The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-25
BANQUET OF LEAGUE
Seven Hundred Guests at
Feast in Auditorium.
LIGHT AND LIVELY SCENE
Bryan, Myers and Crosby
Address BanqueterS.

The steel white of Pickering arc lights,
a. mass of black dress suits sprinkled
with the white of spotless ties, the con-
slant hum and buzz Of a thousand
voices the darling every way of walters
in jackets Of white. the occasional swish
iof fan in the gallery. streams and
rings and waves Of bunting in red, white
and blue, and dropping folds of flags, the
cIink Of glass and silverware and tip Of
decanter; then an increase Of the hum
OF talk, laughter more loud, bandying
back and forth between the long tables,
smiles that grew to cheers and blue Ha-
vana curls that Aoated up from the mass
of white and black where merriment
grew. then loud, ringing cheers, the waV-
ing Of handkerchiefs, yall and stamp Of
foot, while banqueters turn face to the
stage and cheer and yell again.
That was last nights banquet Of the
sunhower League of the Democrats OF
Kansas. and the speeches and greeting Of
w. J. Bryan, John s. Crosby Of New
York and Allen O. Myers Of Ohio.
The Auditorium had been decorated
very deliberately. Streamers Of bunting
ran out from the foot Of the gallery up
10 the top Of the roof, fell back IN the
center and returned in circular rows Of
folds. in the center Of which a great sun
flower shone down on the crowd below.
All around the wall Of the gallery rail
sunflowers peered out from punches Of
hags, and back Of and above the stage
great sunflower in the center Of which
was the letter L." standing for League,
giowed in the front.
Arthur Davidson, Of the Royal caterer,
had arranged seven tables full length Of
the Auditorium floor and others ranging
out to the sides every way from the CEN
teri and on all these were gerauiums,
palms, ferns and potted plants of various
kinds arranged in elegant plan. And up
from among these glittered the spray of
the are ray that spangled itself in the
glassware and shot out every way in a
hundred silver threads.
1t was indeed an unusually pretty
fscene. Seven hundred and eighty-four
covers were laid, and about seven hun
dred guests. We're seated 1t took eighty
walters to dispense the courses. Arthur
Davidson managed the great task ex-
tremely well
Harry Stewart secretary Of the local
league, kept the floor and looked to the
comfort Of arriving guests, and the whole
affair passed off with the smoothest con-
summation.
The gallery was full clear around the
room and apparently enjoying as much
as the feasters below. though they occa-
sionally started a cheer for the speakers
before the feasting had ended. Once
VIM. Beatty went on the stage. and
great cheer went up and yells for
Beatty "Beatty-' Beatty" But the
speakers, Senator Daniel of Virginia.
Senator Blackburn of Kentucky, Cover
nor McMillin of Tennessee, Governor
Thomas of Colorado and ex-Congressman
Chas. A Towne Of Minnesota, were not
here. The speaking began about 1880.
When President Sapp Of the League
got up to begin the toasts he Iauded
Democracy. both of Kansas and OF the
nation. and introduced John S. Crosby Of
New York. the eminent single taxer. Mr..
Crosby said he loved Kansas because no.
body could run the state Kansans were
great people to experiment. They tried
everything new. If only given time they
would get around to the right thing.
though they might occasionally err. He
regarded jefferson and Lincoln as very
much the same kind Of patriots and Bry-
an ms a parallel OF the two.
Mr.. Sapp next introduced W. ]. Bryan.
who made much the same speech as in
the afternoon.
IN speaking Of colonial affairs, Mr.
Bryan defied any one to define the policy
Of the Republican party in regard to the
newly acquired possessions. He then
Y%ent on with his usual howl about what
the president and congress had done in
Porto Rico: how they had assumed more
powers than any tyrant had ever dared
to assume. and various other statements
in like tenor. Mr. Bryan then stated
what the policy Of the Democratic party
would be. we advocate this: As the
Fnipinos cannot be brought into this
country as citizens. because they would
our civilization. and as they
can be taken in no other manner without
our form Of government. our
policy is that we treat them in q new
way--an entirely American plan In other
words that we establish Il stable govern
nent in the Philippines and then set
them free, and say TO all other coun-
tries that wherever a republic has been
es tabiished BY the American people that
ground is sacred. and then no king Will
dare to set his foot upon It."
In speaking Of the conditions now ex-
listing in the Philippines. Mr. Bryan said:
we can whip the Fjlipinos there is NJ
doubt about it. We are bigger than
Spain. and she nearly whipped them. She
had heen at it for three hundred years
and then sold an option on the fiSht for
81. el0.eo0 But l. viii cost Us something
TO whip the FIupinos. England has al
ready spent more money on the Boer war
than she thought it would take % get
piossassion Of the entire South African
BOLD fields but she has not whipped them
3et. and God grant that she never VIII
would not trade the glory Of this re- /
public Tor the glory OF all the empires /
which have risen and fallen. L you T
should destroy this nation and leave the 4
Deelarati1n Of independence, We could I
YET build a still greater Democratic par [
~. But destroy the Declaration Il Inde- /
pendence. and all IS lost. II empire is 4
the destiny ~ this nation, I most sin 1
cerely pray that the Democratic party go /
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