The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-17
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN
AT A BANQUET THEY EXPLOIT THE
GLORIES OF THEIR SECTION.
Form Permanent Organization
Bright Speeches by j. A. Lcmckc,
MIR. Chambers and Others.


Substantial and well-known citizens of IN
dianapolis who formerly resided in the
southern part of the State enjoyed din
ner at the Commercial Club, last night
which abounded with eloquence and humor
and an appetizng menu The plan of CIV
ing a dinner of this character originated a
few weeks ago with a half dozen pTom-
nent Of the city who CHANGED TO COM
pare notes as TO their former residing
places. All of them We're from southern
Indiana. Last nights festivities resulted in
the formation of q permanent society, OF
which Smiley \. Chambers is to be presi-
dent and John S. Sontag, jr.. secretary.
The southern Indiana men dined from s
until 10 o'clock. when cigars and coffee were
brought Then the eloquence began to flow.
Mr.. Chambers who presided as toastmas-
ter, related how the dinner came to be.
and told something of the early history OF
the southern counties. He concluded that
there are at least 10000 people in this city
who once lived in southern Indiana. lie
said that the men of this city who have
come froxsl the southern counties are active
and progressive business men. I'VE have
net here observed the POSTMASTER Ito
demonstrate that man may come from tho
southern part Of the State without having
the charge of counterfeitng placed against
Mr.. Chambers introduced William L. En-
gliSh, who responded to the toast, The
Early Immigrant" Mr.. English has Scott
county as the place of his nativity. He re-
marked that. owing to an error on the part
OF Mr.. Shambe ai good-Io99k ms stem
subject and indeed all of the speakers at
tributed their troubles TO Mr. Chamberss
stenographer. 1t seems that the programme
Of toasts had been prepared i'm the office of
the POSTMASTER. Mr.. English was sure
that. Scott was. the garden spot of all the
southern counties. He had never forgotten
the old home the place of his birth. He
returned there once a year to mfngle with
sturdy and honest men he had known in
his boyhood days. lie admitted that while
Scott county could not boast of the big
gest corn, it possessed citizenship that
can appreciate the best whisky.
j. A. Lemcke told the True Story of Po-
sey County in poetic words. Captain
| his younger days on the Ohio and Missis-
sippi rivers Years ago, when his boat used
| to ply the southern waters of the latter
stream, he had been compelled to reply 70
! Louisianians, who would call out from the
bank: Hello, there! Have you got load
of furniture and fruit?" BY the term fur
Lemcke said he entered Indiana when a
Those were the days when his mother used
to wear her slipper oftener on his back than
on her foot. He declared that Posey. county
| had an indignty heaped upon it's people
| when it was asserted that one of its hogs
bad to have Il knot tied in its tail to pre-
vent ii passing through "a neighbours fence.
| The captain declared this story TO be false.
He closed his toast by reciting poem Of
| James Whitcomb Riley in which the poet
! put the words into the mouth OF a P0Sey
county farmer.
THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE.
''The Log Schoolhouse'' was talked about
by Daniel w. Howe who spoke most elo-
quently of the primitive school, where the
institution was on the theory of
'lickin' and learnin'." With the teacher
of the olden times the motto HE that
| spareth the rod spoileth the child seemed
| to ever be present. But the speaker re-
! ferred tenderly to the old log school, and
recalled many fond memories of the old
fashioned teacher who taught i'll the old
fashioned way. Mr.. Howe gave the floor
ningS county as his old home. His topic
| was Underground and CvergrOund Rail-
| ways" He said he had had little expert
! ence with underground railways, but could
! discuss those that run above ground, as
some of those connected with the railroads
of the State could testify to. The ex-attor-
| ney general spoke generally of the progress
| of the State
Rev. Father d. O'Donaghue told about
| which was located at Vincennes. This was
| where the first Christian worship was Of
| was Post Vincennes. When George Rogers
| Clark, the soldier, came there he found u
| Catholic priest in charge of the people.
There the people were mustered together
by the priest ana then swore ALLEGIANCE
to the American cause. Father O'Donaghue
facetiously remarked that he believed there
never time when the town of Vim
cenneS was not. Ex-Judge f.. e. Gavin had
the toast "Practicing on the Circuit" He
said his subject should have been ''Primi-
tive Justice and at this point Mr.. Cham
bers apoiogzed for his stenographer again.
Mr.. Gavin said it was not always the
courts that should be looked to for justice.
He thought there ought to be an individ-
uaI sense of justice which would Undue
men with the spirit of the Master and fill
their hearts with love for their felow-men.
Frank b. Burke was the last speaker and
his topic was the ''Southren Borderland OF
Indiana" AS the ex-United States attorney
closed his remarks he thought of pretty
bit of sentiment and essayed to give IT IN
borderlands of the Ohio to the tune of On
the Banks of the Wabash" Unfortunately
the attorney struck the wrong tune and
got the "Swanee River instead. The incl
dent ended happily enough. however, and
Mr.. Burke sat down amid thunder OF
applause.
were the following:
William Fortune Warrfck county: William ;.
CARRIER jefferson county; Martin Mann, Evans
VILE; Samuel Quinn, Evansville; y J. Mcintosh,
Salem; Henry Eitel. Madison; q. > Row, Ripley
county FRED X Cnarlton, jennings COUNTY -
! g. Smith, Jennings county; j. II. Sonntag, Jr:'
EVANSVILLE j. l.. Casper, Jennings county; W. ).
Henley. Nashville w. II. Hart, Evansville; John
II. Minor, Cannelton: George A. Buskirk, orange
county: Arch A. Young, Johnson county; d. o.
Donaghuey, Daviess county; Frank b. Burke,
Clark county; Franklin w. Hays. Bartholomew
county; Samuel F. Kercheral Spencer county; Y.
II. lockwood Gibson county; T. H. Evans.
Spencer: Charles F. Remy, Bartholomew county;
Uric T. Wiley. jefferson county; Woodford l.
ROBIN son. Gibson county; +. j. Scholz, Washing
tom William T.. English. Scott county; Daniel
Wait Howe, Switzerland county; John w. New
mann Vanderburg county, 6. s. Lockwood War
rick county Lyman w. Louis, Floyd county;
Louis Ludlow, Fayette county; Amos r. barrett,
sullivan county; j. a. Lencke, Posey county NJ.
Il. Wilson, Sullivan county; James r. Henry,
owen county; d. NJ. Parry, Laurel, Franklin
| county James II, Roberts. Franklin county; 5.
N. Chambers. Knox county; w. II. Haynes, Dear
born county: A. VI. Sweeney, Dubois county;
Frank e. Gavin. Decatur county; N. II. Dalton.
Knox county; John G. Shoemaker, Perry c0un1pt
J. NJ scott Fayette county, r. A. Brown, JohE-