The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-01-16
PARTY FALSE TO ITS TRUST
BOURKE COCKRAN'S ELOQUENT AR-
R1IGNMENT OF DEMOCRACY.
Address Before Boston Merchants Associ-
ation-A Notable observation-disclosures
Wolcott Among the Speakers-Many
Distinguished Civilians and Officials



Wolcott Among the Speakers-Many
Distinguished Civilians and Officials
Present.
Boston, Jan. 15.-One hundred gentle
men, representing the trade, commerce,
and wealth of Boston and New England,
attended this evening the thirteenth
annual banquet of the Boston Mer-
chants association at Hotel Yendome,
the event par excellence of the dining
season in Boston. This evenings event
it in character of attendants, inter-
est of topics and quality of oratory.
From to p. m. the officers and
special guests of the association re-
ceived in the Vendome parlors. Dinner
was served at p. m. in the great ban
quet hall, which was elaborately decor
ated During both reception and din
ner full orchestra rendered national
airs. AT the center of the head tables
were President Leeson, the special
colt, William c. Cornwell, president Of
the City bank of Buffalo; Hon. w.
Bourke Cochran of New York, Mayor
Quincy, Sub Treasurer O'Neil, Collec-
tor Winslow Warren, Postmaster j. w.
Coveney, Congressman John f. FitZ-
gerald, ]. L. Bates, Speaker of the
House, General Floyd Bryce, Railroad
Commissioner G. G. Croker, Dock Com
missioner Clinton White and Hon.
Charles e. Adams, president of the
Massachusetts board of trade.
Among the other gentlemen were Os-
borne Howes, publicist; John Shepard,
Hon. Alden Speare Colonel A. A. Pope,
Hon. H. Fl. Sprague, Congressman
Charles f. Sprague, Robert Treat
Paine, Hon. T. j. Gargan, General B.
F. Bridges, Francis W. Breed, william
Bryce, A. Shuman, Adjutant r. B.
Kendall and Editor FL. S. Underwood
of the Advertiser.
After the menu had been discussed
President Lesson opened the speaking
in a short address, in which he feel
ingly alluded to the absence last year
of Governor Greenhalge and his un-
timely death. He closed by presenting
in a glowing eulogy Governor Wolcott,
who was received with vociferous ap-
plause and cheers. The governor well
coined the guests in taking five min
ute address.
The last speaker was Hon. w. Bourke
Cochrane of New York, who addressed
the gathering upon THE Moral and
Material Prosperity of the United
States" Mr. Cockrane was received
with great applause and cheers. His
address was one of great eloquence. In
the course of his remarks he said:
Mr. President and gentlemen of the
Boston Merchants association: For
the part / took in the last campaign /
have never expected any reward. But
/ have one forced upon me by the gem
erous hands of your chief executive far
beyond my deserts. I have observed
that the tone of discussion tonight
ranged about the subject of prosperity
prosperity municipal and prosperity
national. Your distinguished mayor
has pointed out the works of improve
ment of your harbor. May they lead
you to that wider prosperity which he
has pictured. Under such leadership
your prospects of success are brilliant
indeed. l have listened with the deep
est interest to what has been said of
the future prosperity of our nation
"In all that the preceding speaker
has said In support of the necessity of
a change in our currency laws I fully
concur I do not, however, believe our
prosperity, the revival of our COM
merce must necessarily wait until fur
ther financial legislation be adopted.
Let us not deceive ourselves as to
what has been decided by the late
election. The same platform that as
sailed the honest redemption Of every
public and private promise also raised
it's hands against the courts that inter-
preted the laws and against the execu-
tive that was sworn to execute them.
"It behooves sensible men to light
the lamp of common sense and seek to
discover the fountains of prosperity
that, having learned what they are,
and where they are, they may learn
how to defend them with vigor and
point them out to their fellows with
accuracy. Prosperity does not consist
In abundance of money, but in abun-
dance of commodity.
"And what we suffer from to-day has
been the result of a perversion of legiti-
mate government functions. 1t is quite
true that this country. blessed with
every favor which Providence could
shower upon it, is still suffering under a
widespread commercial depression, and,
if we seek the causes of the disasters
which have overtaken our commerce
we can trace them directly to mistaken,
ill-advised legislation which has inter
fered with the industry of man by
casting doubts upon the conditions un-
der which it could be prosecuted. We
all know that the present depression
is due, first, to the corruption of our
currency, which eliminated in the
Sherman act; second, to the abortive
attempt to reduce our tariff by less
ening in the rates of duty.
THE party that betrayed the tariff
issueraised itshand against the security
of the government itself. False to its
own platform in '94 it became false to
the constitution in '96.
81 have contributed to its success in
the past, and by that contribution [
made its assault upon the things we all
hold dear more formidable Those who
felt with me believe that the only re-
dress which we could offer to the peo-
nile was to take the front rank in the
contest and sacrifice all our own hopes