Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-04-30
:OMAHA GREETS
NATIONS CHIEF
PRESIDENTIAL PARTY HAS A
TRYING DAY.
SPEAKS TOLARGt AUDIENCE
President Banquetted at Omaha Club
Meets Members OF Mystic Order
and Prominent Citizens-Rain,
storm Greets Executive at Lincoln
Brief Stops at Small Towns.

trying one for the presidential party
the wind blowing all day, carrying
dust and sand and making it very UNI
pleasant. At Lincoln a rainstOrm
! greeted the president on his arrival
After lea ing Grand Island, the first
stop was at Hastings. At Fairmont
and Crete short stops were made
and the train reached Lincoln at /
| O'Clock. After brief stops at Wahoom
and Fairmont the journey was not
again interrupted until Omaha was
reached at 5:15. The president was
greetd at Omaha by probably $4,000
| people, who lined the streets on both
sides fer a mile and a half along the
route of the drive. Elaborate decora.
! tons of bunting and flags were hung
from every building and from every
| flag staff in the city old glory f1oated
proudly. The reception committee
which met the president was COM
| posed of the board of governors of
the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, together
with Senators Willard and Dietrich.
| Governor Mickey, Congressman Hitch
COCK, SA-COuSIGSS1Qdn Mercer, Mayor
Moores and General Henderson.
The military escort was large one,
! headed by a platoon of police. The
drive through the city lasted half an
hour. The drive ended at the Omaha
cIuD, where banquet lasting an hour
and a half was given the president
and his party. Covers were laid for
VIII in
| ent members of the Ak-Sar-Ben and
distinguished citizens of the city.
| General Maderson presided and intro
duced the president.
After the banquet the presidential
party was escorted to the Coliseum.
Although this start was not made I'M
til o'clock 1000 people again turned
| to cheer the president. When he
reached the big auditorium it was
| crowded to it's capacity. When the
party entered the band struck up hail
| to the Chief, and the president was
accorded a tremendous ovation.
The president devoted most of his
speech to the question of citizenship,
and delivered brief eulogy on Gen.
| eral Grant, yesterday being the ami
versary of the generals birth. Omaha
is threatened with an industrial strike
May 1, and the president, being asked
, to say something on this subject, sug-
gested that the Omaha papers publish
i the concluding portion of the coal
strike commissions report. He said
! this report was signed by those in a
special sense the champion of the
wageworker and those in the special
sense identified with capital. But
they did not speak as capitalists or la
borers, but as American citizens, anX-
ious to see right and justice prevail"
mo one quality will get us out of
any difficulty. We need more than
one; a good man. Capitalist and
wagewOrker alike should honestly en-
deavor to look at the matter from the
others standpoint with a freedom on
| the one hand from contemplate ar
rOgance, which looks down upon the
man Of less means; and on the other
from the no less contemplate envy,
! jealousy and rancor which hates an
other because he is better off. Each
quality is the complement of the other,
the supplement of the other, and in
point of baseness there is not the
weight of a finger to choose between
them"
Again referring to the strike COM
mission, the president invited the at
i tention to the spirit in which they
wrote their report and urged his hear
! er if they approach the present
| problems in the same spirit, any prob
| lens may be solved. The president
| severely denounced those who try to
create hatred in any community and
| declared that although he may do it IN
| the interest of the class, he is in the
/ long run with absolute certainty that
! class own worst enemy. AS whole,
! if the commonwealth prOspers, some
measure of the prosperity comes to all
Of us. If not prosperity then adversi-
! ty will weigh more or less upon all. 1t
! lies upon ourselves to determine our
I fate.
81 cannot too often say that the
wisest law, the best admission of the
| law, can do naught more than give US
fair field III which to work out that
| fate Alright. If as individuals or as
community we mar our future by our
own folly let US remember it is upon
ourselves the responsibility must rest.
"My fellow citizens, men and wo-
men of Omaha, let me close in ex-
! pressing the Astounding confidence l
have that you of this city, that you Of
! this state, will in the end work out
your fate Alright, because l hold you
to be in a peculiar sense typical Of all
| that is best in American character. I
| believe in you with all my heart. The
able, fearless, INSCRIPTIONS man who
is not guided by moral law, is a curse
to be hunted down like the civic wild
beast, and his ability, and his courage,
whether in business, in politics or
anywhere else, only serve to make
him more dangerous and a greater
curse. We must have courage, we
must have honesty; but with them
both, and guiding them both, we must
have the saving grace Of common
sense"