The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-23
Ex-President Attends the Banquet of
the Pennsylvania Society and Adds
to the OratOry.
HIS REMARKS APPLAUDED
An Indirect Reference to the An
neXatiOn of Hawaii.
Speech of Vice President Stevenson at
the FOrefathers' Day Celebration
at Washington.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 22.-Some Of the
leading lights of oratory, literature, politics
and journalism met ex-President Harrison,
this evening, at the thirteenth annual festival
Of the New England Society Of Pennsylvania.
The society's banquet board was spread at
the Continental Hotel. Preceding the ban
quet was an informal reception to the ex-
President. Charles Emory Smith was the
POSTMASTER. Mr.. Harrison sat on his right
and ex-senator Edmunds. of Vermont. on
his left.
The president Of the society, after a brief
speech, introduced ex-Presldent harrison,
who spoke TO the toast, 1.-THE President of
the United States" The speaker said that
he felt that he owed something to Mr.. Smith
because he had appointed the latter to an
Office which did not pay his expenses RE
expressed his gratitude TO the people of
Philadelphia for their cordality and his en-
barrassment on being called upon to COM
pete with many bright minds in an after
dinner speech. 1T occurred to me,
to-day" he added, ito inquire why
you had to associate six States
in order to get up respectable
society. If you would adopt the liberal
charter measure Of the Ohio Society have
into six good societies. The Ohio Society
admits to membership everybody who has
lived voluntarily six months in Ohio.
Qaughter.) No involuntary resident is al
lowed to come in. But the association Of
these States and the name New England
is part OF the old classification of the States
that we used to have in Biographies, and
all that classification is gone, except New
England and the South. The West has dis
appeared and the middle States cannot he
identified
Where is the West? Why, just now at
the point of the long chain of islands that
put off from the Alaska coast, and If /
am to credit what 1 real, for / have no
sources of information now except the not
absolutely accurate press, there are some
who believe that there are wicked men who
want to hitch the end of that chain on to
another island further out into the sea.
Great applause and cheers.) II that should
be done the West would become the East,
for / think the Orient has generally been
counted to be the East
II would not. however, suggest division
of the New England Society. 1t is well
enough to keep up an association that is
one not only for neighborhood and Of his
torical association, but Of sentiment Let
the New England Society live and / fancy
II will not be long till you enjoy the dis
tinction of being the only great subdi-
vision OF the States; for, my fellow-citi-
zens, whatever barriers prejudice may
raise. whatever obstruction the interests
of men may interpose, whatever may be
thu outrages of cruelty to stay the march
of New England, that which made the
subdivision when in the Southern States
and that so parted them from the States
OF the West and of the North will be OBJ
liberated (Applause) l am not sure,
though the story runs so, but L have
new England strain. The fact is, / have
recently come TO the conclusion that my
family was a little overweighted with an
ancestry and I have been looking after
posterity." Gaughter.)
Mr.. Harrison left the banquet hall i'm
mediately after his speech and took train
on the Pennsylvania railroad for the West
The Rev. Edward Everett Hale, the next
speaker, talked of 1.-The Day We Cele-
brate." Congressman Charles Boutelle of
Maine. followed DR.. Hale. He said that
like Mr.. Harrison, next President, he
had not prepared and address.