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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1907)
n vr 0 outna VOLUME XXVII PLATTSMOUTII, NEBRASKA. THURSDAY, SKPTKMliEIt 5, 1907. NUMBER iUl 5 V , 8 TOE imm m if An Interesting Crowd in Attendance; the Larg est Gathering in Many Years. EVERYBODY SEEPED PLEASEI Governor Sheldon the Center of Attraction, and the People of His Home County Eager to Meet Him. The showers of Sunday evening and night had cooled the air and annihilated the dust so that at the beginning of the preparations yesterday for the Labor Day festivities, the weather was ideal, and not one could have wished for a more pleasant day than yesterday prov ed. During the entire time it was cloduy with occasionally a glimpse of the sun breaking through the rifts of the can opy which nature had provided as pro tection from the heat. Early were preparations being made for the entertainment of the crowds which were to come; the proprietors of the refreshment and amusement stands were in evidence. The Burlington train No. 4, brought the principal speakers. Governor George L. Sheldon, Hugh A. Meyers and George L. Loomis, who were met at the station by the band and work men from the coach shops and an im mense crowd of citizens who escorted them to the Hotel Riley, and after they had made ready the parade took place. Assembling at the lower portion of Main street, thence marching as per the pro gram, up Main street to Sixth turning there and marching back to the court house where the addresses were made. Rev. Salsbury had been selected as the chairman; after calling the people together and tendering them the privi lege of tramping down the grass on the lawn, he introduced the first speaker. Judge H. D. Travis, who, when he arose to speak,it was evident he was not well, said that had he been feeling well, and ke addressing the people he would still defer making an extended speach as he well knew the people wanted to hear their governor, and he would not be one on this occasion to delay the opportuni ty. Welcoming those who were holding the celebration, he told them that the liberties ot the people were safeguard ed by the American workmen. The next speaker, Senator J. L. Root, who, when introducedsaid he was glad to meet so many of the citizens who were out to celebrate labor day, and that he felt like placing a ditto mark under what Judge Travis had said and sit down. But said the institutions of the people which were for the per petuity of the rights and liberties of the people were in the keeping of the people themselves, and that while so guarded nothing could defeat their de sires. Thanking the people for their attention he gave way to those that were to follow. The next speaker who Rev. Salsbury said "lived in a suburb just north of town," Hon Hush L. Myers of Omaha, addressed the crowd. He said, when he was told that he was on the program, that he was reminded of a story wherein one poet coming upon another out in a desert where a crowd of other men were buried in the sand fjl but their heads. Upon being asked what he was doing, he told his fellow poets that he was reading one of his favorite poems to an audience that could not get away. He said he had an audience that would not go away while he talked, as they were going to stay fc hear Judge Loomis and Governor Sheldon. Therefore they must hear him speak. This tickled the crowd and put them in a humor for. listening to the fine address he made them. He said, in substance, "That there was much for the workman . to consider in the questions which present themselves for the adjudication of the present, and rr phot that the intelligence of the workman, actuated and directed by his love for justice and fair play, would be the key note in the solution of any and all the knotty problems of the age." Mr. Myers made a very eloquent speech and it was well received by the people, who applauded what he had to say very roundly. Rev. Salisbury said in introducing Judge Loomis that he came from a city which had made more substantial pro gress than any other city outside of Omaha in the state in the recent past and that the speaker had been instru mental in that progress and we would now hear how it had been accomplished. Hon. George L. Loomis. After greeting the people the speaker said that the brotherhood of man was the foundation of society and that the old saying, "live and let live," was misconstrued and was as far from what it was intended to convey when we said it as "light was from darkness. " For the policy of "live and let live," was this and nothing more, "every man for himself and let the hindermost save himself, if possible." The doctrine which he wished to promulgate was "To live and help live." This he said was the essence of the teachings of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. He had no fear of the ending of the government from any act of the the workingman, but that history has taught that when governments decay and crumble it is from causes which arise from that class of society which call themselves the upper crust of it, and then from their debauchery, but never from the acts of the people who do the work. True, he said, the work ingmen have thrown off the yoke of oppression and struck down their gov ernment in order to preserve their liberties, but the cause led back to the aets of another class of people . than they. They had not caused the condi tions which had made this necessary, but it was to remedy the state of af fairs, which had resulted from the acts of that class of society which had thought, in themselves, resided all the wisdom of the ages, and who considered the laboring man not capable of govern ing even himself. The speaker was feeling very badly and spoke with the greatest difficulty, and it was apparent that he was very nearly overcome with the heat generated by the reflection of the partly obscured sun on the glass doors and side lights of the court house at his back. In order that he might proceed Rev. Salsbury held an umbrella over him until he had finished speaking. Governor Sheldon In the introduction given Governor Sheldon by Rev. Salsbury, said that he was siezed by a desire to make a speech but feared he would be proceeded against for an infraction of an ordinance, and as the audience had been waiting a long time to hear the governor speak, they would not listen to him. This good nat ured chaffing was taken in the same spirit and was received with applause, as was also the governor when he arose to speak. Everyone seemed to take him as either his older brother or son, just returned from a long stay away from home, and was glad to see him and glad to bear him speak. He said, I am glad to see you all and to meet you and grasp you by the hand, and all could see it was real and that he spoke what he meant, ir JL and his greeting was received with cheer ing and hand clapping. He said in part that the laboring man was the adjudi cator of all the questions which came up for solution, and that the safety of the future was in the keeping of the man who labored, either with his hands or his brain and in fact all of them were brain laborers, and it was the intellig ence of the Nebraska laboring man which marks him from those of many other sections of the country. He said he had been in many states recently and that in none did he see any country which equalled the commonwealth of Nebraska and within this state he knew of no other county where the soil was richer or more productive or the rank of intelligence higher or more marked in the results achieved than in old Cass county. Labor well directed, he said, would work wonders and it was the labor of the ages that brought the world from its primative ignorance and crude, way of doing things to the height of the pres ent day enlightened civilization. Labor had built the cities, the railroads, de veloped the farms and provided the ne cessities, the comforts and the luxuries which is within the reach of almost everybody in the present day world. When the product of our laboris destroy ed, which we call capitol, wehave just cause for concern, for that much of the labor which mankind has done has been lost. Education, he s&id, was essential, for many a man had made a fortune in money or property and his children had spent it almost before his remains had become cold. The idea was for the children to be so educated that they would take up the work of their parents where they had laid it down, both as the accumulation of wealth in a laudible manner, to development of character, the development of society and the per fection of good government. He said it should be one of the escential principals of patriotism that we should give our public and personal assistance to the ob servance of the laws of the land, especi ally those which we had through the rep resentatives whom we had sent to make them, for they were our laws, made by agents sent and instructed. When we find we have made a mistake, repeal the laws, but while they are being tried they should receive the support of the whole people and that, too, very heartily. The speaker said that from his ac quaintance with the present governor, he was led to believe that the laws would be enforced while they remained upon the statute books, and that all the offic ers whose duty it was to see to their be ing enforced, would be held accountable for their enforcement, by the governor's office. In closing he again thanked them for their patient attention to the speak ers and assured them his hearty wishes for their welfare and prosperity, saying they had heard enough . speaking and wanted to talk to each other and enjoy themselves. The Attractions. The turning exhibition was the first of amusements of the afternoon and oc curred on Fifth street, just north of Main, and was very interesting, dem onstrating what one can do when train ed and having the practice. In the competition there were three teams Omaha, South Omaha and Plattsmouth, in which the local team won. Follow ing this was the sack race on Third street, just south of Main, and was a very amusing affair, and was won by Charlie Reynolds. Following the cries of the spealer, the crowd hastened to Main street, between Fourth and Fifth, ! where they witnessed the wheelborrow ! race, in which everybody and his j brother were either in, or in the way. j This was won by Henry Jess, living south of town. The tug of war on Sixth and Mam, in which the contest was between the ice men and the shop men, and in which the shopmen found it too cold for them, as the icemen won by more than a lap. As entertaining num ber on the program was the ladies' race, and they were young ladies, at that, ranging from very young to some that were older. It was ran on the course in front of the Riley Hotel and had a host of competitors, a line that stretched almost entirely across the street, and which the crowd, by their eagerness to see, narrowed down to about half the width at the end of the Mil course. The little Misses some fair haired, some blue eyed, some dimpled chins, others with rosy cheeks all love ly", charming little ladies, with a' smile on their faces and a look of determina tion to win in their eyes. When the wprd to go was given, they shot out like an avalanche, and were away for the goal all in a bunch, and a prettier bunch of girls it would be hard to find anywhere, as they fairly flew along the course, the crowd of spectators at the sides closed in oij them and they were crowded into two rows, and then into three deep, and with no show to de termine who should be the winner. Much discussion was had as to who should have the prize, and two were awarded the first one going to Miss Hazel Plaeger, a sure sprinter, the Be'cond to Miss Lindsey. The boys race came next with the course on South Sixth street between Main and Pearl and the Boeck building and the Uuion block. In this it ap peared that there was even more than in the young ladies' race. When the word was given, the boys, like the boys they were, shot out like a whirlwind and swept down to Main street, and ended in a bunch with the exception of two leading spirits who seemed more eager in capturing the prize. Then came the egg race, which was a very particular and difficult one to handle. This was won by Chas. Reynolds who, also, won the sack rack. Then followed the hose cart race, in which the White hose team won. The potato race was pulled off in front of the court house on Main street and was won by Earl Hal strom. The next was the barrel race in which it looked and sounded like the very war demons had been turned loose as the barrels extended across Main street, and when they got to rolling, they would have put a boiler shop in full operation to shame, in the unearthly did they made and with a bar rel rolling on every foot of Main street, and an eager earnest bit of humanity behind in the shape of a busy rustling boy trying to make the barrel go the faster. The crowd then rushed to South Fifth street where they . witnessed the diving dog perform his wonderful feat, diving from the top of the steps that lead to the apartments of Wm. Slater aiji wife in the Waterman block. The little fellow made the leap very grace fully (for a dog) and was caught in a horse blanket borrowed from William Schmidtman. Immediately after was the Shetland pony race which was run from Schmidtman's to Third street, and was won by Master Soennichsen. At this time a call for supper came and everybody went after the grub. After supper the Jap lantern parade presented an imposing spectacle, and was the sign for the beginning of the fireworks which lasted for about two hours and was a wonderful scenic dis play. All left at a late hour, feeling that they had in a full day's enjoyment, and were surely satisfied that the day had ended and everybody was well pleased. Johnnie Hall is to be con gratulated in that he almost alone rustled, the very ' hard cash with which to pay the expenses and the prizes, in that he went after the proposition and made it go. Had we had every business man in the city working like he did, we would have had an entertainment here that would have exceeded the James town exposition in the class and quality of the amusement it would have furnished. The five dollar, prize for the best decorated window was won by A. L. Asemissen & Sons, and was a very unique representation of "Everybody Works but Father." Among the others which attracted attention was one at the grocery store of Lorenz Bros., which was a close second; then followed J. W. Crabill, and John Bauer, with a number of others in close order; in fact so close it would be difficult to discrim inate between them. Notes of the Day The festivities continued away into the night and then some Governor Sheldon was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Richey at dinner on Labor Day. It was sure a big day, and we ought to have more of them for the good of Plattsmouth. The man who sold the confetti should be apprehended and be compelled to sweep the streets. Labor Day is one that will be ob served annually in Plattsmouth here after. It surely brings people to town. The business houses generally were decorated with bunting and flags, but the show windows were neglected by many. Many people were here from the west side of the county, and said they never saw such a large gathering in Cass county. The crowd was simply enormous. And peace reigned supreme. nearly the entire time, and then was only married by one or two fights. The ball game in the afternoon drew a large crowd and resulted in another victory for the Red Sox. It was a success of course .it was. "The largest crowd that has been in Plattsmouth for many years," was the remark heard on all sides. Clell Morgan and Ed. Tutt were "as busy as bees" in superindending the dif ferent races, and the good work they did was very muchly appreciated. Work was virtually suspended at the Burlington shops. A few remained at the different departments to look after matters that necessitated direct atten tion. We need a few more days like the one just passed to stir up some of our business men from their sleepy "don't care-a-damitiveness" whether business comes this way or not. Considering the immense crowd in town on the occasion every citizen re joices at the commendable termination of the festivities. The police had little trouble in keeping order. The crowd turned out to see the parade and fireworks at night. The streets seemed to be as crowded as they were in the afternoon. All seemed to enjoy the evening's display. We need more activity among the business men in general to carry out such celebrations to a more successful termination. Why net make up your mind to do so in the future? The show windows of Asemissen & Sons deserves mor than a passing notice. While they were unique, they were attractive and caused many favor able remarks for the energy displayed. "The laborer is worthy of his hire," and should have a day of his own oc casionally. He had one this year which he will long remembered. It was one of the biggest days in the history of the old town. Most of the business houses were closed in the afternoon, but a few kept open to grab the few nickels that would have gone to those houses that were closed to give their help an opportunity to celebrate. Governor Sheldon was free from the botheration of whipper-snapper poli ticians," when they sought him at the Hotel Riley. He no doubt felt a relief in his retreat at the hospitable home of Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Richey. There were five business houses rep resented in the parade H. M. Soen nichsen, John Hall, L. B. Egenberger, John Hatt & Son, all grocers, and Ger ing & Co., druggists. They deserve great credit for their enterprise. The little boy was very much in evi dence in the parade at night and all car rihd Japanese lanterns. Everyone in the parade was given a check good for a soda at Mayor Gering's store. This was generons on the part of our good natured mayor. lhe parade was not a howling suc cess" by any means, but those who took part in it deserve credit and a great deal of it for their enterprise. It demon strated to a dead moral certainity that they had much more grit than many of the older business men. The credit is solely due Mayor Gering and John Hatt, jr. , for the large crowd in town. They put forth evary effort to make the celebration a success While the business men contributed very liberally, the most of them done but little else in the matter. Governor Sheldon bore one of his good natured smiles on his countenance as the procession passed up Main street. He was in his own county, where the people 11 know him and are proud of him. Cass county people always loved George Sheldon from boyhood up. Hugh L. Myers, of Omaha, delivered a most eloquent address, and one which was greeted with considerable applause. He is a Big Chief? among the Red Men of Nebraska, and not only is that order proud of him, but all who listened to his eloquent speech felt a pride in making his acquaintances. Those who stood on the court house lawn to hear the addresses certainly see, the necessity for the keeping up of a park for such occasions. Had the morning been excessively hot neither the speakers nor the audience could have stood the ordeal. "Where's your park?" asked one of the speakers. The reply was, "We have one, but it is not in shape for holding such celebrations." Shame! The boys of the Burlington paint shop department caused much comment, and people gave them much credit for their fine appearance in the parade. There were at least thirty in a body, all dress ed in white, and they made a fine show ing. If other organizations had done half as well as the Burlington boys did, the parade would have been more credit able. Dan Smith, foreman, and Ray Travis, as color bearer, headed the painters. Long live the boys of the Burlington paint shop. HIS SEVENTIETH AHfHVEnSARY Children and Grandchildren Assist Uncle Geo. Kroeh ler in Celebrating Little dreaming of the events that were in store for the day, Uncle George Kroehler, after he had arisen on last Sunday morning went about his chores, thinking that the seventy years which had been his lot to see, on that day, had dealt leniently with him, as he was in the possession of his wanted health, to the extent that he pursued his daily avocation at the Burlington shops not losing a day. The children and grandchildren, dropped in one by one and two by two, until there was a pretty well filled house. An ellegant comfortable easy rocking chair was wheeled out from some place where it had been in waiting, and grandpa Kroehler was invited to takn a scat in it. After doing so he was reminded that just seventy years before he had been born, and the chair and gathering together on the occasion was the show ing of love and honor which his chil dren had for him. An adjournment was then m;ide t the dining room, where a surnptuou dinner was awaiting theirconsideration. For about an hour they discussed the subject before them, when they pro ceeded to the sitting room and shady lawn where they spent the afternoon pleasantly, discussing those themes dear to his heart. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kroehler and children, Mr. and Mrs. I). B. Ebersole and children, MiFe3 Lizzie trnd Clara and Lewis Kroehler, of this city, John Kroehler, of Davenport, Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. George Krohler, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Neuman, of Omaha. Quite a Compliment to Billy The Union Ledger pays our young friend, Will Ramsey, the following graceful compliment in reference to his address delivered at the Old Settlers' reunion; "Attorney Will C. Ramsey of Platts mouth followed with a splendid address that was highly pleasing and agreeably surprised even those who knew of the the talent of our eloquent young friend. "Mr. Ramsey's address was princi pally along the lines of pioneer history of eastern Nebraska and showed that he, although a young man, wa3 well ac quainted with early events and had the knack of presenting his ideas in a clear and pleasing way. "From the remarks we have heard, everybody was well pleased with the speech of our young friend. He is a bright young lawyer and will no doubt win in his profession." Death of Charles E. Woman After a long time of very severe suf fering Chas. E. Vroman passed away Sunday evening at about eleven o'clock. Charley has been sick for a long time and the end, when it came, was but an end of the suffering which was the continual companion of his last days. Some time since Mr. Vroman recieved some poison while working in the shops, from which he never' recovered. At times he thought he would be able to return to work again, only to be followed by conditions which were worse. From time to time he grew weaker and less able to get around and care for himself. He had a family of six children and a wife, depending up on his efforts to make a living. During the time which has marked his last sickness, he has recieved from the Bur lington Relief Department, a dollar a. day for living. This his frugal and careful wife has endeavored to make cover the expenses. Charley carried a policy of insurance in the Royal Hilanders, and which will furnish $1,000 to the family, besides $600- from the Burlington relief. The funeral will occur this afternoon, interment will be made at Oakllill cem etery. By his death he leaves of his immediate family, his wife and six children, namely, Gladys, Vere, Ellery, Lester, Hazel and Mable. Chas. E. Vroman was born July 2, 1857, at Paw Paw, 111., being fifty years old last month, and came to this place in 1890, marrying Miss Lillian Schermerhorn in 1891. His aged father and mother live at Harmon, 111., where his mother lies very sick with the inflammatory rheuma tism, at the age of 76 years, while her husband is one year older. It is hard ly expected that all the relatives in the east will be here on account of the sick ness of his mother. Got Five and Costs On a complaint filed by John Harkins, a warrant was issued charging Harvey Herger with participating in the fight of Monday afternoon. When notified, he came in and plead guilty, received a fine of five dollars and costs which he paid and was given his liberty. "1 ,