Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-28

with me our respect to that great ONCE,
the presidency Of the United states. and
particularly to the health. prosperity and
long life Of the present and the next In
cumbent Of that great ONCE"
There was q cheer and the toast was
drunk standing.
The president rising, said. What | have
to say to you gentlemen tonight / shall
say at the Coliseum. All I wish to say
here is to thank you most heartily for
your reception and the dinner which you
have given to me. Gentlemen. l thank you. 4"
Token from COIored Citizens.
Without further ceremony the banquet
party left the hall, preceded by the presi-
dent and MIR. Fry. In a few minutes the
president and party came down into the
reception room OF the club, where William
Cannon and John W.. Long were waiting to
present President Roosevelt with the fol-
lowing resolution, embossed on leather and
signed by thirty representative colored cit
liens of Omaha:
Whereas, Theodore Roosevelt, president
of the United States, has by word and deed
shown himself to be the president of the
whole people of the United States and has
decided that character ana ability shall
determine the eligibility of American cit
liens for political advancement and that
race or color shall not deDar them from
such; and whereas, his public acts and
~utterances, while meaning much to all
American citizens, have been of infinite
value to holding open the door of hope and
opportunity. to negro American citizenship,
Resolved, That we, as representative
Of this class of American citizenship resi-
press our gratitude to President Roosevelt
for his manly and statesmanlike stand for
right assuring him of our confidence and
pledglng him our hearty cooperation for
his future endeavors.
The president was being hurried away
In order that he might reach the Coliseum
early, but he paused and, lifting his hat,
shook hands with the colored men, who
presented the resolution, and said: This
Is a gift that / appreciate most deeply" He
read a part of the text and continued: 81
assure you, gentlemen, this gift touches me
most deeply. 1 shall keep 1t for good
you may depend on that"
Then he was told that an elaborate
bride in a suit case wrapped in the colors
was also a gift from the colored people,
and he thanked them again and extended
his hand in parting.
Outside people had filled every foot Of
space from which they might observe the
steps from the club and as the president
stepped forth they cheered loudly.
Wind Prevents street Decoration.
A capricious wind god forbade Omaha's
decorating as 1t wished for the president.
The wind god arose before daylight and
was busy with it's meanest tricks until
long after its usual evening retiring hour.
Flags were almost blown from their STATS
and 1t would have been quite impossible
to have fastened fragile bunting on store
fronts so securely as to make 1t stay. In
consequence the willing business men had
to content themselves with window por-
traits framed in national colors and with
photographed flags nailed up in sheltered
corners. OF these there was an abundance
and at night some OF the establishments,
notably the Boston Store, gave an extra
touch by elaborate electrical illumination.
But 1t was at the Omaha clubs home
that most was demanded and that most
was provided. 1t is very certain hat
Omaha has never seen a prettier dinner
plan and it is doubtful II the president Of
the United States has. The three large
rooms on the east side of the second floor
we're thrown together and three tables
united In an open oblong with a fourth
slightly to the south, but in direct line
with the principal guest. Steward Pryor had
abandoned the customary flag scheme and
used, instead diminutive incandesoent cleo
trio globes, red, white and blue.
aut of the Banquet Hall.
These he fastened to cables, bound in
green. The cables were hung diagonally
across the rooms, from corner to corner,
the globes glowing high above the. guests
heads, with the wires bound with smilrx.
Similar strands extended the full length
of tho center Of each table, the incandes-
cents protruding above a tiny bank Of
asparagus springrii given color by white
and pink carnations. Directly in front of
the president was a mirror lake in which
rode a diminutive schooner given the club
by General Henderson and modelled after
the Tampa, owned by Emperor william II.
The rigging was hung with asparagus plu-
mosus and the tiny lake was hedged about
with gallax leaves, the bronze of which
contrasted most beautifully with the dark
green of the asparagus plunosus with whicn
they were In the center of
each OF the long tables was a cannon, Its
carriage of pink carnations and its barrel
of white, thus giving the army as we'll as
the marine a representation. The side
boards were surmounted by vases of white
carnations and were banked with farlyenses
and maiden hair ferns. The chandelie
were hung with smilax and the side lights
with the rare asparagus plumosus ferns
that predominated in the other decorations.
Over the presidents head was a handsome
portrait of Mckinley and facing him, at
the opposite end of the room his own por-
trait, of similar size and similarly deco
rated. Potted palms occupied all space
spared by the table and chairs.
At the Coliseum.
The people began to arrive at the Coli
scum about 7 o'clock and when the doors
were opened it was all that a detachment
OF police and the ushers could do to keep
the people from filling the seats and boxes
reserved for the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben. BY
s o'clock the crowd was so densely packed
In the aisles that the managers gave
up the attempt to keep the seats reserved
and the congestion was relieved by throw
ing all unoccupied seats open to the public.
II was $3.50 when the presidential party
arrived. The party entered with General
Henderson at the head, closely followed
by President Roosevelt. The general had
Just passed through the door when the
president passed him and came to the center
of the stage ahead Of the party amid deaf
ening cheers.
The crowd cheered until 1t was tired and
then General Henderson said:
MY fellow citizens: We have a high