Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-03-07


Response was mado by Hon j. p. Comegys,
| who said that the field opened by the sentiment
Of the toast was broad one; that upon our penn
insula everything that was palatable grew 10
some manner. and most all articles productive
ly. He spoke Of the adaptation OF the soil in
| the northern end OF the State to to the produc-
tion Of grain and grass, and OF the lower por-
tions for fruits. That the whole county was
permeated with creeks abounding in fowl and
oysters in the richest profusion that the best
| roads in the world here in Kent County that
the land yielded we'll, and that our fruits went
not only over our whole country, but he has
eaten peaches grown in Delaware that he had
bought in Montreal. The climate was good,
and, judging from those before him, theysawere
possessed OF good appetites and good conscien-
| ces.
For all of this Peninsula, Wilmington is the
| natural metropolis, located on good land, with
/ power in abundance, and tide water at her
| very doors The drainage is almost perfect, and
| of such character that each rain washes the
streets and makes the city healthy. She pos
seses an industrious population, and the people
of Lower Delaware say that while they can get
goods much cheaper here. they run no risk OF
being defrauded. Along the water We fiud her
Bhipyards. The vessels OF the Harlan ~ Hol-
hngsworth Company float upon every sea, The
wheels of the Lobdell Wheel Works are tested
every minute in the day and night upon some
| train upon some road throughout the United
States or Oanadas, while the cars OF the jack
son Sharp.Company GO all over the Continent:
1
| their kind and the leather and morocco manu-
facturies are an occasion OF pride.
Her people have honored themselves in this
buildiBg--One which would be an honor TO any
people, and have honored themselves by naming
| it after a man who was great in heart, in morals
and in intellect. Wilmington should cultivate a
foreign commerce, she formerly had There
is no lack of either enterprise nor Of wealth.
She has frst-cass harbor, and every advantage
to make her commercial city. Her people
need to stand by her newspapers, also, and give
them every support and encouragement adver-
tine in them and advertise them patronize them
and make them better and better.
5. The Citizen Soldier, to which Gen. Horace
Porter replied. who said that in the Revolution
ary war a certain battlehad been fought, under
the name of Bunker's Hill, more particularly be-
cause II was fought on Breeds Hill than for any
other reason. In like manner he did not know
why he had been called upon to answer to an
army toast unless II was because he had no con-
nection herewith. He had come from WASH
ington, and had learned that speeches were like
dinners-of far greatest pleasure to the perfor-
mer than to the looker-on. Washington. he
said, was place where they made our wise laws
but persons should never scrutinze too closely
as to how either laws or sausages were
made. He said that when he was through his
dinner, like Martin Luther before the Diet Of
Worms, he was compelled to cry out. "Gold help
me can take no other course" He said that
it was useless to say that Wilmington people
were 80 terribly honest, since they were now
ndklDg hll OF tnese arrangements, Oh tulb BIdHu
scale, simply in order to take the stranger in.
Col Sawyer certainly had changed his profession,
or else he was not fit man to take charge OF
this new enterprise; for during war times
he was more remarkable for his
charges than for anything else. He rejoced
that he (the speaker) had also changed his
profession, since his new avocation would take |
him less to Washington and bring him more to |
Wilmington, Hesald heiSas like certain soldier
in Sherman's army, while marching through |
Georgia. Ali day long the army had been pass |
ing through one OF those river bottoms that |
havea narrow channel in the middle and broad |
marshy margin on each side At last this soldier |
called to one of his companions thus " Bill,
guess we've struck this river lengthwse, amt |
we p So he thought he had struck the hospital |
ity OF the people OF Wilmington
G. The cities on the Delaware united In the his
toric memories of the past undivided in the great
material interests of the present.
John 0'Byrne responded. He said that OF |
these Cities Easton was noted as we'll for lite
beauty as for its revolutionary fame that 1t |
had afforded, while only small town, shelter and
protection to those driven from their homes by |
the Indians and Tories. Trenton had played an
important part in the Revolutionary struggle {;
and here the tributaries of the Delaware River
had been red with the blood Of the sons of our
State. He spoke of Philadelphia as the mother
of liberty. There the first great truths OF hui
manitY and common brotherhood were published
to the world. Wilmington the home of his
adoption, was far advanced in all her usefulness.
He thought there was no ground for ill-feeling
between the sister cities upon the Delaware.
The city of Wilmington its Present and Fu-
ture.
Geo. W. Stone responded and said that the
crowning virtue of the people of Wilmington is
modesty that this quality pervaded tho whole
people, and was possessed ia its greatest degree
by the natives aud appeared to be 80 possessed
ia the inverse ratio to the time that
it's possessor lived within our borders,
Patrick Henry has said that we have no light to
guide our future save the experience OF the
past. This is true of Wilmington, and Judging
from the past the future has in it a great
growth for our city. Wilmington people have
heretofore failed to appreciate themselves, and
her great Industries, and it is necessary for
strangers to tell them SO in order to make them
appreciate that fact. 1t is o strange fact, too.
that the great industries OF the city are the work
of those who are natives of the city, or OF those
who came to it in early life and stranger still,
their industries have grown without outside help,
from very small beginnings to their present
enormous size while yet another unusual fact
is characteristic of our city. That is these
industries remain in the hands OF the men who
irst founded them. The first iron steamship
built in America and the first irou sailing VESSEL
were built within our city.
Our productions, reached during the last year,
the sum of $40. 900 900, giving an earnest of
future more brilliant aud a lesson for tho COM
ing generations The location Of our city on
tide water, at the nearest accessible point to the
mines Of Pennsylvania, and our seabord facill-
ties permit ores to be delivered here as cheaply
| as anyW here on our coast We live in an agri-
cultural district, and are in possession of abnn-
dant competing lines of transportation We
might picture the Wilmington iof the year 1900
with 150, 900 inhabtants with chimneys thick
| from here to the Delaware River, with elegant
mansions to the westward and beyond the Bran
| dywiue with New Castle as the twenty-tifth
ward, with numerous hotels indeed, We might
excite the jealousy of our big neighbor up tire
river, who sits 30 quietly during the winter
months with her " horse shoe" nailed over her
| door. Perhaps we might picture her with rep
resentation according to population, and living
under Republican form of government Edu-
cation may revive and intelligence control and
/ mark the administration OF our governement.
To the Young men we would say the old men
have done their duty their full share; it remains
| for the young men to do their full part then
/ the future welfare Of Wilmington will be as
| sured.
8 Our Railroads. Less than FIVE years have
changed Wilmington from way station to a
i railroad centre.
Response by ]. T. Head. He said that he
Il had heard Chicago characterized a modest
/ city. and he desired large share OF the same
quality of that article for use by the people of
| Wilmington. He believed in self-assertion and
sef-respect in pluck and in tirmness. He said
our nlodesty had done great deal for us alrea-
i dy our modest daily press had advertised us
every where, and he complimented the city up
| on having such an extremely modest and inde-
pendent press. Our naodeSty brought us our
Opera House it brought us Iour New Hotel 80
beautiful and substantial. Our modesty sugges-