The San Francisco call., 1899-04-14

Of the vast dining hall the tables seemed
like great beds of roses. The thirtY-two
tables were on either side of the speakers
table. Each table was piled with a mass
Of roses and ferns intertwined, So abun-
dant were the flowers that some of the
guests We're hardly able to see one another
over the floral banks. Swans and vases
Of alabaster held flowers; there We're
CoruUCopias 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 raised
TO q level with the half stage by tenn
poraTy floor making a rectangular room
Of immense size. The tables were set in
rows parallel with Thirty-ninth and For
tieth streets. The guests of honor were
at two tables set under the proscenlum
arch and at right angles to the other
tables. The stage was set with gorgeous
palace scene of the court OF LOUIS NV.
-Four great electric chandeliers AShleu
up the picture
Conspicuously placed at the west ehd
OF the dining hall was the inscriptions
l743-lS99-Democrauc CIuo.
This was composed of incandescent
lights. 1t surrounded u picture of Thomas
jefferson. Tall silver candelabra with
shades harmonizing with the floral eHect
We're on all the tables.
The guests began TO arrive al o CLOCK
but the dinner did not begin for an hour
and a half after that Captain Price OF
The tenderlCin and forty-twO policemen
We're IN and around the building. A cor
don of bicycle policemen surrounded the
house. A crank letter Of q few days
ago. in which threat was made to blow
up the building during the dinner, seemed
To have made the police unusually NIgl-
liant 4 number OF detectives in evening
dress mingled with the guests so that no
- nTEIFn her "a
q number OF firemen on guard to prevent
any danger from fire,
Inside The building was an army Of ush-
els and attendants. These wore drap
uniform with silver buttons. Just before
The guests We're called TO order Richard
croker. Perry Belmont, Commissioners
SCanueil ana Senator Sexton entered 4
box. Dir. Croker was in enthusiastic con-
NersatiOn with those about him and waved
his hands to guests all over the hall.
There were fully 800 more guests than
the 800 planned for, but all found seats
This is said TO be the largest number ever
accommodated at q banquet in the his
tory OF the city. The great dinner TO
President Mckinley at the Waldorf-As
toTia was served to only 900
The band struck up Hail to the Chief"
at I:30 o o'clock, and Richard Croker, arm
in arm with John Stanchfield, marched
down the aisle. With them were Fred
eTiCk g. Shraub, Robert B. Roosevelt,
General J. Catlin and Amos II. Cum
mings
The service Of the menu was excellent,
but some confusion was caused by some
Of the diners stripping the tables of flow
ers and ribbons and throwing them to
the women in the boxes. Mr.. Croker
held a IeVee Just before the regular
speechmahng began: Mr.. Croker shook
hands cordially with everybody and
smiled as man after man congratulated
him upon the success of the dinner.
The confusion was very great. AS the
time drew near for the making of
speeches the orators were almost discour-
aged at the prospect Of making them
selves heard.
Perry Belmont began to speak at 10
o'clock. The uproar was so great that
he could not be heard a hundred feet
away. BY degrees more quiet was OBJ
tanned. Mr.. Belmont said in part:
This is not the place or time TO relate in de-
tail the history OF the negotiations by Jefer-
lsQ2 when a Spanish otncer at New orleans
revoked the license granted by the treaty with
Spain of 1875 to deposit American products at
that port and freely ship them thence q ne
West Indies and Europe, and ending CT that
last cay in April in the next year, when the
treaty signed.
Attempts to impair the title Of Jefferson to
the honor OF the American part OF that sue
cessful diplomacy have been failures The
plan was Jeffersons; the execution of the plan
was his While he baffied the Federalists en-
oeavorng TO push him into war with France,
perated because deprived OF an Quiet 10 the
Eulr His official instructions to Livingstone
and Monroe, his private letters TO each, pub
lshed not long ago, disclose one controlling
head on the American side. Recent revelations
also show that jefferson exploited in a most
effective way the hopes and fears which CON
trolIed the conduct OF the great First consul
1t is not easy for history TO separate the
President of the United States from tie credit
or discrediJ of the chief acts of an admins
tration So it is with jefferson and the Louisi-
ana purchase: with Madison and the war OF
1872; with Polk and the war of lsiS; with Lin
coin and the war of secession; with 6Ta II anc
the Alabama treaty. So it viii be with No
Kinley and the war with spain Praise or
blame for what demanded at Paris Will
be his If the President has the benefit Of sue
cess he should bear the burden Of failure.
The recent treaty with Spain has been rati-
fod It * now a fixed fact in law and our
politics 1t declares that the civil rights and
political status Of the native inhabitants there
in Ceded TO the United states shall De deter
mined by the Congress
Tbe discretion and decision legislative
and not executive The Preside9t 9 war power
growing out of the war with spain Is at an
end II he does not assemble Congress to do
what the treaty ordained and the public wei
fare shall thereby suffer, the responsibility VIII
We all agree that the Democratic party
s,oul5 have for its cornerstone the doctrines
{ndirated nv Jefferson one was ''the suprem-
acy of the civil over the military authority,
hut that does not require a national Demo
cratic convention TO prescribe TO Congress the
size Of q standing army Another was hon
est friendship with all nations entaghng am
auces with none" but that would not justly
a national Democratic convention Indicating 10
a Democratic President the details OF MS
diplomacy TO preserve such friendship ana
avoid such alliances. third was honest
pavment of our debts. sacred preservation OF
the public faith. announcement OF agriculture
and commerce" but that does not compel
Democratic national convention to endeavor to
prevent Democrats in any Congressional dis
trict from expressing their preference regard
ing the details which Will best enforce the doc
trine
1t will be said that jefferson was a man of
peace. So was the Democracy he founded
party Of peace. excepting when war becomes
necessary. as it did a year ago. Then Demo-
Gratis in Congress and in the field upheld the
flag Of our country with their votes and with
their lives.
Mr. Belmont introduced Augustus Van
Wyck by referring to the latter's can
vass for Governor. He said Justice Van
Wyck had conducted a campaign with
honor to himself and credit TO the De-
mOcracy. Justice Van Wyck was greeted
with great applause. After referring to
the many evidences of superiority of skill
and genius of the American people and
inveighing against the tariff, Judge Van
Wyck said:
This pressure of English competition along
the entire northern boundary of our country
at the very time when il has become so fash
ionabe for a certain class of political leaders
and after-dinner speakers to thoughtlessly ad-
vocate a political and commercial alliance Of
fensive and defensive between these two
countries II will not be deemed amiss to eau
tion our people against hasty action. Let us
be Influenced by the natural well as the
fixed policy Of that nation toward US for n
century and a half, rather than by their pro-
fuse expression OF friendship during the Span
feh war