The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-07
BUSINESS MEN BANQUET.
ENTH USIASTIC GATH BRING AT THE
 ToNTINE LAST NIGHT.
Captain Hobson's AbIo Address on 'Ths Navyo the Feature of the Evening
 Speeches by Mayor studley, Rev. Stuart Means and Others-About 1 50 Attended
Reception to Captain Hobson.

!
 Means I50 Attsnd d ed
 Reception to Captain HobsOn. Captain Richmond Pierson Hobson of
 the United States navy was the guest
 of honor at the annual banquet of the ! New Haven Business Mems association
 last night in the Tontine hotel and his address on The Navy" was one of the most powerful speeches that was ever delivered on that subject in this city. He spoke for about an hour and every instant of that time was taken up in telling of the great navy of the United States and it's greater possibilities and duties. The enthusiasm with which the 1 young hero of the harbor of Santiago | was received was a demonstration that | he might well be proud of and certain | it is that seldom before in the history of after dinner speaking in New Haven has one been more enthusiastically re- Ceived. His speech, in the most part dwelling on the importance of the navy, was a grand one from the time he arose from his chair until he sat down in the thunderous applause that broke out in the dining room at the close.
 The toastmaster was Professor Will liam Lyon Phelps and as usual his re- marks kept the people present in continual roar of laughter. He paid great compliment to Captain Hobson in his introductory speech as did Mayor Studley, who preceded the army officer. Mayor Studley spoke on "Our City" and his toast was well received Let ters of regret were read from President Hadley, Governor Mclean and Rufus H. Jackson and the dinner from the time the members and friends sat down until the last toast was given was one of the most enjoyable and enthusiastic ever held in New Haven.
 One of the first of the evening was the reading of ''telegrams'' of regret from Prince Henry, King Edward, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mayor Null vihill, Richard Croker and others, by Professor Phelps. The telegrams were side splitting.
 The dining room was trimmed in pa triotic colors and the scene was beau- tiful one. The committee that man. aged the affair was composed of F. J. Linsley, chairman; L. A. Mansfield w. F. Hamblin, George D. Post, George B. Johnson, c. J. Monson, Jr., George M. Adkins.
 Captain Hobson sat at the middle of the guests table, at the right of Presi- dent Atwater. He was introduced af- ter the singing of the Red, White and Blue.'
 He spoke in part as follows: Gentle meh-I thank you for the generous greeting and I want to say that I am touched very deeply by it. I also want | to say that I consider it a privilege | and honor to be present at your an nual banquet. I hardly know what to say to the generous way that your toastmaster and mayor have referred ! to the little incident that l think is not | fitting and not worth while to refer to. | But now that it has been mentioned I | will say that there is in each one of | you here those qualities that were so | prevalent in the Spanish American war and I have not the least doubt but that | every officer and man in the army and | in the navy would have jumped at an opportunity like that l feel that the thing is oVer-rated and over-drawn but | I feel glad for it because it gives me a to be here tonight and to en- large my sphere of usefulness. think that few words about our navy might have some grain of usefulness to busi- ness men, because the questions of the navy, which are the most important of the country to-day, must be handled in l business like manner.
 Here Captain Hobson gave the re- suits of what the navy had accomplish ed from it's inception comparing it in importance with that of the army.
 He continued: The issues in wars to ,ome can only be decided on the seas md in the navy is our safety and pro- ection. In these great questions of var when the prosperity of the coun- ny is involved we can only look to he navy as our guarantee. We as country with our domain of tates are separated by water from the , sreat provinces of the world We have m estimated 17,000 miles of coast line md within this coast line we have ac- an property and millions upon mill ions of American citizens. We have nore property y/almost than the com lined forces of all Europe and I might ay all the world. We have forts. hines, torpedoes and as useful as these ccessories are in war time never vet n the history of the world have these topped commander of fleet. There ore as a plain business proposition of