The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-12
TO ECLIPSE AL RECORDS
WOODMEN DISCUSSED AT A
BANQUET
NEARLY HUNDRED THOUSAND
City Camps Inaugurate Preparations
for Entertaining "a Mighty
Army at Last Nights
Feast.

Active and vigorous preparations for
the monster convention of Modern Wood
men of America which is to be held
here in June next, commenced last night
with the banquet rendered to the Wood
men, members of the legislature and COM
mercial bodies of this city. The order
itself has within it's own ranks been
working hard for some time and already
an entertainment fund of over $1,000 has
been raised Now it is proposed to APP
proach the citizens through the lnstru-
mentality of the commercial bodies, and
make adequate arrangements for the ac-
colnlnoGatIOn of a throng which 1t Is va
riously estimated will number from Co.
eco to 100 000
Some seventy enthusiastic. members of
the order were present last night and as
guests of honor there were Gov. Van
SAINT, himself a Woodman, H. A. Board
man, Oar Reese and six or seven MEM
bers of the legislature.
After an excellent menu had been dis
posed of, H. A. Monroe introduced S. G.
ClmStead, as POSTMASTER, and the latter
Introduced the governor. In his opening
remarks the POSTMASTER said that when
al enthusiastic delegation from st. Paul
/ ad secured for this city the coming con-
Vention it scarcely realized the stupcn-
deus nature of the contract shouldered.
Had some of those who had shouted the
lcudest for the Sanity City been fully
cognizant, of the responsibility they were
assuming they might well have faltered.
However, the head camp was coming TO
TINS city and it now benOOVed the Wood
men and the city generally to prepare to
receive and entertain as many as 100000
visitors, for he believed that fully that
number would be here on Picnic Day"
The governor, on rising to respond 10
the toast, 1.-THE Order in Minnesota"
said that the membership of the Wood
men, $4,000, represented a mighty army
the proportions of which it was difficult
for the nina TO grasp. In Minnesota
alone there were 46, 900 members, a larger
army than was beSieged at VickSburg by
Grant. The total insurance in force was
over $500, 600, 600, and the, total insurance
in Minnesota was sc, 900 Co., 1t was some
times said that it was necessary to die
to win with, the kind of insurance used
in WOoderaft, but this was the wrong
view to take. He assured the Woodmen
that both personally and officially he
would do all in his power to further the
interest of the coming great convention.
Mayor Smith was unavoidably absent
and Oar Reese was called upon to re-
spond on behalf of the city This the
rotund clerk Of the supreme court did in
very happy manner. He promised to
throw open the gates of the CITY to the
see that the city council appropriated a
generous sum from the civic strong box.
Messrs. E. w. Stark and Anderson. of
Winona, responded to the toast to the
Woodmen of the legislature The former
was very brief in his remarks but the
latter waXed eloquent on the many ex-
ceilent qualities of Woodcraft He refer
red with pride to the fact that upon the
outbreak of hostilities between. the Unit
md IN +hO
the order were notified that they might
join the army without their policies being
invalidated.
Senator Halvorson dwelt upon the
ideals Of Woodcraft and pointed out that
the inculcation of unselfishness was the
keynote of the good that the order was
accomplishing
H. A. Boardman, president of the Com
mercial club, was the last speaker on the
programme, and his effort was ssse most
appreciated one Of the evening He out
lined the relation of the Commercial club
to conventions and all enterprises look
ing to the city's betterment He said
that the clubs own resources were small.
and that the generosity of the public was
the ultimate court Of appeal The club
was prepared to do its best to reach tho
public in this instance, and would pus
into operation every expedient that would
tend to make the coming convention the
most successful in the history of the
order, and the grandest and most impos-
ing that St. Paul had ever seen.
during the evening, at intervals. the
WoodmenS quartette sang several unac-
companied selections in a most r4easir1g
manner.