire
men. The second division vas he AIDED
by the Two's hose drum corps aud con-
sisted of eighty men. The parade
made quite a show en- route to the
Opera House and the band defiled to
the left in front of tie entrance and
played while the iremen marched up
stairs and into the auditorium.
| The opera house was profusely dec
GRATED with flowers and flags and colors.
The stage was veritable horticultu-
| raj show, and must have emptied more
! than one green house. All along the
| footlight space We're placed rows of
| flowers in pots. the tables for the use
of the convention officials were cover
ed with boquets of all sizes and shapes
and kinds of flowers. the largest flag in
town was tastefully draped in the rear
of the stage, and in fact the amount of
decoration showed the greatest
of the gallery was placed large cards
noting the different places of holding
the conventions, ard the presidents
who presided over each one. One card
stated: Delegates present at the first
convention of State Firemen's associa-
ton at Waco, 1876, Wiley Jones, James
Graves, J. w. Colleage of Waco,
George King of Malin. Another card
stated: Organizers of the State Fire
leage. The last two cards gave John
Julian as president at the Houston
meeting, and &. 7. Drake as the pre-
siding officer at the Ell Paso conven-
ton.
The delegation OF LEGAL fremen and
friends including a few ladies, nearly
filled the floor of the house, aad the
convention was called to der by
President Drake of Waco, who asked
the delegates to group themselves by
delegations under their own chiefs.
After stating that the pleasure it gave
him in calling the twenty-second con-
ventiOu of the Texas State association
to order, he requested Rev. H. w.
Moore. the chaplain, to offer prayer
an eloquent effort from the learned !
divine. The preacher |
the give of all good gifts that !
so many We're able to gather here in |
convention, and for the courageous !
spirit and the unselfish devotion of the |
men who would 90 through fire, smoke |
and water to save life and property.
The preacher prayed that divine grace
would guide the convention in its
deliberations, and that the delihera
tions mi ght be for the honor and glory
Of God. The prayer closed with the
of the Lords prayer which |
the convention repeated with him.
President Drake next in reduced act
ing Mayor WhitmOre, who as repre-
sentipg the city corporation, extended |
a hearty welcome to the visiting fire
men iu few words and introduced |
w. II. Burgess, who made the formal !
oration of welcome. 1t was fine effort, |
a scholarly and polished effort, worthy |
of the bright young attorney who de- |
iivered it, and which won for him COM /
pletely the hearts of his bearers. In |
the course of his speech Mr.. Burgess |
declared that Ell Pdso Ofeued her arms |
that day to bid the tiremeu of the Lone |
Star State a warm welcome. The re- |
duction Of insurance rates and the in |
creasing respect of citizens were prov |
ing a well deserved tribute of subs'an-
tial and solid worth to the efficacy of |
the volunteer firemen. The history of !
our race is the history of the struggle !
for the maintenance of the home Il |
fact option zed in the now recognized |
fact that the dwelling of the lowly is |
as inviolate as the residence of
the we'll to do ard the great. The |
speaker referred to the noble spirit !
actuating the fremen who work with |
a courage that never fails: the heroic |
spirit as manifested in the rescuipg of |
the helpless, and recognizing the |
meaning of the saying. '"never count the |
COST We are especially pleased to !
entertain volunteer tiremeu in whose !
hearts have been kept burning the fires |
OF patriotism: and here the speaker !
stepped aside from the path of polished !
rhetoric for u moment to cutely observe |
that firemen gave the almighty dollar
work, tha; taey even declined to sit on
juries. Mr.. Burgess made tiue point
IN his subsequent emphasis of the fact |
that the path OF duty is not always the |
way to glory. We are glad TO enter
tain the volunteer tiremen of Texas. !
for we are in Texas, of Texas and for !
Texas Did you notice the LO1e Star |
flag floating from lhe court house this |
morning? We are so far from the !
rest of the state and our population is 50
Cosmopolitan that we do not always !
realize the Advantages OF being n citiZ IN !
of Texas. Let every citizen devote his !
energies to the progress aEd the indi- F!
visibility of this great STATE. Mr..
Burgess closed with an elegant perora- |
tion as he spoke in apotheUsis Of the !!
western country in which Ell Paso sat /
in coming greatness. Mr.. Burgess re- |
tirement to his seat was followed by a !
re gular bonn bard mcnt Of flowers f-Om |
the gallery with Mr.. Millspaugh as the ,
bombarder in chief. BOquets flew |
everywhere: and is they fell into the |
audience. thew were picked uO and /