The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-08-17
(From Monday IS Dailyl


With brass bands parading the
streets and hundreds Of citizens join
ing in the welcome, Kenosha threw
open her doors this morning for her
first big convention and during the
morning more than two hundred dele
gates, representing forty-seven cities
In the state, came in to attend the SEES
sions of the sixteenth annual conven-
tion of the Wisconsin Retail Grocers
and General Merchants Association
which opened at the Eagle s club house
this morning. The welcome extended
by the city of Kenosha was a most
cordial one and many of the leading
business men of the city and many of
the most charming of the city's hos
tesses forgot the cares of business life
and the demands of their households
In order to personally extend welcome
to the visitors and help make them
feel at home.
Visiting merchants began to. arrive
on Sunday night and by noon today
there had been more than three humid
red registrations. The first big dele
gation-the one from Milwaukee-cam
in at $3.50 this morning and its arrival
was the signal for the first parade of
the day. Headed by the Kenosha band
the Milwaukee delegates and many of
them were accompanied by their wives,
marched down the street to the club
house. From than on the band was
kept busy parading, meeting every
train and escorting delegates to the
convention hall.
sit is going to be the biggest gath
ering of the state merchants ever
held" declared the president of the
association, when he saw the crowds
coming in this morning and his opinion
was echoed all over the big hall
They came from Baraboo and Chiffon
from Oshkosh and Milwaukee, from
Rice Lake and Racine and it was evil
dent that Kenosha proved a real at
traction to the men who work behind
the counters.
The committee on housing was de-
1uged with calls for places to sleep and
eat, but they were able to meet all of
them and this afternoon found all of
the people attending the convention
comfortably settled. Many Of the best
homes in Kenosha were opened to re-
ceive the delegates and their friends
and their coming was more or less of a
social function by the people of the
city who plan to put personal touch
to the work of entertaining.
The first session of the convention
met at ten o'clock and it was called
to order by Charles IT. Goodman, presi-
dent of the Kenosha Retailers Asso-
citation. Mr. Goodman had no set
speech, but he assured the delegates
and their friends that the welcome of
the Kenosha merchants was a most
cordial one and that it was the plan of
the local association to make their stay
in Kenosa both pleasant and profitable
After an invocation by the Rev. /.
W. Corey, Mayor Charles H. Pfennig
was introduced and he gave the well
come on behalf of the city, Mayor
Pfennig said in part;
Gentlemen: It gives me extreme
pleasure to welcome to Kenosha such
q representative body of the business
men of Wisconsin and I trust that
your all too short stay in Kenosha
will prove not only profitable to you
along business lines, but that when
you return to your homes you will car
ry back with you the feeling that Ke-
nosha has felt real pride in having
you as her guests.
You men who come from Madison,
and Baraboo and Eau Claire and Osh-
kosh, have probably regarded Keno
ssha as the "tag' end of Wisconsin
Ebut we like 10 think of it as the
Gateway" to, the Badger domain.
1--WE are a sort of last chance on the
EOasis of Badger civilization and we are
expected to speed the departing Bad
sger on his way and welcome back the
Eprodigal son for whom you other fell
Elows are killing the fatted calf.
( 1t would be fitting for me at this
thine to present to you the key to the
City but Kenosha has no key. 1t is
old fashioned and has an old fashion,
ed latch string which is always out
and which is long enough to reach all
fhe way from the southeastern corner
of the state to Lake Superior. Keno
eha wants to be hospitable to you and
10 all her guests and speak for every
pne of the thirty-three thousand peo-
pie OF the city when | say that it is a