Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-03
THE EXHIBIT OPENED
Railway Appliances Now
Ready to View.
DELEGATES BENEFIT
CARDS OF ADMISSION FOR THE
GENERAL PUBLIC.
Exercises Held on Monument Grounds.
Attended by a Vast Con-
course of People.

|
was formally thrown open to the delegates
| to the international railway congress today
| at noon. The exercises incident to the open
| ing were attended by a vast concourse of
| people. and speeches were made by MEM
| bers of the cabinet, representatives of the
| railroad delegates from this country and
| abroad and of manufacturers of railroad APP
| planes who are the exhibitors. The occa-
| sion made memorable by the presence
| of hundreds of distinguished men both of
| this country and the countries of Europe.
| Railroad presidents and managers from all
| over the world and diplomats and states
| men of Europe and America sat side by side
| during the addresses of the distinguished
| speakers who had places on the program
| The exhibition includes the appliances of
| American manufacturers designed especial
ly for use on railroads. 1t was erected on
| the monuments grounds under a special act
| of Congress. that the delegates from
| abroad to the international railroad con-
| Sress. which opens tomorrow, could have
| ample opportunity to see what has been
| done in this country toward progress in ap-
| planes of all kinds to be used in pro-
| noting and safeguarding transportation.
| The exhibition ground covers a space as
| large three city blocks, and includes
| more than fifty buildings of various sizes
| and shapes. from large general exhibition
| hal! in which are accommodated booths of
100 separate exhibitors to small building
| in which delegates will be able to get into
| Geographic and telephone communication
| with every city country with which such
| connection be made. 1t is said that
| there have never been so many private cars
| in Washington as there at present, and
| on top of this assertion comes the state
| ment that for the next ten days Washing
| ton will be the railroad center of the uni
| verse. Practically the heads of all the
| great railroad systems in the world are in
! this city for the purpose of attending the
| international congress, and all of those who
| ara here were at the opening exercises of
| the appliance exhibit. The affair was given
unusual Importance through the presence
| OF many Numbers of the cabinet and other
| government officials.
Escorted to the Grounds.
| Invitations were extended to dill govern
| ment officials and the members of the dip
| lomatc corps. All OF those who notified .ha
members of the appliance exhibit of Their
| inte2 ton TO accept the invitations were
| waited upon this morning by members of
| the general committee of arrangements,
| who escorted them to the scene of the
| exercises. The streets leading to the exhibit
| ton grounds reSemDied the streets about
| me White House during the progress of
| presidential reception. Long lines of car
| riGge5 ana automobiles were packed along
| either side of I: street from 14th 10 18th
| and along 18th street from B street 10 Ohio
| avenue. For haI an hour before the be-
| ginning of the exercises the band of the
| Engineer Corps of the army played eX
| cellent musical program. The exercises Were
! held in the tea room erected by the Ma
| tional Biscuit Company, where tea will De
| served every afternoon to the delegates and
| guests of the exhibit committee. The
! crowds began to gather at II 30 o'clock, and
| the spacious stand was soon filled with an
audience of well-groomed men and women
| Every person present was there by invita-
| ton of the committee and almost every one
| came under escort of one of the committee
| men. Chairman Post and his associates
| were everywhere completing arrangements
| for the comfort of the guests. There was
| no segregation of the especially notable
| visitors, except as far as it related to those
| who were TO speak and to the official guests.
| Secretary Taft was the next speaker. Mr.
| Taft declared he had an excellent example
| of the ability of the American railroad ap-
plance people to get somebody to do some
| thing they did not want to do He did not
| want TO make a speech. He had been in
| vited to come and not make a speech, and
| yet Mr. Post called him on by phone late
last night and informed him that he would
have to make an address, The Secretary
declared he demurred There were the Dis
| trict Commissioners "Macfarland and the
| rest" he said who would accommodate
him; and Secretary Morton, an old railroad
| man, who had nothing to do now but stride
| the quarter deck and think of what he did
| do when he was really working; and if this
| was not enough, the Secretary continued.
| he told Mr.. Post he would turn out the
|
gorgeous uniforms to dazzle and bewiIder
| the beholderS.
How Commissioners Work.
Mr. Taft then explained. for the benefit
of the foreign delegates, the manner In
which the District Commissioners work.
| There are three departments, he said, de-
| partment of engineers and sewers a de-
| partment of finance, police and schools and
! a department of oratory. All Commissioner
Il. ,,I hoe a yhny, Ha l. c
office in the morning, the Secretary con-
| tiI,ued, is to look over his engagements and
| then go to his pigeon holes and get a
| speech that will fit, being careful at all
| times not to take speech intended for the
| mothers congress to deliver to an audience
| of railroad appliance men. When the laugh
ter that followed the Secretary's witty ref
| erence to the local officials had died away
| he spoke briefly in a serious strain, in which
| he paid an eloquent tribute to the railroads
| and what they had done for the country.
He also spoke of the value that the federal
courts have been to railroads. humorously
| remarking that while the exhibit was one
! of railroad appliances, there were one or
| two he had seen used with much success
| that were not present. There was no space
| reserved for the federal courts, no exhibit
of injunctlons or receivers, though he said
| apoogetically, there were probably numer-
Gus persons present who would like to hold
| the latter post on some one of the many
| companies in the United States. Secretary
Taft concluded his address with a reference
| to the work of the podders, the men who
| take the inventions of the great genuses
and make of them something of practical
| value in the world.
| Secretaries Taft. Morton, Hitchcock, Will
son and Metcalf. Assistant Secretary OAR
| ling. Commissioners Mcfarland, West and
| Biddle, Paymaster General Harris of the
navy, the ambassador from France. Mr..
George Westinghouse. Mr.. Stuyvesant Fish,
Mr.. w. F. Allen. Mr.. 7. NJ. Lawrence OF
| London and Mr.. George A. Post all occu-
| pied seats on the stand reserved for the
| speakers.
Diplomats in Audience.
In the audience were the German ambas-
| sador and Baroness Won Sternburg and some
| of the members of his staff. the minister
| from China, the minister from Korea, the
minister from Nicaragua. the minister from
| Costa Rica. Col. Clarence Edwards, U. 8.
A, and a party of officers of the general
| staff of the army. Gen. Francis NJ. Cockreil
| OF the interstate commerce commission,
| Representative Hepburn of Iowa and many
| of the governmental officials of foreign
| countries who have charge of the railroads
| Of their countries.
| The exercises were opened shortly after
| noon by the playing of Hail Columbia %