The Portland daily press., 1898-01-20

Banquet at THO Congress Square
Last NIGHT
AS THE GUESTS OF MIR. f. H,
HAZLETON OF PORTLAND,

A Very Pleasant Occas!oE-Nhat 'he
Elaine Life Insurance. Underwriters
Association Is and Its Objec:-Those
who Were Present.
The convention of the State of Maine
Association of Life Underwriters en-
joyed complimentary banquet at The
Congress Square hotel last night, which
was rendered by its president, Mr. L. H..
Hezelton of Portland. Representatives
of nearly every life insurance company
in Maine were present, and the occasion
was one of the pleasantest in the history
of this organization of bright, widea-
wake and entefprising insurance men.
The banquet was served in the hand
some dining hall at the Congress square
and the tables were handsomely decorat-
cd with potted plants and flowers and
glittered with silver and cut glass. An
orchestra was in attendance during the
reception and banquet. The menu
cards were very handsome ard original.
"If over $4,000 worth is eaten, two
examinations will be required" was the
legend at the top of the card Opposite
the item on the menu card Of baked
chicken halibut with tomato sauce"
were the following inquiries: is the
piscatory flavor clear and distinct?" Is
there any suspicion that the halibut was
caught on a Sabbath" When the frozen
egg nog reached the guests of Mr.. Hazel
ton were electrified when they read on
the menu card, sis there any tendency
to over indulgence" while the chicken
salad was bracketed by tho inquiry of,
"Does the subject look older than the
age stated?"
All of the above phrases and many more
on the menu cards, are familiar to life in
suranoe men, but were very startling to
say the least to the uninitiated.
The banquet was greatly enjoyed and
after that part of the menu marked as
"the post Inortem'' stage had been
reached and the cigars were lighted, some
entertaining and instructive speeches
were made.
The host and president of the associa-
ton, Mr.. T. Fl. Hazelton, called the as
semblage to order. He first referred to the
/
citation of Life Underwriters, October "a,
1869, and relatetd the purposes of the or
ganization which are to promote literary
and social intercourse among its MEM
bers as we'll as to protect it's members
and the public from false and fraudulent
life insurance companies 1t also aims
to prevent false rebating and the asso'
citation earnestly advocates the promotion
OF good fellowship and good will and
general culture Mr.. Hazelton said that
there were evils in the life insurance
business in Maine to be corrected, land the
proper avenue to reach these offenses is
through this association. The bylaws
of the association provide that it shall CO.
operate with the insurance commissioner
OF Maine, as well as the referee, Hon.
Thomas B. Reed, appointed by the anti
rebate agreement between many lnsur-
ance companies. With all the insurance
pl en- united in Maine and heartily CO.
operating with these two officials thei
surance men and the public will be bet
ter protected and the grand work, being
performed by the insurance agent,ssgreatly
as sisted His remarks We're loudly ap-
plaude d.
NIT, Wy. II. oElORtuehA VI 4NOW L OThy
one of the Oldest life insurance men in
the country, who was introduced as the
veteran agent of the New York Equitable
Life Insurance company, was the next
sneaker. His Introductory remarks were
very witty and his speech aboundcd in
interesting "reminiscences of the life in
surance business and was hlled with
bright anecdotes and illusions to the
trials and tribulations of the life insur-
ance agent. In closing, MIR. Bridgman
said: 9tForty-tw years ago attended
political meeting in Central Illinois,
in a small hall that was not half filled.
The speaker in speaking of the agitation
against slavery said: 8 hope that the
neopIe will aoitate and agitate and con-
| Time to agitate, until the wind in it's
wanderings, the sun in its course will be
unable to find single slave" The
| sentiment was then received with more
Kisses than applause, but four years lat
er it was my privilege to hear the same
sneaker in his own home accept the
nomination of the Republican party as
it's candidate for President. His little
sneech of acceptance was taken down by
a short hand reporter in a book which he
rested on my shoulder. That stenogra-
nher ia now Hon. r. FL. Hit, chairman
of the committee on foreign relations in
the House of Representatives, and the
sneaker on that occasion was he, whose
OOOd TlQlU Uduu WV VI UilICo lttt6E
liberated the race for which he so elo-
ouentIy pleaded, making for himself n
name which will BIO handed down with
honor in all lands from generation to
generation as long as greatness and good
ness shall be honored in the habitations
of men. The man Of whom I speak
was Abraham Lincoln. (Great applause. J
Gen. John G. Linnehan of New Hamp-
shire. the insurance commissioner of that
state, spoke briefly and kept his hearers
in good humor by his funny stories and
his witty illusions to the insurance men
and their business. He had many oom-
plimentary things to say of the Maine
insurance men and thought that they
compared very favorably with his own
state, New Hampshire.
DR.. S. FL. Weeks said that he desired
to call attention to the fact shat General
Linnehan had placed the State of New
Hampshire before that of Maine, and he
wished him TO understand that Maine
should come first and New Hampshire
afterwards. DR.. Weeks referred to the
Englishman who visited the Supreme
court, the Senate chamber, the House of
Representatives and the office of the
Secretary of State at one time and
found that Maine men were the leading
and central figures in all cases. DR..
Weeks read with a Craat 1ea1 Of riff n