The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-16
At THE SOUTHERN
SOCIETY BANQUET
A Gathering of Brilliant
Men There.
ELOQUENT ADDRESSES
Among the Speakers Are E.As Alder
man, Colonel Robert Bingham and
Mayor Mcclellan. Southern Airs
Rouse the Enthusiasm of
The Southrons
(By the Associated Press.)


New York, Dec. 14.-Three hundred
and fifty sons of the South gathered
in the main ball room of the Wal
dorf-Astoria tonight at the nineteenth
annual dinner of the Southern Society
Of New York, and the boxes were filled
with ladies. the relatives and guests
IF the diners.
Enthusiasm was aroused by the
playing of Southern airs, the diners
rising to their feet and cheering wildly
when My Maryland" and Dixie
were played.
Among those at the guests table
with President Harrison. who presid-
ed were Mayor Mcclellan, who re-
sponded to the toast. "The City OF
New York Colonel Robert Bingham
of Asheville. n. c.. who told of 'the
past status of the South; the decad-
ence OF that.status and its restoration,
George s. Graham. of Philadelphia,
whose theme was 1.-THE South-my
country" and Dr. e. A. Alderman, or
the University of Virginia, who SPOKE
on THE Supreme Need of the South.
and the presidents of number of
local societies.
President Harrison. in his introduce
tory remarks reviewed the history of
the South durine the past year. In
conclusion ne said:
virtues. 1t stands for hospitality. 1t
stands for Democratic liberty it
stands for tariff for revenue only and
not ROBBERY or CXtortion. There are
many things like these on which the
South is solid and in those things let
us remain solid.
McClellan's Address.
Mayor Mcclellan, who was then III
PRODUCED. said in part:
You people of the South. a century
ago fought for your Ideals and won.
Still later you fought. and the world
said YOU lost. Lee and Johnston, and
Stcnewall Jackson were idealists. every
one. and so were Washington and JEFF
ferson. and their associates. But of
these. say you, their dreams came
true. while the others dreamed i'm vain.
All me, no man has dreamed or lived
i'm vain who has sought for lofty in
spiration. The spirit of 81, like the
spirit of 20 was idealism. and noSv
that we can look back after nearly -
half century and see that unhappy
fratricidal strife. through the vista OF
years, we can appreciate that in the
broad and true sense there We're no
vanquished. but that all were victors,
i'm that they fought for what they
deemed the right. and in fighting for
it, fought like men and gentlemen"
Bingham and Others Speak.
Colonel Robert Bingham in the
course of his address referred to the
negro.
After all," he said, 1.-The world
has found that he is still a negro, and
il grieVes me in q way, to see some
of our Northern friends forced to put
the negro on political and social
equality. and occasionally as supe-
rior IL the North would let the negro
alone the people of the South. who
best understand the coloreI men.
would i'm time make him a useful and
industrious citizen.
George s. Graham. district attorney
of Philadelphia, took exception 10 the
statementbof the president of the So
cety that he hoped the solid South
would remain SO and he declared that
the South had no greater enemy than
this EXPRESSION and that it is continued
SO by the external pressure of a nag
ging North.
"Removes this pressure he argued
";Lnd the atoms viii reach their proper
political place. perhaps in the form
of the party. When the interference
is removed the South will take It's
rightful place side by side with Penn
sylvania and some time by New FORK.
DIR. AIderman's Opinion.
DR.. r. a. Alderman. president of the
University of Virginia, declared that
the South must recover it's nationat
spirit. that its chief difficulty is the
need of men trained to the minute
such as she once possessed. He ie-
clared that the quality Of the leader
ship of the South is weak and the
crying need is for trained men. For
their training, he said. great mstitu