DIVISION FOUR — BOOM. 329 



packed in behind them. And as the presidential party and the grand pro- 

 cession moved slowly down the avenue between the double lines of crowded, 

 eager humanity, handfuls of flowers, bouquets, wreaths and floral designs 

 were tossed toward and into the vehicles until the roadway was literally 

 carpeted with flowers. Near the lower end of this ovational line was 

 located the Garfield school, Prof. A. I,. Hamilton, principal ; and when the 

 president's carriage arrived here it was halted for a moment to receive a 

 large and exquisitely- prepared floral design representing an inverted wine 

 glass — for it had been currently reported that at the banquet during the 

 previous evening the president had turned down his glass and refused to al- 

 low wine poured into it ; and this supposed action of his met the school 

 sentiment, and the best popular sentiment of Pasadena, on its warmest 

 side — hence this special and particular thank token in flowers. This inci- 

 dent, and the banquet malventure which led to it, became matters of warm 

 dispute and of wide celebrity at the time. A correspondent of the Los An- 

 geles daily Evening Express gave the fullest and fairest account of the 

 whole matter that was anywhere published ; and as a famous episode in 

 Pasadena history, I quote the entire article : 



Editor Evening Express : Pasadena is a good deal stirred up over 

 a wine banquet which was thrust upon our Presidential guests, thus shutting 

 off" 2,000 citizens who were not admitted to the small dining room of the 

 hotel, but had gathered outside the building, hoping to see the President and 

 hear him speak a few minutes. If the banquet "bore " had not been forced 

 upon him, he could have spoken ten minutes to the masses assembled to 

 express their hearty and loyal good will, and then retired for rest — for he 

 was much worn and wearied with the tax and strain upon his energies by 

 responding to the continual popular ovations night and day for four days 



East Sunday, Rev. D. D. Hill, pastor of the First Congregational 

 church, publicly denounced the whole affair as a public insult to our dis- 

 tinguished and noble visitors, and also an outrage upon Pasadena's fair 

 name, for a wine banquet is in open violation of the city's police law, and 

 has been fully and forcibly so declared by the courts ; and Mr. Hill said, 

 after the chief guests had excused themselves and got away from the witless 

 weariness of the thing, the ' ' banquet ' ' still went on and ended in a regular 

 drunken debauch. Preacher Hill is a great friend of President Harrison, 

 Secretary Wanamaker and Governor Markham. The governor's wife and 

 three daughters, also a brother-in-law and wife, are all members of his church. 

 His denunciation of the affair was bold, vehement, clear cut and powerful, 

 like some of the ancient apostolic and pulpit orators whom we read about in 

 history, so of course it made much talk. I found there was a report current 

 that the President did drink wine at this banquet, and so gave his sanction 

 to it. • But others said he did not. I set out to find authentic and reliable 

 information, with responsible names to ba:ck up what I should say about it. ■• 

 B. F. Ball, vice-president of the First National Bank, and Rev. J. W. Phelps, 

 pastor of the First M. E. church, were present, and said decidedly the Presi- 

 de?it did not drink any wine. 



Dr. G. Roscoe ^Thomas, a former member of the City Council, was 

 there, but did not know about the matter. At last, however, I got reliable 



