The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-04
LINCOLN CLUBS GUESTS.
The Washington Men Who Will Be
Here.
TO SPEAK AT THE BIG CITY HALL
BANQUET.

Senator Wilson and Congressman Smith
are Able Orators-Portland People
Have Treat in store-How Mr.. Smith
Electrified an Audience by Phonograph.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.]
Washiuton February 3 In Senator
Wilson of Washington staJe, and
Representative William Alden Smith
of Michigan. the Lincoln Club will have
as guests two of the most noted orators
in Congress. Mr.. Smith has already been
heard several times in the House this res
sion. and was one of the most Hrery
speakers when the Armenian resolution
was up for discussl on.
Mr.. Smith is now 81 years old, and a
native of the state of which he represents
in Congr ss. His education began in
in legislative halls. He was appointed
a page in the Michigan House of Repre-
sentaUiyes in 1879, and in 1882 became as
sistant Secretary of the Michigan State
Senate. He had already studied some law
and was admitted to the bar in 1883.
His success has since been very rapid, and
he is now one of the leading attorneys of
his state. He was mem Der of the Re-
publican state central committee in 1888,
1890 and 1892. and in 1894 was elected
to Congress, receiving plurality of over
5000 in the fifth Michigan district, which
includes his home of Grand Rapids.
Mr.. Smith is in great demand as an af
ter-dlnner speaker, and his reputation
is by no means confined to the West.
He spoke few months ago at great
banquet in Boston, and attracted much
attention by what he said and the way
he said it.
Mr.. Smith was not long ago the hero of
an incident which attracted wide atten-
tion in the west. For many years it has
been the unbroken custom of Congress
TO take racess of two weeks during the
holidays. Everyone supposed that there
would be the usual holiday recess this
Congress, and the members generally
made plans for being away. Mr.. Smith
accepted an invitation to attend a great
Republican banquet at Grand Rapids
He was to be the leading speaker, and |
extensive preparation had been made by |
his friends for large attendance and |
a grand time. The banquet was to be on |
the evening of the 9th Of Deoem Der; MIR. |
Smith had gone home several days before
to be prepared and on the spot. This
was the time of the war emergency mes
sage of the President, and the members
OF the House We're summoned from all
parts of the country to hasten to Wash
ington and pass the Dingley bills. Mr..
Smith, like good partiot, responded |
with alaority, and hastened to Washing
ton. He had to give up all prospeo |
attending the banquet, and there was
grief among his friends in Grand Rapids. |
One evening. about day and nigh
before the banquet was to take place,
Mr.. Smith was hurrying along Pennsyl.
vania avenue towards the Capitol. His
attention was attracted to some phone
graphs in store window, and at once
l,yr11~ III .xlro AAr h-I H.. \
would deliver his speech into a ph ono
graph and then send the little wax cylin-
der to Grand Rapids, where it could be
put into another photograph, which
would do d1ty at the banquet No
sooner thought than zone. Mr.. Smith
was soon standing before the machine
speaking with all the fire and vigor that
would be required for an audience. OF
course the proceedings attracted large
sidewalk audience; but this fact served
to stir rather than dampen the emula-
tions of the orator. When tho speech had
been delivered the precious little wax
cylinder was delivered to Mr.. Smith and
he turned to the soluti On of the problem
of getting it to Grand Rapids in season
for the dinner. The express offices were
not open, and he did not dare to trust the
mails. So he got trunk. and into it
put the little cylinder, with numerous
paokings around it. This trunk be at
once checked to Grand Rapids, sending
it on train which was just ready to
pull out of the station. The check to the
trunk he mailed to his wife by special
delivery letter-an expediont which he
could not have we'll resorted to with the
cylinder.
The trunk arrived all right, inst in sea-
son to be hurried to the banquet hall
There the cylinder was put on to a pho
nograph, and was all ready for action
when the hour came for Mr.. Smith to
be introduced. A local Grand Rapids
paper thus describes how the perform
ance passed off:
Bold Fisherman While the quartette
was singing H. g. Barlow, who manip-
ulated the phonograph, was fixing the
little machine that had annihilated the
thousand miles between this city and
the capital OF the nation, and allowed
the club and its visitors the pleasure Of
listening to the well voice of
Congressman William Alden Smith. 1t
was so still that pin could have been
heard had it dropped to the floor, when,
after preliminary squeak or two, a
strong, familiar voice, coming from
nothing but the mouth of black
funnel, said that the. speaker had
the honor of introducing, in the city of
Washington, Congressman William AL
den Smith, who would now address the
young Republicans of his home city.
The silence grew more intense Not a
word was to be lost and the silence wa
absolutely painful until the we'll kncwns
voice of William Alden Smith comm NE
IN rattling speech that could he J card
through the dining room and down in the
corridor of the hotel.
AT the completion of the speech there
was applause, just as profuse and hearty
as if Mr.. Smith had delivered the words
in person.
The speech was reported in full in the
papers and attracted much atten tion.