The Topeka state journal., 1899-01-10
A AHANDsaUEEz1Na CEREMONY
Participated In by Five Thousand
People at the Reception
Last NIGHT

Tt is estimated that five thousand
people shook hands with Governor
Stanley and the other state officers at
the public reception given at the state
house last night.
The jam of people in the corridors
was something terrific. People began to
get in line for admission to the hall
before 8 O'Clock, and from that time on
they came ten times as fast as they
could file through the narrow door
ways.
Admission to Representative hall, where
the reception was in progress, was gain
ed by way of the narrow stairway lead
ing up to the west entrance to the hall.
To reach this people had to file through
the entire length of the corridors from
the east end of the building. The en-
tire west corridor from the stairway to
the dome was filed soon after o'clock
and from that time on it was contin-
ual struggle for a chance to reach the
stairway.
Guards at the top of the stairway let
the people in only as fast as they could
be presented to the new state officers
and the process seemed unnecessarily
slow to those in waiting. Early in the
evening it consumed one hour and f1f-
teen minutes for a person to move with
the lam from the entrance to the state
treasury to the foot of the stairway
leading up to the hall, distance of per-
haps fifty feet and later it required
still longer time.
A half dozen boys, who were old
enough to know better, added to the
discomfort by attempting to perform
football tactics in the crowd Those in
the rear could not understand why
those in front did not move faster, and
they cracked jokes at the expense of
the people in front
Lady here wants through would
"And there's a hundred more just like
her" came the reply from other parts
of the corridor.
As the crowd neared the stairway it
became denser. Those along the walls
were afraid of being crowded out alto
gether, and there was a continual shove
from all directions. 1t was impossible
for a person to move one way or an
other unless the entire mass moved
along. But no one tainted, and there
were no mishaps of a serious nature.
The hall was brilliantly Illuminated.
Decorations of ferns and palms were
around the speakers stand, and a wall
of them led from the stand around to
the east, forming a narrow passage
along which were ranged the state Off
GERS. First came Governor ana mrs
Stanley. who were introduced by P. 1.
Bonebrake. Next were Lieutenant Gov
ernor H. f. Richter and Mrs. Richter,
presented by retiring Lieutenant Gov
ernor Harvey, who was the only one
of the retiring officers in the receiving
party: Associate Justice Smith and
Mrs. Smith, presented by Associate
Justice Johnston; Attorney General raj
George w. Crane; State Treasurer
Grimes and Mrs. Grimes, presented by
General Hudson; Superintendent Mel
son and Mrs. Nelson; Secretary of State
Clark accompanied by his wife and
mother; and State Auditor Cole and
Mrs. Cole
While the reception was in progress
Watson's orchestra, seated behind a
screen of palms at the right of the
speakers stand, played. Around the
south walls were arranged chairs and
those who did not wish to stand, and
the center of the hall was clear for those
who wished to promenade. The upper
corridors and the senate chamber were
also open for this purpose.
The procession of people filed by the
state officers from eight till eleven
o'clock and today most of the receiving
party and wearing their fingers in BAN
dages as the result of much hand shak-
ing Governor Stanley stood the ordeal
better than most of the rest, because
he has had more experience. He doesn't
let the visitor squeeze his hand but does
the squeezing himself, which saves pain
and also time.