The San Francisco call., 1895-12-20

gotiated with Great Britain by John Jay,
then Chief Justice of the young Republic
OF the United States. The feast also in
augurated the annual observance of De-
cember 19 as Commercial Day" by all
organized numerical bodies of the country
and it was held under the auspices of the
editors of and contributors to the recently
completed history entitled cone Hundred
Years of American Commerce"
Cnauncey NJ. Depew, president of the
Empire State Society OF the Sons of the
American Revolution, presided at the ban
quet, and at his right sat William Jay and
at his left Secretary of the Navy Herbert.
The others at the presidents table were {:
Mayor Strong, Bishop Potter, General
Horace Porter, Charles H. Taylor, Russell
A. Ascer, Henry B. Hyde, William P.
Frye, Charles H. Cramp, Clement a. Girls
con-, James 7. Kilbreth, Don N. Dckin-
son, Charles A. Dana, Andrew II. Green
and William H. Webb.
When the covers had been removed Mr.
Depew arose and said he had received
tel4grams from Tacoma and Seattle
saying that they were celebrating ''Cele-
bration day" in those places. He then
went into history of the Jay treaty and
how it was accomplished. He touched
upon the war OF 1912.
'sThe victory of the war of 1872" said
Mr. Depew, was this: that the deck of an
American vessel was the indisputable terri
tory of the United States and was in
vioIable by any other nation. That was
the Monroe doctrine of 1872. Since that
time we have figured in many arbitrations
scarcely noticed because of lack of sensa-
tionalism.
81 trust that the principle of arbitration
embodied in the Jay treaty, which has
only been broken by four years of war in
the history of the United States, will con-
tnue to be be the guiding star in the rule
OF the United States during the year 1896. -
This sally was received with great ap-
plause.
Senator William P. Frye of Maine spoke
on the subject of "Our Merchant Marine. -
He said in part:
"The occasion calls for eulogies; my
speech will be more of an elegy. Our
coastwise. lake and river feet through the
century has experience d a steady, healthy
growth until it has reached magnificent
proportions-until its tonnage OF docu-
mented and undocumented vessels is
s. 900. 900 greater than that of Great Brit
ain. Germany. France, Spain and Italy
com bined. mployed in like business. In
1892 it took 3, 900 tonnage to carry our
freights. chiefly products OF our farms, on
the Mississippi alone. In 1893 there We're
nassed through the locks at Sault Ste.
Marie in eight months little over 11,0OO,-
600 tonnage, 100000 more than the Suez
canal carried in the entire year.
ssIs there any American whose blood
does not quicken at the mention OF such
achievement? If the toast has reference
to our ships engaged in the foreign carry
ing trade, a subject of much graver import
ance from a National point OF view, then
the picture am compelled to draw is in
deed a mortifying and humiliating one for
a rich, prosperous and powerful malltime
country, once the only rival OF urea1
Britain on the ocean to look upon.
The speaker portrayed our marvelous
growth in all but one of our industries,
and which has been without parailel IN
the history of nations. Gladstone's early
and unwilling prediction that our oaugn,
fer over the sea may overtake her mother
had been more than fulfilled. for the
daughter had distanced her, one lnous,
try alone, and that too of prime NatioEai
importance, seems o have fallen lhto
stat. of hopeless bankruptcy.
With an almost hmitless seaboard, great
harbors. boundless forests, inexhaustlpie
mines of coal and iron, splendldly