Smyrna times., 1904-09-28
SHOUT FOR ROOSEVELT
Public Meeting of Locomotive
Firemen Goes Wild With En-
thusiasm For the President.
Brotherhood ResentS the Canard That
the Executive Is Not a
True Friend.
IFrom the Buffalo Express. Sept. 1871

The big public meeting held last
night in Convention hall by the Broth
erhOOd of Locomotive Firemen of
America, now in convention in this
city, wound up in a most remarkable
demonstration for President Roose-
welt 1t was the big feature of the
monster meeting not on the pro,
gramme, and by reason of the acci-
dent of it and its consequent sponta-
neity it proved beyond the faintest
shadow of a doubt that at least one
powerful organization that has been
an honor and credit to American labor
for more than a quarter of a century
is heart and soul for Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt demonstration was
most sensational. Convention hall was
packed from the stage to the entrance.
Fully 5000 men and women were
there, the attendance taxing the seat
ing capacity to such an extent that
many extra benches had to be placed
close up to the stage.
Edward a. Manly, secretary of the
interstate commerce commission, in
the course of his speech had called at
tentiOn to the fact that a New York
newspaper had criticised the president
because he had accepted an honorary
membership in the Brotherhood of Lo-
comotive Firemen.
Let me say" said Grand Master
Hannahan, that if the president of the
United States or any other of its citi-
Zens does nothing worse than accept
membership in this organization he
will neither merit the i'll will nor de-
serve the censure of any of his fellow
men. [Cheers.l
If the rest of the public, and partic-
ularly those who are intrusted with
the direction of our government and
the management of the nations great
est enterprises, would do as the presi-
dent and meet us upon common level,
there would be fewer strikes and less
strife and more of peace and good will
in the industrial world"
what has the president done for
yOu?' shouted an intoxicated man who
stood near the stage door on the right
What has the president done?" re
peated Grand Master Hannahan. THE
president has proved to the organized
wOrkingmen of this country that he
has an interest in their welfare by ac-
cepting an honorary membership in an
| organization of men whose faces are
begrimed by smoke and dust and who
daily and hourly face the gravest dan
gers"
The monster audience burst into
deafening cheers. The tumult rolled
from wall to wall and back again.
Men stood up on the benches, wildly
waving their hats and cheering for the
president. The demonstration was
spontaneous and was general all over
the hall. Finally it died down and
some one In the audience shouted:
"Hurrah for Theodore Roosevelt
And again the crowd burst into
cheers, and when the second demon
| stration died out the intoxicated man
was nowhere to be seen.
During the demonstration the men
on the stage sat silent and made no eff
fort either to check or urge on the re-
markable ovation which the president
had received, and when it was over
Grand Master Hannahan went on with
his speech without reference to the
subject
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire
men has a membership of $4,000 men,
nearly all of whom live in the United
States. 1t has been said before that
the railroad men of the country thor.
oughly believed in and supported
Roosevelt, and if any proof of that as
sertiOn was needed it was amply fur
nished last night.