The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-31
President Returns 10 London From His Visit to Manchester; Leaues For Italy Wednesday,
People of Manchester Make President at Home While in City - Visits Many
 Points of Interest, Deliv- ering Two Speeches
By Associated Pres.

By Associated Press
 Manchester, December 50. The people of Manchester made President Wilson a freeman of their city today. They did more than that; they made him at home.
 It seemed as though all the men, women and children of the town, and many from ancashire-at-large, cheered the President at some stage of the crowd ed five hours in which he made sort of democratic royal progress from one point of interest to another, which was strenuous enough and vast enough to exhaust even the hardest political cam. paigner.
 The general atmosphere of all the pro ceedings was intimate and friendly, often the people got near enough to shake hands.
 Even the ceremony of conferring the freedom of the city had tone of homely simplicity and seemed more ilks a college commencement than formally staged ritual The assembly sang For He's Jolly Good Fellow. which could hardly have occurred at state banquet or in the guildhall.
 1t was a happy inspiration that led the aldermen to throw open the largest hall in the city, instead of following custom by holding the ceremony in the munich pal chamber This by no means reduced the effect of--the important speech the President delivered.
 QUICK TO RESPOND
 His most important pronouncement rT rlts.txx fl1n nCt m portant he has made in ins-England, that the United States would make no cove nant with any powers except one with all the powers, was not lost upon his hearers No other audience during his European appearance has absorbed the Presidents utterances so eagerly, so un- derstandingly, and has so quickly re- sponded to every important point.
 No other audience has resembled so .lo- ticeably the character and types of peo- ple to whom the President has been ac-i ccstomed to speak at home.
 Perhaps this was because Lancashire has contributed so many citizens to the United States and has such close indus- trial connections and follows American affairs with keener interest than most English counties.
 The first item in the days program was a drive to the famous docks which have made Manchester an inland port. Here the shipping extended a beflagged and vociferous greeting 10 the President, while the workmen from all the big warehouses and factories around hung from the windows and stood on the roofs Part of the drive was through the poorer districts, where a few of the children were too poor even to have bought Ameri- can flags to wave
 ONLY WEATHER UNFRIENDLY
 Later the President made brief ap- pearance in the balcony of the royal ex- change, where he spoke. Finally he took lunch with 200 prominent men in the Midland hotel, where he made an ac- knowledgment of NIanchesters hospital ity. Only the weather was unfriendly today
 It was gray and thick, with intervals of rain, but is typical of the season in the Midlands, and it kept nobody in doors Merchants, workmen, farmers, soldiers, with countless thousands or women and children stood in the streets and rushed from point to point for glimpse of the President from another angle.
 Shaking hands with the lord mayor and the chief constable on parting. the President said:
 4Gentlemen, I congratulate you both. Tn all my travels I have not known ar rangements to go on so smoothly You have given me HdppS tiio- .iy oi'iS regret is that it was not longer.
 The last Manchester saw of the Presi- dent. he stood on the platform of the royal train. hat in hand, with his mill tary aide holding the dark blue presi- dental flag which had been presented by the people of France.
 The band played the Star-Spangied Banner The red robed lord mayor and the blue and silver bedecked chief con stable were in the foreground. with an American guard of honor in the back ground and there came final tribute of cheers, stirring the flags which hung from the arches of the station.
 The President was the recipient or ova- tions for many miles along the railway from Manchester The people had gath cred along the line near the city and near the suburbs and at various locali- ties on the route and cheered vigorously as the train passed.
 Tn telegram regretting his inability tt visit Southampton and receive the freedom of the city, the President ex- pressed his cordial thanks for the bonor and said: .It would have been great ; plea sure, but it is absolutely necessary for me to return to France on Tues