Show A all GREAT uv R ev A I 1 D DAY tk 1 FOR er f ML 19 U irr I 1 8 am S I DIXIE 1 N I 1 X UP wednesday june 27 1923 will go down in the history of washington county as a red letter day tor for on this day the beloved president of this i ai gibat eat republic visited them spoke to themi and shook hands with them g making them feet Eat he was one of them and one with them in all true and lofty ambitions tor for our great country president warren G harding mrs harding and their party were given a great reception democratic in the extreme the president no sooner spoke than the hearts ot of the people responded he was one of them and they realized it immediately he abas aias been with us he has seen our i t choice section ol 01 county he has seen 4 and spoken to our pioneers and early if settlers and the sons and daughters of those pioneers and settlers and now he carries away with hini him their sincere love and a great admiration for or his strong manly character they are one him in his high aims alms t and purposes to loi the betterment of mankind and are grateful for the honor of bis his visit preparing Prep aung for president Pies ident the state schedule for the dent s visit specified toquerville as 1 the place where he would meet with tw the people of utah s dixie and make g a short talk to them accordingly toquerville erville people quickly got to work vork and made preparations tor for his reception Tec eption that was highly creditable to them in the shade of the trees on the east side of main street a platform bad had been erected which was carpeted and draped with national bunting and flags and decorated with vases of beautiful flowers on the top of a tall poplar tree near this platform brigham jarvis sr had hoisted the large national flag belonging to st george city the part of the road along which the presidents pait would drive was roped off the stakes holding the ropes being a twined with national bunting with national flags atop them national nation il flags were stretched across the street on ropes and chief among the decora eions was a large white banner that stretched from one side of the street to the other the words in large blue letters welcome to binash W ash ington county utah s dixie amer lean ican legion boys in uniform most of them with medals one of whom a young man named peterson was conspicuous because ot of the number ot of medals and two crosses maintain ed order though the crowd was so patient and orderly that this tion was hardly necessary on the rear of the platform on which the president was to speak were situated pioneers early settlers and two elder ly ladies of the first handcart corn com pany to cross the plains mrs airs mary ann savage and mrs airs adelaide sav age occupying a special seat of honor on the platform was mrs eliz abeth steel who mho has the dis dinc tion of being the first white child born in utah aug 9 1847 A basket of delicious fruit had been prepared for each car of the party also a boquet of flowers these were given out by little girls dressed in white mrs airs hard ng shaking hands with the little girls making the pre sen tation to her asking their names and thanking them among those on the platform were president dav id IT cannon charles W brigham jarvis nephi wadsworth edwin lamb and W G miles the advance officer of the party came in some few minutes before the president to see it if arrangements were complete tor for his reception he mounted the platform and said 1 I congratulate Wag washington hington county tor for the excellence ot of its arrangements here I 1 can suggest nothing lito im prove them they are the best and most unique I 1 have seen on anthe he dent s trip general Mac Alexander arrived shortly before the president and an bounced that the president was in the next car the general who is corn coin mander of troops in utah and is cal led the lion ot of the marne on ac count of valiant service during the war then shook hands with those assembled on the platform the chairman of the reception committee hon J W imlay of hur ancane then advised the crowd how to receive the president I 1 resident hadding haiding ilai ding amies arri es at exactly 11 0 clock president harding arrived amid cheering and hand hande clapping lapping from the c crowd which he smilingly acknowledged senator reed smoot and governor mabey in produced trod him and mrs harding to the pioneers and others seated on the platform the president and his lady showing much interest in the medals worn by them and in mrs the first white woman born in the state the president presidents s address to the peo pie was brief owing to limited time he paid a great tribute to the pion aers who had paved the way for the settlement nent of the county he said I 1 had been told that the roads down here were rough the roads are good and I 1 have enjoyed every minute of them it takes courage for men and women to leave peaceful homes and lead out into the wilderness to build up homes for themselves and those to follow them it is a great pleasure to me to meet you people of the south to see your great county and what you have done it must be a great to you pioneers to have made the wilderness blossom by your efforts and this must be lour reward surely god had a purpose when he prompted these pioneers and I 1 have a reverent regard for them I 1 consider pioneering the greatest thing in the world it takes energy and courage and gives greater satis faction than anything else there IQ 1 no place in america can offer a finer company of americans than I 1 see be tore fore me now I 1 1 I am prouder than ev er of being president of such a coun try as ours I 1 am told that this is the first time a president of this coun try has visited you they will come oftener in future I 1 am happy to have met you and wish you all every success mrs harding followed the prest dent with A few remarks thanking the people tor for their hearty reception at zion park the presidential party arrived at zion park at 1 p in over a good road at virgin the road was spanned by a large banner bearing the words welcome president harding with a large U S flag on either side sim liar ilar mottos were at rockville and springdale and crowds of people were out at each of these places to greet the distinguished visitors at the entrance to the park the st george brass band under direction of prof E J bleak played as the cars entered the canyon at the entrance to the camp dining hall the chorus under prof I 3 W mcallister was stationed and as pres harding and party entered the chorus sang america during the meal the chorus sang build thee more state ly mansions 0 ye mountains high utah we love thee pil pit grims chorus and the star spang led banner the dixie band and the he springdale martial band also played two or three pieces I 1 dent harding and quite a number of his party went up the canyon on horseback the president riding a fine black horse and governor mabey a sorrel furnished by moroni of toquerville at 4 p in the dent shook hands with three or four hundred people there were about people in the park altogether in eluding g the presidents party the party left the canyon at 4 45 p in and were due to leave cedar city at 9 ap P in there were 69 people in president harding s party we are not sure of them all but the party included U S land commissioner william spry senator reed smoot governor mab ey mayor of salt lake dent heber J grant robert L judd senator W IT king congressmen colton and leatherwood V sec see detary work of the interior speaker gillette secretary wallace of agriculture admiral rodman general Alexander Mac marshal ward captain baggent mr air peck G P A S L R manus marius de brabant A 4 1 T AT U P R R mr air Conito cL G M U P ry and mi preston pub abt U P sidelights mrs harding remarked to land corn coin william spry I 1 have enjoyed every minute of the time since leaving cedar city general Mac Alexander announced to the people in the park after the return of the president from the horseback ride that pres harding would leave at once president harding interrupted him saying I 1 am not going to leave until these boys referring to the chauffeurs chauff ers etc who had been working on the cars have had something to eat you are not go ing to rush me off while the boys are eating shake hands with the people here senator smoot and governor mab ey congratulated co corn coin atkin on the excellence of the arrangements for the he reception of pres harding saying everything went off without a hitch and without the loss of a mm min ute s time pres and mrs I harding shook hands with all the people of boquer ville that were gathered on the re turn of the party from zion park president harding threw off his collar and tie and put a blue ban danna kerchief around his neck seek when he rode horseback he ile looked ju just what he is a typical american instructions had been given to peo pie who had entered the park before the arrival of the president presidents s party to park their cars outside the park gates governor mabey noticed the cars there and gave an order that the peo pie should bring their cars within the park and line them up which was done much to the convenience of 0 the people who traveled in them mrs I harding was shaking hands with some of the girls of the chorus when prof jos mac saw her and in quiren who she was mrs harding overheard him and said I 1 am mrs airs harding and went on shaking hands until all had had the pleasure of shaking hands with the first lady of the land some of the photographers with the party were taking pictures when mrs harding remarked come and get your your pic pictures turea taken girls and put her arms around the waist of a chorus girl one on each side and was thus taken when the president was entering the park he stopped his car turned to the band which was playing and said fine boys I 1 used to play a little my self in behalf of the board of county commissioners I 1 desire to extend hearty thanks to all who assisted so well in the reception of president harding and his distinguished party 11 T atkin chairman the columbia bee hive girls left tuesday to spend several days at zion park they were accompanied by miss julia foster |