Chapter XXI: Part 21

Arrived at the station the President and his party were met and welcomed by Mayor R. C. Cushing at the head of the following committee of prominent citizens: Hon. E. S. Dundy, E. Wakely, T. J. Mahoney, Dr. J. E. Summers, L. Berka, W. J. Broatch, Fred Metz, T. L. Kimball, G. M. Hitchcock, J. A. Creighton, J. F. Coad, C. V. Gallagher, Herman Kountze, W. A. Paxton, C. S. Chase, G. W. Lininger, Lee Hartley, Amos Field, H. G. Burt, G. W. Holdrege, J. E. Kinney, Edward Rosewater, M. V. Gannon, W. A. L. Gibbon, Henry Pundt, J. B. Furay, J. T. Clarke, E. A. Cudahy, J. O. Phillippi, F. P. Hanlon, B. S. Baker, John Peters, W. H. Alexander, Brad Slaughter, W. N. Nason, Euclid Martin, Henry Yates, J. L. McCague, J. A. Wakefield, C. L. Chaffee, Julius Meyer, C. E. Burmester, L. R. Rosaker, James Stephenson, J. M. Woolworth, Charles Ogden, J. S. Webster, Col. Dudley Evans, Richard Smith, L. D. Fowler, G. M. Nattinger, J. W. Eller, Simon Bloom, H. H. Benson, Capt. R. S. Wilcox, S. Adamsky, J. A. Cusadore, O. G. Decker, Charles L. Thomas, M. J. Feenan, Frank Moores, General Brooke and staff, and the following city officials: C. S. Goodrich, John Rush, Lee Helsley, W. S. Shoemaker, Silas Cobb, John Groves, Geo. W. Tillson, P. W. Birkhauser, Geo. C. Whitlock, Geo. L. Dennis, A. B. Howatt, Clark Gapan, J. J. Galligan, Wilber S. Seavey, James Flannery, H. L. Rammacciotti, James Gilbert, Thomas J. McLean, J. H. Standeven, Thomas Riley, Thomas Bermingham, Fred Hickstein, Peter A. Welch, and Frank R. Morrisey.

The ladies on the Reception Committee were Mrs. Alvin Saunders, Mrs. General Brooke, Mrs. General Wheaton, Mrs. Judge Dundy, Mrs. Clark Woodman, Mrs. H. W. Yates, Mrs. E. Rosewater, Mrs. S. S. Caldwell, and Mrs. Geo. M. O'Brien.

An imposing procession, conducted by Chief Marshal C. F. Weller, assisted by Jacob Fawcett and Capt. Geo. Porter, escorted the presidential party to the pavilion near the Court House, from whence the President reviewed the column, headed by the Second Regiment U.S. Infantry. General Frederick, Col. M. V. Sheridan, Colonel Turson, General Mulcahy, Captain Morseman, Major Potwin, Colonel Curtis, Colonel Strong, Captain Richardson, Captain Rhodes, Captain Stickle, Major Luddington, Lieutenant Jensen, Lieutenant Korty, and other members of the Loyal Legion, awaited the Commander-in-Chief at the pavilion, around which a vast concourse assembled. Mayor Cushing made the welcoming address.

When the demonstration subsided President Harrison responded as follows:

_Mr. Mayor and Fellow-citizens_--I can accept without question
and with very deep gratitude these cordial words of welcome which
you have spoken on behalf of the people of this great city. Twice
before it has been my pleasure to spend a brief time in this great
commercial metropolis of the great Valley of the Missouri. I have had
opportunity, therefore, to witness the rapid development which your
city has made. I recollect it as I saw it in 1881, and as I see it
to-day I feel that I need to be told where I am. [Applause and cheers.]

These magnificent structures dedicated to commerce, these
magnificent churches lifting their spires toward the heavens, these
many school-houses consecrated to the training of those who shall
presently stand in our places to be responsible for these our public
institutions, these great stock-yards, where the meat product of the
great meat-producing States of the Missouri Valley is prepared for
market, and, above all and crowning all, these thousands of happy,
comfortable homes which characterize and constitute your great city
are a marvel and tribute to the enterprise and power of development of
the American people, unsurpassed, I think, by any city in the United
States. [Cheers.]

As I turn my face now toward Washington, as I hasten on to take up
public duties partially laid aside during this journey, I rejoice to
receive here in Omaha that same kindly greeting with which we were
welcomed as we journeyed from Washington through the South to the
Pacific. If anything were needed to call for a perfect surrender
of all personal thought in an absolute consecration of public duty
to the general good of all our people, I have found it in these
magnificent demonstrations. [Cheers.] We shall always have parties--it
is characteristic of free people--we need to have party divisions,
debate, and political contention; but it is pleasant to observe in all
this journey we have taken how large a stock of common patriotism we
find in all the people. [Cheers.]

You have here in Nebraska a State of magnificent capabilities. I
have seen the orange grove, and all those fruits which enrich and
characterize the State of California. I have seen Leadville, the
summit city, these mining camps upon the peaks where men are delving
into the earth to bring out the riches stored there, but I return
again to the land of the cornstalk with an affection that I cannot
describe. [Cheers.]

I am sure these friends who have delighted us with the visions
of loveliness and prosperity will excuse me if my birth and early
training in Ohio and Indiana leads me to the conclusion that the
States that raise corn are the greatest States in the world. [Cheers.]

We have a surplus production in these great valleys for which we
must seek foreign markets. It is pleasant to know that 90 per cent.
or more of our agricultural productions are consumed by our own
people. I do not know how soon it may be that we shall cease to be
dependent upon any foreign market for our farm products. With the
rapid development which is being made in manufacturing pursuits, with
the limitation which the rapid occupation of our public domain now
brings to our minds as to the increase of agriculture, it cannot be a
very distant day when the farmer shall realize the ideal condition and
find a market out of his own farm wagon for what he produces.

It has been a source of constant thought and zealous effort on the
part of the Administration at Washington to secure larger foreign
markets for our farm products. I rejoice that in the last two years
some of those obstructions which hindered the free access of our
meat products to American markets have been removed. I rejoice to
know that we have now freer, larger access for our meats to the
markets of England and of Europe than we have had in many years.
[Applause.] I rejoice to know that this has brought better prices to
the stock-raisers of these great western valleys. I believe, under the
provision looking to reciprocal trade in the law of the last Congress,
that we shall open yet larger and nearer markets for the products of
Nebraska farmers. [Cheers.] So distant as you are from the Atlantic
seaboard, it may have seemed to you that your interest in the revival
of our trade, in the re-establishment of an American merchant marine,
was not perceptible or direct.

Not long since an inquiry was made as to the origin of the freight
that was carried by one of the Brazilian steamers from the port of New
York, and it was found that twenty-five States had made contribution
to that cargo, and among those States was the State of Nebraska.
[Cheers.] And so by such methods as we can it is our purpose to
enlarge our foreign markets for the surplus productions of our great
country. And we hope--and we think this hope fills the great West as
well as the East--that when this increased traffic and commerce is
found upon the sea it shall be carried in American bottoms. [Cheers.]

A few days ago, sailing in the harbor of San Francisco, I saw three
great deep-water ships enter the Golden Gate. One carried the flag of
Hawaii and two the British flag, and at Portland they took the pains
to tow up from the lower harbor and to deck in bunting an American
ship that was lying in the harbor. It was a curious sight--one they
thought important to exhibit to strangers visiting that city. Why,
my countrymen, I hope the day is not far distant when the sight of
great American ships flying the Stars and Stripes at the fore will be
familiar not only in our own ports, but in every busy mart of commerce
the world around. [Cheers.]

This Government of ours cannot do everything for everybody. The
theory of our Government is large individual liberty. It is that we
shall take out of the way all legislative obstructions to the free and
honest pursuit of all human industries; that each individual shall in
his own place have the best chance possible to develop the highest
prosperity for himself and his family.

Some functions are lodged with our Government. It must provide a
currency for the use of our people, for I believe the time has gone
by when we will be content to return to the old system of an issue
of money by State banks. But I will not discuss such questions. I
only desire to say this--which is common ground upon which we can all
stand--that whatever money the Government issues, paper or coin, must
be good money. [Cheers.]

I have an idea that every dollar we issue should be as good as any
dollar we issue, for, my countrymen, whenever we have any money, paper
or coin, the first errand that dollar does is to pay some workingman
for his daily toil. No one so much as the laboring man and the farmer
requires a full value dollar of permanent value the year around.
[Cheers.]

But, my countrymen, I had not intended to speak so long. I hope
I have not intruded upon any ground of division. I am talking, not
as a partisan, but as an American citizen, desiring by every method
to enhance the prosperity of all our people; to have this great
Government in all that it undertakes touch with beneficence and equal
hands the pursuits of the rich and of the poor. [Cheers.] Nothing
has been so impressive in all this journey as the magnificent spirit
of patriotism which pervades our people. I have seen enough American
flags to wrap the world around. [Great applause and cheers.]

The school children have waved it joyously to us, and many a time
in some lonesome country home on the bleak sand I have seen a man or
woman or a little boy come to the door of a cabin as we hurried by
waving the starry banner in greeting to our train. I am sure, as your
Mayor has said, that this same magnificent, patriotic, American spirit
pervades you all here to-day.

God bless you all; prosper you in every endeavor; give glory and
increase to your city, and settle all its institutions upon a secure
basis of social order and obedience to the law. [Great cheering.]

_At the High-School Grounds._

On concluding the formal reception the President and his party became the guests of Hon. E. Rosewater, editor and proprietor of the Omaha _Daily Bee_, and after inspecting the editorial rooms the President held a reception in the rotunda of the _Bee_ building. This was followed by a ride over the city, escorted by the Reception Committee. As the _cortége_ passed the High-School grounds 20,000 children and adults gave the President a most patriotic greeting.

Halting in front of the building, the President arose in his carriage and said:

It gives me great pleasure to receive this cordial greeting from
the teachers and pupils of the Omaha public schools. The most
pleasant features of this journey have been the beautiful and cordial
receptions given us by the school children. I am pleased to notice the
magnificent system of schools you have here in Omaha--part of a system
that had its origin in New England and now extends over this entire
country, the mainstay of this great Government. A number of years ago
I was standing upon the banks of the headwaters of the Missouri River,
where its waters are pure and limpid, but after passing through the
bad lands of Dakota the waters of the mighty river become contaminated
and impure, as you see it rolling by your beautiful city. Let me hope
that none of you, my little friends, will ever become tainted by
contact with the bad lands of experience as you journey through life
on to manhood and womanhood. God bless you all; good-by.

At the conclusion of these remarks General Harrison was apprised that a mistake had been made in halting at the entrance, as the children were unable to either hear or see him. Upon learning this the President immediately alighted and made his way with some difficulty to the platform, where he addressed the children, saying:

_My Little Friends_--You do not feel half as badly as I do at the
thought that I made my speech intended for you to your papas and
mammas. I have not the time to attempt to repeat it, but I can't get
away without telling you of the affectionate interest I have in all
the children of this great country. Bless you--you are the blossoms of
our homes. With a good-by and another God bless you I am off. [Great
cheering.]

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA, MAY 13.

A short stop was made at Council Bluffs, where several thousand people greeted the party. Owing to the brief time allowed by the schedule no committees were appointed, but the veterans of Abe Lincoln Post, G. A. R., Dr. F. S. Thomas Commander, greeted the party. Hon. Joseph R. Reed made a brief welcoming address.

The President, responding, said:

_My Friends_--It gives me great pleasure to thank you for this
cordial greeting as we cross the river. I was not anticipating a
meeting here or any call for an address. I see about me some of my old
comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, and I want to give them a
comrade's greeting. I have seen them everywhere; even out on the sands
of Arizona I found them gathered together, and it has always been a
pleasure to meet them. [Cheers.]

SHENANDOAH, IOWA, MAY 13.

The town of Shenandoah was illuminated in honor of the President's visit. The travellers were welcomed by Mayor H. S. Nichols, Hon. Benjamin Todd, C. M. Conway, W. H. Harrison, R. W. Morse, C. S. Keenan, Capt. C. V. Mount, and the veterans of Burnside Post, G. A. R., commanded by C. P. Coleneous.

The President, responding to cheers from the large crowd, said:

_My Friends_--It gives me great pleasure to see you and to receive
from you this hearty greeting. Our schedule is so close that we can
tarry only a moment with you, and therefore I can only say thank you
and good-by. [Cheers.]

MARYVILLE, MISSOURI, MAY 13.

It was 11 P.M. when the train made its first stop in Missouri, at Maryville, where an unusually large crowd greeted the President. The welcoming committee consisted of Judge Lafayette Dawson, Ira K. Alderman, James Todd, W. C. Pierce, H. E. Robinson, and Lyman Parcher.

When the cheering subsided President Harrison said:

_My Friends_--This multitude is a great surprise. I have already
spoken six or seven times to-day, and am very much fatigued, so that
I shall not attempt to speak. Indeed, my time is so close that I can
tarry but a moment. But I would be untrue to myself if I did not
acknowledge this most magnificent demonstration. I thank you most
sincerely for your kindness and bid you good-night.

HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, MAY 14.

About the earliest reception on the great journey occurred at Hannibal, which was reached at 5:30 the morning of the 14th. Notwithstanding the hour, 5,000 people gave the President an enthusiastic welcome. Secretary Rusk and Postmaster-General Wanamaker appeared on the platform with General Harrison. The Reception Committee comprised Capt. John E. Catlett, C. P. Heywood, J. J. Kirkland, Smith Alexander, Lewis Jackson, W. H. Dulany, Edward Price, S. J. Miller, James C. Gill, J. H. McVeigh, John T. Leighter, J. H. Pelhem, W. E. Chamberlain, J. H. Boughton, Thomas H. Bacon, G. O. Bishop, S. W. Philips, and W. F. Drescher. The veterans of W. T. Sherman Post, G. A. R., W. H. Davis Commander, and several hundred school children were conspicuous in the reception.

President Harrison spoke as follows:

_My Fellow-citizens_--I have only time to assure you that I
appreciate very highly this evidence of your respect. We have
extended our journey to the Pacific coast: we have crossed the sandy
plain, where for days together the eye saw little to refresh it,
where the green of the blue grass that is so restful to the eye was
wanting, and yet again and again at some lone station in the desert
a few children from a school and some of the enterprising people who
had pushed out there to make new homes assembled with this old banner
in their hands and gave us a hearty American welcome. I am glad to
return to this central body of States in which I was raised; glad
to be again in the land of the buckeye, the beech, and the maple.
To these dear children I want to say one word of thanks. They have
done for us much on this journey to make it pleasant; their bright
faces have cheered us; I love to see them. The care the States are
taking for their education is wisely bestowed. God bless them all;
open to their feet pleasant ways and qualify them better than we have
been in our generation to uphold and perpetuate these magnificent
civil institutions. Thanking you most sincerely for this kindly
demonstration I bid you good-by. [Great cheers.]

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, MAY 14.

_At the Tomb of Lincoln._

Brief stops were made at Barry, Baylis, Griggsville, and Jacksonville, but not long enough for speech-making. Thousands of visitors from neighboring towns helped the people of Springfield welcome the President on his arrival at 9:15 o'clock. The Committee of Reception that met the presidential party and escorted them through the principal streets to the Lincoln Monument in Oak Ridge Cemetery consisted of the Hon. Joseph W. Fifer, Governor of Illinois; Senator Shelby M. Cullum, Senator John M. Palmer, ex-Governor Oglesby, Representatives Henderson and Springer, Lieut.-Gov. L. B. Ray, Secretary of State J. N. Pearson, Auditor of State C. W. Pavey, Treasurer of State E. S. Wilson, Atty.-Gen. George Hunt, Adjt-Gen. J. W. Vance, Hon. Rheuna D. Lawrence, Mayor of Springfield, and Hon. James C. Conkling; also, Hon. John M. Clark and Col. E. D. Swain, of Chicago.

The procession, composed of Illinois National Guards, veterans of the G. A. R., Sons of Veterans, Knights of Pythias, and the City Fire Department, was marshalled by Gen. Jasper N. Reese, assisted by Col. J. H. Barkley. During the exercises at the monument Mayor Lawrence presided. Governor Fifer delivered an eloquent address of welcome, to which the President made the following response:

_Governor Fifer and Fellow-citizens_--During this extended journey,
in the course of which we have swept from the Atlantic coast to the
Golden Gate, and northward to the limits of our territory, we have
stood in many spots of interest and looked upon scenes that were full
of historical associations and of national interest and inspiration.
The interest of this journey culminates to-day as we stand here for
a few moments about the tomb of Lincoln. As I passed through the
Southern States and noticed those great centres of busy industry which
had been builded since the war, as I saw how the fires of furnaces had
been kindled where there was once a solitude, I could not then but
think and say that it was the hand that now lies beneath these stones
that kindled and inspired all that we beheld; all these fires of
industry were lighted at the funeral pyre of slavery. The proclamation
of Abraham Lincoln can be read on all those mountain sides where free
men are now bending their energies to the development of States that
had long been under the paralysis of human slavery.

I come to-day to this consecrated and sacred spot with a heart
filled with emotions of gratitude that that God who wisely turned
toward our Eastern shores a body of God-fearing and liberty-loving men
to found this republic did not fail to find for us in the hour of our
extremity one who was competent to lead the hearts and sympathies and
hold up the courage of our people in the time of our greatest national
peril.

The life of Abraham Lincoln teaches more useful lessons than any
other character in American history. Washington stands remote from us.
We think of him as dignified and reserved, but we think of Lincoln
as one whose tender touch the children, the poor--all classes of our
people--felt at their firesides and loved. The love of our people
is drawn to him because he had such a great heart--such a human
heart. The asperities and hardships of his early life did not dull,
but broadened and enlivened, his sympathies. That sense of justice,
that love of human liberty which dominated all his life, is another
characteristic that our people will always love. You have here in
keeping a most precious trust. Toward this spot the feet of the
reverent patriots of the years to come will bend their way. As the
story of Lincoln's life is read his virtues will mould and inspire
many lives.

I have studied it and have been filled with wonder and admiration.
His life was an American product; no other soil could have produced
it. The greatness of it has not yet been fully discovered or measured.
As the inner history of the times in which he lived is written we find
how his great mind turned and moved, in time of peril and delicacy,
the affairs of our country in their home and foreign relations with
that marvellous tact, with that never-failing common-sense which
characterized this man of the people. And that impressive lesson we
have here this morning. I see in the military uniform of our country,
standing as guards about this tomb, the sons of a race that had been
condemned to slavery and was emancipated by his immortal proclamation.
And what an appropriate thing it is that these whose civil rights were
curtailed even in this State are now the trusted, affectionate guards
of the tomb in which he sleeps!

We will all again and again read the story of Lincoln's life, and
will find our hearts and minds enlarged, our loves and our charities
broadened, and our devotion to the Constitution, the flag, and the
free Government which he preserved to us, intensified. And now,
my friends, most cordially do I thank you for these kind words of
welcome. I shall go from this tomb impressed with new thoughts as to
the responsibilities of those who bear the responsibilities, though in
less troublous times, of that great man to whose memory my soul bows
this morning. [Applause.]

_At the State House._

When the President closed he was presented by Governor Fifer, on behalf of the citizens of Petersburg, Ill., with a gold-headed cane made from the Lincoln store building at New Salem. Speeches were made by Postmaster-General Wanamaker and Secretary Rusk, during which the President and Governor Fifer proceeded to the State House, where a large crowd collected and the President made the following address:

_My Fellow-citizens_--I feel that we make a very poor return to you
here for your cordial welcome, and for these extensive preparations
which you have made to do us honor, but this journey has been so
long, the time consumed already so great, the demand for my presence
in Washington is such that I cannot protract the stay here with you
this morning. I beg all to believe that most heartily and sincerely I
thank you for this cordial welcome from Illinois, for the interesting
moments that we have spent about the tomb of that man who would have
made the fame of Illinois imperishable and Springfield the Mecca for
patriotic feet if no other man in the history of the State had ever
come to eminence--Abraham Lincoln. [Cheers.] In his life you have a
treasury of instruction for your children, a spring of inspiration for
your people that will be lasting. [Cheers.]

DECATUR, ILLINOIS, MAY 14.

Decatur tendered the President an enthusiastic greeting. Ten thousand citizens and school children participated in the welcoming demonstrations. The Committee of Reception consisted of Mayor Chambers, Hon. S. S. Jack, Hon. W. C. Johns, Dr. John T. Hubbard, Dr. William A. Barnes, W. H. Bramble, Maj. F. L. Hays, M. F. Kanan, Mrs. W. B. Chambers, Mrs. J. M. Clokey, Mrs. W. F. Calhoun, and Miss Belle Burrows. Hon. J. H. Rowell, of Bloomington, was also a member of the committee.

In response to Mayor Chambers' welcoming address President Harrison said:

_Mr. Mayor and Fellow-citizens_--We have been now something
more than four weeks traversing this broad and beautiful domain
which, without regard to State lines, we call our country. We have
passed with such rapidity that our intercourse with the people has
necessarily been brief and attended by many inconveniences to them.
Everything that kind hearts could do to make the trip pleasant to us
has been done, and yet I have always felt that our hasty call at these
prosperous cities where so much pains have been taken in decoration
to do honor to us gives us opportunity to make very inadequate
returns to them. We have been shooting like a meteor as to rapidity,
but without its luminosity. [Laughter.] It is very pleasant after
seeing California, Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado, States in which the
annual rainfall is inadequate to the annual crops, and where the
dependence of the husbandman is wholly upon irrigation, to come again
in these Central States, familiar to me from my boyhood, to see crops
that the Lord waters in every season. The land of the blue grass is
the land of my love. Nowhere can there be seen fairer landscapes,
nowhere richer farms, than here in your own great State of Illinois,
a State whose history has been full of illustrious achievements, rich
in possibilities, where lived our illustrious sons; a State whose
population is intelligent, contented, orderly, and liberty-loving; a
State whose development has not yet begun to approach its possible
limits; a State having advantages by the location, swept as it is by
two of the great waterways of the continent, advantages of access
and markets by lake and rail and river unexcelled by any State in
the Union; a State that has not forgotten that the permanence of
our free institutions depends upon the intelligence of the people,
and has carefully, at the very beginning, laid a foundation for a
common-school system in which every man's child may have a free
education. [Cheers.] These are not simply schools of intelligence,
but, as I have said before, they are schools of statesmanship. They
tend as much as any other public institution to make our people a
Nation of loving people. Here on these benches and on this playground
the people of rich and poor mingle together, and the pampered son gets
his airs rubbed off with the vigor of his playmates. ["That's so!"
and cheers.] Our Government does not undertake to regulate many of
the affairs of civil life. The bright blue sky of hope is above every
boy's head, affording great opportunities for advancement, and then
our people are left to themselves. Certain great duties are devolved
upon the Government--to provide revenue and finance and in every
branch of public interest to legislate in the general interests of all
the people. I thank you most heartily for this great demonstration. We
leave you with our thanks, our best wishes for your State, your city,
and especially for these dear little ones from your schools who come
to greet us. [Applause.]

TUSCOLA, ILLINOIS, MAY 14.

At Tuscola another large assemblage greeted the travellers most enthusiastically. The Committee of Reception consisted of Mayor Patrick C. Sloan, A. W. Wallace, J. J. Knox, Frank Pearce, Dr. S. V. Ramsey, O. H. Sloan, Hans Heurichs, A. C. Sluss, J. W. King, P. M. Moore, D. A. Conover, and Col. W. Taggart.

In response to a hasty but cordial welcome from Mayor Sloan the President said:

_My Fellow-citizens_--It is very kind of you to assemble here in
such large numbers to extend to us a greeting as we hurry through your
beautiful State. We can tarry with you but for a moment, for we are in
true sense pilgrims. It is pleasant to look in your faces and to read
there the same kindly thoughts and the same friendliness that seems
to have covered this whole land as we have journeyed through it. I do
not like to say anything anywhere that makes a line of division; for I
know that these assemblages are without regard to politics, and that
men of all parties have extended to us a cordial greeting. The flag,
the institutions, and the general good of our people are themes which
we appreciate, are themes which we honor, though we may approach them
on different lines. I am glad to notice as I journey through your
State the evidences of a coming harvest that I hope will be bountiful.
Wishing for you every good, I bid you good-by. [Cheers.]

CHRISMAN, ILLINOIS, MAY 14.

At Chrisman the President met with another hearty welcome. More than 6,000 people were present, many coming from Paris, Danville, and other neighboring points. The Reception Committee consisted of J. F. Van Voorhees, C. E. Kenton, C. A. Smith, and Revs. Wiley and Wilkin. Kenesaw Post, G. A. R., of Paris, Ill., J. M. Moody Commander, and a number of veterans from Ridge Farm were present.

Mr. Van Voorhees introduced the President, who spoke as follows:

_My Friends_--I have but one message for all these vast assemblies
of my fellow-citizens who have been greeting us for something more
than a month at every point where we have stopped. That message is
to thank you for all these greetings and for the friendliness which
shines in your faces. I am glad this is a Government by the people,
because they are the most capable governors that can be found. No
man can traverse this country, as I have done, from the Potomac to
the Golden Gate and from the Golden Gate to the cities that open on
Puget Sound, to the great North Sea, and can look into the faces
of these people that come from every pursuit, without feeling that
this Government, raised upon the bulwark of patriotism, is, by God's
goodness, a perpetual institution. The patriotism of our people, their
unselfish love for the flag, the great good-nature with which they lay
aside all sharp party divisions and come together under one banner,
is very gratifying to us all. Our trip has been attended by many
incidents that have been full of pleasure and sometimes full of pathos.

We have never lost sight of the flag in all this journey. Sometimes
out on the Great American Desert, as it used to be called, where
nothing but the sage brush gave evidence of the power of nature to
clothe the earth, from a little dug-out, where some man had set out to
make a home for himself, would float the starry banner. [Cheers.]

This is a great country, girded around by the Grand Army of the
Republic. I have never been out of the fellowship of that great
organization. I have never stopped on all this trip but some comrade
did not stretch up his hand to greet me. I have evidence that some
of you are here to-day in this great State, such a magnificent
contribution to the Grand Army that they were. I am glad to see these
children. They have added grace and beauty to every meeting which we
have had in this long journey. Cherish it in your community--this most
beneficial institution--the common school of your State.

And now, thanking your kindly welcome, and sorry that we can tarry
for only these few minutes, I bid you good-by, and God bless you.
[Prolonged cheering.]

MONTEZUMA, INDIANA, MAY 14.

It was about 3 P.M. Thursday when the train crossed the Indiana line and arrived at Montezuma, where the President was met by a very large and enthusiastic delegation from Indianapolis, headed by Gov. Alvin P. Hovey, Mayor Thomas L. Sullivan, Gen. Lew Wallace, ex-Gov. Isaac P. Gray, Judge William A. Woods, ex-Senator McDonald, and Senator David Turpie. The escort from Indianapolis included representatives from 52 labor organizations, from each G. A. R. post in the city, and delegates from the Hendricks, Gray, Cleveland, Columbia, Marion, Metropolitan, and Tippecanoe clubs. The Montezuma committee consisted of Rev. Thomas Griffith, Joseph Burns, T. A. Welshan, J. E. Johnston, N. S. Wheeler, and H. B. Griffith.

No meeting could have been more cordial. Hon. James T. Johnston, of Rockville, in a few eloquent sentences welcomed the President and Mrs. Harrison on their home-coming.

The greeting overcame the President for a few moments, and he was unable to respond to the demand for a speech at any length. He said:

_My Friends_--We have had a long journey, and one that has been
attended by a great many pleasant incidents. We have had cheers of
welcome reaching from our first stop, at Roanoke, Va., stretching
across the mountains of Tennessee and Northern Georgia and Alabama,
down through Arkansas and Texas, and along the Pacific coast.
Everywhere we have had the most cordial and kindly greeting; but as
I cross to-day the border line of Indiana and meet again these old
friends I find in your welcome a sweetness that exceeds it all.

At this point tears came to the President's eyes, and his utterance became so choked he could say no more.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, MAY 14.

Promptly on schedule time, at 4:45, the presidential train arrived at Indianapolis. Its approach was heralded by an artillery salute. The stay in the city was limited to forty-five minutes. The Escort and Reception Committee--in addition to the distinguished officials mentioned at Montezuma--consisted in part of the following prominent citizens: Hon. R. B. F. Peirce, Hon. C. W. Fairbanks, Rev. M. L. Haines, Daniel Stewart, Col. Eli Lilly, George L. Knox, George G. Tanner, President of the Board of Trade; W. D. Wiles, John W. Murphy, George E. Townley, Silas T. Bowen, W. B. Holton, John M. Shaw, Albert Gall, I. S. Gordon, John P. Frenzel, D. A. Richardson, W. F. C. Golt, Arthur Gillet, John H. Holliday, Dr. Henry Jameson, Robert Kipp, Thomas C. Moore, V. K. Hendricks, Charles E. Hall, Nathan Morris, E. E. Perry, Smiley N. Chambers, G. B. Thompson, Franklin Landers, and R. K. Syfers.

The preparations for the President's reception were upon an extensive scale; the business houses were covered with bunting, and pictures of the distinguished traveller were seen everywhere. Fully 50,000 people participated in the welcome home. A speakers' stand was erected in Jackson Place. The parade was a most successful feature of the demonstration; thousands of veterans, sons of veterans, and other citizens were in line. Gen. Fred Knefler was Marshal of the day, aided by the following staff: Major Holstein, George W. Spahr, J. Hauch, John V. Parker, J. B. Heywood, W. O. Patterson, Samuel Laing, J. A. Wildman, H. C. Adams, A. W. Hendricks, John W. Keeling, Charles Martindale, W. H. Tucker, J. M. Paver, H. C. Cale, Josh Zimmerman, T. S. Rollins, E. S. Kise, O. P. Ensley, Frank Sherfey, and Berry Robinson.

Cheer after cheer went up from the vast concourse as the President made his way to the stand, accompanied by Secretary Rusk, Postmaster-General Wanamaker, and the Escort Committee. It was a genuine Hoosier welcome. Governor Hovey made a brief but feeling address, welcoming the President's return with "pride and pleasure." Mayor Sullivan followed the Governor in a warm greeting on behalf of the citizens of Indianapolis.

President Harrison was visibly affected at the manifestations of love and esteem, and during the speech-making clearly betrayed the emotion he felt at the cordiality of his welcome. He spoke as follows:

_Governor Hovey, Mayor Sullivan and Friends_--I do not think I can
speak much to-day. The strain of this long journey, the frequent
calls that have been made upon me to speak to my fellow citizens from
Washington to the Golden Gate, from the Golden Gate to the Straits of
Fuca, and from the most northwestern portion of our territory here to
my own home, has left me somewhat exhausted in body and in mind, and
has made my heart so open to these impressions, as I greet my old home
friends, that I cannot, I fear, command myself sufficiently to speak
to you at any length. Our path has been attended by the plaudits of
multitudes; our way has been strewn with flowers; we have journeyed
through the orchards of California, laden with its golden fruit; we
have climbed to the summit of great mountains and have seen those
rich mines from which the precious metals are extracted; we have
dropped again suddenly into fruitful valleys, and our pathway has
been made glad by the cheerful and friendly acclaim of our American
fellow-citizens without regard to any party division [applause]; but
I beg to assure you that all the sweetness of the flowers that have
been showered upon us, that all the beauty of these almost tropical
landscapes upon which we have looked, that all the richness of these
precious mines sink into forgetfulness as I receive to day this
welcome from my old friends. [Great applause.] My manhood has known
no other home but this. It was the scene of my early struggles; it
has been the scene, and you have been the instruments and supporters
in every success I have achieved in life. I come to lay before you
to-day my thankful offering for your friendly helpfulness that was
extended to me as a boy and that has been mine in all the years of
our intercourse that have intervened until this hour. [Applause.]
I left you a little more than two years ago to take up the work of
the most responsible office in the world. I went to these untried
duties sustained by your helpful friendliness. I come to you again
after these two years of public office to confess many errors, but to
say to you that I have had but one thought in my mind. It was to use
whatever influence had been confided to me for the general good of all
our people. [Applause.] Our stay to-day is so brief that I must deny
myself the pleasure I would have in taking these old friends by the
hand. God bless you all. I have not forgotten, I can never forget,
Indianapolis. [Prolonged applause.] I look forward to it, if my life
shall be spared, as the city in which I shall rest when the hard work
of life is done. I rejoice in its increase, in its development as a
commercial centre. I love its homes, its people; and now if you will
pardon me the effort of further speech and believe me when I say this
is a most interesting and tender moment to me, allow me to say to you
for a time, God bless you every one and good-by. [Great cheering.]

RICHMOND, INDIANA, MAY 14.

At Richmond, Ind., a very large and enthusiastic assemblage cheered the President. The Reception Committee consisted of Mayor Perry J. Freeman, Hon. Henry U. Johnson, C. C. Binkley, John Harrington, Everett A. Richey, Andrew F. Scott, J. H. Macke, John H. Nicholson, Col. John F. Miller, Capt. J. Lee Yaryan, Dr. J. R. Weist, E. D. Palmer, H. C. Starr, Frank J. Brown, J. B. Howes, and Isaac Jenkins.

Congressman Johnson introduced the President, who said:

_My Fellow-citizens_--We are now about completing a very long
journey. For something more than four weeks we have been speeding
across the country, from the Potomac to the Golden Gate, and northward
along Puget Sound. The trip, while it has been full of pleasurable
incidents, while it has been attended with every demonstration of
friendliness and respect, has, as you can well understand, been full
of labor. I began this day--and it is only a sample of many--at 5
o'clock this morning, by speaking to my fellow-citizens at Hannibal,
Mo., and from that place to this I have been almost continuously on
my feet or shaking hands over this platform with friends who had
gathered there. We have seen regions that were new to me, people that
were strangers, and yet, throughout the whole of this journey we
have been pervaded, surrounded, inspired by the magnificent spirit
of American patriotism. [Cheers.] I come now to pass through my own
State. I have so often within the last two years been at Indianapolis
and passed through Richmond that I did not expect you would take any
special notice of our passage to-night. I am all the more gratified
that you should have surprised us by this magnificent demonstration.
As I had occasion to say at Indianapolis, the respect, the confidence,
the affectionate interest of my Indiana friends is more valuable
to me than anything else in life. I went from you two years ago to
new duties, borne down with a sense of the great responsibility
that was upon me, and I am glad to believe from what I see to-night
that I have at least saved the respect and friendship of my Indiana
fellow-citizens. [Cries of "That's so!" and cheers.] And now, as
I return again to labors and duties that are awaiting me, I leave
with you my most affectionate greeting and sincere desire for the
prosperity of Indiana and all its citizens. I hope that my life will
be spared to be once more a dweller in this great State. [Cheers.]

DAYTON, OHIO, MAY 14.

A great assembly, numbering over 10,000 people, greeted the President on arrival at Dayton, Ohio, at 9 o'clock. The veterans of "The Old Guard Post", Parker Rusby Commander, were present in a body; also many veterans from Dister Post, Hiram Strong Post, Birch, and Martin De Lancy posts, together with a large representation of the Sons of Veterans. Among the prominent citizens and ladies who received the presidential party were Mrs. W. D. Bickham, Miss Rebecca Strickel, Charles and Daniel Bickham, Hon. Ira Crawford, Hon. Washington Silzel, Wm. P. Callahan, Fred G. Withoft, Dr. J. M. Weaver, E. B. Lyon, Dr. J. S. Beck, C. M. Hassler, A. L. Bauman, Dr. Joseph E. Lowes, B. T. Guion, Henry Kissinger, Hon. Dennis Dwyer, E. F. Pryor, Charles P. Garman, D. K. Hassler, Charles Auderton, N. D. Bates, John A. Miller, John A. Bell, C. Y. Osborn, Joseph S. Crane, Ed. Best, Daniel E. Meade, Samuel Craighead, Warren Munger, H. C. Harries, G. C. Kennedy, William Craighead, A. A. Simonds, S. Brenner, D. F. Giddinger, Simon Gebhart, George La Rue, D. E. McSherry, Charles James John Patterson, Dr. J. A. Walters, and Rev. Dr. A. A. Willett.

The President's appearance was the signal for a prolonged outburst of patriotic feeling, in recognition and response to which he spoke as follows:

_My Fellow-citizens_--We have journeyed now about nine thousand
miles, and I have never been, in all this distance, out of sight of an
Ohio man. [Laughter and cheers.] Everywhere we have journeyed, whether
in the New South, awakening under the new influences of freedom to
an industrial life that was not possible under slavery; whether on
the deserts of Arizona or among the orange groves of California, or
in one of those wonderful States that have been builded within the
last few years on Puget Sound, some one, noting the fact that I was
Ohio-born, would claim kin-ship, and so far as I could judge, in my
limited observation of them, I think they carried the Ohio faculty
with them to their new homes of getting their fair share of things.
[Laughter and cheers.] I do most cordially thank you, citizens of
Dayton, for this pleasant and friendly demonstration. I cannot talk
long. This whole journey has been a succession of speeches. I have
come to think it must be tiresome to you to have one of my speeches
every morning with your breakfast coffee. [Cries of "No! no!" and
applause.] But it has been a most cheerful thing to me to observe
everywhere, even in those distant and sparsely settled regions of
the West, that the American flag was never out of sight. I do not
think I have ever lost sight of the Stars and Stripes since we left
Washington. [Cheers.] Several times we have been deeply touched as we
moved along over the sandy plains to see at some isolated and very
humble cabin a man or child step to the door and unfurl the Starry
Banner. [Cheers.] Everywhere I have met comrades of the Grand Army of
the Republic, everywhere the atmosphere seemed to be pervaded by a
magnificent spirit of Americanism. [Cheers.] We are one people--one
in our purposes, aims and lives; one in our fealty to the flag, the
Constitution, and the indissoluble Union of the States. [Cheers.]

Ohio has always maintained a magnificently conspicuous place in the
sisterhood of the States--peopled, as she was, by the great patriots
of the Revolutionary period; receiving, as she did, in this great
basin, that overspill of patriotism that moved toward the West after
the Revolutionary struggle was ended. She has given to the Government,
in army life and in the civil service, a magnificent galaxy of great
men. [Cheers.] In the hope that this journey, which has been full of
toil, may not prove unprofitable to the people, as it certainly has
not been unprofitable to me, I leave you to take up my public duties
with new encouragement and new resolves to do the best I can for all
the people. [Cheers.]

XENIA, OHIO, MAY 14.

It was nearly 10 o'clock when the city of Xenia was reached, but a large crowd greeted the tired travellers. A reception committee, consisting of Hon. Charles F. Howard, Mayor; Hon. John Little, Hon. N. A. Fulton, Hon. George Good, Charles L. Spencer, and F. E. James escorted the party from Dayton.

Judge Little introduced President Harrison, who said:

_My Friends_--I began my day's work at 5 o'clock and have already
made ten speeches, but I feel that a few spoken words are but small
return to those who have gathered to express their friendly regard. No
man is worthy to hold office in this Republic who does not sincerely
covet the good-will and respect of the people. The people may not
agree in their views on public questions, but while they have a great
many points of difference they have more of agreement, and I believe
we are all pursuing the same great end--the glory of our country, the
permanency of our institutions, and the general good of our people.
The springs of all good government--the most important things after
all--are in the local communities. In the townships, school districts,
and municipalities, there the utmost care should be taken. If their
affairs are wisely and economically administered, those of the State
and the Nation are sure to be. Upon these foundation stones the safety
of the Nation rests, and I am glad to know that so much careful
thought is being given to these questions by public men and the people
generally. Thanking you for your attendance and cordial greeting. I
bid you good-night. [Cheers.]

COLUMBUS, OHIO, MAY 14.

It lacked but fifteen minutes of midnight when the train rolled into the Union Depot at Columbus. Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour a fair-sized and enthusiastic crowd was present, including a number of G. A. R. veterans.

In response to repeated calls the President appeared, accompanied by Secretary Rusk, and said:

_My Fellow-citizens_--I left Hannibal, Mo., this morning at 6
o'clock, and have made twelve speeches to-day. You have been very
thoughtful to meet us here, and I know you will excuse me if I say
nothing more than I thank you. Good-night. [Applause.]

ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, MAY 15.

The last day of the long journey began with a speech at Altoona at 10 o'clock. Superintendent and Mrs. Theodore N. Eby joined the party here. The assemblage was a large one and the President shook hands with many until the crowd began calling for a speech.

Postmaster-General Wanamaker introduced the distinguished traveller, saying: "Outside of Indiana I think the President could not be more at home than he is in Pennsylvania, and he requires no introduction."

The President spoke as follows:

_My Friends_--The book has been closed. I have been talking so much
while on this trip that I am sure you will excuse me this morning. It
has been a delightful journey, yet we experienced, perhaps, that which
is the crowning joy of all trips--getting back home; that is the place
for us. [Cheers.] I am glad to have this greeting from my Pennsylvania
friends this morning. Mr. Wanamaker was not far wrong when he said
that after Indiana Pennsylvania was pretty close to me. It was in
one of these valleys, not very distant from your political Capitol,
that my mother was born and reared, and of course this State and this
section of Pennsylvania has always had a very dear interest for me.
[Cheers and great noise from steam being blown off at shops.] Of the
applause that we have enjoyed on this journey our reception here has
been the most original of all. [Prolonged cheering.]

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, MAY 15.

The arrival at Harrisburg at 1:15 P.M. was heralded by a presidential salute, and 10,000 cheers went up as the President emerged on the rear platform, accompanied by Secretary Rusk and Postmaster-General Wanamaker.

Among the prominent citizens who pressed forward to greet the travellers was his excellency Governor Pattison, Speaker Thompson, of the House of Representatives, Secretary of the Commonwealth Harrity, Adjutant-General McClelland, Hon. B. F. Meyers, Private Secretary Tate, and many members of the Legislature. The Governor's Troop, commanded by Lieutenant Ott, presented arms and Bugler Bierbower sounded the President's march as the Chief Magistrate appeared. Governor Pattison cordially welcomed the President and presented him to the great assemblage.

President Harrison closed his long series of brilliant and interesting addresses in the following words:

_Governor Pattison and Fellow citizens_--I thank you for the
courtesy of this reception at the political centre of the great
State of Pennsylvania. I was informed, a little while ago, by the
stenographer who had accompanied me on this trip, that I had made
138 speeches, and when I saw the magnitude of my offence against the
American people I was in hopes I should be permitted to pass through
Harrisburg without adding anything to it. I will only express my
thanks and appreciation. No one needs to tell you anything about
Pennsylvania or its resources; indeed, my work was very much lightened
on this journey, because I found that all the people clear out to
Puget Sound had already found out more about their country than I
could possibly tell them. [Cheers.]

It is a pleasant thing that we appreciate our surroundings. We
love our own home, our own neighborhood, our own State. It would be a
sad thing if it were not so. There is only just enough discontent to
keep our people moving a little. Now and then some boy gets restless
in the homestead and pushes out to the West; the result is a thorough
mingling of the people. I do not know what would have become of
Pennsylvania if some people from other States had not come in and
some of your people gone out. It is this that makes the perfect unity
of our country. It was delightful on our trip to meet old faces from
home. Though they had apparently been discontented with Indiana and
left it, they were willing to recall the fact, as I came near to them,
that they were Hoosiers. It was very pleasant, also, to see people
as they met the Postmaster-General put up their hands and say, "I am
from the old Keystone State." General Rusk was never out of sight of a
Wisconsin man, and of course the Ohio man was always there. [Laughter
and applause.] Our journey has been accompanied with the labor of
travel, but out of it all I think I have a higher sense of the perfect
unity of our people and of their enduring, all-pervading patriotism.
[Cheers.]

THE RETURN TO WASHINGTON.

There was no demonstration at Baltimore. As the train neared Washington--on the homestretch of its great run of 9,232 miles--the President gathered all the members of his party about him in the observation car, including the train employees and servants, and made a short speech, in which he thanked all who accompanied him for their courtesy and attention. He referred to the long journey--without accident of any kind and without a minute's variance from the prearranged schedule--as a most remarkable achievement, and paid a high compliment to Mr. George W. Boyd, the General Assistant Passenger Agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad for his successful management of the trip, adding that it was a superb exhibition of what energy and training could do for a man. He then returned his thanks individually to the engineer, conductor, and every employee.