The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-07
PROGRAM FOR SANTAFE
Action Should Be Taken to Push
the Celebration
OF the TWenty-fffth Anniversa-
ry Of the Completion
Of the Santa Fe Railroad Through
Kansas Suggestions as to the
Line of Procedure.

ranging for this celebration be SyStemat-
ically taken up. The Santa Fe men in
this city agree that there should be no
time lost in starting the arrangements,
but there seems to be some question as
to how the celebration should be ar
ranged.
After talking with a number of Santa
Fe officials The Journal has some sug-
gestions to offer:
In the first place there should be an or
ganization. This organization should
have a president a secretary and a treas
urer, and should be composed of Santa
Fe men, irrespective of official position.
who are energetic and thoroughly inter-
ested in seeing the celebration made a
success.
AS general manager. Mr.. J. J. Frey
would be the proper person to call
meeting of the Santa Fe men of this city
to perfect this organization. The organi-
zation in Topeka would be the principal
one. with auxiliary organizations in all
of the towns in the state in which Santa
Fe employees reside in any number. In
Argentine, Leavenworth, Atchison, St.
Joe, Ottawa. Chanute. Winfield, yelling
ton, Wichita, Arkansas City, Newton,
Emporia, Florence, Usage City, Hutchin~
son, Nickerson and Dodge City there
should be auxiliary organizations, as the
population of these towns, with the ex-
ception Of Leavenworth, Atchison and St.
Joe, are made up principally of Santa Fe
employees and their families.
AS soon as the principal organization is
perfected in Topeka, invitations in the
form of printed circulars setting forth
the objects of the celebration should be
sent to the Santa Fe employees of the
towns mentioned above, as well as the
smaller towns in Kansas, inviting them
to take part. When the invitations are
received the employees of the respective
towns should organize and take up the
work as far as it applied to their local
ity.
The invitatio sent out by the princi-
pal organization should contain the re-
quest that all relics pertaining to the
Santa Fe road, in the possession of en-
plOyes or other residents of the state. be
sent to Topeka to be placed on exhibition
as part of the celebration. This exhi-
bition should be arranged in some hall in
this city, Hamilton hall for instance,
handsomely decorated for the occasion
Larger relics of cars and engines or 9TH
er rolling stock could not be placed on
exhibition in the hall and could be shown
in the parade.
The parade and display, to be reviewed
by President Ripley and other Santa Fe
officials, will form the principal part of
the celebration. While the employees of
the respective Santa Fe towns over the
state should not be obliged to prepare a
display, yet they should be encouraged to
do 50. as it would be but little expense to
the road to bring the displays on fiat
cars to this city. The employees of the
respective towns should march in dele
cations in the parade, and each delega-
ton should be preceded by a banner bear
ing the name of the town.
The chief display in the parade will be
made by the Santa F'e shop men of this
city, and those who witnessed the Labor
parade last fall know that the Topeka
shop men can turn out a mechanical dis
play which is a credit not only to To-
peka but to the entire state. In addition
to this display every employee of the shops
and offices will walk in the procession.
The Santa Fe management should be
liberal with the shop men in the arrange
ment of their display for the celebration
Many of the men have original ideas for
the display this fall and the best of these
should be carried out. The evolution OF
the use of compressed air in mechanical
work has been suggested as a feature
and from the fact that through the in
vention of Archie NJ. Baird, boflermaker
fireman, compressed air was first used in
shop work in the Santa Fe shops in this
city, the suggestion is a good one and
should be made part of the show Hardly
a week goes by that an official of some
eastern road does not visit the shops in
this city for the purpose of learning
something about the use of compressed
air.
The historical part of the celebration
should not be lost sight of, and relics of
the early days of the road, or exact
models of the same, should be included
in arranging the display. Charles s.
GIeed, one of the board of directors, is
as familiar with the early history of the
road as probably any man in Kansas, and
could give valuable assistance in prepar-
ing the historical portion. Mr. Gleed
has already signified his willingness to do
this.
Mr.. Edward Wilder, treasurer of the
Santa Fe, has suggested that portraits
of the presidents of the road, from Col.
Holidays time to the present, be made
part of the historical exhibition. The
portraits could be suitably draped and
hung about the exhibition hall in the or
der of succession from Col. c. K. Holli-
day to President E. P. Ripley.
The first step to be taken is for a meet
ing to be called and an organization per-
3ected. The day of the Festival week on
which the celebration is to be held should
then be decided upon, and the work of
preparing the celebration systematically
taken up.
A meeting should be called not later
than next week.
This celebration if properly carried out
will be heard of all over the United
States and win be a most valuable adver-
tisement of the road, aside from the fact
that it will promote the most kindly feel
ings between the management and the
employees and infuse a spirit of loyal en-.
thusiasm among the men,
THE WATER CARNIVAL.
An Abilene Paper Afraid There Won't