The Topeka state journal., 1897-06-11
The President and Party Reach
the City This Morning.
Escorted to Exhibition Grounds
by Ex-COnfederates.
THE CHIMES ARE RUNG
Delivers His Address Before an
Immense Audience.
Showers Figures and COmpli-
ments on Tennesseeans.

Nashville, Tenn, June 11--President
Mckinley and party arrived at the
union station in this city at 7:SO O'CLOCK
this morning and were met by Major
J. W. Thomas, president of the Ten
nessee Centennial Exposition, and the
members of the exposition executive
committee.
After cordial greetings had been ex-
changed the visitors were taken in car
rtages to the Maxwell house. The un-
ion station and Church street leading
to the hotel We're crowded with people
and the visitors were heartily cheered-
Al the Maxwell house the party break
tasted and at 10 o'clock Gov, Taylor of
Tennessee and Gov. Bushnell of Ohio,
accompanied by their stans, called up
on the president
Mrs Van Kirkman, president of the
Woman's board of the exposition, called
upon President and Mrs. Mckinley and
party.
Leaving the hotel at II o'clock the
party arrived at the exposition grounds
three-quarters of an hour later
A detachment of ex-cOnfederate vet
Grams acted as guard of honor.
Entering the exposition grounds, the
party proceeded to the auditorium un-
der the escort of the Centennial guards.
the Centennial chimes being rung for
the first time as they marched up the
broad avenue. At 8 o'clock President
Mckinley addressed the assembled
thousands.
The president said:
Officers of the Tennessee Centennial
Exposition, Ladies and Gentlemen:
American nationality, compared with
that of Europe and the east, is still
very young and yet already we are be
ginning to have age enough for cen
tennial anniversaries in states other
than the original thirteen. Such occa-
siOns are always interesting, and when
celebrated in a practical way are use
full and instructive. Combining retro
spect and review, they recall what has
been done by state and nation and point
out what yet remains for both to ac-
complish in order to fulfill their high
est destiny.
This celebration is Of general inter-
est to the whole. country and of special
significance to people Of the south and
west. 1t marks the end of the first
century of the state of Tennessee and
the close of the first year of its Sec
Ond century One hundred and one
years ago this state was admitted into
the Union as the sixteenth member in
the great family of American common
WealthS. 1t was a welcome addition
to the national household cOmmun-
1ty young, strong and sturdy, with an
hOnOred and heroic ancestry, with fond
antfcipatiOns, not only of its founders,
but faith in its success on the part of
far-seeing and sagaciOus statesmen in
all parts of the country. I am justI-
fed in saying that these anticipatiOns
have been grandly realized, that the
present Of this community of sterling
Of the past had dared to forecast it
The builders of the state, who had
forced their way through trackless for
ests of this splendid domain. brought
with them the same high ideals and
fearless devotion to home and cOun-
try, founded on resistance to Oppres-
sion which have made inustriOus the
AnglO-Ame name. Whether it was
the territory of Virginia, or that of
North Carolina. mattered little to them
They came willingly and eager to fight
for independence and liberty, and in
the war of the revolution were ever
loyal to the standard of Washington
When their representatives served in
the colonial assembly of North Caro-
lima, they chose, for the first time in
our country, so far as know, the
great name of Washington for the dis
trict in which they lived, and at the
close of the revolution sought to or
ganize their territory into a state. to
be known as the state of Franklin. in
grateful homage to the name of another
OF its most distinguished patriot COM
moners- Spain had sought to possess
their territory by right of discovery as
part of Florida. France claimed it
by right of cessiOn a part of Louisi-
ana, and England as hers by con-
quest. But neither contention could
for instant be recognized. Moved
by the highest instincts of self-gov-
ernment and the loftiest motives of pa
triOtism, under gallant old John Sewer,
at Kings mountain your forefathers
glOrioUsly Won their Independence
Thus came the new state, second only
then of the now mighty west and
southwest And it has made a Won
derful history for itself. Tennessee
has sometimes been called the mother
of southwestern statesmen" 1t fur
nfShed Us the immortal Jackson, whose
record in war ana whose admfnistra-
ttOn IN peace as the head of the great
republic shines on with advancing
years The century has only added to
the luster of his name. increased the
obligations of his COuntrymen and ex-
elted him in their affection. Polk and
Johnson were also products of this
great state, and many more heroes of
distinguished deeds whose names will
come unbidden to your memories while
I speak
Tennesseeans have ever been volunteers.
not drafted patriots. In 1876 when , 400 OOG
soldiers were called for, 80. 900 loyal Ten
nesseeans offered their services, and amid
the trials and terrOrs of the great civil
war under conditions of peculiar distress
and embarra ssnent, her people divided
on cOutending sides BIT upon which ever
and ga Kant sacrifice. Now happily there are
no cOntending sides in this glorious com
mon country. The men who opposed each
other in dreadful battle third of a cen
tury ago are once more and forever uni
ted together under one flag in a never to
The glory of Tennessee is not only
alone in the brilliant names it has con-
trfbuted to history. or the heroic patriot
ism displayed by the people in so many
crises of of our national life, but its ma
vancement and population. are striking
and significant in their growth and de-
veIoDment. Tbirty-fiVe thousand settlers
in this state in 1890 had Increased to l.
lOq 600 in 1850 and today it has a popula-
tfOn closely apprOxfmating 2,OOOO00- It's |
which in 1860 were small