The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-04-17

South was not only notable for tn
royal entertainment by most genel
Gus host, but for the gracious and be
coming utterances of the distingulshe,
guest. The Presidential party was me
at Summerville by the special commit
tee, headed by Mayor Smyth, who wer'
invited aboard the special train, whicl
in a short time reached station fiv,
miles north of Charleston, where TROLLEY
cars were in waiting to speed the guests
TO Chicora Park, near the site of tho
naval station soon to be built, where
tho revenue cutter Algonquin was lyine
at the wharf. The President, the com
mittee and their other guests wen
through the park while salutes were
being fired in honor of their arrival
and then boarded the revenue cutter
for q sail down the river and around
the harbor. The day was spent on the
water and the President made a visit tC
Fort Sumter, when there was a run up
the Ashley, and in returning as the
Algonquin passed the cruiser Clncin-
natl and the training ships, salute
was fired in honor of the President.
Boycc's wharf was reached at 4.3O
O'Clock, where carriages were in wait
ing TO take the party TO the St. Johns
Hotel.
The banquet rendered 10 President
Roosevelt at the Charleston hotel was
fitting close TO day full of incidents
and served to gather together men
prominent in the affairs OF the State
having solely in mind greeting 10 the
President which would prove The sin
cerity and the warmth of feeling ex-
listing for him as the chief executive of
the nation. The banquet hall was a
bower of roses, pinks and smilaX, ar
tlstica!ly arranged, while loosely sire WI
over the tables were thousands Of
violets, whose fragrance could only
but suggest that springtime had arrived.
Over three hundred specially invited
guests we've present and The President
was at his best. In few well chosen
remarks Mayor Smyth welcomed Prcsi-
dent Roosevelt to Charleston, whose
response was listened TO with the
closest attention and which were in
terrupted by loud and continuous ap-
plausc.
The Pre- ,iden - rem lrks were as
follows:
"Mr. Mayor, and you, my hosts and
my fellow American citizens (Great
applause.) 1 should indeed be but a
poor American myself if l were not
deeply touched aud gratillcd by the
way you have greeted me today, IN this
your beautiful city and of course l
feel at home here. (Applause.) l
think that an American who is worth
his salt has the right to feel at homo
in every part of the United States
(Applause.)
" Around this table I see many men
who took part i'll the great war. The
war in which the younger among us
here took part was very little one
because 1t didn't have TO be any big
ger. (Applausc.) But it had one thor
oughly good effect it put the cap on
the structure that had been building
while we were almost unconscious OF
it, and it taught us how thoroughly at
one we we're. When we got through
that war it did not make a bit of diff
erence to us whether it was an admiral
who came from Vermont or lieuten-
ant who came from Alabama (ap-
plause,) if the man had done his duty
in such shape as to make us each feel
in our common nationality. The debt
that we owed him had llttl, to do
with the section from which he came.
Npplause.)
And now, a special word to you of
Charleston anil Of South Carolina
Just II years ago when first went to
Washington to take part in govern.
mental work L was Immediately thrown
into singularly close contact and in
timacy with a South Carolinian. 1t
was my good fortune to work with hln,
for three years and for the nine years
since and for as long as l shall con-
tinue to be in public life, it will be
to me ever a spur to try TO do decent
duty for the republic, because l have
beon thrown intimately in contact with
as fearless and as highnlinded public
servant as this country has ever had,
my old friend, your former Governor
tlugh Thompson. (Great applause.)
" And from what | have known OF
you and of your representatives it was
IN no sense a surprise, but it was 6
keen pleasure TO be greeted with the
hearty and generous hospitality, tho
more than hearty and generous hospl
tality which you have shown mo today
(Applauee.)
J.. "Tbe welfare Of any part of thi
country is IN certain sense an indie.
of the welfare of all, and l think, gen
tlemcn, that on the average as we nj
tend to go up, it seems to be LITTLE
better to go uniformly rather than at
sharper gait, for the time being, ant
then down and then up again and thel
down. South Carolina seems during
the last two decades to have delinitcl
entered upon the path Of steady pro
grcss in things material as well as il
other things. | was much struck il
looking over some of the figures of tn
census quite recently published, to sc
the astonishing progress that has bee
made here in your State. | was pre-
pared to see that the values of you
farm products had risen as they have
q little over 25 per cent. / was pr
pared to see that your farms thcmsclvt