Chapter XVII: Part 17

Seven o'clock Saturday evening the boom of cannon and clang of bells signalized the President's arrival at Oakland, where he immediately embarked on the ferry steamer _Piedmont_ for passage across the bay. On board the _Piedmont_, in addition to the veteran guard of the G. A. R., commanded by Capt. Geo. F. Knowlton, Jr., and Lieutenants Wiegand, Franks and Stateler, were the following prominent residents: Senator and Mrs. Leland Stanford, A. N. Towne, R. H. Platt, A. J. Bolfing, H. C. Bunker, C. F. Bassett, Maj. J. N. E. Wilson, Capt. G. D. Boyd, J. C. Quinn, Geo. L. Seybolt, George Sanderson, J. Steppacher, Ass't Postmaster Richardson, G. W. Fletcher, Mrs. Peter Donohue, Mrs. Geo. R. Sanderson, Mrs. James Denman, Mrs. W. W. Morrow, Mrs. Joseph McKenna, Mrs. M. Ehrman, Mrs. E. Martin, and Mrs. J. D. Spreckels. The scene of the _Piedmont_ crossing the bay, illuminated with thousands of lights, covered with flying flags, and greeted by all the craft in the harbor with myriads of rockets and lights, was a bewildering spectacle. At a signal great tongues of flame shot up from the summits of Telegraph and Nob hills, and the monstrous bonfires from the deck of the _Piedmont_ resembled volcanoes. The entire population of the city came out to do honor to the head of the Nation, and the principal streets were beautifully illuminated.

As the President descended on the arm of Hon. W. W. Morrow he was met on the wharf by Mayor George H. Sanderson, Col. Basil Norris, Lieut.-Col. Geo. H. Burton, Lieut.-Col. John P. Hawkins, Maj. Frank M. Coxe, Maj. Edward Hunter, Maj. James H. Lord, Capt. Chas. N. Booth, and First Lieutenants L. A. Lovering and James E. Runcie, of the regular army; General Dickinson and staff and city officials. Mayor Sanderson formally welcomed the President and presented him a beautiful gold tablet bearing a resolution of the Board of Supervisors tendering the freedom of the city and county of San Francisco.

In response the President said:

_Mr. Mayor_--I have received with great gratification these words
of welcome which you have extended to me on behalf of the city of San
Francisco. They are but new expressions of the welcome which has been
extended to me since I entered the State of California. Its greatness
and glory I knew something of by story and tradition, but what I have
seen of its resources has quite surpassed my imagination. But what
has deeply impressed me is the loyal and intelligent and warm-hearted
people I have everywhere met. I thank you for this reception.

SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 27.

Monday, April 27, the President and his party reviewed many thousand school children assembled on Van Ness Avenue. Escorted by Mayor Sanderson, General Ruger, and other distinguished citizens, the party were driven through the famous Golden Gate Park. At the entrance the President was met and welcomed by Park Commissioner Hammond, while awaiting the guests inside was a reception committee consisting of E. S. Pilsbury, W. D. English, General Sheehan, Chief Crowley, C. F. Crocker, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Wilshire, Judge Hawley, of Nevada, ex-Mayor Pond, Colonel Taylor, Marshal Long, Park Commissioner Austin, Mr. and Mrs. Francis G. Newlands, Samuel Shortridge, C. M. Leavy, Surveyor-General Pratt, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Le Count, Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Danforth, Colonel and Mrs. J. B. Wright, of Sacramento, Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Easton, Mr. Gregory, Mr. and Mrs. Paris Kilbourn, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy G. Phelps, Senator Carpenter, of Los Angeles, Miss Harriet Bolinger, Mr. and Mrs. Bolinger, District Attorney Garter, Mrs. Judge W. T. Wallace, F. W. Sharon, T. B. Shannon, Mrs. B. L. Haseltine, and others.

The reception concluded, the drive was continued to the Cliff House, overlooking Seal Rocks; from thence the party visited Sutro Heights and became the guests of Mr. Adolph Sutro. At the close of luncheon Mr. Sutro, addressing President Harrison, said in part:

_Mr. President_--I rise to present you a photo-lithographic letter
written by Sebastian Viscano, the great Spanish navigator. This is
probably the first letter in existence written by any human being from
California. It is dated at the port of Monterey, December 28, 1602,
named in honor of the Conde de Monterey, then Viceroy of Mexico. It
is addressed to the Court of Spain, and states that he (Viscano) had
taken possession of this country for his majesty.

The original of this letter I found in hunting through the Archives
de las Indias at Seville, Spain. At the date of this letter Queen
Elizabeth was still on the throne of England, Louis XIV. of France was
not born yet, and the Pilgrim Fathers had not yet landed on Plymouth
Rock.

Mr. President, we all thank you for having come to see our beautiful
land, and permit me especially to thank you for the honor of your
visit to Sutro Heights.

With the closing words Mr. Sutro extended to the President a red plush album inclosing the letter. President Harrison, in accepting it, said:

I beg to thank you both for this letter and your generous welcome
to a spot the natural beauty of which has been so much enhanced by
your efforts. My visit to Sutro Heights, the cliff, and park will be a
red-letter day in my journey.

The next visit was to the Presidio, where the President and General Ruger witnessed the brilliant manoeuvres of the troops. Lieutenant-Colonel Graham was in command; Captain Zalinski was the officer of the day. Captain Morris led the heavy artillery; Captains Brinkle and Kinzie commanded the mounted batteries; Colonel Mills headed the cavalry aided by Captains Wood and Dorst.

_Phi Delta Theta._

In the evening the President attended a banquet in his honor by California Alpha Chapter of the State University of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, of which Mr. Harrison is a member. George E. de Golbia presided. When the President arrived he was greeted with the fraternity cheer. J. N. E. Wilson introduced the honored guest and proposed the health of "the President."

General Harrison, responding, said:

_My Friends and Brothers in this Old Society_--I enjoy this moment
very much in being able to associate with you. I was a member of the
first chapter of this fraternity, which you all know was founded at
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. I have not lost the impression of
solemnity and reverence which I experienced hunting in the dark in
those early times to find my chapter room, and I am very glad to know
that those meetings were not meetings in the dark. I belonged to the
order when it was young, and now I find its members scattered in all
States, where they all hold positions of trust and influence. I find
that in its history it has produced nothing discreditable to itself,
but always something of which we may all well be proud. I thank you
for these few moments of association with you. [Cheers.]

At night President and Mrs. Harrison, Secretary Rusk, and Postmaster-General Wanamaker attended an official card reception at the Palace Hotel, tendered by the citizens of San Francisco. The visitors were introduced by Col. J. P. Jackson and George R. Sanderson. The occasion was one of unusual brilliancy, rendered especially so by the presence of Admiral A. E. K. Benham and the officers of the fleet, Gen. Thomas H. Ruger, Gen. G. D. Green, Gen. John P. Hawkins, Gen. John G. Chandler, Col. Geo. N. Burton, and a hundred or more other officers of the regular army; Governor Markham and staff in full uniform, Maj. Gen. W. H. Dimond and staff, Gen. J. H. Dickinson, and scores of officers of the National Guard, and a thousand or more private citizens of prominence accompanied by their wives.

SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 28.

_Launch of the Monterey._

Tuesday, April 28, the President enjoyed an excursion on the bay on board the steamer _Puebla_. Following the _Puebla_ came the cruiser _Charleston_, literally covered with bunting, and with booming guns, leading a long line of vessels. The presidential party was accompanied by Mayor Sanderson, Colonel Andrews, Supervisor Jackson, Colonel Marceau, Colonel Chadbourne, General Gibbon, Collector Phelps, Capt. C. M. Goodall, General Cutting, W. T. Coleman, Wm. Dargie, W. G. Harrison, W. D. English, Stewart Menzies, Judge Murphy, Judge Troutt, Barry Baldwin, A. E. Castle, A. Chesebrough, Martin Corcoran, W. D. Clarke, W. R. Hearst, J. G. Fair, W. J. Dutton, W. F. Goad, Wm. Harney, John P. Irish, J. D. Spreckels, Leon Sloss, Levi Strauss, A. W. Scott, W. S. Tevis, C. L. Taylor, J. H. Wise, C. E. Whitney, R. J. Wilson, James. D. Phelan, R. H. Pease, Arthur Rodgers, F. W. Sumner, F. J. Symmes, N. T. James, G. L. Bradner, C. F. Mullins, Geo. A. Moore, T. C. Grant, and other gentlemen of prominence.

In the afternoon, at the Union Iron Works, the President and Mrs. Harrison participated in the launch of the armored coast-defence vessel _Monterey_. Mrs. Harrison pressed the button which signalized the launching of the great ship, and Miss Gunn, daughter of J. O'B. Gunn, christened the ship with a bottle of California champagne. On the platform with the President's party were Henry T. Scott and Irving M. Scott, builders of the _Monterey_; master shipwright Geo. W. Dickie, Governor Markham, and other prominent people.

In the evening the distinguished visitors attended a banquet and reception at the mansion of Senator and Mrs. Leland Stanford. Nineteen couples sat down at the sumptuous table. They comprised the President and Mrs. Stanford, Senator Stanford and Mrs. Harrison, Governor Markham and Mrs. Lowe, General Wanamaker and Mrs. Benham, Secretary Rusk and Mrs. Markham, General Ruger and Mrs. Russell Harrison, Admiral Benham and Mrs. Morrow, Col. Lloyd Tevis and Mrs. Dimmick, Mayor Sanderson and Mrs. Boyd, Hon. M. M. Estee and Mrs. Moses Hopkins, Col. C. F. Crocker and Miss Houghton, Senator Felton and Mrs. McKee, Mr. Russell B. Harrison and Mrs. T. Hopkins, Col. J. P. Jackson and Mrs. Dodge, Mr. Geo. W. Boyd and Mrs. Hewes, Hon. W. W. Morrow and Mrs. Estee, Mr. Irving M. Scott and Mrs. Jackson, Major Sanger and Mrs. Gwin, Mr. H. L. Dodge and Mrs. Easton. In the Pompeiian parlor of the mansion the President, with Mrs. Harrison and Senator and Mrs. Stanford, received the thousand or more guests, who comprised the prominent society people of San Francisco and many other cities on the coast.

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 29.

Leaving San Francisco on Wednesday, April 29, the President spent the morning at Senator Stanford's famous Palo Alto ranch. The first stop _en route_ to Monterey was at Redwood City, where a large and enthusiastic crowd, including 200 school children, welcomed the President. Geo. S. Evans Post, G. A. R., C. D. Harkins, Commander, was present. Among the prominent citizens participating were: H. R. Judah, of San Mateo; Geo. C. Ross, W. R. Welch, Geo. W. Lovie, John Poole, Henry Buger, Sheriff Kinne, Marshal Jamieson, and Judge Geo. H. Buck, who delivered the speech of welcome and presented the President, on behalf of the citizens, with a polished redwood tablet two feet in width.

As the train moved off President Harrison said:

_My Friends_--I am sorry that I can say nothing more to you in
the limited time we have than that I am sincerely thankful for your
friendly demonstration.

SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 29.

Arriving at San José the President remained an hour and reviewed a parade in his honor. He was received at the depot by Mayor S. N. Rucker at the head of the following Committee of Reception: Judge John Reynolds, Judge F. E. Spencer, D. B. Moody, R. O. Shively, S. F. Lieb, V. A. Schellar, C. M. Shortridge, T. E. Beans, L. G. Nesmith, C. T. Ryland, O. A. Hale, H. W. Wright, J. W. Rea, C. T. Park, A. McDonald, C. T. Settle, H. M. Leonard, B. D. Murphy, J. H. Henry, A. E. Mintie, S. F. Ayer, Judge W. G. Lorigan, and H. V. Morehouse. Mayor Rucker delivered the address of welcome at the court house.

President Harrison, responding, said.

_Mr. Mayor and Fellow-citizens_--I am again surprised by this large
outpouring of my friends and by the respectful interest which they
evince. I cannot find words to express the delight which I have felt
and which those who journey with me have felt as we have observed
the beauty and, more than all, the comfort and prosperity which
characterize the great State of California. I am glad to observe here,
as I have elsewhere, that my old comrades of the great war for the
Union have turned out to witness afresh by this demonstration their
love for the flag and their veneration for American institutions.

My comrades, I greet you, every one, affectionately. I doubt not
that every loyal State has representatives here of that great army
that subdued the rebellion and brought home the flag in triumph. I
hope that you have found in this flowery and prosperous land, in the
happy homes which you have builded up here, in the wives and children
that grace your firesides, a sweet contrast to those times of peril
and hardship which you experienced in the army, and I trust above all
that under these genial and kindly influences you still maintain your
devotion to our institutions and are teaching it to the children that
shall take your places.

We often speak of the children following in the footsteps of
their fathers. A year ago nearly, in Boston, at the great review of
the Grand Army of the Republic, after those thousands of veterans,
stricken with years and labor, had passed along, a great army, nearly
as large, came on with the swinging step that characterized you when
you carried the flag from your home to the field. They were the sons
of veterans, literally marching in their fathers' steps; and so I love
to think that in the hands of this generation that is coming on to
take our places our institutions are safe and the honor and glory of
the flag will be maintained. We may quietly go to our rest when God
shall call us, in the full assurance that His favoring providence will
follow us, and that in your children valor and sacrifice for the flag
will always manifest themselves on every occasion.

Again thanking you for your presence and friendly interest, I must
beg you to excuse further speech, as we must journey on to other
scenes like this. Good-by and God bless you, comrades.

GILROY, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 29.

Two thousand people welcomed the President on his arrival at Gilroy at 6 o'clock in the evening. The floral decorations were particularly fine; the piece attracting the greatest attention was a life-size white bear made of tea-roses. The Committee of Reception was Mayor Loupe, Thomas Rea, Geo. E. Hersey, Victor Bassignsno, F. W. Blake, Professor Hall, and Messrs. Eckhart, Casey, and Cleveland.

Mayor Loupe introduced the President, who made one of his briefest speeches. He said:

_My Friends_--It gives me great pleasure to see you for a moment,
and thank you for your kindness in coming out on this occasion. In
all my travels I have never seen a more intelligent and happy people
than I have met in California. Let me introduce you to Mr. Wanamaker.

WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 29.

At Pajaro Station the presidential party was welcomed by the Board of Trustees and 2,000 residents of the thriving city of Watsonville, in the beautiful Pajaro Valley. Six hundred school children and a young ladies' zouave company participated in the greeting. The Committee of Reception comprised the Board of Trustees, E. H. Madden, T. J. Horgan, James A. Linscott, H. P. Brassell, and the following prominent citizens of Watsonville: W. A. Sanborn, A. B. Hawkins, Geo. A. Shearer, Geo. W. Peckham, W. R. Radcliff, J. A. Hetherington, James Waters, Mark Hudson, Geo. A. Trafton, John T. Porter, John F. Kane, and F. E. Mauk; also, Wm. Wilson and C. E. Bowman, representing the town of Corralitos, and C. R. Whitcher, Jr., representing Castroville. Chairman Madden made the welcoming address.

The President said:

_My Friends_--I am very glad to see you this evening. I am sorry
that the fatigues of the past few days have left us all in a state
not quite so fresh and blooming as your fields and gardens. We are a
little dusty and a little worn, but you quite rekindle our spirits by
this demonstration. We have ridden with great delight through this
beautiful valley to-day. It seems to me, as we pass each ridge or
backbone and come into a new valley, that we see something that still
more resembles the Garden of Eden. It is a constant succession of
surprises, but most of all I delight to see such convincing evidence
of the contentment and happiness of your people. I am sure that those
I see here to-day must come from happy and prosperous homes. I wish
you all good-by. [Cheers.]

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 30.

The presidential party arrived at Del Monte depot at 8 o'clock Wednesday evening and were the guests of Manager Schonewald, of the famous Hotel Del Monte. The next morning the distinguished travellers were driven over to Monterey, the historic old capital of California; they were met at the outskirts by the City Trustees and a committee of prominent citizens, among whom were: C. I. Burks, Capt. Thomas Bralee, Francis Doud, David Rodrick, F. R. Day, Edward Ingram, Job Wood, Thomas Doud, J. T. Stockdale, Jacob R. Leese, Wm. Kay, A. A. Osio, and H. Whitcomb. The reception was held on the grounds fronting the old Capitol--now used as a school-house. After the reception the visitors were taken on an 18-mile drive through the parks and groves along the Pacific Ocean. Mayor W. J. Hill, of Salinas, delivered the address of welcome on behalf of the citizens of Monterey and Salinas, and presented the President with a silver plate engraved with a fac-simile of the old Custom House and the words "The Custom House where the American flag was first raised in California, July 7, 1846. Monterey, April 30, 1891. Greeting to our President."

In response the President said:

_Mr. Mayor and Fellow-citizens_--Our whole pathway through the State
of California has been paved with good-will. We have been made to walk
upon flowers. Our hearts have been touched and refreshed at every
point by the voluntary offerings of your hospitable people. Our trip
has been one continued ovation of friendliness. I have had occasion
to say before that no man is entitled to appropriate to himself these
tributes. They witness a peculiar characteristic of the American
people. Unlike many other people less happy, we give our devotion to
a Government, to its Constitution, to its flag, and not to men. We
reverence and obey those who have been placed by our own suffrages
and choice in public stations, but our allegiance, our affection, is
given to our beneficent institutions, and upon this rock our security
is based. We are not subject to those turbulent uprisings that prevail
where the people follow leaders rather than institutions; where they
are caught by the glamour and dash of brilliant men rather than by the
steady law of free institutions.

I rejoice to be for a moment among you this morning. The history
of this city starts a train of reflections in my mind that I cannot
follow out in speech, but the impression of them will remain with me
as long as I live. [Applause.] California and its coast were essential
to the integrity and completeness of the American Union. But who
can tell what may be the result of the establishment here of free
institutions, the setting up by the wisdom and foresight and courage
of the early pioneers in California of a commonwealth that was very
early received into the American Union? We see to-day what has been
wrought. But who can tell what another century will disclose, when
these valleys have become thick with a prosperous and thriving and
happy people? I thank you again for your cordial greeting and bid you
good-morning. [Cheers.]

SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, MAY 1.

At 8 o'clock Friday morning the presidential train halted at Santa Cruz, the City of the Holy Cross, where another floral greeting awaited the distinguished guests. They were met by Mayor G. Bowman at the head of a committee of prominent citizens, among whom were: Col. Thomas P. Robb, W. P. Young, Dr. T. W. Drullard, W. Finkeldey, O. J. Lincoln, W. J. McCollum, A. L. Weeks, P. R. Hinds, W. H. Galbraith, E. C. Williams, Duncan McPherson, Wm. T. Jeter, A. A. Taylor, W. D. Storey, F. A. Hihn, Z. N. Goldsby, Richard Thompson, R. C. Kirby, J. H. Logan, A. J. Jennings, Judge McCann, J. F. Cunningham, Benj. Knight, Z. Barnet, E. C. Williams, and J. T. Sullivan. Grand Marshal J. O. Wanzer, with his aids, U. S. Nichols, M. S. Patterson, H. Fay, W. D. Haslam, R. H. Pringle, W. C. Hoffman, and George Chittenden, acted as an escort of honor to the President during the parade. When the Pacific Ocean House was reached Mayor Bowman made a welcoming address. After the reception the party visited the grove of big trees near the city.

As the President arose to respond the great audience cheered enthusiastically. He said:

_Mr. Mayor and Fellow-citizens_--It seems to me like improvidence
that all this tasteful and magnificent display should be but for a
moment. In all my journeying in California, where every city has
presented some surprise and where each has been characterized by
lavish and generous display, I have not seen anything so suddenly
created and yet so beautiful. I am sure we have not ridden through
any street more attractive than this. I thank you most sincerely for
this cordial welcome. I am sure you are a loyal, and I know you are a
loving and kindly people. [Cheers.] We have been received, strangers
as we were, with affection, and everywhere as I look into the faces of
this people I feel my heart swell with pride that I am an American and
that California is one of the American States. [Cheers.]

LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, MAY 1.

The first stop after leaving Santa Cruz was at Los Gatos, overlooking the Santa Clara Valley, where a large assemblage welcomed the party. The Committee of Reception comprised the Board of Town Trustees and W. H. B. Trantham, James H. Lyndon, G. A. Dodge, and C. F. Wilcox. E. O. C. Ord Post, G. A. R., James G. Arthur, Commander, was out in full force.

Chairman J. W. Lyndon made the address of welcome and introduced President Harrison, who said:

_My Fellow citizens_--If California had lodged a complaint against
the last census I should have been inclined to entertain it and to
order your people to be counted again. [Laughter.] From what I have
seen in these days of pleasant travel through your State I am sure
the census enumerators have not taken you all. We have had another
surprise in coming over these mountains to find that not the valleys
alone of California, but its hill-tops are capable of productive
cultivation. We have been greatly surprised to see vineyards and
orchards at these altitudes, and to know that your fields rival in
productiveness the famous valleys of your State.

I thank you for your cordial greeting. It overpowers me I feel that
these brief stops are but poor recompense for the trouble and care
you have taken. I wish we could tarry longer with you. I wish I could
know more of you individually, but I can only thank you and say that
we will carry away most happy impressions of California, and that in
public and in private life it will give me pleasure always to show my
appreciation of your great State. [Cheers.]

SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 1.

_Chamber of Commerce Reception._

The President returned to San Francisco from his trip to Monterey and Santa Cruz at noon Friday, May 1. He was met across the bay by W. W. Montague, Geo. C. Perkins, and Oliver Eldridge, constituting a committee of escort from the Chamber of Commerce. Arrived at the Chamber of Commerce the President was met by the following Reception Committee, trustees of the Chamber, composed of: William L. Merry, A. J. Ralston, W. T. Y. Schenck, Robert Watt, A. R. Briggs, James Carolan, N. W. Spaulding, General Dimond, John Rosenfeld, Charles R. Allen, J. J. McKinnon, C. B. Stone, and Louis Parrott. On the floor of the Merchants' Exchange the President was greeted by a great and enthusiastic assembly, composed of members of the following bodies invited to participate in the reception: Mexican War Veterans, Society of Pioneers, Territorial Pioneers, Geographical Society, Art Association, Geological Society, State Board of Trade, Board of Trade of the city, Bar Association, Bankers' Association, Produce Exchange, San Francisco Stock Exchange, Merchants' Exchange, Boards of Brokers, Boards of Marine Institute, Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers' Association, and California Academy of Sciences. Colonel Taylor, President of the Chamber of Commerce, delivered an able address upon the trade of the Pacific coast, and closed by cordially welcoming President Harrison, Postmaster-General Wanamaker, and Secretary Rusk.

When the President arose to respond he was greeted with a storm of applause. His address was punctured throughout with cheers. He said:

_Mr. President and Gentlemen of these Assembled Societies_--I have
been subjected during my stay in California in some respects to
the same treatment the policeman accords to the tramp--I have been
kept moving on. You have substituted flowers and kindness for the
policeman's baton. And yet, notwithstanding all this, we come to you
this morning not exhausted or used up, but a little fatigued. Your
cordial greetings are more exhilarating than your wine, and perhaps
safer for the constitution. [Laughter and applause.]

I am glad to stand in the presence of this assemblage of business
men. I have tried to make this a business Administration. [Applause.]
Of course we cannot wholly separate politics from a national
Administration, but I have felt that every public officer owed his
best service to the people, without distinction of party [cries of
"Good! good!" and applause]; that in administering official trusts
we were in a very strict sense, not merely in a figurative sense,
your servants. It has been my desire that in every branch of the
public service there should be improvement. I have stimulated all the
Secretaries and have received stimulus from them in the endeavor, in
all the departments of the Government that touch your business life,
to give you as perfect a service as possible. This we owe to you; but
if I were pursuing party ends I should feel that I was by such methods
establishing my party in the confidence of the people. [Applause.]

I feel that we have come to a point where American industries,
American commerce, and American influence are to be revived and
extended. The American sentiment and feeling was never more
controlling than now; and I do not use that term in the narrow sense
of native American, but to embrace all loyal citizens, whether
native-born or adopted, who have the love of our flag in their hearts.
[Great cheering.] I shall speak to-night, probably, at the banquet of
business men, and will not enter into any lengthy discussion here.
Indeed, I am so careful not to trespass upon any forbidden topic,
that I may not in the smallest degree offend those who have forgotten
party politics in extending this greeting to us, that I do not know
how far I should talk upon these public questions. But since your
Chairman has alluded to them, I can say I am in hearty sympathy with
the suggestions he has made. I believe there are methods by which
we shall put the American flag upon the sea again. [Applause.] In
speaking the other day I used an illustration which will perhaps be
apt in this company of merchants. You recall, all of you, certainly
those of my age, the time when no merchant sent out travelling men. He
expected the buyer to come to his store. Perhaps that was well enough;
but certain enterprising men sought custom by putting travelling men
with samples on the road. However the conservative merchant regarded
that innovation, he had but one choice--to put travelling men on the
road or go out of business. In this question of shipping we are in a
similar condition. The great commercial governments of the world have
stimulated their shipping interests by direct or indirect subsidies,
while we have been saying: "No, we prefer the old way." We must
advance or--I will not say go out of business, for we have already
gone out. [Applause.] I thank you most cordially for your greeting,
and bid you good-by. [Applause.]

ADDRESS TO THE VETERANS, MAY 1.

From the Chamber of Commerce the President and his party were escorted to the Mechanics' Pavilion by the Veteran Guard under Captain Knowlton, preceded and followed by Lincoln, Garfield, Cass, Meade, Liberty, and Geo. Sykes posts, G. A. R. Fully 10,000 children and citizens were assembled to witness the May Day festivities under the auspices of the G. A. R. posts. Escorted by Grand Marshal Saloman, the President advanced to the stage and was received by Hon. Henry C. Dibble, who presented him to the throng of veterans and children.

He spoke as follows:

_Comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic_--It will not be
possible in so large a hall for me to make myself heard, and yet I
cannot refuse when appealed to to say a word of kindly greeting to
those comrades who have found their homes on the Pacific coast. I have
no doubt that all the loyal States of the Union are represented in
this assembly, and it is pleasant to know that, after the strife and
hardships of those years of battle, you have found among the flowers
and fruits of the earth homes that are full of pleasantness and peace.

It was that these things might continue to be that you went to
battle; it was that these homes might be preserved; it was that the
flag and all that it symbolizes might be perpetuated, that you fought
and many of our comrades died. All this land calls you blessed. The
fruits of division and strife that would have been ours if secession
had succeeded would have been full of bitterness. The end that was
attained by your valor under the providence of God has brought peace
and prosperity to all the States. [Applause.]

It gave me great pleasure in passing through the Southern States
to see how your work had contributed to their prosperity. No man can
look upon any of these States through which we campaigned and fought
without realizing that what seemed to their people a disaster was,
under God, the opening of a great gate of prosperity and happiness.

All those fires of industry which I saw through the South were
lighted at the funeral pyre of slavery. [Cries of "Good! good!" and
applause.] They were impossible under the conditions that existed
previously in those States. We are now a homogeneous people. You in
California, full of pride and satisfaction with the greatness of your
State, will always set above it the greater glory and the greater
citizenship which our flag symbolizes. [Cheers.] You went into the
war for the defence of the Union; you have come out to make your
contribution to the industries and progress of this age of peace. As
in our States of the Northwest the winter covering of snow hides and
warms the vegetation, and with the coming of the spring sun melts and
sinks into the earth to refresh the root, so this great army was a
covering and defence, and when the war was ended, turned into rivulets
of refreshment to all the pursuits of peace. There was nothing greater
in all the world's story than the assembling of this army except its
disbandment. It was an army of citizens; and when the war was over the
soldier was not left at the tavern--he had a fireside toward which
his steps hastened. He ceased to be a soldier and became a citizen.
[Cheers.]

I observe, as I look into your faces, that the youth of the army
must have settled on the Pacific coast. [Laughter and applause.] You
are younger men here than we are in the habit of meeting at our Grand
Army posts in the East. May all prosperity attend you; may you be
able to show yourselves in civil life, as in the war, the steadfast,
unfaltering, devoted friends of this flag you are willing to die for.
[Great cheering.]

PALACE HOTEL BANQUET, MAY 1.

In the evening President Harrison attended a grand banquet given in his honor by the prominent citizens at the Palace Hotel. Of all the entertainments extended to the distinguished visitors on their journey this banquet was beyond question the most notable. Representatives of the business, professional, political, educational, and society circles of the city were present in numbers. The brilliant affair was largely directed by Colonel Andrews, Alfred Bovier, Geo. R. Sanderson, and Messrs. Le Count, Jackson, and Menzies of the Citizens' Committee.

The President was escorted to the banquet hall by General Barnes and introduced to the distinguished assembly quite early in the evening. After the vociferous cheering subsided General Harrison rewarded the magnificent assemblage with an address that called forth from the press of the country general commendation, and is only second to his great speech at Galveston. He said:

_Mr. President and Gentlemen_--When the Queen of Sheba visited the
court of Solomon and saw its splendors she was compelled to testify
that the half had not been told her. Undoubtedly the emissaries of
Solomon's court, who had penetrated to her distant territory, found
themselves in a like situation to that which attends Californians
when they travel East--they are afraid to put too much to test
the credulity of their hearers [laughter and applause], and as a
gentleman of your State said to me, it has resulted in a prevailing
indisposition among Californians to tell the truth out of California.
[Laughter and applause.] Not at all because Californians are
unfriendly to the truth, but solely out of compassion for their
hearers they address themselves to the capacity of those who hear
them. [Laughter.] And taking warning by the fate of the man who told a
sovereign of the Indies that he had seen water so solid that it could
be walked upon, they do not carry their best stories away from home.
[Laughter.]

It has been, much as I have heard of California, a brilliant
disillusion to me and to those who have journeyed with me. The half
had not been told of the productiveness of your valleys, of the
blossoming orchards, of the gardens laden with flowers. We have seen
and been entranced. Our pathway has been strewn with flowers. We have
been surprised, when we were in a region of orchards and roses, to be
suddenly pulled up at a station and asked to address some remarks to a
pyramid of pig tin. [Laughter and applause.]

Products of the mine, rare and exceptional, have been added to the
products of the field, until now the impression has been made upon my
mind that if any want should be developed in the arts, possibly if
any wants should be developed in statesmanship, or any vacancies in
office [great laughter], we have here a safe reservoir that can be
drawn upon _ad libitum_. [Laughter]. But, my friends, sweeter than all
the incense of flowers, richer than all the products of mines, has
been the gracious, unaffected, hearty kindness with which the people
of California have everywhere received us. Without division, without
dissent, a simple yet magnificent and enthusiastic American welcome.
[Great applause.]

It is gratifying that it should be so. We may carry into our
campaigns, to our conventions and congresses, discussions and
divisions, but how grand it is that we are a people who bow reverently
to the decision when it is rendered, and who will follow the flag
always, everywhere, with absolute devotion of heart without asking
what party may have given the leader in whose hands it is placed.
[Enthusiastic cheering.]

I believe that we have come to a new epoch as a Nation. There are
opening portals before us inviting us to enter--opening portals to
trade and influence and prestige such as we have never seen before.
[Great applause.] We will pursue the paths of peace; we are not
a warlike Nation; all our instincts, all our history is in the
lines of peace. Only intolerable aggression, only the peril of our
institutions--of the flag--can thoroughly arouse us. [Great applause.]
With capability for war on land and on sea unexcelled by any nation in
the world, we are smitten with the love of peace. [Applause.] We would
promote the peace of this hemisphere by placing judiciously some large
guns about the Golden Gate [great and enthusiastic cheering]--simply
for saluting purposes [laughter and cheers], and yet they should be of
the best modern type. [Cheers.]

We should have on the sea some good vessels. We don't need as
great a navy as some other people, but we do need a sufficient navy
of first-class ships, simply to make sure that the peace of the
hemisphere is preserved [cheers]; simply that we may not leave the
great distant marts and harbors of commerce and our few citizens who
may be domiciled there to feel lonesome for the sight of the American
flag. [Cheers.]

We are making fine progress in the construction of the navy. The
best English constructors have testified to the completeness and
perfection of some of our latest ships. It is a source of great
gratification to me that here in San Francisco the energy, enterprise,
and courage of some of your citizens have constructed a plant capable
of building the best modern ships. [Cries of "Good! good!" and cheers.]

I saw with delight the magnificent launch of one of these new
vessels. I hope that you may so enlarge your capacities for
construction that it will not be necessary to send any naval vessel
around the Horn. We want merchant ships. [Cheers.] I believe we have
come to a time when we should choose whether we will continue to be
non-participants in the commerce of the world or will now vigorously,
with the push and energy which our people have shown in other lines of
enterprise, claim our share of the world's commerce. [Cheers.]

I will not enter into the discussion of methods of the Postal bill
of the last session of Congress, which marks the beginning. Here in
California, where for so long a time a postal service that did not pay
its own way was maintained by the Government, where for other years
the Government has maintained mail lines into your valleys, reaching
out to every remote community, and paying out yearly a hundred times
the revenue that was derived, it ought not to be difficult to persuade
you that our ocean mail should not longer be the only service for
which we refuse to expend even the revenues derived from it.

It is my belief that, under the operation of the law to which I have
referred, we shall be able to stimulate ship-building, to secure some
new lines of American steamships, and to increase the ports of call of
all those now established. [Enthusiastic cheering.]

It will be my effort to do what may be done under the powers lodged
in me by the law to open and increase trade with the countries of
Central and South America. I hope it may not be long--I know it will
not be long if we but unitedly pursue this great scheme--until one can
take a sail in the bay of San Francisco and see some deep-water ships
come in bearing our own flag. [Enthusiastic and continued cheering.]

During our excursion the other day I saw three great vessels come
in; one carried the Hawaiian and two the English flag. I am a thorough
believer in the construction of the Nicaragua Canal. You have pleased
me so much that I would like a shorter water communication between
my State and yours. [Cheers.] Influences and operations are now
started that will complete, I am sure, this stately enterprise; but,
my fellow-citizens and Mr. President, this is the fifth time this day
that I have talked to gatherings of California friends, and we have so
much taxed the hospitality of San Francisco in making our arrangements
to make this city the centre of a whole week's sight-seeing that I do
not want to add to your other burdens the infliction of longer speech.
[Cries of "Go on!"] Right royally have you welcomed us with all that
is rich and prodigal in provision and display. With all graciousness
and friendliness I leave my heart with you when I go. [Great and
prolonged cheering.]

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, MAY 2.

Early Saturday morning, May 2, the President left San Francisco, accompanied by Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Dimmick, Secretary Rusk, Marshal Ransdell, and Major Sanger, to visit the capital city, Sacramento. They were met at Davisville by a special committee consisting of: Hon. Newton Booth, Hon. A. P. Catlin, Hon. W. C. Van Fleet, Col. J. B. Wright, Hon. J. O. Coleman, Maj. Wm. McLaughlin, Col. C. H. Hubbard, Hon. N. Curtis, Hon. Theo. Reichert, R. B. Harmon, and Hon. W. C. Hendricks.

A presidential salute at 8 o'clock announced the arrival of the Chief Magistrate, who was welcomed by Hon. W. D. Comstock, Mayor of the city, at the head of the following distinguished Committee of Reception: Hon. J. W. Armstrong, Prof. E. C. Atkinson, Hon. Frederick Cox, Edwin F. Smith, H. M. Larue, P. S. Lawson, W. A. Anderson, Wells Drury, C. K. McClatchy, Maj. H. Weinstock, A. A. Van Voorhies, A. S. Hopkins, T. W. Humphrey, Hon. F. R. Dray, Wm. Beckman, R. D. Stephens, W. P. Coleman, Dr. Wm. H. Baldwin, Allen Towle, Dr. G. L. Simmons, C. T. Wheeler, J. C. Pierson, W. H. H. Hart, A. Abbott, Chas. McCreary, Rev. Stephenson, T. M. Lindley, E. W. Roberts, Grove L. Johnson, Frank Miller, Dr. W. R. Cluness, H. W. Byington, Chris. Green, Clinton L. White, Alonzo R. Conklin, Wm. Geary, Gen. A. L. Hart, Dr. S. Bishop, L. Tozer, D. H. McDonald, L. W. Grothan, W. H. Ambrose, J. S. McMahon, Geo. W. Chesley, W. R. Strong, Rev. A. C. Herrick, T. M. Lindley, H. J. Small, Felix Tracy, C. A. Luhrs, Philip Scheld, Wm. Land, H. G. May, C. A. Jenkins, Geo. C. McMulle, Jabez Turner, M. A. Baxter, O. W. Erlewine, Albert Hart, L. Elkus, B. B. Brown, T. C. Adams, B. U. Steinman, G. W. Safford, W. D. Perkins, Ed. F. Taylor, A. J. Johnston, E. Greer, L. Mebus, W. E. Gerber, S. E. Carrington, E. C. Hart, Dr. M. Gardner, Dr. T. W. Huntington, Chris. Weisel, Joseph E. Werry, W. F. Knox, E. W. Hale, Dr. G. M. Dixon, W. O. Bowers, Geo. W. Hancock, E. G. Blessing, A. J. Rhoads, R. S. Carey, E. B. Willis, Jud C. Brusie, T. L. Enright, V. S. McClatchy, Wm. J. Davis, Dr. J. R. Laine, Geo. M. Mott, Harrison Bennett, R. M. Clarken, Jerry Paine, J. W. Wilson, John Weil, Gen. J. G. Martine, H. B. Neilson, Chas. M. Campbell, M. S. Hammer, J. M. Avery, Dr. H. L. Nichols, W. W. Cuthbert, James I. Felter, R. H. Singleton, E. M. Luckett, L. L. Lewis, C. S. Houghton, C. A. Yoerk, T. H. Berkey, P. Herzog, M. J. Dillman, Robert T. Devlin, A. Poppert, J. L. Huntoon, Capt. Wm. Siddons, Maj. W. A. Gett, C. J. Ellia, F. W. Fratt, Judge H. O. Beatty, W. A. Curtis, H. A. Guthrie, Thomas Scott, Benj. Wilson, Chas. Wieger, H. Fisher, C. H. Gilman, W. L. Duden, S. S. Holl, J. Frank Clark, H. G. Smith, L. Williams, John Gruhler, F. A. Jones, R. J. Van Voorhies, James Woodburn, Samuel Gerson, M. A. Burke, C. C. Bonte, Lee Stanley, Perrin Stanton, A. Mazzini, John F. Slater, J. E. Burke, Capt. J. H. Roberts, Thos. Geddes, S. L. Richards, M. M. Drew, Gen. Geo. B. Cosbey, J. F. Linthicum, J. N. Larkin, Richard Burr, and Samuel Lavenson.

The march from the depot to the Capitol grounds was one continuous ovation. The veterans of Warren, Sumner, and Fair Oaks posts, G. A. R., acted as an escort of honor. The militia was commanded by Gen. T. W. Sheehan. More than 30,000 people witnessed or participated in the demonstration. As the President passed Pioneer Hall he halted the column to receive the greetings of the venerable members of the Sacramento Society. Governor Markham delivered an eloquent address, reciting the discovery of gold in California, reviewing the President's tour through the State, and bidding him "good-by and God-speed." Ex-Governor Booth and Secretary Rusk also made short speeches. Postmaster-General Wanamaker was detained at San Francisco, inspecting sites for a new post-office. His absence was a disappointment to the postal employees, who sent him a silver tablet, the size of a money-order, engraved with their compliments, as a memento.

The President's address was as follows:

_Governor Markham and Fellow-citizens_--Our eyes have rested upon no
more beautiful or impressive sight since we entered California. This
fresh, delightful morning, this vast assemblage of contented and happy
people, this building, dedicated to the uses of civil government--all
things about us tend to inspire our hearts with pride and with
gratitude.

Gratitude to that overruling Providence that turned hither after the
discovery of this continent the steps of those who had the capacity to
organize a free representative government.

Gratitude to that Providence that has increased the feeble colonies
on an inhospitable coast to these millions of prosperous people, who
have found another sea and populated its sunny shores with a happy and
growing people. [Applause.]

Gratitude to that Providence that led us through civil strife to
a glory and a perfection of unity as a people that was otherwise
impossible.

Gratitude that we have to-day a Union of free States without a slave
to stand as a reproach to that immortal declaration upon which our
Government rests. [Cheers.]

Pride that our people have achieved so much; that, triumphing over
all the hardships of those early pioneers, who struggled in the face
of discouragement and difficulties more appalling than those that met
Columbus when he turned the prows of his little vessels toward an
unknown shore; that, triumphing over perils of starvation, perils of
savages, perils of sickness, here on the sunny slope of the Pacific
they have established civil institutions and set up the banner of the
imperishable Union. [Cheers.]

Every Californian who has followed in their footsteps, every man and
woman who is to-day enjoying the harvest of their endeavors, should
always lift his hat to the pioneer of '49. [Cheers.]

We stand here at the political centre of a great State, in this
building where your lawmakers assemble, chosen by your suffrages
to execute your will in framing those rules of conduct which shall
control the life of the citizen. May you always find here patriotic,
consecrated men to do your work. May they always assemble here with a
high sense of duty to those brave, intelligent, and honorable people.
May they catch the great lesson of our Government, that our people
need only such regulation as shall restrain the ill-disposed and shall
give the largest liberty to individual enterprise and effort. [Cheers.]

No man is gifted with speech to describe the beauty and the
impressiveness of this great occasion. I am awed in this presence.
I bow reverently to this great assembly of free, intelligent,
enterprising American sovereigns. [Cheers.]

I am glad to have this hasty glimpse of this early centre of
immigration. I am glad to stand at the place where that momentous
event, the discovery of gold, transpired, and yet, after you have
washed your sand of gold, after the eager rush for sudden wealth,
after all this you have come into a heritage in the possession of
these fields, in those enduring and inexhaustible treasures of your
soil, which will perpetually sustain a great population.

In parting, sir [to the Governor], to you as the representative of
this people I give the most hearty thanks of all who journey with me
and my own for the early, continuous, kindly, yea, even affectionate
attention which has followed us in all our footsteps through
California. [Great cheering.]

BENICIA, CALIFORNIA, MAY 2.

On leaving Sacramento the President made a brief stop at Benicia, where a large crowd greeted him, including the school children, who bombarded him with flowers. The welcoming committee was D. M. Hart, President of the Board of Trustees; A. Dalton, Jr., S. C. Gray, and W. H. Foreman.

In response to calls for a speech the President said:

_My Friends_--I thank you most sincerely for this pleasant tribute
which I have received from these children. It is a curious thing,
perhaps, that among the earliest towns that became familiar to me in
my younger days was Benicia. In 1857, when the United States sent an
armed expedition to Utah, and thence across the continent, I happened
to have an elder and much-beloved brother who was a lieutenant in that
campaign. He was stationed at Benicia Barracks, and his letters from
this place have fixed it in my memory, and recalls to me, as I stand
here this morning, very tender memories of one who has long since gone
to his rest. I thank you again for this demonstration.

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, MAY 2.

_State University._

The President arrived at West Berkeley station at 1 o'clock and was met by the Berkeley Reception Committee, consisting of C. R. Lord, J. L. Scotchler, R. Rickard, E. F. Neihauser, Samuel Heywood, C. Gaines, J. S. Eastman, John Squires, F. B. Cone, Chris. Johnson, John Finn, George Schmidt, L. Gottshall, A. F. Fonzo, H. W. Taylor, and C. E. Wulferdingen. A procession was formed, and amid thousands of enthusiastic onlookers the party was driven to the State University. At the main entrance the President found the Faculty, the University Battalion, and about 1,000 other people awaiting his coming. Acting President Kellogg briefly welcomed the distinguished guest.

The President, standing with uncovered head in the carriage, spoke as follows:

It gives me great pleasure even to inspect these grounds
and the exterior of these buildings devoted to education. Our
educational institutions, beginning with the primary common schools
and culminating in the great universities of the land, are the
instrumentalities by which the future citizens of this country are
to be trained in the principles of morality and in the intellectual
culture which will fit them to maintain, develop, and perpetuate what
their fathers have begun.

I am glad to receive your welcome, and only regret that it is
impossible for me to make a closer observation of your work. I unite
with you in mourning the loss which has come to you in the death of
Professor Le Conte. I wish for the institution and for those who are
called here to train the young the guidance and blessing of God in all
their endeavors.

_Institute of the Dumb and Blind._

Leaving the University the President was rapidly driven through a beautiful residence district and entered the grounds of the California Institute of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Before the great edifice stood the teachers: G. B. Goodall, T. D'Estrella, T. Grady, F. O'Donnell, Henry Frank, Douglas Kieth, C. T. Wilkinson, N. F. Whipple, Mary Dutch, Laura Nourse, Elizabeth Moffitt, Rose Sedgwick, Otto Fleissner, and Charles S. Perry. Assembled on the green were more than 200 afflicted little ones. The blind welcomed the President with their sympathetic voices, the dumb looked upon him and smiled, while the deaf waved their little hands with joy. Superintendent Wilkinson in an address warmly thanked the party for their visit.

The President, responding, said:

It gives me great pleasure to stop for a moment at one of these
institutions so characteristic of our Christian civilization. In
the barbarous ages of the world the afflicted were regarded by
superstition unhelpful, or treated with cruel neglect; but in this
better day the States are everywhere making magnificent provision for
the comfort and education of the blind and deaf and dumb.

Where one avenue to the mind has been closed science is opening
another. The eye does the work of the ear, the finger the work of
the tongue for the dumb, and touch becomes sight to the blind. I am
sure that gladness has come to all these young hearts through the
benevolent, careful, and affectionate instruction they are receiving
here. I thank you, and wish all of you the utmost happiness through
life.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, MAY 2.

Leaving the Asylum for the Blind the presidential party was driven rapidly to Oakland, passing through the suburban town of Temescal, where a large crowd, including several hundred school children, greeted the distinguished visitors. The President was accompanied by Mayor Melvin Chapman and the following members of the Oakland Reception Committee: Ex-Mayor John R. Glascock, Hon. Geo. E. Whitney, Senator W. E. Dargie, J. G. McCall, A. C. Donnell, T. C. Coogan, John P. Irish, Hon. E. S. Denison, C. D. Pierce, J. W. McClymonds, W. D. English, H. M. Sanborn, M. J. Keller, J. F. Evans, A. W. Bishop, W. W. Foote, Robert McKillican, Charles G. Yale, G. W. McNear, W. R. Thomas, C. B. Evans, and Maj. F. R. O'Brien.