GOVERNOR'S DAY.
October 11, 1898.
The governors of all the Trans-Mississippi states had been invited to
attend and participate in the exercises of this day, but few were present, as
many of them had before participated in special exercises incident to the
celebration of their state days. The exercises were held at the Auditorium
at 11 o'clock A.M., with the following program:
Music . . . Omaha Concert Band
Invocation . . . Rev. S. Wright Butler
Welcome . . . . Gov. Silas A. Holcomb
Music . . . Omaha Concert Band
Address . . . . Governor Alva Adams, Colorado.
Address . . . . President Gurdon W. Wattles.
Music . . . Omaha Concert Band
After the exercises a luncheon was served to the invited guests at the
Markel Cafe, and the afternoon was spent in the usual manner.
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On the evening of October 11, two special trains bearing the President
and other distinguished guests were due to arrive. A grand parade had been
planned by the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, who had arranged to repeat their
Carnival Parade on the streets of Omaha on that evening. President Wattles
of the Exposition had designated the guests to be entertained by officers of
the exposition, members of the executive committee and of the bureau of
entertainment. Those selected met at the Omaha Club early in the evening and
were conveyed in carriages to the depot to meet the incoming trains. The
members of the executive committee met the President's train at Council
Bluffs, Iowa, and briefly welcoming the President and his party to Omaha and
the Exposition. The President's train arrived at Omaha at about 8 o'clock in
the evening. The second train arrived soon after. The President of the
Exposition was introduced to President McKinley, and all of the distinguished
guests were conveyed in carriages to the City Hall in the following order:
Carriage No. 1- Gurdon W. Wattles, president of the Trans-
Mississippi and International Exposition, and William
McKinley, president of the United States of America.
No. 2- Vice-president Alvin Saunders of the Exposition
and Mrs. Saunders and Dr. Garcia Meron.
No. 3- Mr. and Mrs. Z.T. Lindsay and Chinese Minister
Wu Ting Fang and Mrs. Wu Ting Fang.
No. 4- Mr. and Mrs. E. Rosewater and Corean Minister
Chin Pom Ye and Mrs. Chin Pom Ye.
No. 5- Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Kirkendall and Brazilian Minister
Brasil and Gonsalo de Quesada, charge d'affaires of the
Cuban junta.
No. 6- Treasurer Herman Kountze of the Exposition and
Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage.
No. 8- E.E. Bruce and Secretary of the Interior Bliss.
No. 9- Mrs. E. E. Bruce and Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
and Mrs. Wilson. No. 10- A.L. Reed and Governor Alva
Adams of Colorado,
and Gov. Holcomb of Nebraska.
No. 11- Mrs. A.L. Reed and Senator and Mrs. Allen.
No. 12- Senator Thurston and Mrs. and Mrs. Dr. R. W. Baker
and Mrs. J.V. Creighton.
No. 14- Mr. and Mrs. W.N. Babcock and Major General and
Mrs. Miles.
No. 15- Congressman D.H. Mercer and Brigadier-General
Sumner.
No. 16- Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Montgomery and General A.W.
Greeley and Mrs. Greeley.
No. 17- Secretary John A. Wakefield of the Exposition
and Mrs. Wakefield and General and Mrs. Charles F. Humphrey.
No. 18- Mr. and Mrs. John L. Webster and Major and Mrs.
O.S. Heistand and Miss Martin.
No. 19- Major H.C. Ward, president of the government board
of control; Assistant Secretary of War Meiklejohn and
J. Addison Porter, private secretary to President McKinley.
No. 20- J.R. Dunn and Captain Arthur Paget.
No. 21- Mrs. J.R. Dunn, Colonel Francis Micheler and
Colonel W.M. Black.
No. 22- Mrs. Major H.C. Ward, Colonel James Allen and
Captain H.H. Whitney.
No. 23- President Bingham of the City Council and Secretaries
A. Delviso of the Argentine minister, Tam E Ye of the
Corean minister, and Leme of the Brazilian minister.
No. 24- Mrs. Congressman Mercer and Messrs. Chow Tsz Chi,
Whang Chang Huli and Kwang Hany, secretaries to the Chinese
minister.
No. 25- J.C. Wharton, Prof. W.L. Moore, chief of the United
States weather service; Mrs. Moore.
No. 26- Mrs. John C. Wharton and United States Commissioner
of Education W. T. Harris and Mrs. Harris.
No. 27- Mr. and Mrs. John C. Cowin and Captain McWilliams
and Mrs. McWilliams.
No. 29- Mrs. W.A. Redick, Miss Greely, daughter of General
Greely, and General Miles' Secretary.
No. 30- Mrs. G.M. Hitchcock, Mrs. Cortelyou.
No. 31- Mrs. J.E. Summers, Jr., and Mrs. Geo. A. Joslyn, Miss
Humphrey and Mrs. Howland.
No. 32- Mrs. C.W. Lyman and George F. Bidwell and General and
Mrs. John C. Black.
Nos. 33, 34, 35 and 36- G.M. Hitchcock and fifteen of the
newspaper men accompanying the two trains.
The Board of Governors of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben in their gay
uniforms, formed the escort of honor, and as the distinguished guests passed
along the streets, tens of thousands of the citizens of Omaha and visitors at
the exposition greeted the President and the other noted officials with great
enthusiasm. Every available space along the streets was occupied, and in
front of the City Hall, completely filling the street and the court-house
square, the largest concourse of people ever gathered within our city awaited
the arrival of the President of the United States and his party.
On the reviewing stand in front of the City Hall were gathered many
representative citizens of Omaha and the west, and as President McKinley
appeared, a great shout of welcome went up and it was with extreme difficulty
that it was restored and a way cleared through the street for the passing
pageant.
President McKinley paid his respects to the Mayor of the city by an
official call at his office and after many compliments on the magnificent
spectacle he had witnessed, he retired with the other members of his party,
and was conveyed to the Omaha Club, which had been generously tendered by its
members to the exclusive use of the president and his cabinet.
At the Club a magnificent banquet was served to the distinguished
guests by the officers of the exposition, and it was a late hour when all
retired to await the morning of