Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1919 — WILSON GREETED BY BIG CROWDS [ARTICLE]

WILSON GREETED BY BIG CROWDS

Indianapolis Gathering So Large It Made Speaking Almost Impossible. MEETS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE President Rung Whole Gamut «»• Human Emotions on the First Day of His Transcontinental Trip. Indianapolis, Sept. 5> —President! Wilson's address in th# coliseum of the state fafr grounds here was practically a failure because of the else oC the crowd on hand to hear him. It was estimated at 12,000 to 15,WK* persons and was so huge it was unmanageable. Added to this featurewas the unfortunate occurrence which befell Governor Goodrich of Indiana, who was Intended to introduce the president. The governor made the mistake of talking too long and the crowd resented It, causing great confusion. Meets American People. The president ran the whole gamut of human emotions on the first day of his transcontinental trip. Figurative-, ly, he met the American people at every waystation and crossroads where his special train stopped. Andi the American people congratulated him, called him by his first name* shouted for him, whistled In his honor and asked him all manner of questions. - From daybreak till nightfall the president was kept busy. His first scheduled stop was Qolumbus, 0./but the train stopped at Dennjson, and of course, most of Dennison was out to meet him. i He made no speech there, but greeted the crowds cordially and conversed with many individuals. An old man hobbled up to the observation platform, squinted at the president, then raised his right hand, which the president grasped heartily. "I lost two of my sons in this war.** he said, “and I've got one left. I don’t want ttTlose him in another.” | The president was much affected by the white-bearded man’s story. All along the route, whenever the train would stop, and the president would appear on the observation platform, there would be calls for Mrs. Wilson. And each time Mrs. Wilson would appear. “It’s much more worth your while to see her than to see me,” said the president several times to his audiences, and the audiences, with many a “by cracky” to spare, would allow that the president was right. Not A Candidate? It was at Dennison that some one in the crowd reminded the president that In 1916 Mr. Hughes fared better in the country than he did. "Well, you’ll have things your own way in 1920, though,” was the added assurance. "Oh, no, no,” laughed the president. The president’s confidence in hie fight was shown better, perhaps, at Urbana, Ohio, than any other place, in response to a question from the crowd regarding Shantung. Japan, he said, could not begin to return the province to China until three months after the ratification of the treaty. “I think you will beat them,” said the man with whom the president was talking. "Their case is so weak,” replied the president, “they are not hard to beat.” Urbana, it became known, is the birthplace of Brand Whitlock, American minister to Belgium. The president was informed of this by an Urbanite, who is evidently not a believer in letting glories of his home town remain unsung. "I’m glad to/know that/* said thepresident, as he took a hasty survey of his surroundings. "It’s such a nice place that I wonder why he left it.” Makes Platform Speech. The president made an inspectiontour of the traveling “White House” and stalked with the newspaper correspondents for half an hour. At Richmond, Ind., the president made his first platform speech. It was a synopslzed version of his address at Columbus, and he delivered it before several thousand people. Including the Richmond speech, the president. If he adheres to his present program, will have made 31 speeches by the time he returns to Washington. The president was escorted to the Coliseum at the state fiiir grounds here by a committee which included Gov. James P. Goodrich, Mayor Jewett, Indianapolis; Thomas Taggart, former Gov. Samuel L. Ralston, and Franklin. McCray, president of the Indians, branch of the League to Enforce Peace. Thousands of persons, including many visitors to the state fair, crowded thestreets and cheered lustily as the president passed. *Hls sefeech was along the lines of his -address earlier in the I=7 at Columbus, O.