The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-30

notable than any of it's predecessors.
Plates We're laid for more than five
hundred persons, and many wanted TO
purchase tickets whom Secretary Nellis
was obliged to turn down, owing to a
lack of room In the west gallery sat
upwards of a hundred ladies, friends
of some of the banqueters, and they
took as great interest in the banquet
as though they had been permitted to
partake of the spread in addition to the
intellectual feast.
1.-The hall Just looked splendid" said
one of them enthusiastically afterward
land the fried chicken actually looked
good enough to eat"
And it was good. Fried chicken and
corn on the cob were the big end of
the banquet, but they were well pre-
pared and well served Carnati tions, the
favOrite flower of President Mckinley.
same as that of Kansas. lay at each
plato.
AS is usually the case. the banquet
was late in beginning The banqueterS
stood in line and jostled one another
in the state house rotunda and cor
ridors for over an hour before the doors
of the hall were thrown open. The
time appointed was 7:30, and the crowd
had largely gathered at that hour, but
it was Just sixty minutes later when
the doors were really thrown open. It
required a long time to make the pre-
liminary arrangements for serving hot
over five hundred generous pieces of
fried chicken.
And when the doors were opened there
was a perfect stampede to get into rep
resentative hail. -Four big men at a time
would try to go through space meant
for only one. This very thing largely
kept the crowd III check, so that the
seating within the hall was very or
deFly. The tables on the north side of
the room were first filled, leaving those
at the south, near the entrance for the
ate The 0f
nor Bailey heading line marching
down a center aisle to a place near the
speakers table brought forth more ap-
plause from the galleries than anything
else, although President Murdock and
the speakers were also warmly received.
fractional lines were lost at the ban
quet- All factions were mixed up z.
W. Hoch and w. R. Stubbs were con-
spicuous banquetters. Congressman
Curtis and Miller were present, but
Senator Burton did not attend.
Two committee rooms which overlook
representative hall, one at each end of
the ladies' gallery, were used as boxes
for the wives of state officers, lady
friends of the speakers and others. In
one box were Mrs. Willis ]. Bailey, Mrs.
T. 7. Kelly, Mrs. J. r. Burrow, Mrs.
George A Clark, Miss Winans of Hutch
inson, Mrs. Chappell Foote of Topeka,
Richter of Council Grove, and Miss
Anna Marie Nellis of Topeka. In the
other were Mrs Frank P MacLennan
of Topeka, Mrs. Victor Murdock of
Wichita, Mrs. Reid Alexander, Miss
Mary Thompson, Mrs. c. c. Baker. Miss
Goddard, Mrs. W. A. Johnston and Mrs.
D. c. Nellis of Topeka.
Rev. Dr. H. D. Fisher, who has been
in Kansas ever since territorial days,
invoked the divine blessing upon the
banquet. Later, at the request of Dr.
Fisher, President Murdock asked all
those who were in Kansas when the
state was admitted into the Union,
forty-three years ago yesterday, to
rise, and about twenty stood up. Con-
spicuous among them was Cyrus Le-
| land.
Close attention was paid to the ad-
dress of Lafayette Young, of Iowa, the