Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-24
Yesterdays WELCOME.

teers was concerned the exercises yes
Through the efforts of the ladies Of
Butte they We're most Hospitality enter
tanned with a delightful banquet at the
race track, after which the medals of
honor were pinned on the breasts of the
soldier boys. To say they enjoyed the
reception rendered them is putting it
mildly. for the tributes of the public We're
supplemented by the joyous reunion of
long separated friends and ~neishbors.
AS the day was dedicated to our soldier
guests. and their happiness and com-
fort We're Of first concern, the exercises
passed off as pleasantly as the bad
weather permitted.
But while the soldiers were we'll en-
tertained, and will never forget the warm
welcome accorded them by the people of
Montana, thousands of visitors were
deeply disappointed that the excellent
programme was not fully carried out as
outlined by the committee. Tt was a
matter of intense regret tina the rail-
road company failed to deliver the vol
unteers in Butte at $50 in the morning,
as provided by the time schedule agreed
upon Having left San Francisco about
t~Wenty-four hours ahead of time there
was no apparent reason for the unac-
oo,,,toI1o .J~- ..I:zl It,
troops from arriving until 2 o'clock in
the afternoon. By the time they had
been served with dinner, the medals dis
tributed, and forty minutes devoted to
words of welcome from the several dis
tinguished gentlemen, who represented
the state, the afternoon was nearly gone.
Still, the parade, practically complete,
would have passed under the great arch
of welcome before nightfall, had not the
enthusiastic crowd at the race-track in
advertently aided friends and relatives
in scattering the volunteers to such an
them in time to carry out that feature of
the programme as originally planned.
With 800 soldiers distributed through a
crowd of from 5000 to &C, 1000 people the
work of getting them together may be
imagined but not described, especially
when time was the essential feature of
the situation. Thus it happened that the
early evening parade was destitute of
many of the leading features which had
been provided for, it being impossible to
get civic societies into line at that late
lour.
While the welcome at the race track
passed off royalty, SO far as the soldier
guests of the city were concerned, the
$4,000 people who waited for long weary
hours on the principal business streets
for the big parade, till the shades of
night began to fall. We're greatly disap-
pointed. Realizing, however, that the
occasion was one Of welcome to the re-
turning volunteers, rather than of enter
talnnnent to visitors, all took the situa-
ton good naturally and seemed to fully
appreciate the unavoidable conditions
which made the parade as originally
planned an impossibility
While it is easy to make suggestions
as to what ought to have been done, and
what might have been done, it is clear
that the committee handled the situation
as carefully and expeditiously as the cir
cumstances would allow. From a retro
spective standpoint the mistake, if any
was made, rested in the selection of the
race track as a place for holding the lead
ing exercises Of the day. The Transport
tat:on facilities in Butte are not ample
to eNpeditiously handle upwards OF
10000 persons to and from that point
Had the exercises taken place uptown,
especially after the troops arrived late,
with the speaking on the street corners
after nightfall, there would have been
less disappointment on the part of the
thousands who found it impracticable to
go to the race track.
However, contingencies wholly un-
looked for arose, and had to be met in
the best possible manner. The welcome
of the soldiers having been a success, the
disap@ointments as to the parade will be
overlooked by Montana's patriotic citi-
'zens. The soldiers were given to under