The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-09
CLEVELAND AND FRANCIS
ST. LOUIS SUGGESTION
How Distinguished Men Were Received at the Pros
pective Great Exposition

the part of the committeeman. not
through lack of earnest endeavor or
lack OF hospitality, but simply because
OF ineXperience.
In few instances there may have
been just ground for complaint or dis
appointment on the part of certain Of
fetal visitors, but to the credit of the
FAR Committees it must be said that
they We're willing and ready at all
times to accept any suggestion which
might be made to promote the COM
Tort and pleasure of their guests dur
ing the festive week. After the first
oay OF the exercises there was a COM
plete transformation at the headquar-
ters OF the various visiting delega-
lions. At no point was the change so
noticeable as at the headquarters of
the small army of newspaper corre-
spondents who were specially invited
10 attend the opening ceremonies.
Gov. Francis and his aides were quick
TO rectify every mistake of the pre-
Vlous day, and the remaining five days
were one continuous round of pleasure
and profitable enjoyment to all who
were the guests of the Exposition
Company -
Secretary Warder Stevens, P. V. de-
Graw, j. H. Maddy, Committeeman
Ship, Hook, Hooker and Bolles are
entitled to special mention for their
courteous attentions to the members
OF the newspaper fraternity from the
moment of their arrival in st. Louis
tuesday afternoon until the special
tram bearing the Washington CORE
spondents pulled out of the Union sta
ton the following Sunday morning at
2 o'clock
There were reports circulated that
President Roosevelt, some of the mem
Ders OF his party and also several gov
ernors and their STATS were put to
some inconvenience during their stay
in st. Louis, owing to lack of ex-
perience of certain committeeman. That
may all be true, but under the. cir
cumstances 1t might have been worse
1t is barely possible that some of the
distinguished visitors who had expect
ed to be the star performers in the
great exposition play were disappoint-
ed because others who had not been
billed as "head-liners" received the
most favorable press notices. 1t is not
unreasonable to suppose that even
President Roosevelt experienced some
personal discontinue, when he saw and
heard the tremendous and PROLONGED
demonstration which followed the in
PRODUCTION of Grover Cleveland at the
opening ceremonies in the art build
ing Wednesday afternoon, April 20.
There are some persons unIzind
enough to suggest that the prolonged
demonstration over Mr.. Cleveland had
been prearranged for political effect.
There are others who assert that it
was intended as a rebuke to President
Roosevelt for what many persons re-
garded as an undignified act when he
swept aside the temporary reading
desk on the orators table and bound
ed lightly from the floor to his chair
and from the chair to the table, and
there delivered his address, which not
one-tenth of the assembled multitude
could hear.
After the exercises were over there
was considerable comment to the eff
feet that Cardinal Gibbons, Gov. Fran
els, former Senator Carter, who pre-
sided over the meeting, Grover Cleve-
land and Bishop Potter could be seen,
if not heard, when they stood at the
table and spoke to the crowd. 1t re-
manned, however, for President Roose-
welt to do the unexpected and the spec
tacular by jumping upon the table, SO
that he might be seen at full length,
If not heard. That it was not merely
impulse which prompted him to go
through this spectacular performance
is shown by the fact that on a previous
occasion, while campaigning in New
England he stood on the table to
harangue the crowd. Sentiment in the
audience at st. Louis was divided as
to whether the act was in keeping with
the dignity of the high office of the
President of the United States.