Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-18
BANQUET RENDERED BY HIS
FRIEsDspF LScAL BAR.
Register Lyons, Tribute to President
Mckinley Guest of the Evening

Martin, E. T.. cooper, w. Calvin Chase, 7.
L. Jones, J. w. Patterson, H c. Tyson,
Dr. ]. R. Francis. ]. Il. johnson, c. A
Fleetwood. J. F.. Bandy, DIR. A. NJ Curtis,
R. w. Thompson, W. A. Montague and S.
Mr.. Thomas L. Jones presided and acted
as POSTMASTER. In his opening remarks he
said. in part:
"'.As recorder of deeds in North Carolina
the name of Cheatham is sounded with
love and veneration. AS member of Con-
gress, long after his traducers shall have
been consigned to the dust from which
they sprang, his maine will live. AS
recorder of deeds of the District of Column
bia his record, the reforms and improve
ments inaugurated by him, the representa-
ton accorded the negro in making up his
clerical force, his dipiomacy, courtesy and
dignified and manly bearing stamp him as
one of the foremost living colored Ameri-
cans. and, 1 trust will argue for his re-
tention in that high office as long as that
gallant statesman and nobleSt of Ameri-
can Presidents, William Mckinley, graces
the executive chair of the nation
President Mckinley's Administration
The first toast, The President of the
United .States,'' was responded to by Mr..
Judson w. Lyons, register Of the treasury
In part, Mr.. Lyons said:
sit would be superf1uous for me to pic
ture the achievements of the administra-
ton. Its history is read and known by
all men. It is an open book that can be
and Is read by the wayfaring as well as
by the scholar and statesman. It's glory
Is today sung IN every cline and by every
tongue the world over The descendant of
the proud Castillian in the queen of the
Antilles sent forth his Macedonian cry
just three years ago. With head and soul
dedicated to justice, the present occupant
of the executive chair heard that cry, and
within 80 days he drove away the oppres-
scr. unyoked the oppressed and put upon
their lips the paeans of joy and freedom;
and this, too, with solemn declaration then
made, and ever since adhered to- that those
people should be independent
AT home, just four years ago, we had
stagnation and death, poverty and misery
The machine shops were idle and the work
men wandered from town to town, reduced
to the appalling and degrading necessity of
accepting aims; freight cars were rolled
on the side tracks because of a lack of use
for them; banks collapsed because conf
dence had gone, and the man with the
extra dollar knew not where to intrust it
with safety; factories ceased their music
because, who would SELL. even on credit to
an unemployed people?
But a Cincinnatus who was indeed
master workman had been summoned from
his plOw to command the ship of state,
and if you would KNOW how mastery he
has commanded, look around and behold
his Observation-Disclosures restored capital
in circulation and everybody who desires
to work employed, and prosperity Sbound-
ing and overfiowfrlg has visited the door
of every man, from the poor black man
who makes the cotton to the millionaire
who clips his coupons and draws his dvi-
bends. Could more be asked of one admin
istration? IN. 90
Il am optimistic. I do not believe in
seeing only the dark clouds. We are not
the only people who have been downtrod-
den, and seemingly almost crushed The
history of the world abouhdsoi III instances
of ia nh a,tn
to find them. So it is well for us to re-
member these things and to find out how,
Phoenix-like, the under dog rose from
their low estate and conquered, the preju-
dice of their tOrmentors, and are today
the most influential in the land The Sc
cret is easily told and easily remembered:
II was by sobriety, honesty. industry and
economy. We shall win a permanent place
in society. just in proportion as we &C
qutre and daily use these virtues.
"Our people, above all things. must not
forget that this is their country; for 1t
they nave sweat and they have toiled;
they have bled and they have died. They.
would not leave it if they could, and could
not If they would. Whatever the future
has in store for them, whether good or evil,
they shall see it here, and here they must
work out their destiny"
The Higher Education.
To the toast Higher Education" the re-
Spouse was made by Prof. William H H.
Hart of the law school of Howard Univer-
sity After citing the possibilities for all
races from acquisition Of ''higher educa-
tion,", Mr.. Hart said:
so much as to what believe to be pos
sible of help and benefit from 1.-The higher
education" but these serious and weighty
problems are for the closet and the plat
form A feast Is a place for fine things
on the board and around it, and I shall
pass before taking my seat, to few words
md of,,1n
guest-the recorder of deeds Of the District
Of Columbia. He holds the title deeds to
all the realty Of this community and by
ms upright and courteous walk before this
community has won and holds the title to
our regard and esteem. To few men has
II 1allen to come into our community and
give themselves constantly, patiently, per-
severingiy and successfully to it's needs as
TINS nonored guest has done, with charity
Lor all, with malice toward none, as a
Christian "a gentleman and a scholar
Let us hope that our guest may long
commune co I'm our servant-the recorder of deeds
or the District of Columbia"
Mr. w: Calvin Chase, who responded to
the toast THE Press referred to Mr.
Cheatham In terms Of the most compli-
mentary character His administration Of
the responsible Office held by him was, he
said, universally conceded to be of the high
est order, and while he was conservative in
MS views on the great problems of the day
ne was none the less champion of his
race.
Mr.. Cheatham's Response.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Chase's remarks,
Mr.. Cheatham responded to what had been
said by the various speakers. and in part
said:
"Of course. there is race problem in this
country but am not one of those who re-
gard 1t seriously. and / do not believe that
the colored man Should feel alarmed, for
ne Is part and a parcel Of our great ma
ton. He has helped 70 make the nation
what 1t Is, and he Is here to stay. If it
were fact that the entire white race is
pre1udiced and hostile to the colored peo-
pie, he might feel alarmed, but 1t is a fact
that the best element 81 the white race in
this country-when say the best element,
I mean the wealthy and religious element
is friendly and wishes the colored man well
and will help him to succeed in every case
where he will help himself This being
true, our people should not feel discouraged.
THE reaction Of public sentiment in the
past decade has permitted our democratic
friends IN the southland to disfranchise
hundreds Of thousands of colored voters,
and the success of that effort has. practi-
cally without protest. He'd many Of them,
and eSpeciallV thafs r1H 81 which would do