Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-16
BUSINESS MEMS BANQUET
Annual Function of Washington Association
at the Riggs House.
Addresses by Commissioner Wight,
resentative Mercer and Others.

! Two hundred members of the Business
Mems Association and their guests dined
| last night at the Riggs House. participant
| ing in the first annual banquet of the new
| organization. The function was planned
! and carried out on an elaborate scale. The
| arrangements were carefully and success
| fully made, and the evening proved to be
one of great enjoyment to all present. The
association had as its guests a number of
| men prominent in the political affairs of
| the nation and others of distinguished posi-
| ton in Washington and the District of CO.
| lumba The speeches were brief and in
| formal, and were not referred to as toasts.
In fact, the single toast of the evening was
! drunk to the President of the United States,
it having been proposed by Mr.. w. S. Knox,
| president of the Business Mems Associa-
| ton, Just prior to the serving of the first
course
| The banquet began shortly after o'clock.
| The guests and members gathered in the
| parlors of the hotel. President Knox head
ed the march to the dining hall, acting as
| escort to District Commissioners Wight and
| Beach. The others of the party proceeded
| in twos to the room where the white-lin-
ened tables were arranged in gridiron fash
ion and taStefully decorated, the prevail
| ing color scheme being yellow. Jonquils
| and yellow-tinted candles Were employed in
carrying out the effect. The hall itself
| was decorated with palms and wreaths of
| green. An orchestra rendered music during
the dinner, which did not conclude until a
late hour.
| Commissioner Wight Introduced.
The menu was well selected and daintily
prepared, the courses being interspersed
with sparkling wines. When the cigars
| We're served and the coffee poured President
Knox called for order. and after briefly
welcoming the guests and greeting the
members of the association introduced,
| amid much enthusiasm, Commissioner John
| B. Wight. The Commissioner said it was
| fitting that the new organization should
hold its first anniversary banquet in the
| centennial year of the national capital He
| declared that the present year would mean
| much to Washington, and this is a time
| when al the well-wishers of the city should
| get together and work for common cause.
| Referring to the progress made in the past,
| Mr.. Wight said that one hundred years ago
| the business section of the city was limited
| to New Jersey avenue between C and D
| streets southeast The progress of the
| coming cycle, he prophesied, would be mar
| vicious, and succeeding generations will
| sing the praises of those who are working
| at present to this end
Il want to see the flats of the Eastern
| branch reclaimed" said Mr. Wight amid
| applause. land 1 want to see the banks of
! that stream lined with manufacturing es-
| adjustments. Manufacturing interests will
| not be q detriment to Washington as a res
| idence city, but will, on the whole en-
nance its value as the center of the ma
| tom Mr. Wight closed with a personal
| sally at the president of the association
| saying that with a few more good Knox
| the improvements desired might be con-
Summated.
| President of Board of Trade.
| Mr.. Knox next called upon Mr.. John Joy
| Edson president of the Washington board
! OF trade, who. he said, he was glad to
| announce as one of the guests of the even
| ing. Mr. Edison congratulated the asso-
| citation upon its work in the first year of
! its existence. 1t was necessary, he said,
| that the business men and residents of
| Washington should organize and work to-
| gether for their protection and the better
| ment of the city, owing to the peculiar
| form of government existing in the Dis
trict Only through organization can de-
sired legislation be secured, Mr.. Edison said,
| and the greater the organizations of the
| city formed for this purpose the greater
| the consequent good.
| Representative David H. Mercer spoke
next arousing the diners to cheers and
| applause by advocating the immediate beau
| LITIGATION of Washington and saying if he
had his way he would introduce bill IN
| Congress right away providing for the con-
| domination of all the land the south side
/ OF PENNSYLVANIA avenue, from the Botan-
nicai Gardens to the treasury. This land
| he would have arranged in parks and as
| sites for the future public buildings of the
| capital. There are many old and unsghtly
| buildings in the city that should be torn
| down and replaced with modern structures
| A judicious expenditure of a comparatively
| small sum of money. Mr. Mercer declared
would result in making Washington in
| fact the prettiest city of the world.
| As TOnstmaster.
At this juncture Mr.. Knox introduced Mr..
| Barry Buckley, secretary of the Business
| Mems Association, who acted as toastmas-
| ter for the remainder of the evening Mr..
| Buckley also spoke word of welcome to
| the guests and members, and called for an
! address from Mr.. B. H. Warner The lat
| ter replied by saying he was one of the
| original members of the association, and
| for that reason was doubly glad to be
| present at the first annual banquet Mr.
| Warner congratulated Mr.. o. G. Staples.
| treasurer of the association and proprietor
| direction the dinner was prepared and
| served He hoped for more harmony in the
future between the organizations of the
| District formed for kindred purposes All
| should hang together. he declared, and
| there should be no moro rivalry unless it
| be in harmonious endeavor to make WASH
| lngton what 1t should be. the representa-
| tive city of the grandest nation on the
| globe
| Representative Livingston of Georgia
| made a patriotic and stirring address,
| IN which he. too. advocated the i'm
mediate improvement of the Landscape of
| washington. Others speaking were Repre-
| sentative Cromwell of Ohio, Representative
| Amos Allen of Maine. Mr.. Rufus H. Thay-
| er ex-Represeatative J. Hamilton Lewis,
MI Harrison Dingman and Commissioner