Programme of Plant Day Ceremonies—Ringing of the Liberty Bell—Presentation of Addresses to Mr. Plant in the great Auditorium—His Reply—Resolutions from the Different Departments of the System, from the Savannah Board of Trade, etc.—Mr. Morton F. Plant’s Acknowledgments.
KNOWING that all employees would be unable to attend the celebration in Atlanta, President Plant requested the superintendents of the railways, steamship, and express interests to allow such men as could be spared from duty without detriment to the operative departments to be present, and also requested that special train service should be provided for their accommodation. This request of the president was so heartily carried out by the superintendents, and so willingly accepted by the employees, that three special trains of the Plant System, carrying several thousand employees, rolled into the Union Depot in Atlanta at an early hour Monday morning, October 28th. In order that all might be fully informed of the movements of their worthy president, and of the programme of the day, the following notice was published in the Atlanta Constitution of October 28, 1895:
“Mr. Plant will call on Governor Atkinson at 10 o’clock this morning.
“He will be at the Exposition grounds at 12 o’clock, when the Columbian bell will ring for the first time, in his honor.
“At 1 o’clock all the employees of the Plant System will assemble at the Auditorium on the grounds, at which time addresses will be delivered by President Collier, on behalf of the Exposition Company, and Mayor King, on behalf of the city of Atlanta. Mr. Plant will respond to these addresses.
“Music will be furnished by Innes’s band, and, after Mr. Plant’s speech, resolutions, congratulatory and otherwise, will be read on behalf of the employees of the system and commercial bodies.
“At 3 P.M. Mr. Plant will be at the Plant System Building, which is one of the most picturesque on the grounds. He will spend some time making a close inspection of the exhibit that has been placed there and which has attracted such attention all the while from visitors to the great fair.
“At 8 o’clock this evening a banquet will be tendered Mr. Plant at the Aragon.”
Mr. Plant placed himself in the hands of his friends for the day, and carried out to the letter the programme as above set forth, in order that he might have opportunity of meeting the employees at the Exposition. Such of us who had the pleasure of being present and of personally congratulating the gentleman will be pleased, no doubt, to read the following account of the day’s proceedings, and to those who were less fortunate it will be interesting to hear what the Atlanta Constitution, of the 29th of October, had to say of “Plant System Day at the Exposition.”
“Eloquent indeed was the demonstration of affection and loyalty by the employees of the Plant System to their great chieftain, Henry B. Plant, yesterday at the celebration of Plant System Day at the Exposition.