The record-union., 1899-04-14
Dinner in Honor Of Jsfferson's
Birthday a Grand Success.
Nearly Two Thousand People In Attendance
at the Banquet.
The Metropolitan Opera-House the
Scene of the Festivities, Bril-
liantly Decorated and I11umin-
ated-Perry Belmont and Judge
Van Wyck, Late Candidate for
Governor, the Principal Speak
ers of the Evening.

Governor, the Principal Speak,
ers of the Evening.
NEW YORK, April 13.-The dinner of
the Democratic Club in honor of the
birth of Thomas Jefferson was held to-
night at the Metropolitan Opera house.
Looking from the tiers to the floor of
the vast dining hall the tables seemed
like great beds of roses. The thirty
two tables We're on either side of the
speakers table. Either table was piled
with a mass OF roses and ferns inter-
twined. SO abundant Were the flowers
that some of the guests We're hardly
able to see each other over the floral
banks. Swans and vases of alabaster
held flowers; there We're cornucopias
or horns of plenty filled with flowers
and fruit. and the scene was set off with
ribbons of cardinal silk
The floor of the auditorium was rails
ed to a level with the half stage by a
temporary floor, making one rectangu-
lar room of immense size. The tables
We're set in rows parallel with Thirty
ninth and Fortieth streets. The guests
We're at two tables set about under the
proscenium arch, and at right angles
to the other tables. The stage was set
with a gorgeous palace scene of the
court of Louis XIV. Four great cleo
trio chandeliers lighted up the picture.
Conspicuously placed at the west end
of the dining hall was the instruction.:
Jefferson.
1743-1S99
Democratic Club"
This was composed of incandeseent
lights. 1t surrounded a picture of Thom-
as Jefferson.
Tail silver candelabras with shades
harmonizing with the floral effects were
on all the tables.
The guests began to arrive at 6
o'clock, but the dinner did not begin
for an hour and>a half after that Cap
tain Price and forty-two policemen
We're in attendance in and around the
building. A Gordon of bicycle police
men surrounded the building A crank
letter of a, few days ago, in which a
threat was made to blow up the build
ing during the dinner, seemed to have
made the police unusually vigilant A
number of detectives in evening dress
mingled with the guests, so that no un-
hidden person might enter. There were
number of fremen on guard to pre-
NClll any QdIStI lIOlIl lire.
Inside the building was an army of
ushers and attendants. These wore a
drab uniform with silver buttons.
Just before the guests were called to
order Richard Croker, Perry Belmont,
Commissioner Scannell and Sena-
tor Sexton entered a box Mr.. Croker
was in enthusiastic conversation with
those about him, and waved his hands
to guests all over the hail.
There We're fully 300 more guests
than the 1,500 planned for, but all found
seats. This is said to be the largest
number ever accommodated at a BAN
quet in the history of the city. The
great dinner to President Mckinley at
the Waldorf f-Astoria was served to only
900
The band struck up Hail to the
Chief" at 7:30 o'clock. and Richard
Croker, arm in arm with John Stanch-
field, marched down the aisle. With
them We're Frederick C. Schraub, Rob-
ert B. Roosevelt, General j. Catlin and
Amos H. Cummings.
The service of the menu was excel
lent, but SOME confusion was caused by
some of the diners stripping the table
of flowers and ribbons and throwing
them to the women in the boxes
Mr.. Croker held a levee just before
the regular speech making began. He
shook hands cordially with everybody,
and smiled as man after man congrat-
ulated him upon the success of the din
ner.
The confusion was very great As the
time drew near for the making of
speeches the orators were almost dis
couraged at the prospect of making
themselves heard.
PERRY BELMONT'S ADDRESS.
Perry Belmont began to speak at 10
O'Clock. The uproar was so great that
he could not be heard hundred feet
away By degrees more quiet was OBJ
tanned.
Mr.. Belmont briefly sketched the char
acter and public services of Thomas
Jefferson. Continuing, he said:
This is not the place nor time to
relate in detail the history of the ne
gotiations by jefferson with Napoleon,
beginning in that month of 1902, when
a Spanish officer at New Orleans re-
voked the license granted by the Greatly
with Spain of 1895 to deposit Ameri-
can products at that port and freely
ship them thence to the West indies
and Europe, and ending on that last
day in April in the next year, when
the treaty was signed.
attempts to impair the title of JEFF
ferson to the honor of the American
part of that successful diplomacy have
been failures The plan was Jefferson's;
the return of the plan was his. While
he baff1ed the FNederalists in endeavor-
ing to push him into a war with
France, he conciliated the Northwest
ern States, exasperated because de-
prived of an outlet to the Gulf His
official instructions to Livingstone and
Monroe. his private letters to each,
published not long ago, disclose one
controlling head on the American SIDE
Recent revelations also show that JEFF
ferson exploited in a most effective
way the hopes and fears which con-
trolled the conduct of the First Consul.
1T is not easy for history to separate
the President of the United States from
the creditor of the chief acts Of an
administration; so it is with Jefferson
and the Louisiana purchase; with Mad
ison and the war of 1912; with Polk
<~1rx;r,,aa IN EiQbth Paral