The times., 1899-05-07

sounding of the gong which announced the
beginning of the feast
The dinner was served in the large din
ing room of the cafe, where covers were
laid for four hundred persons. AT the head
OF the table were the President of the
Board OF Trade; Henry Y. Satterlee, Bish-
op OF Washington; Senator William NJ
Stewart of Nevada, Senator John NJ.
Thurston, and Land Commissioner Binger
Hermann. Twenty-Five walters served the
feast, which lasted about an hour and
half.
Cigars were then distributed by Col Or
rim G. Staples, and President Moves. acting
as toastmaster, welcomed the guests in be-
half of the Board of Trade
Washington.
Washington and how it has been in many
ways neglected by Congress furnished the
principal topics of discussion Several
speeches were made along these lines and
the needs of the District were urged with
| convincing logic and force. Washington
had not thought II beneath his dignity to
| interest himself in the Capital CITY and to
explore the upper Potomac in canoe for
the purpose of determining its value TO
navigation. Through Congressionl neglect
the Potomac was in deplorable condition,
and although mammoth gunshops had been
1 established at the navy yard and naval
naval vessels of great draft were unable
TO reach either plant. Reference was made
! TO the neglect of the Potomac and Anacos-
/ TIA Rivers, at the confluence of which
sedentary deposits accumulate, TO the
detriment OF commerce and the public
| health. The Anacostia fats were charac-
terized as germ beds of death, in close
| proximity to the navy yard, the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane the Capitol
he nd rrt,z
/ same remedy that had been applied to the
/ Potomac flats should be used in reclaiming
4 the Anacostia flats There was no Just
ground for discrimination in the two cases.
/ The Potomac channels should be widened
and deepened SO as to restore to the city
| much OF the commerce II had lost
Ellis II. Roberts, Treasurer of the United
/ States, gave an account of the finances of
the nation and the District THE men
! of Washington he said, "are masters Of
| hospitality. When called upon for any
| thing that will honor their city they never
| fail to respond cheerfully and literally"
Such men, he said, were to be congratu-
| lated as the worthy representatives of the
Capital of the Nation which was great
| enough to carry humanity and civilization
into the East. Referring to the finances of
the District, Treasurer Roberts said:
The District is solvent, able to pay
! every claim, and anxious to do all its cred
itors Justice. 1t was not for the District
that signed warrants for $50, ,000 900 sew
eral days ago, but the act was a test and
evidence of the power of the Republics
| finances. We were able to pay twenty
millions in gold without ripple on the
surface on the funds in the Treasury"
Joseph II. Bingham, the Assistant Secre-
tary of Agriculture. responded to the next
toast. He said the Department of Agri-
culture was made up of fighters as well as
agricuiturists and patrons of husbandry.
Coionei Funston, the courageous Kansas
hghter, was once an employe of our de-
partment," said he, and the statement was
cheered by the assemblage. He said the
country had sent $3.50. 600, 600 worth of ex-
ports abroad during the past year and that
within three years 1t would be able to pay
on Its national debt. Boards OF trade were