The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-24
BLOCKED
| BY GREAT THRONG
Presidential Candidate Re-
ceived in Typical Rich
mond Fashion.
TAFT SMILES BROADLY.
RECEPTION HERE IMPRESSED
/ HIM-RAIN KEPT MANY PEo-
PIE AWAY-cRoWD AN ORDER
LY ONE.
TAFT SMILES BROADLY.

When William Howard Taft, next
president of the United States, left the
speaking stand on North e street and
hurried through the car sheds to his
private car, the CONSTITUTIONS most
appropriate name for the rolling homo
of a presidential candidate-he wore
the smile that has made him famous;
the smile that has won him almost as
many votes as his eloquence and log
ic Mr. Taft had a mighty good reas-
on for Illuminating his face with that
picturesque smile of his. While he
was speaking, North e street from
the middle Of the square between
North Tenth and Eleventh streets,
clear to North Ninth street, was
packed solidly with humanity. 1t is
doubtful if a football fullback could
have plowed his way through that
crowd
But all the people were not assem-
bled on North E street. Hundreds of
people were stationed on North Tenth
street from e street to Elm place. The
top of the Pennsylvania station was
well filled with people. Humanity
perched on telephone poles. The
space between the depot office of the
Adams Express company and the bag
gage room of the station was lined
with baggage trucks. These groaned
under their burden of men, women and
children. All the business blocks on
the south side Of North e street from
Tenth street to Ninth street accommo-
dated hundreds of people who peered
out Of windows at the speakers stand.
1t is difficult to estimate the size Of
any large crowd, but it is extremely
difficult to estimate the size Of one
which was packed together SO closely
as the one this morning. However, a
rough guess would place the size of
the crowd between 5000 and 10000.
Even a larger crowd would have been
present had weather conditions been
good.
The crowd was an orderly one and,
as is invariably the case with a local
audience, attentive but undemonstra-
tive. When Mr.. Taft stepped upon
the platform he was given hearty,
enthusiastic welcome. The roar did
not tear the roofs of neighboring
buildings or cause the walls of the
station to tremble. No Richmond au-
dience would attempt to do such a
reckless thing as that. But the well
come Mr. Taft received was unmis-
takably cordial and whole hearted,
and Mr.. Taft and members of his
party recognized that fact.
What a Richmond crowd lacks in
noise it makes up by it's ability to lis
ten and to appre ciate what it hears
This shows, as has been stated, the in
telligence of the people residing in
this community is above the average.
AS soon as Mr.. Taft began to speak
the crowd hushed, even the small boys
and the words of the future president
Notwithstanding the extreme huski
ness of his voice, could be heard near
ly everywhere. He received this rapt
attention until one of his party tapped
him on the shoulder and informed him
his twenty minutes were up. AS Mr.
Taft left the stand he was given a
hearty farewell by the crowd-and
that's the reason he boarded the good
car Constitution with a smile on his
face.
When Mr.. Taft mounted the speak.
er's stand he wore an overcoat with
the collar turned up. No sooner had
he begun to speak than Old Sol pop.
ped out of his seclusion and beamed
down on the crowd. In a few min.
utes Mr.. Taft shed his overcoat, then
resumed speaking. About two minutes
later he pulled out a handkerchief
from his hip pocket and mopped his
face as though he was standing under
a July sun. Concluding his speech
Mr.. Taft put on his overcoat, turned
up his collar. to protect his throat,
and hurried to his car under the es.
cort of Chief Bailey and some police
officers in plain clothes. y