The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-22
President Greeted in Most
Cordial Manner by People
in City of Ponce.
A CHARACTERISTIC TALK
SAYS HIS EFFORTS WILL UNCEAS-
lNGLY BE TO HELP ISLANDERS
ALONG THE PATH OF SELF Gov
EMINENT.
Publishers Press1


| San Juan, P. r., Nov. 21.-After al
exceedingly lively day spent in Porte
Rico, President Roosevelt tonigh
was the guest of honor at a public re
Palace. The president enjoyed his ex
periences and was very loud in hi:
praise of the island and its people.
He arrived at Ponce at an early
hour on the Louisiana from Colon, anC
before the battleship had dropped hel
anchor, Governor Beekman Winthrop
and the members of the island gov
eminent went on board and personally
welcomed the president. After the
usual exchange of courtesies, the Pres
ident boarded his launch and accompa
MED Governor Winthrop TO the OF
fetal pier, where was gathered Mayor
Oppenheimer and the Ponce city Off
Gals.
Entire City was AbIaze.
The entire city was ablaze with flags
and bunting All of the wharves anC
streets in the vicinity of the landing
place were damned with people. The
roadways were roped off to keep the
crowd back from the thoroughfare
along which the President was to pass
His excellency made the trip from the
wharf to the city hall in an automo
bile and was wildly acclaimed while
hundreds of school children who had
been assigned to that duty, showered
his automobile with flowers.
After greeting many prominent cit
liens at the city hall, the President
spoke from a balcony for ten minutes
in his usual forceful style, concluding
as follows:
Il shall continue to use every effort
to secure citizenship for the Porto Ri
cans. am confident that it VIII
come in the end, and all that l can do
to hasten the day l will do. My efforts
will be unceasing to help you along
the path of true self government,
which must have for its basis a union
of order, liberty, justice and honesty. |
PERSONAL ysalute you from my heart
as fellow citizens
In the meantime, while this was
going on, Mrs. Roosevelt was being
entertained by the school children,
the girls of the industrial school pre-
senting her with richly embroider-
ed dress goods.
Subsequently the entire party left
in eleven automobiles for San Juan.
All along the route of the military
roadway the desire of the Porto Rlc-
ans to become American citizens was
emphasized with banners bearing In
scriptions to that effect.
HystericaI Demonstrations.
Demonstrations that We're wildly
historical in their enthusiasm follow
ed the advent of the party through
Juana Diaz, Coamo and Aidonito.
The party reached Cayey at 1880
d. m. where luncheon was served IN
the barracks as the guests of Major
Griffiths. post commondant. lnclden-
tally while dining the President TOOK
occasion to express wonder at the
great development of the country, he
having observed the splendid growing
tobacco crops as he passed.
At Caguas, which by the way is
the principal town on the military
road, the scene was simply wonderful.
All classes fairly outdid themselves,
and in fact the President was so de-
lighted with his reception that he
took occasion to make one long
speech and several short ones, deal
ing with citizenship and as result
got more than an hour behind his
schedule He finally had to be fairly
pushed through a crowd of cheering
natives to start again on his way
At Rio Piedras and the other towns
nearer San Juan he also stopped and
made speeches, reaching San Juan in
the late afternoon.
Where the military road enters the
CITY an arch had been constructed
gates to the city and
this was covered with flags and bunt-
ing with a huge picture of the Pres1-
dent suspended from the keystone.
Here Mayor Todd handed over the
keys of the town, regiment of troops
fell into line in front of the automo-
bile. a mounted escort took up places
al the sides and in the rear and the
moved on through lane
of cheering humanity to the palace.
Arriving at the grand square in front
Of the palace the President left his
seat and took a place in stand that
had been erected He then reviewed
the troops and received the various
DELEGATIONS that came to pay him
honor.
on.a oaIorn rod