The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-11-11
Began at Three O'clock This
Morning and Will Quit 10
night After Monster
Parade.
NOISE HEARD MANY MILES
Mayor Issues Proclamation Re.
questing People to Cease
Usual Vacations and
Celebrate.

keOkuk TO-DAY JOINS UHe reSt u 49,
world in celebrating the surrender OF
Germany to the armies OF America
and the allies.
It began at 8 o'clock this morning
and will continue until some time
late tonight.
Very early this morning, 1t took on
a somewhat formal tone. then became
chaotic again with noise and nags
and smiles and music, and tonisnt
will be the real thing with parade
between masses OF the populace.
The parade starts tonight at 1850
O'Clock at Third and Main streets,
and will march all oyer town.
One section will be composed OF
families Of soldiers who went from
Keokuk to help accomplish the over
throw of autocracy made complete by
the surrender of the Hun army and
navy after the kaiser abdicated.
Big Program This Afternoon.
The more formal exercises OF the
day at 8 o'clock this afternoon Will
be held in front Of the Elks club
where will end short parade OF the
band, the Elks big flag and the speak
ers of the day in automobiles.
Mayor Lotion will open the exer-
|cises.
The orators will be limited to i've
minutes each and they will be Ed
ward w. McManus, Rev. H. B. Nc
Elree, H. G. Brown, G. F. Mcfarland,
Rev. James w. Gillespie and Rev. J.
Sterling Moore.
The memorial to all the Keokuk
soldiers who have died in service Will
be delivered by Edward w. McManus.
The program will open and close
with prayer. John Q. Scott VIII pre-
side.
y Tonight Biggest Ever.
Sparade tonight will be headed
Mothers, wives, sisters and
of the Keokuk soldiers IN
fyno Vofld war.
| Also Will march the Increment to
the American army which has been
ordered to entrain here tomorrow
morning.
Some people said that the jambofee
last Thursday night was only the re.
hearsal for the real thing which is to-
night. It looked today like the one
tonight would far surpass anything
ever imagined here.
| Tho Patriotic Carnival.
When the sun shone brightly and
warm in Main street. in the early
forenoon, things really started.
The banks closed for a holiday.
The retail stores were locked. The
| iobbers and the factories quit from
| lack Of men and office force. The
residence sections Of town poured
people down town, and they came
motoring in from the country for
miles around.
The street was given up to cele-
brating, automobiles dragging all
sorts of sheet iron and honking con-
tinually. Trucks were filled with
men and women. boys and girls, all
shouting, hammering tin cans and
tanks, and making a noise in many
different ways.
The Multitude Of Flags.
The biggest thing, as we'll as the
most inspiring thing, was the multi
tude of flags flying everywhere.
Every truck and automobile was
alive with flags waved by its occu-
pants. Many were wreathed in large
flags. The walls OF the business
houses were flying flags OF all sizes
and in every possible manner Of at
taching them to the store fronts.
Never before were 50 many flags In
evidence in Keokuk at on time.
And every man, woman and child
on the sidewalks seemed to have a
flag. The sidewalks were full of
people all day.
is Officially Authorized.
It was Ills o'clock this morning
when the mayor, after leading the
parade and attending to hundred
urgent details, had time to issue the
following proclamation which he
wrote with his own hand and big
blue pencil on a large sheet of paper
and posted on the bulletin board of
The Gate City:
PROCLAMATION.
This being the greatest day in the
history OF the world, the people of
Keokuk are hereby requested to alb
stain from their usual vocations for
the purpose of celebrating the return
of peace.
ED. S. LOTION, Mayor.
Women Patriots Forever.
The women folks of Keokuk GER
tainly kept up with the men folks in
demonstrative patriotism today
At the early morning hour when
people are soundest asleep and only
couple of dozen Keokuk denizens
had arrived down town, goodly pro-
portion of them were women. Two