The sun., 1900-11-04
CP WITH THE HEAD OF THE LINE.

CP WITH THE HEAD OF THE LINE.
Parade Through the Arcade Of FLAGS Ends at
Double Quick Above the stand.
To those who watched the marchers as they
gathered In the steady dowupour Of the morn
ing at their appointed places, waiting for tho
word TO fall In. there was one fact which above
all others was impressive This was the grim
ness of the mems determination 10 march re-
gardess Of the storm. e. show their colors In
the shadow as Loyalty as though there had been
sunshine to do what they conceived to be their
duty 70 their party and their country no matter
what tho cost In personal inconvenience and
danger TO health from tho thorough wetting
they knew they would gel. 1t was not holiday
outing Ii was "A duty sclf-imposcd and they
took IL UP with Ch eerfuness that no vet could
dampen. In Nil the side streets where the
le0ions were gathering, awaiting the coming
Of the Governor Of the state, the rain came
down steadily upon men In irreproschable
apparel The water and tho flth from the
streets gathered in pools beneath their feet.
Their clothes hung Wet and heavy on their
figures The flags over their heads dropped
and dripped Some men had umbrellas and
some had not. Some had overcoats and some
had not some had rain coats and some had
not Some had oyerlhoes and some had not.
II made no difference. They all carried IN"
flag and they were bound to carry II past the
reviewing stand.
The same inspiration that held the men in
tho waiting files and mpelled them 10 tramp
through the mud and water over the granite
blocks Of broadway and the s!me-cover"d
asphalt Of Firth avenue was communicated TO
the mu,titudes who lined the sidewalks and
the other thousands who ohr"rcd from TN"
great business buildings in the greatest street
in the world ana the hrovnstonc residences
in the city's principal avenue. Forgctful OF
tho rain and the raw air, men and women stood
for hours from curb TO building line alonE the
whole route cheering and applaudin2 each
business organization ms 1t moved past steadily
and relentlessly. To the marchers II seemed
as though there could be none but sound money
men in town. There werr no cries "f Bryan
no cheers FOR Croker, no boots Of rid!C,Ile from
ther sidewalk or window. With almost every
building abla2e with flags and bunting. with
always the tag overhead with the multitude,
all along the line constantly cheering for the
cause under whose banner the parade was
moving with no dscordant hota save the
foolish ranci.s of tie Iammany boss painted
on strips OF sheetirG and strung across the
streets. no wonder the paradrrs thought that
the hosts Of sound money had swallowed entire
the mob Of free silver.
When the day broke and the streets were
seen 20 be wet, the clouds heavy and the rain
falling, the faint-hearted dropped the corners
Of their mouths But after each loyal Re-
publican had got his breakfast aLi blessed
the weather prophet he prepared himself 10
go ahead and do his appointed duty. At S
ale 1,
men wearing the Mckinley and Roosevelt
button. The hea adquarters o! the organiza-
tons which were scheduled 10 move in the early
morning hours the leaders IN the grand march.
filed up. Soon they were jammed and the
streets set apart for the columns TO form in
became impassable. The rain made no df-
ference Each man looked about him and
wonder ed why he had doubted. lie saw the
streets packed with men who had wondered
and doubted ~ he had. but men who like him.
had been moved by tho same determination
10 march in spite OF all The marshals and
their aides looked about them and they saw
that their work WAS cut out for them in a. allo-
pathic doses rs though il were ideal Indian
summer They rushed heresnd there and every
where getting their men in 20 line. each separate
captain forming up his line Of sixteen man as
though IL was tho only work he ever was fitted
for.
Before 10 o'clock the dry goods men. who by
reason of their numbers bad the right Of the
line, were filling Worth street and several ada
cont blocks east and west of broadway 10 where
the line stretched out Of sight from the middle
81 the car tracks. The street itself was kept
clear by the police. but il was a difficult Job,
for outside Of the para ders there were thousands
on the sidewalks pressing forward to see. The
standard Of the wholesale dry goods men was
west Of Broadway In Worth street. Underneath
It's folds stood line after line 81 men in froCk
coats and silk hats They wer" tho great men
~ the dry goods district many 81 them We'll
along In years. Their hair wa white. and their
face. were vrnkled Ivy years o. business
an1iet!ce. Perhaps some of them ',,re endan-
gerine their health. or even their lives, by the
exposure. but they took TINT risk, They stood
shoulder to shoulder, waiting for the word TO
come that would start them on their three
mile march. They had fought each other In
business but now hey were moved by a COM
mon impulse that made them forget all this and
stand together for their own sake and the sake
OF the ir employees against the forces a. national
dshonor and disaster. Behind them were
banked thoir employees, file after file not all
but mono with Bryan near their
hearts. God bless him" Many of them were
Democrats. who were marching not because
their employers had told them 10 march but
because for the time being they had foIsaken
the party Of repudiation for the party q honest
money. None who wns opposed TO Mckinley
and Roosevelt was permitted to march. The
word went around that all who did not intend
TO vote forthe Republican candidates we're at
liberty to keep out or, rather were expected
to keep out.
man who was unknown 10 one Of the file
captains asked II he mi ght join his file
Glad to have YOU. said the captain. IL
you're going to support Mckinley. but we
don't want any man here unless he is Nobody
can say there is any coercion here"
The man said he was for Mckinley and he
was permitted 20 fall In,