The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-17
CHICAGO MEN THE HOSTS
A Banquet TO the Illinois Congress
sienal Delegation.
Pinn for N Canal to the Mis~iSsippi
Discussed in After-Dinner Speecb
es-fn"orsement of the Project
ID, senator CuiIom aud OTHERS
Government Aid Hoped For.

| night by representatives OF the Illinois
| River Improvement Association in homo
! of the Illinois delegation in Congress wa.
! in many ways one of the most perfectly
! carried out affairs which have so fal
! marked the politico-social season of tbs
! Capital. The floral decorations laid upor
the tables. which were in an adapted form
of grdiron, were superb in their artist,
| simplicity. Long sprays OF American
/ Beauty roses. Marechal Niels and poppie,
/ OF variesated hues were cast between
! rOse-hued candelabra the full length OF
! each section of the tables. while ferns and
smilax lent their feathery aid to the fora
tout ensemble and an orchestra rendered
delightful music from behind a screen OF
palms in the foyer of the banquet hall
The Chicago delegation is here III the
interest of an appropriation from Congress
for ship canal from the Lakes to the
Gulf OF Mexico. and will make a strone
plea to have the waterway extended from
Lockport to the Mississippi. The business
/ men of Illinois raised fund of S.. 600 to
allow the delegation to come to Wash
ington.
The first speaker introduced by the toast
| master Frank Wenter. who is Chairman oi
the Committee on Federal Relations, and
who spoke glowingly of the hopes Of the
Chicago Canal as future perfected water
way to the Gulf OF Mexico was Senator
Shelby M. Cullom. who said:
Away back in rs / made a speech in
Ottawa. H.. in which / said 1 was anxious
for the construction OF the Hennepiu
Canal and l then said that ! hoped to see
the day when a great canal would float
upon its bosom ships from the Great Lakes
to the Gulf Of Mexico. | said in that speech
that l wished and longed for that, and say
now that ever since | have been wishing
the same thing. l want to live to see free
transportation from the Lakes to the Gulf,
let it cost S25. 900 900 or $4,000. 600 as il
may. In my judgment the canal ought to
be completed, as 1t has been SO magnifi-
Gently begun and In the better judgment of
the great mass of the Legislative body. it
is l think seen in that light. We want
that canal built; for the best interests of
the world at large 1t ought 20 be built. and
l am sure it will be built. We want our
productions to go 10 the wide world by the
simplest and cheapest way. and the Chi
cago Canal is that way. When the city of
Chicago has expended $35. 900 900 for this
magnificent artificial river. 1t is smaIl
matter for the United States to undertake
to supply the trifiing balance. l want to
see the products of the Mississippi Valley
got out into the world OF commerce in the
cheapest and most accessible way and
can see no better way at hand than the
way you Chicagoans have iuaugurated Let
us look to the development of our internal
commerce. and we have solved the whole
problem Of u-r commercial relations with
the world. get your goods TO the Gulf and
YOU have done the act
Sens tcr Cullom retired early, and the
next soeaker was Representative Cannon,
who rIade a speech from a party stand
point, eulogizing the expansion policy of
the Administration and applying the same
principle to the canal system which the
company had in mind. In part he said;
BE not fearful; be not dsmayed. The
great contest which preserved the Union
shall not be forgotten. II Was vaged for
just such principles as these, and so cure
as you have so ia. advanced the struggle
for commercial recognition, just so sure
will We in Congress help you and see that
you get what we can by right give you.
The markets of the world are ours il we
can reach them by the cheapest way. and
we are inclined to think that this is one of
the ways There has been an organization
OF the House and the Senate along the
lines OF a policy which Will see that the
welfare of no community is overlooked
and it is upon this that you may build. We
will march right along; well meet every
condition and We'll open that door in China
which has for so long been a bone OF in
ternational contention.
There are 400. 900 900 people there wait
ing for our productions. and we are going
to give them the benefit of our labor
through the Chicago and the Nicaragua
Canals.
Following Representative Cannon came
z. r. Carter Chairman of the Finance
Committee of the Board of Trustees Of the
Chicago Sanitary Committee. who advo-
Gated the extension OF the canai at Federal
expense. and brought statistics to bear to
uphold what he held to be a lust claim
for aid.
Charles Littlefeld was introduced rs
the worthy follower Of James G. Baine. .
in the House. and made a witty speech of
four minutes duration, although he in
sisted to the company that he had Occu-
pied the allotted ten minutes due each
speaker. He said that a triiing ap-
preparation of some twenty-four or
twenty-five millions was a small mat
ter when il was taken into consid-
Grafton that the stupendouS result
would be the linking OF the two gigantic
waterways of the country into a bond
which would connect our inner seaboard
towns with the tidewaters of the Atlantic
and the Pacific. We all appreciate the
magnificent resources the central States
have to offer to the world, and if you con
vince us thoroughly in open meeting,
you'll have a unanimous vote for your
project"
Representative Littlefeld was followed
by Isaac Taylor. Commander Lawrence
Amos J. Cummings. Walter
Reeves. William Lorimer and Senator
Mason. each of whom spoke of the canal
as if his whole heart had never conceived
anything more to be desired by the waiting
world
For five minutes there were cast upon
screen a series of stereopticon views Of the
finished canal, and the evening concluded
with an appropriate air from the orchestra
''AHld Lang Syne.'
Among those present Were
Smith Mcpherson. Washington Gardner D. A.
Ray. Thomas Kelly C. T. Littefed. William ".
Springer. Alex. J. Jones. Thomas NJ. Jett. Isaac
Taylnr, ". L. Williams J. X. Williams Hugh
II. Belknap. Henry Ives Cobb. Amos J. Gum
nings George Edmund Foss, Claude A. swanson,
William Lorirner, Henry LitchReid sst, Joe X.
'.aur D. ; Alexander. J. A. Hull. Joel p. Heat
vole Thomas II. Ball, William f. Ch.tis q. ".
Faris, l.. W. Busbey, William +. M7son. Frank
wcnter, ) NJ. Culom, Zenas r, Carter j. G. Can
non, II. +. Msish. Charles C. Gilbert. lsham
Frank b. Gorman. II. A. Phillips,
Joseph G. Brcden. l.. +. McGann, W. :. Daniels,
G. y. Haugen, Z. $. Conway. Walter Reeves.
Theodore Often J. Ii. Davidson, G. A. Lehman.
Willis Evans. Joseph y. Graf. Thomas Hedge,
George W Prince, Richard FIircliild. Lem II.
H. Colburn. II. ellison Gardner. T. p. Kane.
Charles " Gordon. Charles q. Dawes, V. Warner.
W j. Bailey, AbGeT Taylor, John J. Lcntz,
Benjamin +. Caldwell. Henry s Boutell, L. T.
Noonan George P Foster. James r. Mann, James
P. Mallette, John Lambert. and T.. D. Thoman.