Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-06-09
STARTS THE FAIR.
THE HAND THE PRESIDENT HAD
At THE FAIR.

Ceremony at the White House Three Thousand
Miles Away-President Believes That the
Same Forces Which Have Kept the Nation
One in Spirit Will Bring People Of the Earth
Closer Together.
In the presence OF distinguished
assemblage, including all the members
OF the Cabinet except Secretary Hay
who is in Europe, Associate Justices
of the United States Supreme Court
members OF the diplomatic corps and
invited guests. President Roosevelt,
at 4:22 o'clock on the afternoon OF the
lst, pressed the telegraphic key which
started the machinery of the Lewis
and Clark Centennial Exposition at
Portland, Ore.
The ceremony took place in the east
room of the White House. The hour
set for it was o'clock, the intention
being to start the machinery Of the
exposition in motion at l o'clock,
Portland time. At the time fixed
everything was in readiness at the
White House. The guests had assem-
bled in the East room and only the
flash from Portland was necessary to
open the ceremony here. A circuit
had been completed by the Western
Union Telegraph company between
the White House and the Portland ex.
position grounds, the telegraphic ar
rangement here being under the su.
pervision OF ]. w. Collins, Chief Oper.
ator of the Western Union Office in
Washington. +. w. Smithers, the
chief operator at the White House
Office, received and sent the congratu.
latory messages which were exchanged
between President Roosevelt and Pres.
ident Goode OF the exposition com.
pany.
The arrangements for the ceremony
were complete. In the southwest cor
ner OF the east room on mahogany
stand was located the exquisitely
mounted gold telegraph key. 1t was
the instrument which was used by P.
V. DeGraw, now Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General, in receiving the
Presidents message al the opening of
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition,
April 30, 1904, and presented TO DIR.
DeGraw at that time. On the roof OF
the White House was stationed a first.
class Sergeant of the Signal Corps Of
the army, who, At the sounding of an
electric gong at his side, was under in
structions to drop flag, which was to
be the signal for the battery located
on the White House lot south of the
White House to FIRE a national salute
of twenty. one guns.
At the moment when the White
House ceremony was to have begun,
Vice President Fairbanks was. deliver.
ing his formal address in Portland at
the opening Of the exposition. Until
he had concluded his speech President
Roosevelt could not start the machin.
cry. At 4 20 p. NJ, Washington time,
the speech was finished. The parlor
doors of the east room swung open
and the President, accompanied by
Mrs. Roosevelt and Secretary Loeb,
entered. The approach of the Presi.
dent was announced to the assembled
guests by fanfare of trumpets. I'm.
mediately the orchestra OF the marine
band stationed in the vestibule began
the inspiring strains of "Hail to the
Chief"
Standing near the stand bearing the
telegraph key, with his naval and
military aides facing him, President
Roosevelt addressed the sssemblsge
briefly, as follows:
"Ladies and Gentlemen: l have
just received from Portland q telegram
from President Goode of the Lewis
and Clark Centennial Exposition, send
ing his greetings and stating that the
exposition management are waiting
for me to touch the button which will
ring the chimes in the United States
government building and start the
machinery Of this exposition.
"The exposition marks the feat of
exploration a century ago which was
the first step in the expansion Of this
republic westward across the conti-
nent, the most important step in
changing a struggling line OF seaboard
commonwealth into mighty cont.
mental nation. 1t was one OF the
epochs of our history, and it is emf.
nently fitting that it should be com.
memorated by the exposition at Port
land ss is now being done. As the
civilized worid mas spread, tue nations
OF the world have come ever closer and
closer together. When tho civilized
world was grouped around the Medi-
terranean, when the Atlantic was an
unknown sea, the peoples around the
Mediterranean were sundered from
one another by time, by manners, by
habits of thought to degree which
we can now only imperfectly appreci.
ate. /, here in Washington, start the
exposition in Portland and the same
forces that have knit together different
sections of this great country, that
have rendered i. possible to keep our
nation more emphatically one in spirit,
now that it has spread over the CONT.