Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-11-06
The Hanqnet at DeImOeico,s.

vited to dine at the Delmonico some
night this week, the letter requested hin
to fix the day that would be the most con
venient for him to meet his hosts In an
swer to the invitation Blaine replied
Hon Hm. -H ErdrtS, John Jacob Asto
4 and others, NcC York Il accept, with
much pleasure, your kind invitation t,
I dine with you next week, and name Wednes
4 day evening as one agreeable to myself, but
\ shall gladly leave the assignment of the
time TO yourselves.
Such is the origin of the dinner to Blaine
this evening The hour set for The dinner
was 7 o'clock. At that time long lines OF
carriages had left their occupants at the
doors, and 200 gentlemen were engaged IN
Misunderstanding and preparing for the ban
quet 1t was 7:20 when Blaine reached
the rooms, and few minutes later, as he
entered the ballroom where the covers
were laid, he was greeted by hand-clap-
ping of others of the company whc had
preceded him and stood at their respective
places at the tables. Mr.. Blaine was es-
corted to the post Of honor by Mr.. VIM. NJ.
Evarts and Mr.. Cyrus w. Field, and took
his seat as the room resounded with, Three
cheers for Blaine" proposed by Mr.. A. Il.
Whitney. The rooms were deliberately
decorated. The tables were laden with
rare plants inteTmingled with delicate and
artistic articles, cOntectiOner'S art, hand
some chandeliers tastetully trimmed with
smilaX, and the air was laden with the
perfume of roses A monster bed of ele-
giant flowers bearing the initials j. G. B., y
in artistic howered lettering, rested on the
table at which Mr.. Blaine was seated. A
handsome banner, bearing the national
shield and representing the American eagle
holding in its beak a green garland, was
suspended from the wall behind the pre-
siding officer, Mr.. VIM. Nj. Evarts. The
distinguished guest of the evening, Mr..
Blaine, sat Immediately on the right of the
President; Levi p Morton, q. S. Minister
to France, sat on the immediate left OF Mr..
Evarts; other guests at the principal table
and in order were on the right Judge
Noah Davis, presiding Justice OF the Su-
preme Court, New York, who sat next to
Blaine: Ex-Governor Cornell, IN. " Gov.
Hoyt, Penn Cyrus w. Field and Chas
f. Coon, Assistant Secretary OF the
Treasury, on the left; Rev. Henry NJ. Field
d. D., Ex-senator Thomas c. Platt, Ex-
Judge John F. Dillon, VIM. Dowd and
Addison Brown. Among the more promi-
nent of the other gentlemen forming the
company were Whitelaw Reid, Henry
Clews, Cornelius n Bliss, Jacob d. Yer
myle, L. NJ. Bates, J. NJ. Bundy, Sinclair
Tousey, d. A. Hawkins, Jesse Seligman,
Brayton Ives, Aug. Kountze, Clarence E.
Seward, David Dows, Jr., VIM. H. Robert
son, d. S. Babcock.
Cyrus w. Field, from whose Office tickets
of admission had been sent out, received
letters regretting their absence from john
Jay, who is out of the city In connection
with the business of the civil service COM
mission: from John Sherman, who is
speaking at Springfield, Mass; from John
G. Whittier, who hopes "the coming elec-
ton will call your honOIed guest 10 the
high place he is so well fitted to FILL" Eu-
gene Hale was also away serving a cam
paign engagement
The tables were supplied with dainty
designs, intended to illustrate the character
of the industries of the country, and in
which the citizens were the foremost part
engaged One table was devoted to sculp-
ture and to arts, letters and science, and
one to the iron interest.
board On the front appears two national
flags with their StatfS crossed. Bindln z
the stats at the point where they meet is
a crimson ribbon, the folds OF which are
tossed by the wind so that the streaming
ends are borne upwards over the crossed
flags and form the initials y. G: B." I'M
mediately below this design appears the
inscription, Dinner to Hon. James G.
Blaine, Wednesday, October 20, 1884, at
p. M; DelmenicOs, Fifth avenue and
Twenty sixth street" When the guests
were seated grace was said by Rev. Henry
NJ Field.
1t was $40 when Ex-Secretary Evarts
raped for order with his gavel and began
his address. AS he arose in his place, a
loud applause greeted him; and as he
closed, there We're more cheers. Three
cheers for James G. Blaine were called for
and given with great enthusiasm and were
repeated in response to a voice from the
lower end of the hall shouting, three
more"
When Mr.. Blaine arose he was greeted
with a whirlwind of applause. He said
" 1t is a great reversal of positions, Mr..
President, that makes me hear you aseribe
leadership to me, for it has been my duty
and my pleasure in these long years to
follow you; to learn from you wisdom in
public affairs and to join with my country
men in ascribibing to you not merely the
great merit of leadership in the noblest of
professions, but to yield our admiration
for the singular success which has given to
you the opportunity to lead in the three
most important cases ever pleaded by
hav Of ho A m har First in
your own party in what you re-
garded as impOlicy, if not madness, OF i'm
peaching a president; second, IN maintain
ing before the greatest international tribu-
nal that has ever assembled In modern
times, the rights of your country and OBJ
tanning redress for wrongs to her that
grew out of the civil war; and third, per-
haps averting another civil war by plead |
ing before an electoral commission the !
peaceful settlement of the angriest pOliti- |
cal discussion that ever arose between the |
parties of the United States. l turn now |
from your president to thank you mer-
chants and professional men-leaders OF
the great and complex society OF New
York-to thank you for receiving me, not |
merely at this festal board but also In that
ar, more impressive reception winch
he close OF this rainy day witnessed In
your broad and beautiful avenues. l could
not, l am sure, by any possible stretch OF
vanity take this large and generous DEM
to myself 1t is given me only /
for the time as representative of principles
which you and l hold in common touch
ng those great interests which underlie, as
We believe, the prosperity of the nation.
And it is fitting that the commercial me-
ropolis of the continent should lead 1t Is
itting that that the financial center OF the
continent should lead it is fitting that the
,reat city, second only in the world, should