St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-11
TO MANHooD'S YEARS.
Continued rro,n Trirst poec.

Continued From First Page.
men of our city, and especially the
young men who are fast filling the
places made vacant by the death of
those who were In active life twenty-one
years ago. fully realize the high destiny
of the city and exert all their influence
and all their power to see that no adj
vantage is lost and that all that has
tWenty-0ne years be retained and per-
petuated for the common enjoyment of
all to the latest generation.
THE CHAMBER OF TO-DAY.
IhomaS Cochran, Jr., spoke on the
chamber OF commerce of to-day, his
topic. according TO the list of toasts,
reading, Our Chamber of To-Day; Its
Purposes and Prospects," Mr.. Coch-
ran was announced by Judge Flandrau
He was received with applause, and
made one of the best speeches of the
evening.
Mr.. Cochran at once caught the crowd
by beginning: Public spirit was the
father of the chamber, public nee tssity
its mother, Russell Blakely was the at
tending physician, and Horace Thomp-
son, A. Il. Catheart, G. D. Strong, d. w.
lngersoll and Girard Hewitt were the
cOngratulating friends" MIR. Cochran
had alluded very prettily to the forma-
zion OF the chamber, and the men who
who started it, and he was
given round of applause.
continuing he said: ''No question is so
abstruse, and no public question too
little or too big to engage the labors of
its hands, to its credit be it said. Men
of to-day cannot afford to discontinue
their interests in it, because it was so
largely the labor of their own hands,"
Mr.. Cochran then outlined the basis of
membership. 1t has often been charged
that the annual fees had been used to
enhance the value of the chambers
property against the perpetual member
ship. This was not So, he said.
The organization as it stands
he said. save four, were committees for
the discussion of affairs other than its
own. Its records would show that its
debates covered about all subjects,
both national, state and local. 1t was
cause for congratulation that it's stand
ing committees were made up of men
of such worth. Politics had been ex-
cluded, it had been said, but if politics
entered into business, moral and local
questions, then the chamber had been
felt on political questions. Organiza-
tons OF this nature thrived especially
well in nations like America.
Public spirit was it's basis.
In closing Mr.. Cochran drew a graphic
picture Of st. Paul 200 years hence,
when North st. Paul would he city.
''The cable line will then be running"
he said: and the guests applauded VIC
lently. 1.-The ice palace will be thing
of permanency, covered up in summer
and opened up in winter for the mill
ions that shall come to see it."
IN POETRY.
The toast, "Our Chamber of Commerce
Coming to Its Majority" was responded
to by Russell r. Dorr in an original
poem Of twenty-one verses. The Senti-
ment of the poem was contained mostly
in the following lines:
Upon the threshold now we stand,
With youthful hopes sublime;
Our tottering steps have brought us on
TO manhood's golden prime.
The fathers to whom much we owe
Fer wisdom, guidance, skill;
Whose silver hairs now grace our board,
Are spared 10 lead us still.
We give ye thanks; and in this year
OF our majority,
Acknowledge here, with filial hearts,
Your wise paternity.
TIE RAILROADS.
Hon. E. f. Drake spok to the toast,
''The Railroads of st. Paul and the
Northwest" His speech was in happy
vein. ''All roads do lead to Rome. ]"
That is very old ''saw," supposed to
over the site of the sunken Atlantis.
If the saying was changed by leaving
out "ROme" and inserting "St. Paul" it
would be more truthful. The commit
tee OH ''tOaSts" seem to be of the same
mind. Hear their words:
"'Twas said All roads do lead to Rome
To-day we bring that saying home.
There's not railroad great or small
But has its center in st. Paul.
One is in doubt which most to admire
the sentiment or the poetry. l sup
pose the real sentiment to which l am
to speak is 1.-The Railroad System of ST..
Paul and the Northwest magnificent
system of thousands of miles, which
expected to travel over in less than fif-
teen minutes.
Looking back to the calm summer
evening when I landed at the foot of
Jackson street with a locomotive, three
or four cars and few tons of rails, and
then forward to the present moment,
how wonderful the change. In the brief
intervening time st. Paul has been con-
nected by continuous rails with the Pa
cific in the far north, with the Bay of
San Francisco, with San Diego
and the City and Gulf of
Mexico on the south. The iron
bands have reached Lake Superior at
several points and have just clasped
hands at the waters of st. Lawrence.
With the Atlantic east, and south, we
are connected by rail. In the year 1862
the most sanguine of us could hardly
have wished for what is now accom-
plished. We should estimate the value
of railroads by higher test than mere
great civilizer of the age. They bring
men together socially and in trade. AS
it is law of the physical world that
two metals brought in contact by attri-
ton brighten each other, so in the
moral world we are made brighter and
better by frequent contact with each
other.
1 wish to say word about railroad
managers. After a close association
with them for more than thirty years, |
can say without prejudice that l know
of no equal body of men in any calling
superior in ability and business integ-
rity to the great majority who control
railroads. None labor harder or with
more sincere desire to be just to the
people.
On the card before me I notice as
one of the original promoters of the
chamber of commerce the name of one.
who in his day was the ardent promoter
of every work suggested for the public
good. 1t was project dear to him to
see st. Paul the permanent headquar-
tiers of one of the great railways of the
country. His cO-w0rkers completed
the task he had SO wisely
aided. His eyes were closed in
death before he knew whether his toll
and risk would result in making or
running his personal fortunes, or result
in good or evil to the city he so much
loved. We all knew him. Hissearnest,
ringing words were often heard in our
chamber ALWAYS words of wisdom Ii