The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-02
GUTMAN'S, - aro.T E5s=7. Street
HITCHCOCK KICKS.
Will Not Give UP His Opera Box for
n the@Prince.
From the New York Journal.

From the New York Journal.
Thomas Hitchcock, whose opera box
is one of the five that Mayor Lows
committee wishes to convert into a
royal box for Prince Henry's gala night
at the Metropolitan Opera House, yes
terday denounced the plan as "intol-
erHble snobbishhess" and intimated
that he, would make a decidedly warm
response to the Committees request to-
day 10y s
Mr. yHitchcoeks family is foremost
many years. has been an ardentdevotee
of the opera. HeSfs possessed of wealth
and culture, and his two Hsons are
among the bestiknown young men in
| society. MIG. ILL tchcock was known
| for many KeaEea as a financial writer
| over the pseudonym of Matthew Mar
shall. ~ M
Mr.. Hitchcock's box is No! 80 in the
lower tier, directly facing the stage.
1t STANDS in the very center Of the five
boxes selected by the committee for
the royaf party. 1t is at the extreme
bend sof the curving tier, and is re-
garded as one of the choicest loca tions
in the Opera, House. The other boxes
which the committee proposes to take
are held by J. Pierpont Morgan, Mrs.
Vanderbilt, r. Heber Bishop and Luth-
er Kountze. A letter was sent to each
one of these box-holders yesterday ask
ing for the use of their boxes on the
night of the gala performance in Prince
Henry's honor on Feb. %. Before
Mr.. Hitchcock's only intimation of the
plan was the announcement in the
newspapers that the five boxes, includ-
ing his, had been chosen by the COM
mittee for royal use.
Wrathful Society Leader.
What he regarded as condemnation
proceedings excited the wrath of Mr.
Hitchcock to the boiling pointY He
said yesterday that he did not intend
to permit his rights as an American
citizen to be trampled on to carry out
snobbish demonstration over a for
eign prince, and he practically prom
Used to read what he considers a good,
wholesome lesson in Americanism to
the committee.
ITS all piece of Mayor Lows stu
pendous folly" Mr.. Hitchcock indig-
nantly declared. I've got no sympathy
with his snobbish idea of setting up a
royal box for Prince Henry. The whole
thing is intolerable snobbishness.
Low ought to know better. He
plunged right in, regardless of any
a gala performance of the opera would
be given in Prince Henry's honor. May
or Lows green, and he wanted to do
something.
why should we have royal box for:
this Prince Henry? Who is he, any
way? Would the Emperor of Germany
set aside a royal box for Mayor Low il
he went to Berlin?s 1t seems to me that
the only persons who are making this
~ 4
few rich merchants. 1 don't see that
the real, self-respeeting German work
ing-men here are doing it.
THE whole thing is disgusting. 1t is
repulsive to all my ideas of what
Amerieanism means. We seem to have
forgotten who we are, and here we
have this spectacle of our prominent
men running after this Prince and max
ing themselves absurd by their snob-
berry. i was taught that America
meant something different from this
sort of thing. My father was born in
Connecticut and my grandfather fought
in the Continental army, and this sort
of thing only disgusts me.
Who IN This Princef
why we don't have royal boxes for
our President. Does President Roose-
welt, ever have one when he is here?
Did President Mckinley or President
Harrison have one? Then why should
we snobbishly set aside a royal box for
Prince Henry? He doesn't represent
anybody. The ambassador at Washing
ton is Germany's representative.
who is this Prince? He's only a
snip--a little snip of royalty. Why
should we make fools of ourselves over
him? Why should l be asked to give
up my private box, when l hate such
things? ! was brought up as an Amer
team to despise princes and potentates.
Here, the first / hear OF IT, Ii
statement from Mr. Grau In the news
papers that II has been arranged 10
take 1--WE boxes mine included. for the
Prince. II wasn't thought necessary to
ask me. II the others all want 10 be
towards and give up their boxes II. Is
no reason why | should let my rights
be run over In such q manner AS for
that, ! do not believe all the others
viii give up their boxes. Mr. Morgan
said two days ago he would not and
last night Mrs Hebcr Bishop said she
had given no one permission. ! pnder-
stand Mrs Vanderbilt has not given
her consent
"Why should Mayor Low sea 90 an