Year: 1868

paper nave been absent Tor week Wnere
they have been and what they have seen
it is the object of this article to relate
As we saw much to instruct and amuse
we hope to write in pleasing strain anc
give our readers at the same time usefu
information in regard to an organization
that wields an influence which is begin
ming to be felt all over the great North
west, and, also, information concerning
our largest western cities and the adjacent
country.


We left Manitowoc Monday, June %,
on the staunch steamer Alpena. We
soon formed the acquaintance of Captain
Demont and found him not only an
agreeable gentleman and lively compan-
ion, but thorough sailor and one who
attends strictly to his boat at all times
To assist him he has as good under officers
as ever sailed on one of our lake boats.
We acknowledge the receipt of number
less courtesies, both going and coming,
on this snug, wonderfully rapid and COM
Portable craft. Long may she glide over,
and lovingly caress, the bosom of Lake
Michigan. We arrived in Milwaukee
about the middle of the afternoon and
made our way to the headquarters as
signed to the quill drivers, at the New
hall House. A pleasant room was placed
at our disposal and every attention was
shown US which distinguished guest
could desire. In the evening musical
friend with commendable generosity
bought tickets for us to the grand concert
given by portion of the Musical Society
the -4rions of New York led by Carl
Bergman, and a number of celebri-
ties from the old country. The concert
is spoken Of as one of the finest ever given
in the west, and there were certainly
some Of the most excellent choruses it
has ever been our good fortune to listen
to. Music Hall-a fine structure. of
which Milwaukee may quite justly be
proud-was well filled with an appre-
ciative audience.


At-nine o'clock Tuesday forenoon as
sembled the august body "of whom we
were t,Co of which" 1t was a grand
spectacle, that gathering together Of
mighty intellects = those huge minds
that shape, or endeavor to at least, public
opinion And do not think they were
unaware Of their almost unlimited power;
no, no; they sat there in state-not a
state Of int ight-ication, it was too early
in the day, as Colonel Calkins remarked
ready to meet the responsibilities of
( the hour, which consisted principally of
making elaborate 1--WE will not say tire
some) speeches and the singing o. good
songs by a glee club, in the chorus of
which ye editors were invited to join.
At this gathering we met old acquain-
tances and formed many new. There was
Lutte Taylor of the Prescott Journal who
sometimes st-t-tutters, but who is one of
the most funny, and, if he chooses, pa
thetic speakers in the state. He is also
an nexquisite writer of sentiment. George
Ginty, late of the Green Bay Gazette,
illuminated the assemblage with the
light of his benignant, jovial countenance
and filed the Office Of vice president with
becoming dignity, though he sometimes
likes to smile, and after doing so gets his
hat on the back of his head, as he wan
ders forth, all Of which makes George a
notable George Hyer of the Oshkosh
! Democrat during the excursion made
some excellent speeches, not so long as
to be wearisome but exceedingly inter
esting and pertinent to the occasion every
time. A. NJ. Thompson of the James
vile Gazette delivered the annual poem
which we publish elsewhere. 1t speaks
for itself Mr. T. is highly respectable
gentleman. David Atwood and Horace
Rublee, both of the Madison Journal
were present and contributed much to
the enjoyment of" the occasion. And
there too among the dignifed ones were





Ross of the Sheboygan Times, Colonel
Frank of the Kenosha Telegraph, Stone
of the Island City Times and others our
space will not permit us 70 mention here.
Among the wide awake, live young
editors we noticed Peck, "perpetrator OF
the Ripon Representative" Reid of the
Wakesha Freeman, his brother of the
Appleton Post Sam Fifield of the Polk
County Press Follett of the Green Bay
Gazette These boys enlivened the hours
with their quaint sayings ard their hap
py smiles. We like to see man show


some life, but ''there is as much difference
in men as there is in any body.


There is one trouble with our conven


tions which ought to be spoken of here
There is a small number of individual;
who monopolize the whole time of the
Convention with their longwinded speech


es, giving no time for lesser lights to ex
press ideas which may burn within them
As time is always limited in our conven


tions the five minute rule should be
strictly enforced, and subjects which i'm


mediately concern the fraternity should
receive attention to the exclusion o
everything else. We hope to see al
improvement in this respect.


When all the speeches had been made
and officers for the ensuing year elected
we took trip around Milwaukee. Great