The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-02
N TBE CRESCENT CITY
NEW ORLEANS PEOPLE TURN OFT
EN- MAssE TO WELCOME
M'KINIIEY
LIKE A MARDI GRAs CROWD
POLICE HAD DIFFICULTY KEEPING
THE WAY CLEAR FOR THE
PROCESSION
FIRST VISIT OF A PRESIDENT
Only Time the Southern City Has
Ever Had the Chief Magistrate
of the Nation as
Guest.

NEW ORLEANS, May 1.-The presi-
Dental party travelled across the cotton
belt today from Memphis almost to the
Gulf of Mexico. Down the loW-lying.
rich YazoO valley, fertile as that of the
Nile, it went to Vicksburg teeming with
its memories of thirty years ago, thence
east to Jackson, the capitol Of Missis,
siPpi and from there down into the land
of the magnolia and the orange to the
ola romantic city near the mouth of the
Mississippi with its traditions of French
and Spanish rule. The outpourings OF
the people to see the presidential train
along the route today were larger if any
thinS than on the two previous days ana
the demonstrations at Nicksburg and
Jackson, the two stops, were very stril1-
ing. The visit to Vicksburg was in some
respects the most interesting yet made.
Here a triumphal arch OF cotton bales
with the magic word Expansion" was
pointed out to the president, as he passed
under it. Although it had not been in
tended to make any stops after leaving
Jackson, the train was halted at several
OF the smaller towns where cotton mills
are located to permit the president to
see and speak to the operatives. At
some of the stations the crowds actually
mpeded the progress of the train and
the engineer was obliged to slow down
to avoid danger Of running over enthu-
Siastic people. AS the sun was sinking
the train crossed the bayous with their
mOss-cOVered cypress and iVeoak and
skirting Lake Pontchartrain, steamed
into New Orleans. This is the first time
New Orleans has ever had a visit from
the chief magistrate of the nation and
it was a royal reception which the old
city extended to President Mckinley.
Mr. Mckinley himself has been here be-
fore He made q notable speech here the
fUo 1,ic niYodt tIa
presidency and ex-President Cleveland
was here upon one occasion during the
interim between his two terms, but never
before has a president while in office,
visited the Crescent City.
RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME.
The air was full of the blare Of bands,
the booming of cannon and the scream Of
whistles from the harbor craft as the
train drew into the station. Here the
president and his party were greeted by
Gov. Heard, Mayor CapdeVielle, Senators
McIcnery and Foster the entire Lousi-
ana delegation in congress, the city coun-
Gil and representatives of the various
commercial exchanges. While the mayor
was formally extending the hospitality of
the city ito the president fine military
band was completely drowning his words
with New Orleans faVorite air, '"Louisi-
ana Lou" The president and his cabinet
of smart looking militiamen on one side
and smarter looking set of cadets from
the Jesuit college here on the other The
boys ranged in age from eight to four
teen, but despite their youth they made
a fine appearance in their gray uniforms
as they presented arms to the PRESIDENTIAL
party. Outside the governors staff re-
splendent in gold lace and mounted en-
plunging chargers awaited the presiden-
tlal party The crowd al Ound the station
was so dense that it required the heroic
effort of the police to keep the path to
the carriage clear. A big military parade
consisting of the Louisiana cavalry troop
the Washington artillery and all the mill
tia from this section Of the state escorted
the party along Camp and Canal streets
to the new st. Charles hotel. The city
was literally, but not lavishly adorned
with the national colors. But the crowds
in the streets were tremendous.
STREETS WERE JAMMED.
Never, except in Mardi Gras times were
they known to be so choked and jammed
with surging humanity. The iron
wrought galleries which embroider the
fronts Of the buildings here with their
line tracories, fairly groaned under their
burdens of human freight. The feature
of the crowd was the great number of
handsome women who watched the pro-
cession from the windows and galleries.
Mrs. Mckinley and the ladies of the
party dined quietly at the hotel and later
received the ladies of New Orleans. The
president and his cabinet with the other
gentlemen of the party We're given an
elaborate banquet at the hotel in the
evening. About 800 of the prominent men
of New Orleans We're present and the
banquet was said to have exceeded In
every respect anything of a similar char
acter attempted heretofore in this city.
Tomorrow the party VIII drive about
the city in the morning and in the after
noon take n sail along the river front
AT o'clock in the evening the train will
again resume its journey towards the
Golden Gate.