The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-03
DOWN IN EGYPT.
president Roosevelt Reaches
Cairo on Journey South.
A Notable Dinner on Board the
Mississippi.
FIFTEEN GOVERNORS
Sat Down With the Chief Ex.
ecutive and Commission,
Deep Water Way Plan Was
Given a Big Boost.
Principal Guest Declined to
Have His Speech Reported.

Have His Speech Reported.
Cairo. ILL.,, Oct. 3.-When President
Roosevelt stepped ashore here at
O'Clock today he manifested every evil
dence of having spent a comfortable
night on the steamboat Mississippi and
his spoken word confirmed the i'm
preston made by his appearance. He
retired about midnight last night and
there was little to disturb his rest ex-
cept two or three demonstrations on
the shore, which though violent while
they lasted, were necessarily of brief
duration
Quiet as was the after half of the
night for the country's chief magfs-
trate. tire first portion of it was fully
occupied. He was the guest at dinner
on the steamer Alton of the Business
Mems league of St, Louis and with tina,
entertainment and the speech and the
conversation that followed the dinner
his time until almost II O'Clock was
fully taken up. The dinner was re-
garded by all as an event of rare oc-
currence and when the president had
said his final farewell not a few were
heard to remark that IL would become
historic. The important feature was
the fact that the scheme of a ship
channel from the gulf to the lakes re-
ceived an impetus which all believe
will do much towards insuring the
earnest pressing of that enterprise.
The occasion was also notable in that
in addition to the president 1t was al
tended by no fewer than fifteen Cover
nors, the members of the inland water
ways commission and several repre-
sentatfves of the business world of St.
Louis.
Governors Present.
The governors attending WERE:
Conner of Alabama.
Deneen of Illinois.
Hoch of Kansas.
Folk of Missouri.
Curry of New Mexico.
Frantz of Oklahoma
Crawford of South Dakota
Broward of Florida
Cummins of Iowa.
Blanchard of louisiana -
Sheldon of NEBRASKA f-
Burke of North Dakota.
Chamberlain of Oregon.
Davidson of Wisconsin.
Brooks, of Wyoming.
Governor-elect Noel, of Mississippi.
The dinner was presided over by
President Smith of the Business Mems
league, and President Roosevelt was
the principal speaker. He requested
that his speech be not reported but
consented that the statement might be
made that he had announced un-
equivocally his endorsement of the
general principle involved in the
scheme for the creation Of ship
channel up the river and to the Great
Lakes He stated that he would have
loop in the gulf at New Orleans that
would practically create an arm of
that body of water to the lakes. At
the same time he was most careful to
say that he would not give his assent
to any particular scheme of improve
ment- He also pointed out many OBJ
stacles to carrying into effect any plan
of such vast proportions and involving
so much expense, and while promising
all the assistance he could give, he
told his hearers that the only way to
70 lre 0rTl ~1fv rr-<a- f. 49,
oughly prepare themselves as to rem
der their arguments unanswerable.
The speech was greeted with pro-
longed applause and this endorsement
took the shape of words when Gov
ernors Folk, Deneen and Blanchard
spoke. All of them pledged their ut
most efforts in furtherance of the en-
terprise-
Is Given a Picture.
While the dinner was in progress
the president was presented with an
oil painting of section of the Missis-
sippi river under present conditions
conditions after the completion of
the waterway" was promised for the
future
During the night there were pro-
nounced demonstrations as the presi-
Dental boat passed Cape Girardeau
and Grand Tower, but they came too
late to receive public recognition from
the president The Mississippi was
escorted down the river from ST Louis
all the way to Cairo by ten other
boats and it was met early in the
morning by huge excursion steamer
from this city which carried not only
several hundred passengers of both
sexes but a vociferous callope which
for the time monopolized the noise
making on the middle stretches of the
Father of Waters
President Roosevelt departed short
ly before noon The next stop will be
Memphis, which according to the
schedule VIII be reached at l p. m. to-
morrow. 1t had been cloudy here all
morning but no rain fell
Over 10000 Heard Him.
President Roosevelt and party arrived
at the cairo wharf boat at O'Clock
this morning and were saluted by the
Danville battery and hundreds of steam
boats and other whistles. Fifty car
riages all drawn by white horses con-
veyed the party to St Marys park A
squad of police and the Fourth regiment
of Illinois National Guards headed by
the Fifth Regimental band led the pro-
cessioE
On arrival at the park Mayor George
Parsons introduced Governor Deneen of
Illinois who addressed the people brief
" and introduced President Roosevelt,
who began speaking at $40 and con-
tfnued until 1880 Then the party re-
turned to their boats and remained in
port until II o'clock when the feet made |
the start for Memphis amid the boom |
ing of canncns and other popular dem
constructions. Over ten thousand persons
listened to the presidents address at |
the park and the crowds would have
been considerably larger had the arrival |
Of many excursion trains not been de-
!ayed, some not coming until the con-