The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-01-17

I
| ter education for printers and related
some very laughable anecdotes Of in
| stances of misspelling. Following Mr.
| Barnard, r. S. Peck of Hartford was
called upon for a few words. Mr.. Peck
read an original poem composed for
| the occasion, which was very laugha-
BILE
| Clarence Deming of this city was
next called upon by Mr.. Lee to say
| few words concerning the political side
| of Hartford. In opening Mr.. Deming
| referred to himself as the skeleton at
| the feast. He said he felt impelled to
reminisce somewhat and speak of the
old days of the printers and newpaper
| nen-the time when every citizen of
| this great commonwealth Of ours took
great and active interest in the po-
| litieal questions of the day. 1t
| led him to ask, he said, II
| that condition of affairs exists
| to-day. DO the citizens, old and
young, take the same interest in poll
| tics now, as then? Do they all do their
| duty at the polls? And you, governor
of Connecticut, addressing Governor
Lounsbury), you speak of trusts. you
strike at the proper treatment of the
evil-taxation, capitalization and pub
licity-but is such course possible,
ask you, while such an antithesiS exists
between the present day and thirty
years ago. And the press. The press
seems to be enjoying sort Of lethargy.
When we see to-day corporations en-
joying the rights they are, fleeing the
public and pursuing their way unques-
toned we are forced to ask, where is
the press?" In one case we see the
water turned in upon a gas company
watered two or three times, Not
word Of criticism brought out by the
press 1t is, I say--I speak in general
as if they had lost their hoasted power
of freedom.
And now I come to the consideration
of Hartford and the lobby Within the
last twenty years have seen the lobby
in this state advance through its sue
cessive stages. The last stage appears
in the assembly together of all the lob
bysts. with the captain at their head,
debating legislation and laying wires
and debating elections for years ahead.
And all this time the press is dumb
wonder that the time has not yet come
when the editors Of the Connecticut
press will realize that the public will
welcome these disclosures, as matter
of personal property.
Gentlemen of the press: When you
awake to the realization of this, then
and then only can you refute the
charge that the power of the American
press and of Connecticut journalism in
particular haa vanished.
AS if in answer to the speakers
question, and his unexpected attack
upon Connecticut Journalism, Mr.. Lee
introduced Colonel N. G. Osborn, who,
he said, would respond to the toast
'"The Press" Colonel Osborn spoke
in part as follows: My friends: Mr..
Deming has touched upon the press.
listened to him with very great care
and very great interest. While I don't
want to appear to serious In what T
say / feel that there are some things
to be said. When he says the press
of this city and of this state has prov
ed itself utterly lacking, when he says
that it has failed to produce a news
paper that has pointed out the faliacies
of the government he Is mistaken. He
blluES IL DIOdu CHdIBe WutIi III VISW I'll
the fact that the financial success of
paper depends entirely upon public ap-
proval he says that they proved weak.
But l repudiate it with every drop of
blood In my body. | want to say right |
here, not that there is no body of men |
more self sacrificing in their work, but |
that they are such a body, and how
much so no man knows until he stands |
behind the scenes himself OF my |
friend l will say have never read from |
his pen an article that glowed with |
such fire as that which elowed in his |
remarks tonight. So, sir, put into |
your pen; put into your pen the noble
you have expressed before
us here assembled, and we'll meet on
common ground to unite in saving a
tottering humanity.
And, let me say, there are weaknesses
in other business besides the newspa-
per. 1t is evident from common
of employer and employe here
Tonight that it is so in the printing
business. I admit that We're I of the
governors cabinet | should have taken
some exception to his statement in re-
gard to trusts, for in my opinion it all
lies in the abuse and not the principle
of the thing. I've got great faith in
feeling that this country is going to
work these things out for itself I'm
built on that plan of optimism. Men
have some good in them; some prob
ably more than others. For instance:
Why wasn't the feeling shown here
tonight in the friendly relation of
master to man evidenced before? AS
speaker has said, the conflict
between trust and capital and labor
Is like conflict between truth and con-
science. l hope this is but the begin
ming of series of assemblies of this
character.
The last speaker on the programme
was the Rev. Watson L. Phillips, who
to the toast benjamin
Franklin
DR.. Phillips pointed out the analogy
between the writers, the takers and the
printers. and asked the question, What
would one do without the other? It's a
stirring spectacle to an outsider. said
Or. Phillips, to see employer and en-
,loye sit down together. 1t reminds one
If the time of which the prophet spoke
when the Non and lamb shall lie down
ogether CT said the speaker, don't
lnow which is the lion and which is the
amb, but l assure the lamb of my sym-
,athy l congratulate the master print