Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-02

corps, representatives of foreign govern
| ments and other official guests assembled at
! the ST. Louis Club at 1920 a. m and were
driven from there to the exposition
| grounds Although the hour set for the
| commencement Of the day exercises was u
| o clock it was much later when the assem-
| bly, was called to order by Corwin H. Spen-
GER, chairman Of the exposition committee
on ceremonies
! After the invocation by Rev. Carl Swenson
of st. Louis Mr.. Spencer introduced as pres
| ident of the day Mr.. John NJ. Thurston, who
| made the opening address.
| Mr.. Spencer then introduced President
| Francis of the exposition. who extended the
greeting of the exposition to the repreSen-
| tatives of foreign countries.
Address by French Minister.
| After the rendition of selection by the
| Marine Band of Washington the French
| ambassador, NJ Jusserand, was introduced
Mr. Jusserand said. in part: When tie
| treaty. signed in Paris 100 years ago. and
| by which the area of the United States
| was to be more than doubled stood for rau-
| fication before Congress, there were, con-
| trary to what we might suppose, protracted
| discussions and objections of many sorts.
| Some thought that the title to the ac-
| QUESTION was not a sufficient one; others
| were anxious on account of the very mag
| nitude of the new territories. and expressed
| the fear that the federal tie would ba
| lOoSened il extended to such remote and
| partly unknown regions. Many were the
| criticisms and long the speeches.
Senator Jackson of Georgia rose, and
| turning toward one of the hostile party,
| said: In q century, sir, shall be well
! populated = and instead of the de-
| scription given of it by the honorable gen
| tlernan instead of bowling wilderness.
| where no civilized foot shall ever tread, IL
we could return at the proper period, we
should find it the seat of science and civili-
| zation.''
Senator Jackson's time has come the very
| year he named; one century has just
ella pSed since he spoke If he could return
among US he would see no bowling wilder
ness, but one of the most brilliant gather
ings which this country has ever beheld, in
Guiding the chief of the state and former
chief of the state, representatives of all
the powers of the globe soldiers and sailors,
priests, magistrates, savants. artists,
tradesmen and agricuIturists, workmen and
citizens innumerable. all bent upon conse-
Grating by their presence and doing homage
to the work done during the hundred years.
Good work. indeed; nay, stupendous. San
guine as he was, Senator Jackson could 1
think, scarcely believe his eyes and ears IL
he saw the matchless sight we presently
behold and the preparation for the i'm
pending exhibition of all the produce, all
the discoveries all the art Of the wide
earth He would scarcely believe his ears
if he heard that we came in twenty-seven
hours from the place where he had de!iv
cred his prophecy and which had become
| only two years before the seat of govern
IicHl NJ less great WOulu Ue Ills surprise
! if he learnt that the supposed "howling
| wilderness" had been turned into an i'm
mense garden dotted with wealthy towns;
| that all the land called in his days Louis
| lana produces yearly now one million and
| a half bushels of various sorts of grain and
| that the private belongings Of the sue
| cessors of the scattered settlers of his time
| are valued in ours at So, OO0,OO
But he would not be surprised If he learn
| ed that the federal tie has not been loosen
| ed: that the number of states has increased
! their wealth, too: the number of their in
habitants: their Importance In every re-
spect and that they consider as more and
| more sacred the bond which unftes them to
| the older part of the community. Such are
| the effects of liberty and just laws.
The French Pioneers.
| In this triumphal day, amid the shouts Of
! Joy. the reports of the guns and ringing OF
| the bells, considering the splendid results 1t
| Is only natural that we carry our look
| backward to the past and have a thought
| for the lonely pioneers of long ago, who
came. one by one. to this then unknown
land, and tried, among incredible difficult
| ties, to make it less unknown to make it
more productive and easier to reclaim for
you, their distant inhertors. No one. I
| am sure, will think 1t amiss that 1, a COM
| patriot of theirs, and a representative AZ
their country. recall at this day their eff
forts and express today's gratitude for
|
men, those children of distant France:
| they were plucky. enterprising and cour-
| ageous: they led strenuous lives indeed ::
| all qualities for which you ever had a spe-
| cia1 regard. To say that they did not fear
! danger is to SANDER them; they loved It.
| Soldiers, missionaries, governors of cities,
| explorers, came year after year, from the
time of Louis XIV, attracted by the chances
| or the beauty Of the unknown, the oppor-
| tunity of increasing their country's domir-
| ions, or of becoming famous or of instruct
1 ing souls, and of dying, If death was to be
! met bravely and honorably. Very French
they were. with all the qualities of their
| race. and something else perhaps, some of
| them, than the qualities. AS they went
down ...e great rivers from the regions of
F.! the Canadian lakes to the Mexican sea they
gave them French names, and the reading
| Of map of that epoch strongly reminds
| one of the century of the sun king There
! he is, with all his court, figured in lands,
| cities, lakes and rivers. Louisiana bears
his name. Lake Ponchartrain the name of
his minister for marine, Fort Duuuesne
! the name of his famous sailor. There were
also the rivers Colbert and Seigneley. bet
| ter known nowadays as Mississippi and
| named after the Duke of Orleans: another
| of the great Condo, the winner of Rocroy:
| another after his brother, Prince de Cont :
| but this last inland sea. as indeed most
name. the homely name Of Lake Erie. the
l Lake of the Cat
Endured Great Hardships.
Long is the roll and great were the nard-
ships. To the same region, with the same
object OF discovering and improving, came
| that typical Cadet de Gascogne, the Cheya-
lier Antoine de Ia Mothe Cadillac. who on
the 21st Of July. 17M. unfurled4 the French
flag ct q certain spot whers he began the
l building OF q town, now tho town Of De-
| troft. He became afterWafd governor al