The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-21
CLOSE OF THE PEACE JUBILEE.
The President Makes short speech
to Railway Employees.

cold breeze blew constantly. IreceulhS
| the chief event-the railroad employees re-
ception to- the President-Mr. Mckinley
spent the time quietly at the home of Capt.
| McWilIiams, receiving only few callers
and being engaged principally with Assist
ant Secretary Cortelyou. At 1880 D. m. the
President was driven to the First Regi-
ment armory, where. together with Mayor
Harrison. he was received by a large gath
ering of railroad employees. After the recep-
ton the President addressed the railroad
employees. eliciting from them the warmest
applause. The railroad reception at the
armory was President McKinley's last pub
lie appearance in Chicago during the jubi-
lee, wet weather having necessitated the
postponement of the bicycle parade.
The armory where the railway employees
and the President met was gayly festooned
and the galleries were hidden behind the
folds of Old Glory. The President appeared
upon the east end of the main balcony and
spoke briefly to the assembled railway men,
who represented every branch of the serv-
ice. The mass meeting was in the nature
of formal opening of the three days con-
ference of railway employees called to con-
slider measures for national and state legis-
| lation applying to organized railroad labor.
| In the gathering were represented the
| Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the
| Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, the
brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, the Or
der of Railway Conductors and the Railway
Telegraphers' Union. The ladies' auxiliaries
in each of the orders assisted in the recep-
ton to the President. A throng gathered
outside the armory two hours before to
cheer Mr.. Mckinley upon his arrival.
Mr. McKinleys party was conducted to
| the first balcony, from which he looked out
upon the thousands of railroad men. The
| galleries overhead were filled with men,
women and children, who cheered when
| ever an opportunity presented itself. Many
| of those gathered on the drill floor were the
| delegations of railway men that visited the
| President at Canton during the campaign
| period. The enthusiastic reception accord
| ed President Mckinley upon his arrival at
| the armory was sufficient assurance that the
railroad men appreciated his presence. The
armory was crowded when the exercises
were opened by prayer by DR.. Emil G.
| Hirsch. Chairman j. b. Walsh, of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, pre-
sided and delivered the opening address of
| welcome to President Mckinley. The
| Presidents response was listened to atten-
| lively and frequently interrupted with ap-
| plause. He said:
| 81 count myself fortunate to have the
privilege of meeting with this great railroad
organization in this great metropolis. |
| have had in the last ten days very many
most interesting and pleasing experiences
| as journeyed through their country but
assure you that not one of them has given
me greater pleasure than to meet the men
and women connected with the great rail-
roads of the country (Applause) j.
ut is fortunate that this great body of
representative men and women has assem-
bled in this city at a time when the people
were celebrating the suspension of hostili-
ties with early hope of an honorable, just
and triumphant peace. The railroad men of
| the country have always been for their
country. (Applause) The railroad men of
| the country have always been for the flag
| of the country. and in every crisis of our
national history, in war and in peace, the
men of your great organization have been
loyal and faithful to every duty and obliga-
| ton. Yours is at once a profession of great
risk and of grave responsibility. 1 know of
no occupation in the sphere of human en-
deavor that carries with it greater obliga-
tions or higher responsibilities than the
| profession of railroad men. You carry the
commerce of the country, you carry the
| rich treasures of the country from the At
lantic to the Pacific, and you carry daily
and hourly the freightage of humanity
they trust to you, to your integrity, to your
intelligence and your fidelity for the safe
guarding of their lves-and 1 congratulate
the country from the bottom of my heart
that in this great system, so interviewer
with the everyday life of the citizens of
the Republic, we have such splendid char
acter and such high intelligence
IT bring to you to-day not only my good
will, but 1 bring to you the good will and
respect of 100000 of American citizens.
Great applause) Your work is before
critical audience; you go in and out every
day before your countrymen, and you have
ever deserved from your countrymen their
unstinted praise and approval for your fidel-
ity to the great interest you represent. The
virtue of the people lies at the foundation
of the Republic; the power of the people
is an the American freside; the virtue that
comes out of the holy altar of home is the
most priceless gift this Nation has. and
when the voice of the people speaks from
the home of the people II is a command to
Congress and the executive-it is the law
of the Republic
Il thank you, my fellow-citzens, for your
cordial greeting, and congratulate you on
the evidences of returning prosperity ev-
erywhere. iGreat applause) What you
want-what we all wants business pros
perity. When you have that you have
something to do; when you have it not, then
you are idle. There are few empties now
on the sdetrack. Great laughter and an
plause) And there are few railroad men
not employed. (Applause) The mere YOU
see the freight car the oftener you see the
pay car. tApplause.)
II am glad TO see that the First Illinois
Regiment is in your presence to-day fap-
plause)-that gallant regiment, made up OF
the volunteers from the homes of Chicago.
who took their lives into their own hands
and went TO Santiago to fight the battle of
liberty against oppression. / am glad to
have this opportunity 10 meet and greet
them and to congratulate and thank them
in the name of the American people And
now. having said this much, / hope YOU
know that l will carry from this place
from this audience. from these warm
hearted men and women-the pleasantest
memory of my long trip through the West.
AT the conclusion of the Presidents ad-
dress the audience broke into wild cheers.
which lasted fully five minutes. Following
President Mckinley came Judge John Bar
ton Payne, of Chicago; George r. Peck; e.
Z. Clark. of the Order OF Railway Conduc-
Continued ON Second Page.)