, 1889-12-13
A FEAST OF oRATORY.
Annual Banquet of the Boston
Merchants Association.
Ex.President Cleveland on the
Purity of the Ballot.
Il. W. Grady Discusses the
Race Problem.

Boston, Dec. l2.-0ver 400 promi-
nent business men of Boston and New
England crowded the apartments OF the
Hotel Vendome this evening on the &C.
casion of the annual banquet of the
Boston Merchant Association. At a
round table in the center sat Hon. j. A.
Lane, president OF the association. At
his right we're ex-President Cleveland and
Mr.. Grady, w. l.. Putnam, p. A. Col
Inns, John Lowell, w. E. Russell and
Leopold Morse, while on the left were
seated Governor Oliver Ames, Andrew
Carnegie, Gen. Clinton B. Fisk and Col
lector Saltchstall. all guests of the asso-
c~iation. After reading a letter OF regret
from James Russell Lowell, President
Lane proceeded In a brief speech to intro
duce Governor Ames who welcomed the
guests of the occasion. President Lane
then introduced ex-President Cleveland,
who was greeted with long-continued APP.
plause, shouts and cheers.
He dwelt on the injustice of fostering
certain branches of trade at the expense
of others by means of protective tariff
with its accompanying evils of intimida-
ton of labor by aggregated capital. From
this he turned to the question Of the dan
gers which threaten the nation from in
timidation and corruption OF voters. "On
this subject" he said, I'VE need not stifie
our scorn and contempt for the wretch
who basely sells his vote and who for .
bride betrays his trust OF citizenship, and
yet the thought will intrude itself that he
but follows in the low and vulgar fashion
able example OF thUse who proceed upon
the same theory that political action may
be tmn.d to private gain.
But we know that when political sci.
fshness is destroyed our dangers will dis
appear; and though the way to its strong
hold may be long and weary we will fol-
low 1t, fighting as we go. There will be
no surrender nor will there be assertions
from our ranks. THIS hope has risen like
a star in the east; has fixed its gaze on
our patriotic fellow countrymen and every
where in our busy marts of trade and on
our farms, in our cities and in the homes
of the poor; III our universities and in our
workshops; in our banking houses and
in the ranks of honorable toll. They
greet with enthusiasm the advent of bal
lot reform.
Il remember the Inauguration of an
other reform. and | have seen it grow
and extend until it has become firmly es.
tablished in our laws and the practice of
it is to day our greatest safeguard against
the complete and disgraceful degradation
of our public service. 1t has its enemies
and all of them are not yet silenced, bu
a victory came, wrought by the force of
enlightened public sentiment, and upon
its trial every objection which had been
urged against it was completely dlscred-
tied. As it has been with civil service
roEnrn, 30 rv,1 - hn NTH thn hnnnt -
form, except that the coming victory will
be moro speedily achieved and more com
plete,
Following Mr.. Cleveland came III. w.
Grady of Georgia, who was warmly re-
ceived. Mr.. Grady said he was invited
to discuss the race problem. He said:
The South, the fairest and richest do
main on earth, is so scantly peopled that
Is per cent OF its lands are uncultivated.
Since 1860 the immigration of Northern
ers to the South has been decreasing on
account of the race problem and the sus-
piciou it breeds. Southerners are so be-
set with this problem that their very ex-
istence depends on its right solution"
Replying to the imputation that the
South treated its negroes ~unjustly the
speaker said: This year the South raised
1900, 900 bales of cotton, which enormous
crop could no: have come from the hands
OF disconnected labor. Negroes of Geor-
gia who twenty-five years ago were slaves
o possess twenty million dollars worth
OF property. For every free American
agitator stirring up strife he could show a
thousand negroes happy in their cabin
homes ID with their children in schools.
1t Is admitted that there is disorder and
violence, but it is %misjudged. Lawless'
ness in Iowa is accepted as an accident,
while that in the South is ascribed to race
causes. The black will cast a free ballot
when ignorance anywhere is not denomi.
mated by the will of the intelligent. The
whites are banded not in prejudice but Of
necessity"
In reply to a challenge as to the al.
legged smallness of the Southern vote Mr..
Grady said: THE sixteen Southern states
in 1888 cast 81 per cent of their total
vote, the New England states but SO pei
cent of theirs. The negro has learned
that the ballot box which promised him
the most has yielded him the least and he