The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-19
At TIE BANQUET.
Governor and an Ex-Governor on
the Programme

Of plants AMI flowers, for Sixty-f1Ve guests,
and not Place was vacant when the din
ner began, at s o'clock. After an excellent
menu was served there was a long list of
Interesting and entertaining toasts. II. f..
Kinney, Ilesident of the Board Of Trade. in
d graceful speech introduced William For
tuna, resdert CT the Commercial Club and
OF the State Board of Commerce, as. the
tcastmaster Mr.. Fortune was loudly APP
plauded as he arose to perform the duties.
Like Mr.. Kinney, Mr.. Fortune extended a
hearty welcome to the visitors, expressing
the pleasure it gave both commercial bodies
to have them in Tic city. Governor Mount
was the first speaker. He spoke. of "Indi
ana's Development" Indiana; he said, was
but at the beginning of her development.
Indiana to-day takes front rank among the
great States of the Union, he said, in point
of intelligence and culture. Continuing, he
said:
If the name Hoosier' ever carried with
II any reproach, that time has passed In
diana now takes front rank among the
States of the Union in the march of prog
ress and development. If intellectual
growth is an evidence of developing MT then
much along this line may be claimed for
our State. Our permanent free school fund
is now $40, 222 1924. The State paid in free
you add to this the amount expended in
higher education in and out Of the State by
our people, and the amount expended in
private and parochial schools, it will be
found that we are annually paying out over
ten miIions of dollars for education.
Our State is interlaced with railroads
and checked by telegraph and telephone
lines; 1888 miles of main lines and side
tracks OF railroads are assessed; telegraph
and telephone lines, 1881 miles. During the
past twenty years more than twelve thou
sand miles of free gravel roads have been
constructed. The toll roads, with but few
exceptions, have been purchased and made
(xO06 roads hninU absolutely al
to higher development socially, intellect
ually and financially, therefore, road inn
pTovement is indicative of substantial
growth Since the discovery of natural gas
inalana has shown percentage of increase
IL her manufactures unequaled for the
time by any State in the Union:
In 1850. number of employees in fac
tories 400
In 1890. number of employees in fac
tories .-...................... .124 900
ESumated now ...........................15 $50 600
In 1850. wages paid ................. So. 700 600
IN 1872 wages paid .................. 900
Estimated wages paid 1897 .... 5000 600
Indiana stands In the lead in the manu-
facture of tin-plate and plate-gass. In the
manufacture OF wagons, carriages and
plows, mills and mill equipment. no State
can excel ours. In the brief period of ten
years small villages have grown into man
ufacturing. cities. We have gas, oil. coal,
stone, timber and valuable clays that still
point to larger development
"Greater than all these is our fertile SOIL
me growth in agricultural products has
bccu 4udFNelOuS. JOnn Is. Conner, state
statistician, has tabulated the leading agri-
cultural products for the year 1897, and
shows the wealth created from this source
alone to exceed $3.50, 10000. Past develop
ment should inspire US to still greater ac-
quirements in the future. All along the
line OF industrial progress there is room for
Improvement Science is being applied to
agriculture; inventive genius is preparing
the way for ,grander achievements. Won
of success will be determined by the pluck
and push of our people. Business men
must OF ganize to push the busint SIS in. erestr
of their towns and cities Boards of trade
and commercial clubs must encourage new
industries to insure the largest growth
Farmers must add brain to Drawn. When
we shall all be imbued anew with State
pride, then will Indiana attain the develop
ment which is made possible by her re-
sources"
Mr.. sHANKLIN ON STATE PRIDE.
state Pride in Indiana was the subject
assigned to John G. Shanklin, of Evans
vile. His remarks were frequently applaud
ed and his happy stories in illustration of
the points he made were the occasion of
much merriment Mr.. Shanklin said, in
part;
In craftsmanship we have had our
primitive as Wen as our later history A
halt century ago in the county where | re-
SIDE the same care was taken in completing
nominations for the various offices that are
~>common to-day, where a well-to-do farmer
from the lower bayou was nominated and
elected to represent the county in the LegIs-
iature. He took upon himself the response
bic duties. not IN any spirit of self-aggran-
stated the case. He was a little tired OF
the hoods that swept over his farm year.
~ ana wanted TO see how it would seem to
be IN the dry all winter While the motive
could hardly be construed as expressive of
high order of craftsmanship, this man did
his duty nobly, voting for every measure
which his party caucus proposed with n
kind of consistency which to this da.
is considered the test of true party IoyaIrv
Indiana
gressmen and even senators for many other
States. always reserving, however. her best
opponents of statecraft for her own
service.
1T is no extravaganza of speech to claim
that in the councils of the Nation, and es-
pecially in the Senate, no State has been
more ably or periodically represented. The
venal influences which have been witnessed
in the election of senators in other States
have been absent from our contests. We
have had some pretty lively times, 1t is
true, in the election of senators, but in re-
calling them now ii is gratifying to know
that, perhaps. without single exception,
the party having the majority in the Gen
eral Assembly has nominated and elected
the man who by general consent was best
qualified and deserving of the distinction.
Almost all of our statesmen have owed
their preferment to their own efforts, that
Is. to their own efforts added to native
ability. Some of them have started in life
as lawyers and some as country school
masters.
THE country schoolmaster of the early
days was an important character, and
sometimes his lot was pathetic. az we'll as
useful. A young man of education came
10 southern Indiana many years ago and
took school in one of the country districts.
The conditions surrounding him were so
very different from those he left in the East
that he sometimes showed mis- Inconsistencies
IN spite of himself Sitting top of rail
fence one moonlight night, one OF these
schoo!teachers who afterwards acquired an
influential position in his neighborhood, was
wondering If there was anything more for
lorn than the life he was living. His pa
iron and the man with whom he was board
ing that he was unhappy and
attributed il in his own mind
family larder He approached the young
schooiFnaster and said in sympathetic
way. My young friend. know you must
be tired OF corn bread and side meat. but
cheer up; | have good crop of corn. and
when ] sell il next week in Evansville /
Ky and then Well live like lords
indiana place in the field of history,
literature and poetry has been assured by
works that have become standard in every
library throughout the world To dwell
upon thcm would require more time than
is allowed now. but nations glory is quite
as dependent upon its men OF letters as
upon It's lawmakers and soldiers Last of
an comea art, and Indiana can point I'd the
nlagniHeent soldiers monument which
stands n graceful symmetry I'm the center
OF TINS city as proof that the people have
reached The aesthetic stage. ard this Is con-
nftned by the reputation that some OF her
native trusts have acquired In both Amert-
ca and Europe These are bur some OF