1905- Mecklenburg Declaration Celebration Disappointment

The Charlotte Daily Observer: May 21, 1905 p. 10

Spending the 20th May People Will Visit Charlotte  

The Crowd Longed For the Old Time parade yesterday but It Came Not. Streets and the Carnival Grounds. The Baseball Rooters Entertain Many.   

The 20th of May has become a holiday in Charlotte, but for the last few years the people have looked in vain for something official in the way of a celebration. A great swarm of disappointed visitors left here for their respective homes a year ago, last night; Charlotte had not made any preparation to entertain them. Many men, woman and children stood about the streets yesterday looking for some sort of parade, and when it did not come, there was disappointment in every face.  

“When will the parade begin?” was on many tongues. But there was nobody to parade.  

“Its a shame to bring people here and then have nothing to do,” said some. Charlotte is a popular meeting place and it is never any trouble to get a crowd if the right persons make persistent effort. The crowd here yesterday was large, taking everything into consideration; the people poured in from towns 100 miles around. Two excursions over the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, brought in 1,800 people. The one came from Lumberton, and all points between, and Rutherfordton. Mr. C. H. Gattis, traveling passenger agent with headquarters at Raleigh, Mr. Frank Gough, special excursion agent of Lumberton, and Mr. James Ker, Jr., of Charlotte, had charge of the crowd. They hauled more people than they expected.  

The farmers of Mecklenburg county did not show up in great numbers yesterday; they were at home fighting a heavy crop of crab grass. The throngs came principally from the towns.  

By 10 o’clock, the business streets were jammed with people in holiday attire. All sorts of men stood on the curbstones watching for the parade that did not appear, or tramped about and jostled against their fellow citizens. There was a “don’t-care” spirit in the air. Girls and boys who were sweet on each other romped around holding hands and looking mellow-eyed.  

After walking around the main business portion of the town until their tongues hung out the visitors and holiday loafers went to the fair grounds to take in the carnival and witness the baseball game. The ocean wave, the merry-go-round, the Ferris wheel and other attractions caught the multitude. The visitors to the carnival just poured the shekels into the coffers of the artillery company. The soldier boys must have gotten rich, for they had made buckle and tongue meet the night before.  

After all, the majority of those who came to the celebration of the 20th had a good time. It was worth the price of admission, at the baseball park to heir the rooters, led by Capt. Tom Rowland, roast the Greensboro baseball team. Shot after shot struck the visitors.  

It was:  

• “The Greensboro youngsters have been riding on razzle-dazzle, the ocean wave, and the Ferris wheel. Play ball!”
• “Telegraph to Greensboro for some more players on 97.”
• “Young man from Greensboro, with a stick in your hand, sit down and rest!”
• “Where did you grow? Chase back to the woods where you belong.”
• “Have you any more pitchers?”
• “Lookout, Greensboro, that man (Kain) killed his brother.”
• “O, Greensboro! Greensboro! how oft would I have gathered you together and advised you never to play ball--in Charlotte.”
• “We will now adjourn to the midway.”
• “Some one kindly wake me up.”
• “We will wait for the President.”
• “Col. Tom Black, stop the game. Money refunded at the gate.”
• “All aboard for the ocean wave!”