The Washington times., 1919-07-09
THOUSANDS
HAIL RETURN
Of PRESIDENT
Great Crowd Cheers as Chief
Executive Arrives in Wash
ington.

The special train carrying the
Chief Executive arrived at the Union
Station at 11:46 o'clock last night.
at 10 o'clock, and notwithstanding
the Iateness OF the hour, more than
100. 900 people were on hand to greet
him.
The President was guarded by
scores of policemen and more than
two score Secret Service men. who
encircled him.
When the Presidents special train
stopped on the tracks in the station,
cheers from thousands Of men, wom-
| en- and children went up. This cheer
was taken up a few minutes later by
q crowd of more than $4,000 people
waiting in front of the station. The
President then alighted from his
train and walked to the gates. On
his way he passed a company of
yeomen I'D standing at attention,
under command OF Ensign o'Neill.
Accompanying the President were
his wife, Secretary Baker. Secretary
Daniels, Vice President Marshall, and
numerous other prominent men. IN
der Secretary Polk was one Of the
first to greet the Chief Executive.
The Chief Executive then passed
each carrying the flag OF a foreign
land. To the rear Of the girls the
Marine Band was playing.
Cheering Becomes Louder.
At each step the President took the
cheering became louder, and as he
passed through an arch of flowers
s,H- IL TIT
at the station, the crowd gave a yell
which was heard for more than If
teen city blocks.
AS he entered his room at the sta
ton he was encircled by hfty-one
girls. each representing and carrying
the flag OF a Territory or State in the
Union. The crowd which had been
standing in the outside concourse
made a grand rush, and in a few
minutes Joined thousands Of men.
women. and children who were out
! side the station.
With the ifty-one State girls
was little Pauline Graf. youngest,
/ and one of the prettiest, representing
! the District Of Columbia. She Yves
selected to present the President with
a big bouquet of flowers. She did 1t
! just as he entered the room. Little
| Pauline is the daughter OF Mr.. ana
Mrs. Carl Gran, of 207 S street north
| east.
In the room of the President. which
/ is now used as a Red Cross canteen,
this committee greeted him: Com
| missioner Louis Brownlow, L. II
! Weir, Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes. Will
/ lam V. Mahoney, Rev. J. Franklin
| Bryan, Mrs. Marie Moore Forrest, Ed
| ward H. Young, c. H. English, BriE.
! Gen. Arson Mills, Brig. Gen. E. ".
Whitaker, Jackson H. Ralston, Judge
| Robert H. Terrell, Judge William II.
| DeLacey, Charles w. Warden, Rev
Henry A. Topper, and Rev. John
! Compton Ball.
RalstOn Greets President.
Jackson H. RaIston. representing
! the District Non-Partisan League OK
| Nations, and in behalf of the citizens
| OF the District. made this speech O.:
| welcome to the President:
LAS co-workers in the District OF
Columbia and still more as believers
in the magnificent idea of League OF
Nations-a promise and assurance Of
good to all mankind-we welcome
you. You have always stood. and now
more than ever stand. as representa-
tive Of the best in American idealism.
This calls for no material gain TO US
even at the expense of a defeated ad-
versary. but finds its chiefest pleas
ure in the advancement Ct the COM
mon man and the humbIest nation.
For them you have sought higher and
broader opportunity than the past has
afforded
Our welcome to you is not given
| to the victor IN a contest of force.
| Rather we greet one who has planted
far to the front the flag OF interna-
! tiOnal justice. peace. and progress. To
the spot where you have placed il the
nations must rally. Their future
! course is inevitable.
I'VE welcome you as victor in the
cause OF righteousness and delight
| that you have translated American
/ IDEALS into action"
PresIdcnts R'pIy.
The President replied:
This very beautiful reception has
| taken me entirely by surprise 1t is
very gratifying surprise. and it
makes me very grateful 10 you all
! The very generous words in which
! you have greeted me are especially
gratifying to me.
Il came home confident that the
| people OF the United States were for
| the League OF Nations. but to receive
| this immediate assurance of il is par
| ticuIarly pleasing to me. 1t makes
| my Homecoming just that much more
| delightful. | have never been quite
81 eager to get home as ! was this
| time, and everything l have seen
since I sighted land until now has
made me gIadder and gladder / am
| home. No country can possibly look
/ 40 good as this country has looked
| to me, and ! am sure | am expressing
the sentiments OF Mrs. Wilson and OF
all who are with me in saying that
your gracious reception has made our
homecoming all the more pleAsur-
able
The President. still heavily guarded.
passed out OF the station into his au-
| tomobile. As the machine passed out
Of the station. the crowd let out one
loud cheer. and flags waved all over
the big open plaza in front Of the
station. The President passed the
Columbus statue, where girls from
the National Service School and the
War Risk Insurance Bureau stood at
Passing these girls the President