Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-09-24
Ak-sar-Bsn Calls Off Electrical Pageant
for Saturday Night.
SAME PARADE GOES ON NEXT THURSDAY
GrandsSt Electrical Spectacle in Festival
History iS Promised
ALL BIG CARNIVAL EVENTS WILL COME
Absence of President Outs Out 0lly the
Special Arrangements,
REDUCED RAILROAD RATES TO PREVAIL
Change in Presidents Plans Brings
Disappointment to Omaha, but
Alters Carnival Program
Only slightly.
REDUCED RAILROAD RATES TO PREVAIL

Although President Roosevelt will not
be in Omaha Saturday night, the AkSar-
Ben festival will open today and be car
ried out in every detail as planned before
the presidents visit was expected. Alb
solutely the only change in the program is
the omission OF the electrical pageant
arranged especially for the presidents
benefit for Saturday night and which i'
exactly the same parade that was origin
ally scheduled for Thursday night of next
week. and will be given on that date.
When the Board of Governors began
preparation for this years carnival
visit from the president was not expected
and the dates for all the big festival events
were fixed. Later on, when 1t was learned
that President Roosevelt expected to visit
Omaha on the night of September 27, ar
rangements were made to give the cleo
trical pageant twice, the first time on the
date Of the presidential visit and second
on the date originally set for 1t. This
special arrangement for two presenta-
tions of the parade has now been called
off,
At a meeting Of the Board Of Governors
last night 1t was decided to pursue the
course outlined above and to devote every
energy 10 making tue SltCNIlCdl bpcCNdtlo
Of next Thursday night an unqualified suc-
cess. On account of the expected visit Of
the president special pains have been
taken by the board in the preparation Of
this years electrical parade and the post
ponement OF its initial presentation from
Saturday to next Thursday night allows
Just that much more time for arranging
all the details OF the mammoth Bpectacu-
lar show. 1t is promised that the pageant
Of this year will excel in splendor any
ever before given by the knights Of Ak
Ssr-Ben.
The special railroad rates granted on
account of the presidential affair probably
will prevail, as 1t will be dlficult for the
roads to recall their offers at this late
date, and in any event the reduced rates
given solely on account Of the Ak-Sar-Ben
festival events of next week will be in
force.
banquet is Declared on.
After considerable discussion the Board
Of Governors decided that the banquet ar
ranged for the president would not be
given Saturday evening.
Railroad rates which had been announced
for Saturday will be effective all next
week, so that the only change in the ar
rangements will be those for Saturday.
OF the board Of governors received Of the
fact that President Roosevelt had cancelled
his Nebraska dates came from a reporter OF
The Bee, who asked him what the board
would do under the circumstances. For a
minute he believed that he was being
hoaxed, but when he found It was no Joke
he said that the matter would have to be
attended to Immediately and inside Of hf-
teen minutes a special meeting of the board
was called to meet at the Omaha club at
O'Clock to decide upon a course Of action.
Previous to the meeting none Of the mem
| bers would express an opinion publicly, as
! the board acts as a unit and decides upon
all matters before they are discussed pub
licly.
Told in the Bees Extra.
| The news of the presidents condition and
the consequent determination to abandon
! the rest of his western dates reached The
| Bee office in the form Of an Associated
| Press bulletin about $40 yesterday after
| noon The last edition of The Evening
| Bee had been sent to press some moments
! before, SO an extra was Immediately pre-
pared None OF the wild rushing to and
fro and hurling about Of pages and huge
| ladies Of metal so graphically described
| by local contemporaries when they get out
/ their extras was INDUCED in by The Bee
! force, but several minutes before the first
| World Herald boy had emerged from the
! alley The Bee was on sale In front Of that
! ONCE.
Very soon after the extra edition of The
Bee was out people began to clamor at the
telephone for further news of the presi-
dents condition. When assured that his
attending surgeons anticipated no trouble
and that only a minor operation had been
performed, public apprehension subsided.
but expressions OF disappointment that the
expected visit would not occur were many
and genuine.
Mayor MOOres Regrets II.
Mayor Moores, when seen by a reporter
of The Bee, had but just heard Of the
abandonment of President Roosevelti
western trip and expressed the deepest re-
gret and disappointment that the presi-
dents physical condition should be such
as to make it necessary for him to give
up his tour and also that the people o
Omaha should be deprived of the pleasure
Of his long expected visit He said:
81 am very sorry to learn Of the presi
dents disability. for / had supposed tina
he had entirely recovered from the ef
fects Of that accident and was not awar'
that there was any danger Of serious con
sequences. 1t is a great disappointment
to me that our people should be deprive'
of this expected opportunity to see th'
president and have him as their guest, ant
this turn affairs have taken is something
OF blow to my pride as we'll, for l hay
fattered myself that we were going L
show the president something here that b
could not see in any other city Of tn
country. We are Justly proud Of our Ak
Sar-Be electrical parade, the idea o
which originated here in Omaha and tn
like Of which is not 70 be found any
where"
Surprises senator MiIlard.
The first information that Senator Millard
who has had charge OF the general arrange
ments for the presidents reception In Ne
braska, had OF the sudden ending Of tn
tour reached him through the newspape
extras. Monday afternoon the senator re
ceiyed a telegram from Secretary Cortel
Continued on Seventh Page.l