The state herald., 1889-12-20
THE BOSTON BANQUET.
4quent Speeches by Cleveland, Oar.
Wak negie and Grady.

l ffS~'s ~fSS''SS ~ 0'~'~'~'''~p -
WaA negie and Grady.
'e" TON, Mass, Dec. 12.-Over 400
ueofent business men of Boston and
ea''" .gland crowded the apartments Of
"e'aestel vcndome this evening on the 90
CABIN Of the annual banquet Of the Boston
Merchants Association. At round tribe
In the cenSer sat Hon. Jonathan A. Lane,
president Of the Association. At his right
were ex-President Cleveland and Mr..
Grady, w. l.. Putnam, p. A. Collins, John
Lowell. William L. Russell md Leopold
Morse, while on his left were seated Gov
ernor Oliver Ames, Andrew Carnegie,
General Clinton B. Fiske and Collector
Saltchstall, all guests of the Association.
| Afthr reading letter OF regret from
James Russell Lowell, President Lane pro-
ceeded in brief speech to introduce Gov
ernor Ames, who welcomed the guests OF
the occasion. President Lane then intro
duced ex-President Cleveland, who was
greeted with long continued applause,
shouts and cheers.
MIR. cLEvELAND's REMARKS.
| Mr.. Cleveland dwelt on the injustice Of
fostering certain branches Of trade at tho
expense Of others by means OF protective
tarlff with tho accompanying evils Of the
intimidation Of labor by aggregated CAPT
tai. from this he turned to the question
Of the dangers which threaten the Nation
from intimidation and corruption OF the
voter. On this subject he said:
1--WE need not stiic our scorn and con-
tempt for the wretch who barely sells his
vote, and who for bribe betrays his trust
Of citizenship. And yet tho thought will
intrudo itself that hc but follows in
low and vulgar fashion the example OF
those who proceed upon the theory that
political action may be turned to private
gain. But we know that when political
selfshness Is destroyed our dangers will
disappear; and though the way to It's
stronghold may be long and weary,we Will
follow 1t, fighting as We go. There will be
no surrender, nor will there be desertions
from our ranks This hope, risen like tho
star In tho East, has fixed the gaze OF our
patriotic fellow countrymen and elsewhere
in our busy marts Of trade and on our
farms, in our cities and In the homes OF
the poor, ia our universities and in our
workshops, in our banking houses and In
the ranks of inexorable toil-they greet
with enthusiastic acclaim the advent Of
ballot reform.
~ remember the Inauguration Of another
reform, and have seen it grow and extend
until it has become firmly established In
our laws and practice. It Is to-day our
greatest safeguard against the complete
and disgraccful degradation Of our public
service. 1t has enemies, and all Of them
are not yet silendE I'd. But its victory was
wrought by foi fe Of enlightened public
sentiment, and Upon Its trial every obiec-
tion which had een urged sgains. It was
completely dis9rodited. As It has been
with civil service reform SO will II be with
ballot reform, Except that tho coming vie
tory will be more speedily achieved and
more complete"
Following Mr.. Cleveland came Henry
W. Grady, OF Georgia, who was warmly
received.
| MRI oRADY's ADDRESS.
| Mr.. Grady remarked that he was invited
to discuss thk race problem. He said:
The South tho faircst md richest do
main on ear b, is so scantily peopled that
but 10 per d mt. Of It's lands are cultivated.
The sons bf New England seek with
troubled 81 some new Eldorado, yet since
1880 tho emigration OF Northcrners to the
iu6iac; decreasIpg because Of ths.
race problem and thS ~ Pleion 4 6rccds.
Southcrncrs arc so besct with this problem
that their very existence depends on It's
right solution"
Replying TO the imputation that the
South treated the negroes unjustly, tho
speaker said:
"Thts year the South raised 100000
bales Of cotton, which enormous crop
could not have conc from the hands Of
discontcnted labor. The negroes Of Geor-
gia, who twenty five years ago were slaves,
now possess t.o. 0O0,00O worth OF property.
For every Afro American agitator stirring
strife he could show u thousand negroes
happy in their cabin homes and with chill
drcn In school. II is admitted that there il
disorder and violence, but 1t is misiudgcd.
I.awlessness In Iowa Is accepted Us an nc
cident, while that In the South is ascribed
to race causes. The black will east free
ballot when ignorance anywhere Is not
dominated by tho will Of the intelligent
"The whites urc banded not In prejudice,
but of necessity. The negro vote remains
an ignorant and crcdulous faction, the
prey of tho unscrupulous OF both parties,
md plays u part In the campaign In which /
every interest Of society is isieoparsiizcd, and
every approach TO tho ballot box de-
bauchcd. Against such u campaign as this,
the Southern whites arc banded US Massa-
chusetts whites would bc In similar cir
cumstancc.
In reply 10 u challenge as To the alleged |
smallness Of the Southern vote, MIR. Grady |
said;
"Thc sixteen Southern States In 1856
cast O. per cent. Of their total vote. the
New England States but C3 per cent. Of
theirs. The negro has learned that the
ballot. box which promised him most has
yielded him least, and at least has realized
that his best friends arc his nelghbors. |
with whose prosperity his own Is bound
up.
at would be well II Northern partisans
would understand that the negro vote can
never again control the South. II there
bc my human force which cannot be with.
stood, II Ia that OF banded intelligence and
the responsibility OF free community.
Upon that the South rclics-noi upon tho
cowardly mcnanco Of the mask or shotgun.
Force bills will not avail. Tho North may
surrender i,s liberties To federal election
law. but never again will single State,
North or South, be delivered to the control
OF MI ignorant and inferior race. Time
alone can toll how tho problem presented
will be solved
The speaker believed 1t would bc solved
By tho people most bound In honor TO is
solution. lie asked, "nrsi, patience; out
OF this alone can come perfect work; see