The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-27
BRYAN THE GUEST OF HONOR.
A Duel of Repartee Between Him and
ChOate.
(By the Associated Press.)

London Ndv. 26.-ThanksgiviGg Day
was celebrated by the American society
in London at a banquet given at the
Hotel Cicil tonight. There were over 400
covers. William Jennings Bryan was the
guest of honor.
The speeches, while favored by the
usual seasonable cheer and references to
Anglo-American fr1endliness, developed
particularly into duel of repartee, good
natured. hat almost subacid between Mr..
Bryan and Ambassador Choate.
There were number of notable guests
at the banquet including the Duke of
Marlborough, and all the ambassadors in
London.
The Duke of Marlborough proposed a
toast to President Roosevelt and adj
dressing himself to the interests which
England and the United States have IN
common, referred in terms of the high
est praise to President Roosevelt.
Ambassador Choate responding to the
toast to his health, which was proposed
in complimentary terms by Lord Davey,
took up the Duke of Marlboroughs refer
ence to the mutual sympathes of the
American and British peoples and said
that there had been reason heretofore to
suspect some such sentiment on the part
of the Duke, since he had set an example
in one form of the Anglo-American n
lance, on which the people of both coun-
trie were able to look with entire APP
proval.
Turning to Mr. Bryan, Mr.. Choate said
it was the custom of Americans, torn
from their native shores to gather annual
ly and return thanks. The American So,
ciety in London had now among them
another of these exiles, for whom personal
ly he as ambassador, had bee ndoing the
best he could. He had taken Mr.. Bryan
to visit the Bank of England, where he
was able to study the fiscal question in its
native lair. The company would be edi-
fled, said Mr. Choate had they heard Mr..
Bryan cross-ex examining the governor of
the Bank of England. The ambassador
said he had aided Mr.. Bryan to hear Mr..
Asquith, Mr.. Chamberlain, Lord Goschen
and Lord Roseberry, all within forty-eight
hours, so if his views on the fiscal ques-
ton were not utterly mixed they would
appreciate at least the quality of the man
they had before them.
The speech of the ambassador was fol-
lowed by an ovation to Mr.. Bryan, which
lasted several minutes. Mr.. Bryan in re-
spending paid a graceful tribute to the
English guests of the society He said
the highest compliment he was able to
pay was that in looking over the tables
he was unable to distinguish the English
from the American when present He
thanked the British nation for the kindly
forbearance it had shown in receiving
him-the protectionists for letting him
land at all and the gold bug for not hav-
ing depoTted him Immediately after his
arrival. Mr.. Bryan said he had profited
exceedingly by his visit to the Bank of
England. He wanted to call attention,
however, to the fact that the murderous
attack by an insane man with revolver
on Kenneth Grahame, the secretary of
the bank, occurred the day before he
called.
Touching the theme of Thanksgiving
Day, Mr. Bryan spoke eloquently of the
natural resources and advantages of the
United States, for which the people must
return thanks to God, and of the ideals
of liberty and progress, must thank their
English progenirs. He urged the neces-
sity of the present generation bequeathing
to posterity some gift commensurate with
the blessings they had received from
their ancestors and suggested that they
bequeath the ideal of international amity,
of which the Hague arbitration tribunal
was a lasting monument.
Hail to the nation concluded Mr.
Bryan, whatever her name, who leads
the world towards this higher ideal for
the lasting good of all humanity"