Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-01
Ak FOR EX-PRESIDENTa
GEN. HARRIsON's ANSWER TO NEWS.
PAPER COMMENT.
WHY md Humorous Remarks mt q
Banquet I'm Indianapolis /.
Last Night.

A dispatch to the New York Sun from
indianapolis, Ind, last night, says: The
hcme Of the Columbia Club, which com.
prises in its membership nearly every re-
publican OF prominence in Indiana, was
dedicated tonight with appropriate cere.
monies The structure has been recently
remodeled at a cost of s200. 900 and Is now
one of the best equipped club houses in the
country. The dedication was made the oc-
casion for a banquet. speeches being made
by former President Harrison. United
States Senators Fairbanks and Beveridge,
Representative Overstreet and others. Mr..
Harrison responded to the toast, Hail CO.
lumbia," and said in part:
Columbia should have been the name of
the western hemisphere, the republican
half Of the world-the hemisphere without
king on the ground-the reserved world.
where God sert the trodden spirits of men
to be revived; to find, where all things
were primitive, mans primitive rights.
Royal prerC gatives are plants that re-
from the wild. free growths that crowd
and climb -lpon them. Pomp and laced
garments are homogeneous In the brush.
Danger and tardships are commoners. The
man in front is the captain-the royal COM
mission to the contrary notwithstanding.
The platoon and voley firing by the word
would not do-the open order, one man to a
tree, firing at his own Will and at a partic-
like calls to do things upon his own initia-
tive the free American was born. He
thought he might get along with kings and
imperial parliaments if they were benevo-
lent and did and allowed what he wished,
but they were forever doing their own
pleasure, as the way of absolutism always
is. And so he found it necessary first to
demonstrate and then to resist
Mr.. Harrison then referred to the colonial
charters, which, he said, were irrevocable
grants, but the kings and parliament held
otherwise. He continued:
81 estimate the gift of the governing fac
ulty to be Gods grea test gift to the Anglo
Saxon, and in the Constitution of the
United States. with Its diversion of powers,
its limitations upon the governing depart
ments and 1t sublime reservations in the
interests Of individual liberty, 1 see the
highest achievement of that most rare fac
ulty.
Il have no argument to make, here or
anywhere, against territorial expansion,
as the safest or most attractive avenue of
ma tional development. BY the advantages
or abundant and cheap coal and iron, of an
enormous surplus of food products and of
invention and economy in production We
are now leading by a nose the original and
the greatest of the colonizing nations
australia and New Zealand Loyalty send
tnelr contingents to South Africa, but
Great Britain cannot hold the trade of her
colonies against American offerings of a
better or cheaper product.
Hc SeHlTdl ana south American states.
assured OF our purpose not only to respect
put to defend their autonomy, and finding
the peace and social order which a closer
and larger commercial intercourse with the
word will bring, offer to our commerce n
held the full development of which will
realize the Eldorado. Hall to Columbia
the home of the free. and from which only
freedom can go OUT
After paving tribute to the Columbia
Club, Mr.: Harrison concluded thus:
The decapitation Of the ex-President
Wnen the oath of office has been admins
tered to his successor would greatly yfyify
a somewhat tiresome ceremonial And we
may sometime solve the newspaper prob
lem what to do with our ex-Presidents in
tndt conclusive way. Until then [ hone an
eX-PreSldent may be permitted To live
somewhere midway between the house of
gossip and the crypt of the mummy
lie VIII Know perhaps in an especial wav
now TO show the highest honor to the pres-
ldentlal Office, and the most courteous def
erence to the President. Upon great uIIes
IONS however eSpecially-upon questions of
constitutional la&, you must give an ex-
President his frey lom or the ak. and If is
too late to give m. the ak
ANY democratic friends who NAV share
your hospitality tonight will pardon me for
saying to any of tLem who have cast he
sulilns looks toward me that the demo-
cratic party has never been less ATTRACTIVE
tnan now. No plan of Reorganization su1-
sests user TO NE except that suggested nv
Wasglsh lieutenant of my regiment to y
captain whose platOons were inverted He
saiu; captain If l were in your place I
would break ranks and have the orderly
call the roll Perhaps even this honefmI
program may fail for an Inability to asrre.,
as to the roll and as to the ORDERLY