New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-22
FEAST OF THE CHAMBER.


to the toast allotted TO me a subject that is
close TO the heart of every man here tonight
wish to say one word about the statesman anu
the good citizen who has passed away-NiCe
President Hobart. OF Mr.. Hobart 1t shoulu DE
said what ought to be the highest ampltioh VI
every decent man to have said Of him-that ne
single mindedly and disinterestedly did MS 3uH
TO the whole country. WIDELY without reeau W
any credit or glory accrung TO himself. Mr..
Hobart occupied the very trying position OF one
with great titular rank who nevertheless Na'
not supposed to have any active share IN iotn, ,
lating the policy OF the Goverh s az Acne not
ing to carry II through. What he did was uohe ho@
by force OF position. but by force or chhracteI,
his rare tact, his extraordinary comhoh Sens
and the impression of sincerity he created upon
every man with whom he was Drousnt IN Nou
tact In short he had the quality or dlsihteF-
estedness the quality which more than any otNei
is needed in 8 man VINO has 10 90 "o'h "a se"
uine worth for the Nation. 49,, ~,
Hobart was held was in direct proportion 10
the knowledge that men had OF him ana OF whal
he did II is nothing that we can say, hU ~ IN,
,hat u,a can do that will affect him, and IL VIII
he OF very small moment TO those nearest 10 MN
in whom the grief at his loss must oNeio1i,tS
any sense of the recognition OF that ioss
hut we do owe II TO ourselves TO unoerstah1
what he was and what ne did; TO understan,u
that the kind OF work he did is the kino on WI H
that must be done II this Nation is 10 'ahe a. a.
keen the place IL should keep among the ma
tions of the earth-the work that combined con- u.
mon sense and a sincere patriotic oeVotlo" ~
NOT A sELF-sEEKER
am sure that all of those-and thert a. e.
MANY here to-night-who have been prousht, ~
Hais 1s ni,h him viii realize how invariably
eager ne was when the chance oGcuIleu fn,ost
ANYTHING 10 help along, and mlho Eou' a1,,
Invariably to help IL along, without any M So
20 i,s heinC Dossible that his name shouiu III III
near In connection with helping IL alo ! dd
none did not appear The names Oh o'heI 800
INT not his and his influence is sIea. 80 he
because
was not a self-seeker: that he was ho' $500 Ne
his own renown. his own fame tn 'a., ~ Of
us Inc irving 10 DO was that the Government vi
,hs United States should do as IL oueht 70 W
as II was required 10 do, ana MI a. lot
am sure there was not man heIe w ,oInight
feel clad that the first toast drunh - ,he
shorld ne the toast drunk in silence 10 ~
memory of the statesman and good cIti%er, W." we
died the cePresdent ana as amt ,S mt in
have cause to be proud that we couIu Puu a.
mat office an American OF that type as ieP'O
sentative of the United States. :. .,o .oas.
Gentlemen. am asked TO spear :. 10 rearlv the
~ '.The state" Now. the State is neaIIy ne
oaerasate Of the people in the state ana lIie
STATE of New-York is what we are pIouu ~
think it, because we have In IL d 49, "a rigbt
citizens of the type that meet mere to-insHIi
And az I have the defect OF truth teilihs
should not say that II did not oeheNe IT, No
have got a certain ancestral rlght 10 CoIiie
fore YOU Your president was just IlelllIoS
IN me how he Joined the Chamber OF Commeive
at about the time my father did and MI. IN
lam F. Dodge. and one or two others WIo 80. 49,
connected
one of your first presidents. one or your nIsl
predecessors. Mr.. Jesup, was MRS hooseNe!e
grandfather old Isaac Carow, and thlhh YOU
will find his picture somewhere among your
archives.
PRIVATE CITIZENS HELP NEEDED.
There is nothing which impressed me more IN
dealing with the government Of the state our
ing the last year than two things. In the Ilrsl
place, the need Of disinterested services OF men
who are not in political life; and, IN the next
IL oh
e.ted service is rendered. 1t is Impossible that
the public men, that your Legislators. or your
executives can by themselves unaided render
YOU all the service that you have a right 10
exnect We must rely not merely upon keeping
in touch with you, but upon the active as
sistance Of those among You who nave become
acquainted with the different problems 10 he
Tonight I see before me more than one man
who with absolutely no thought OF pecuniary
reward. and without any expectation, or WIN IN
probably a small realization Of the chance OF
the reward that he should have in the appre-
citation Of his fellow citizens. has done work or
the utmost value for the State. Take the ques-
ton with which you are. of course, pecuniarily
concerned, the question Of the States CONNER
clal interests as affected both by the commercial
facilities here in what IS not only the great
port Of the state, but the great port Of the
Nation. affected by the States waterways
when / came TO deal with that found that
could not get what wanted from any puonc
official because. l regret to say it is not the
policy of our Commonwealth TO provide re-
Enumeration in greatest offices sufficient 10
attract the highest type Of business talent. some
time or other the State is going 10 realize that
you always find difficulty in getting a $4,000
man TO fill a $1,000 job.
t-,. CANAL COMMISSIONS SERVICE.
mean for what is paid as a $4,000 job. and
especially IL the job itself is 100000 job. as
regards the quantity and quality Of the skill
demanded by IL. and found that had to make
perfectly frank appeal 10 the simple sense of
civic duty 20 very busy, very able men, to make
good the defects Of our State Constitution using
the word Constitution in a very broad sense.
And one OF the first things that ] had to do
was 10 ask a committee Of citizens TO turn in
and help me in looking up the whole question
Of the future canal policy Of the State 10 find
out whether or not ii worth while TO keep
the canals, whether. II ii was worth while in
what form we should keep them, and want to
take this chance, speaking to a representative
gathering OF the commercial interests OF New
York City. therefore of New-York State and the
Nation, Of acknowledging your profound i.debt-
edness TO the fve men-General Frank Greene
Mr.. Witherbee, George Green, Major Symons
and Mr.. Scatcherd, of Buffalo-who, at great
pecuniary loss. at the cost Of great personal
inconvenience, gave up a large part OF their
summer 10 going into the question with the GER
tainty that Whatever conclusion they reached
would be violently disputed by a part OF their
fellow citizens. and that they would be fortu-
nate If they escaped without their motives being
naligned
They faced all that. and they put me under the
obligation which l am wholly unable to repay
save in the rather empty way of acknowledging
81 as sincerely and freely as do tonight.
And II is not only that but when l came to
deal with the school system OF the State there
again had TO ask five men-men Of affairs men
who were already busy doing their own work--to
undertake a disagreeable task, the doing OF
which II undertaken at all would rebound In no
personal advantage TO the men who undertook
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