The age-herald., 1899-10-10
BANQUET A GREAT SUCCESS
Genuine Feast of Reason and Flow of
 Soul.
M'KINLEY LAYS THE CORNERSTONE
The Guests of Honor Are Being Treated Magnanimously by the Festival Committee and the Citizens
 in General-Details.

Chicago October 9.-Chicago's great audi
 torium which has been the scene of so many
 notable events, never had a greater gath
 ering than tonight when the Chicago day
 banquet was held within its great walls
 under the auspices of the Fall Festival com
 mittee. The great stage upon which one thousand people can easily find standing room, had been enlarged and great floor built out over the seats of the parquette, quadrupling the floor space of the stage. Back of the raised table at the west of the hall at which Mir. Mckinley and the guests of honor was seated was an elaborate peace arch twenty feet in height, cons tructed of pastry It was covered with flags, taste fully decorated with twinkling hundreds of little electric lights. On both sides of the arch were great paintings of the American eagle and groupings of American, British and Mexican flags. The balconies were re- splendent with banners and the coats of arms of all states in the union. On every table was placed an elaborate floral piece, representing famous battle scene in the history of the republic, a scene from the history of Chicago and subsequent events. At a raised table at the right sat Melville D. Stone, the toastmaster. Other distin- guished guests were at the same table, among them being Vice-President Mariscal, of Mexico; Premier Wifrid Laurier, of Canada; General John C. Black, Governor John R. Tanner Mayor Carter H. Harri- son, Senor Manuel DeAspiroz, Secretary Gage, Secretary Hay, AttorneyGeneral Griggs, Postmaster-General Smith, secre- tary Long, David B. Henderson, Senator Boise Penrose, Major General w. Merritt, Secretary 8. M. McCulla, General Mander- son, General Russell A. Alger, Emil G. Hirsch, Minister to Brazil Bryan, Minister Jutaro, of Japan; Senator WilliamG. Ma son, Captain Joseph B. Coghlan, Alphonse Peller, Senator William B. Allison Sena- tor James McMilan, Senator McEnery, Ferd l M. Peck and General Chambers McIboen. Toastmaster Calls for Order
 The material part of the banquet occu- pied two hours, when MT. Stone rapped for and brought the intellectual part of the programme to the front in the following address,:
 Few men could voice in fitting phrase the feelings inspired by this hour The oc- casion is one of great moment-the laying of corner stone. But 1t has served higher purpose and has a wider signih- canoe. What day could be more fitting for such ceremony? It commemorates the anniversary of that other day, twenty-eight years ago. when in the ashes we laid the foundation of this new and better city. We laid it to the music of a tempest of flame and before a horde of homeless men and women. The people of Chicago turned their faces to the east, and, taking cour- age from the sympathy and support of their fellow men, went forward to destiny far outstripping every dream of their im- agination But, more than this, it was this month and on this very day, that we sounded the last note of discord with our sister republic of Mexico On the plains of Yorktown, in the month of October, and almost this very day, also, we struck the final blow for American independence and thus laid the cornerstone of our national edifice. On such an anniversary we are happy to open our gates and greet this as- semblage. It is a gathering of the high ministers of authority of the three great peoples of this continent Three peoples having a single aim Three peoples working under differing conditions the problems or self-goyernment. No conference of emper- ors at Tdlsit, in all the pomp and circum- stance of war; no far-famed gathering of kings at Pilnitz to defend a tottering dy- nasty-none of the great meetings at Der lin or Paris-deserve better recognition than this
 "You are met, gentlemen, to cement closer bond of amity-to ordain new citi- zenship in that higher realm where na- tional Mines disappear and where We shall all be loyal to American progress. Ameri- can liberty and the forces which make for | the betterment of the human race" Gov. Tanner Welcomes Guests
 MT. Stone then introduced Governor Tam ner who in a short address welcomed the visitors on behalf of the state of Illinois. | Mayor Carter Harrison, of Chicago, and Senator Shelby M. Mccullough. of Illinois. extended the welcome of the city of Chi cago and the federal officials of Illinois, respectively. The banquet guests knew by their programmes who was the next speak CT, and as the toastmaster introduced the president he was greeted with cheers. McKirlev's speech
 The president said in part: "Mr. Toast
 master and Gentlemen: I am glad to join
 you in extending sincere welcome to the
 distinguished statesmen and diplomatists
 who represent the great countries adjoin-
 Ing us on the month and south. We are
 bound to them both by ties of mutual
 brotherhood We rejoice in their prosper
 ity, and we wish them God-speed in the
 pathway of progress they are so energeti-
 cany and successfully pursuing.
 .'From Plymouth Rock to the Philip
 pines the grand triumphant march of hu-
 man liberty has never paused. Fraternity
 and union are deeply imbedded in the
 hearts of the American people. For half
 a century before the civil war this union
 was the fear of men of all sections. That
 word has gone out of the American vocab-
 ulary. It Is spoken now only as a histori-
 cal memory. North south, east and west.
 were never so welded together. and while
 they may differ about internal policies
 they all are for the union and maintenance
 of the integrity of the flag. Has patriotism
 died out in the hearts of the people? Wit
 ness the 25O 900 men springing to arms and