The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-08-11
THE REDWOOD GAZETTE.
BY AIKEN E. SCHMAHL.
THURSDAY, AUGUST IL, 1898.
AT THE CORNER STONE,
st. Paul Had Plenty of Amusement
for the Crowd.

for the Crowd.
To The EDIToR:-It was the privi
aege of your correspondent to witness
the laying of the corner stone of the
new State capitol on Wednesday of
last week Signal service Lyons had
prognosticated pleasant day, which
proved to be ideally perfect. St. Paul
had made preparations to amuse as
we'll as interest its guests on the occa-
sion. If there we're either visitors or
citizens who took no particular interest
in the process of State building repre-
scented by the simple act of placing q
block in its position in the new
sstructure-a huge block of granite
containing copper box in which evil
adences of the civilization of the day
had been placed; or who did not care
TO listen to the Grafton of Senator
Davis, he could still find both instruc-
tion and amusement Somewhere, so
varied was the programme for the day.
1t may be that thousand people
could hear what the speakers said and
that five hundred more who were on
the platform, and in the vicinity would
gladly have heard if they could have
done so, but these we're only fraction
of the people who lined the streets
from Rice Park to jackson street and
up Seventh and Wabssha, to the new
capitol grounds.
As usual, the crowds wanted to see
and be amused, and in this they we're
gratified to the full.
The Indian pony dragging two
peeled ash poles, the pony led by a
squaw, representing the primeval sys-
tenn of transportation; the Fifteenth
regiment in brand new uniforms, self
conscious, keeping step to martial mu-
sic, with the precision of veterans, the
remnant of the first military organiza-
ton, the Pioneer Guard of forty years
ago. State, county, and city officials,
eex-governors, mayors of Minneapolis,
and other nearby cities; officers of the
Dept. of Dakota U. S. A., Minnesota
representatives in Congress; District
and Supreme court judges; old settlers
and Minnesota territorial pioneers in
carriages; great number of bands of
which perhaps the State training
school band drew the most attention,
not to mention many other features of
the parade, furnished ample amuse-
ment for the crowd lined up in solid
columns along the entire route.
The evening features of the program
were spectacular and amusing in the
highest degree. All St. Paul seemed
to be on the streets, and all held high
carnival With races by the fire de-
partment, cake walk, grand masked
parade, Negro chorus, fairies, his
Satanic majesty, fire works, and
many other features. What could {
good natured assemblage of people
find wantings Everybody seemed
Immensely tickled and disposed to ado
as much as possible to the genera
hilarity. The twentieth century car
a bob tail car in use twenty years ago
hauled by pair of mules, with tn
notice, Passengers will please no
spit on the floor" and Passenger
must not talk to the mules" was
winning feature. The carnival at
forded the widest scope to the studen
of anthropology; the races, ages
sex, tongues, and conditions of thi
part of America were all in evidence.
The laying of the corner stone AM
erection Of a new capitol mark al
epoch in the history of the State. TIL
first State house was built in 1854, an,
burned in 1881. The material use,
HOws This!
off On s.