Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-12
CHEERS GREET TAFT
DURINGLONG PARADE
PRESIDENT EVERYWHERE MET
WITH ENTHUSIASM
Chief Executive Stops Three Times,
Twice to Speak to School Chill
dren-No Disorder Dur
ing Procession

When the formal reception to Presi-
dent Taft was concluded and he en-
tered his waiting automobile a sharp
command was given outside the gates
of Arcade depot, and Troop d cavalry,
national guard of California, swung
into three platoOns and rounded into
East Fifth street on a trot. The great
crowds surged back, the bugle sounded
and the street parade was on.
Following the horsemen, and sur
rounded by an escort from their num-
Der, came car No. l, bearing President
Taft his military aid, Capt. Archibald
Butt; Mayor George Alexander, Secret
Service Agent Sloan of the presidents S
party and the chauffeur and owner Of
the car, Ralph Hamlin. The machine,
a great shining Franklin, was decked
with smilaX, asparagus and huckleber-
ries, spiotched with yellow chrysanthe-
NUNS and gay with yellow ribbon.
The original plan of assigning each
member of the large party to a given
seat was Followed out as far as pos
sible, but there were many alterations
made necessary by circumstances. In
all forty cars We're in the parade, eacn
bearing its quota of prominent men.
The first eight or nine cars were very
impressive and the people stared with
the proper amount of reverence and
awe. But the sight of too many plug
hats, each like the other, surmounting
as many round or long, fat or slim,
grave or smiling, red or white faces,
has been known to pail before yester-
day, and it palled again. Thousands re-
mained steadfast in the places until
the last car was gone, but thousands
more, including all the small boys in
the great southwest, broke ranks after
the eleventh car and began to make
trouble for the police. 1t was a good
humored sort of trouble, however, and
ended in nothing worse than a few
sharp commands which were not needed
and a few spiteful remarks which were
purpOsely not heard.
Cheers for Plug Hats
The leading citizens took the whole
thing in the same spirit and laughed
with the crowds at the procession. The
irrepressible youths along the line Of
march gathered in groups and invented
yells of the college football game
variety, something like this:
Ray! Ray! Ray! Plug hat!"
Or:
whats the matter with the dicer?"
It's all right"
There were two points in particular
on the line of march where the parade
was greeted feelingly and in such a way
as to move everyone to enthusiasm.
The first was at the old Temple block,
an edifce reared when many of the
men in the parade were in short
trousers, and around which much of
the history of Los Angeles centers. On
the north side of this a great platform
had been raised and on this stood Il
hundred school children and a woman
with sweet, strong soprano who led
them as they sang again and again the
song that has moved the hearts of
Americans ever since the morning
Francis Scott Key looked out across
the waters toward old Fort McHenry
and wrote it's lines:
Oh say, can you see, by the dawns early light
What proudly hailed at the twilight s
last cleaning?
The other spot where emotions were
stirred was at the Plaza, when, sur
rounded by people of many nations, but