The San Francisco call., 1899-04-13
Almost Two Hundred Sat Down to the Annual
Banquet at the Merchants Club.
The Welfare Of San Francisco and California Was the
Keynote Of the Sentiment Expressed in
Response to the TOaStS.

TINE members Of the Manufacturers
and Producers Association and their
guests. men prominent in the COM
mercial and professional life of the
city. sat down last hight TO the annual
banquet in the large dining room of the
Merchants Club. on the eighth floor of
the Mutual Life building. Nearly 20O
gentlemen extended their limbs under the
table 20 discuss a menu that fully war
rantod the close attention they bestowed
and fully prepared them for the oratorical
feast that came after the cigars were
lighted
At the head of the long center table sat
A Sbarboro, the newly elected president
of the association. who acted as toast
master. on his right sat Mayor Phelan
and on his left G. z. Huntington, each Of
whom made responses during the evening
that elected the greatest merriment The
keynote to the sentiment of the evening
was The Welfare of San Francisco" and
TO pave the way for those who were to
follow him and point out the means to
be used to attain that end James W.
Kerr, the retiring president, was called
upon to respond to the toast, The Work
OF the Manufacturers and Producers AS
sociation. He said, in part:
In the light of recent events the future
of the Pacific Coast and more particularly
San Francisco has been the subject of
much thought and much discussion. We
have had ideas advanced and exchanged
on this all-abSOrbing topic. This city :
bound to grow to be one OF the largeSt
CenteTs in the world. l am not mLcr OF
an advocate of the idea of sitting down
and seeing things grow. believe oppor-
Iunities are present here and that great
DEVELOPMENTS will take place in the near
future, which will enable US by energetic
work to make San Francisco all you eX-
nd n XOu
must build, not wait.
The merchant and manufacturer must
join hands TO build up the industries Of
the State Of California. They must see
TO it that this city of San Francisco be no
longer q way station between the manu-
facturers of the East and the markets OF
the Orient. They must see 10 IL that this
city must become a base Of supplies. To
place San Francisco in ;hls independent
position is the object of the Manufacture
ers and Producers Association, and that
is the aim and the end of the home indus
try movement in which you are all re-
spectfully invited to cooperate
The health of President Mckinley, re-
ferred TO by the toastmaster as the great
est man on earth, was drunk standing,
Congressman-elect Julius Kahn being
called upon to respond. He die so in d
speech that was loudly and frequently
applauded
when we speak of our President" he
said. we can say that when he assumed
the helm Of state he found our manufac-
in vain; he found, indeed, 'sloth in the
mart: he found the factories closed and
Coxey armies trampng throughout the
land. In two years what do we see? He
has recreated conditions and to-day our
workingmen are getting increased wages
and We see in the newspapers reports of
this factory and that factory raising the
hire of its employees and the balance of
trade in favor of our country during this
last year of six hundred and eighty mill
lions of dollars. Why, gentlemen, if that
condition were continued for another ten
years this Government of ours, this people
of ours. this nation that we all love, will
be the creditor nation Of the world. 1 am
satisfied that even his political opponents
will admit that William Mckinley was
the right man at the right time"
Attorney General TREY l.. Ford, who
said he was not a producer in the or
dinary acceptation of the word. respond
ed 10 the toast, THE State of California "
Never before" he said. has the State
been so signally favored as now since
the days OF '49. The eyes of the world
are turned to the Golden West and as
had been suggested by Mr.. Kerr, the
State is upon the threshold of a new era.
Logical events had placed California in
the very forefront, and with all eyes
turned to the Orient CALIFORNIA; hand is