Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-09-19
Fraternal Order and Speakers
Snub Proposed A. p. A.
Celebration.
Kentucky Irish American Only
Paper That Exposed Motive
of BigOtry.
ONLY 800 PEOPLE IN PARADE

The citizens of the three Falls
Cities, Louisville, New Albany and
Jeffersonville, that is the older
residents, may have seen some widely
advertised affairs and amusement
enterprises prove disappointing, but
none have ever fizzled out to an ex-
treme or blown up as the muchly
advertised and socalled Fraternal
day promoted under the auspices of
the Junior Order If United American
Mechanics last Saturday afternoon,
and which failure was predicted in
these columns in spite of the wide
advertisement and display given in
all of the local press. The publish
ers of the Kentucky Irish American
are receiving many verbal bouquets
and concentrations for their expose
of the attempt of this un-American
society to promote fraternal gath
ering with the Junior Order as the
principal actors, and to hog any
credit derived from the affair with
their members in the leading roles
and their hall used as meeting
place and starting point for the
parade. The daily papers for weeks
previous had contained many flatter-
ing notices of the monster parade
that was to traverse the streets of
Louisville, one afternoon paper going
so far as to say even on Saturday
that there would probably be
10000 men in line, and attempted to
convey the impression that the pub
lie was in for a sure enough treat,
especially in viewing the many
handsomely decorated floats that
were to be in line. :
The writer with several other
gentlemen was stationed on Broad
way just above Fourth and within
two squares of the starting point, so
as to get an accurate account of the
big CD parade when the marchers
were fresh, and after delay of
forty-five minutes, probably caused
by frantic efforts to get more in
line, the parade was on its way. In
the lead was Schilling's band, fol-
lowed by twenty of the Junior Order
on horseback, then the Odd Fellows
with 260 men in line, followed by
six carriages with the Junior Order
officials, among them being Herman
Lochner, William Markolf, John
Schneider, R. n. Kendall, Bill Naves
and others who have not been so
prominent in saving the country
from going to Rome, as the Menace
would say. The carriages were fol-
lowed by the chief float, little red
school house with tall individual
on the rear, garbed as Uncle Sam,
busily trying to exhibit a copy of
the Bible, supposedly conveying the
impression that the Juniors want
the Bible taught in the public
schools, although many of our lead
ing Protestant ministers are on
record as opposing it,. Then came
the greatly advertised outpouring OF
Juniors, struggling along while some
of the marshals on the side were
chasing up and down their short
line ordering them to spread out in
order to make showing, their ranks
being composed of $40 men and boys,
many of the later being in line, but
including those in carriages and all
there were exactly $50 Juniors in the
line of march, and as the press agent
would say "350--count 'em-350,"
and this after weeks of organization
and worry on the part OF the pro-
moters.
Following the Junior Order was
the House of Reform band, then
came a Daughters Of America float,
with ten of the members on exhibi-
ton. then fifty members of the Oak
dale knights of Pythias, then two
other handsome CD floats, one being
a safety bicycle draped with bunting
and the other float with the same
class of decoration was boys ex-
press wagon with billygoat as the
motive power. Some floats, eh? AS
there were TO be three prizes
awarded for handsome floats, the
Juniors getting two OF those, II Is
presumed that the last float OF the
parade was the Maccabee Ladies,
this also being the end of the par
ade. Thus the only float not receiv-
ing prize was the one with the goat
in harness.
Summing up the whole parade and
including the musicians in the two
hands (the Reform band being little
boys). the carriage drivers and all,
there were $40 in line, this count not
varying between several reputable
witnesses, all in the neighborhood OF
Fourth and Broadway. The Red
Men. Woodmen Of the World, Modern
Woodmen OF America. Elks, Eagles.
Heptasophs and many other societies
advertised to march were all con-
spIcuous by their absence, and even
the officials first selected from
other societies as a blind by the
Juniors failed to appear.
Many and amusing were the com.
ments heard all along the line OF
march on the poor showing made
several remarking that our little
ward and precinct political clubs
make a better showing In campaign
times and on few hours notice. TO
crown the fizzle OF the day the
muchly advertised meeting for that
evening at ~ Armory was very