The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-06
AN OVATION TO DEPEW.
FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE HEAR
him AT CHICAGO.

4
the Chicago Press Club - The
| Speaker Calls IL Free and Easy
Chat from a Layman on Journalism.
CHICAGO, June 5.-The big Auditorium,
with its myriad lights. never seemed more
brilliant than o.night when Chauncey NJ.
Depew, with beaming countenance, stood
in the center of the stage acknowledging
the cheers of an assemblage that stretched
from his feet away to the top of the
| highest gallery. A conservative esti-
mate of the number of people present
put the figure at about 5000. They re-
ceived the distinguished New Yorker with
warmth of enthusiasm not often accorded
on purely social occasion. Mayor Cregier's
brief Introduction of Mr.. DeDew was i'm
patiently listened TO, and then, after a great
| round of applause, the address of the
| famous orator of the evening was heard
with marked attention, interrupted every
moment or two by vOlleys Of laughter and
cheers. The meeting was under the auspices
of the Chicago Press Club.
THE SPEECH.
Mr.. Depew spoke as follows:
When I received the invitation of the Press
| Club of Chicago to deliver its annual address
| supposed that it desired free and easy chat
from layman upon journalism. But soon
| discovered that your club wanted from me
| neither criticism nor praise. but the discussion
| OF subject common to us ALL
Il is, however, proper for me to remark that
the rest of the world is entitled to at least one
4 day in the year upon the newspaper men. For
365 days they oracularly direct us in our opin-
ions, walk and conversations; they give us our
| politics. our estimates of public men and our
views upon all current questions. The American
| people are enllnently practical their wits are
sharpened in their own affairs and their thoughts
| concentrated and intent upon that which i'm
mediately interests them. AS a result the
larger part or every community have no opin-
ions until they have read their party and re-
| ligious papers For man like myself, who
reads them all, the most curious of studies is to
gather the reflex of the editors views in the
confident expressions of my friends What
| ever responsibity-an it is great-may rest
upon the lawyer, with the liberal latitude
| preacher, with his unrestrained opportunity to
| speak, upon the teacher in moulding the
| minds of his students, the largest re-
| sponsibility of all rests upon the, jour
nalist. A former generation believed that lib
| erty OF the press would lead to such license as
| TO endanger public morality and destroy pri-
| vate character They feared that there could
be no redress from the assaults of the press eX-
| cept by personal violence or murder The re-
| suits OF liberty far beyond that dreamed of at
any former period liberty which is curbed by
neither the law of libel the verdict OF iuries
have been found in the main entirely salts
factory. Independence and opportunity have
created a journalistic conscience by which the
common view OF the press protects the indi-
vldual against unj just attack Of any one of its
| members.
The question which has been assigned to me
| by your committee is the worlds fair" and
the success or the failure of this great enter
| prise will be dependent in a great measure upon
the view which is taken of it by the press of the
country. If there be not general agreement
among the newspapers of the republic, as to
and f1fe
| support which it should receive, it had better
be abandoned at the start.
| There can be no hesitation, no backwardness,
no niggardliness in this matter. Either let us
have an exhibition, national and international
| in its character, fostered and fathered by the
| United States, or none at all. Let the gener-
osity OF citizens, the efforts. Of your great
municipality, the assistance of your common
wealth be given without STINT but behind, to
supplement all deficiencies and to meet all obi
cations, let there stand the majesty of the
United States.
| SOME OF ITS AIMS.
1t is not only to open trade with the world,
| not only to show to other countries the perfec-
| ton of our machinery and the exhaustless
resources OF our farms and mines not only to
bring together the citizens of all portions of the
| country under conditions which promote pa
| triotism, that such an exhibition is valuable,
but it is invaluable as an educator. met at the
| Paris exposition a delegation of workingmen
| and workingwomen sent there by the liber-
| atty of newspaper man of the west, but this
|
generosity across the ocean, will swell here into
| the representatives of every trade, hocking
from every city, town and village, coming from
| every mine, mill and factory to study the ex-
| hibits which are the products of the accumu.
| lated skill of centuries, thus securing for our
| artisans favorable opportunities for education,
and Tor our country an instant enrichment in
| the character and value of its productions.
ALL THE WORLD CAN TAKE PART.
The Columbus quadri-centennial celebration
| will be the only one within recorded time in
which all the world can cordially and fraternally
unite. 1t is not saerilege to say that the two
| events to which civilization to-day owes its adj
| vanced position are the introduction of chris
| tianity and the discovery of America. The
| dynamic forces OF our christian faith, in the
| destruction of the buttresses of bigotry and
oppression and the leveling up of the masses to
common rights, could never have worked such
marvellous results except for the opportunities
OF new country and an untrammeled popula-
| ton.
New continents beyond the ocean which should
| become the seat of great empires, and whose
wealth would redeem the holy sepulcher at
Jerusalem from the inidel and evangeize the
world, were the dream of Columbus. Sustained
enthusiasm has been the motor of every move
ment in the progress of mankind. Genius,
| pluck, endurance and faith can be resisted by
neither kings nor cabinets. The triumph of
| Columbus is superb practical illustration of
the apostle Paul's tribute to the power of faith.
AusPIcIoUsNEss OF THE TINE.
There has been no time since the Inaugural
ton of our first President so suspicious for q
national and international exhibition in the
United States. In 1876 wo had only partially
recovered from the most disastrous financial
panic of the century. The south had not vet
started upon its new development. and was
still suffering from the disorders and bitterness
of reconstruction. But now we are at the very
consummation of peace and prosperity.
We are ON the pinnacle of q
century of unexampled growth, develop
ment and progress. The vast region west
of the Missouri river which, was wilderness
in 1876 has been fruitful in new states added
to the union the railroad has penetrated along
the valleys and climbed to the mountain tops
carrying populations, opening farms, developing
mines, starting furnaces and mills, building
villages and founding cities. generation has
grown up in the south which has caught the
| spirit of progress and the pace of the times
The great ranges so rich in coal and iron are
furnishing wealth for New Brmin CHAINS and
Manchesters and Pittsburgs.
Three years ago in London at dinner | sat
beside Robert Browning, the poet. He said to
me: of all the places in the world the one
which from its literary societies sends me the
| most intelligent and thoughtful criticisms upon
my poetry is Chicago"
|. With the broad, generous and catholic spirit
| which will inspire the visitors to this exhibi
ton, the west will discover that the east, with
its conservatism, intellectually and pros
| perity has not lost its vigor and
the east will find that the west
with its stalwart force and push and drive is
| abreast with the east in intellipenca cnltIIre