The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-17

BANQUET WAS A
NOTABLE AFFAIR.

CONTINUED from First phge.)
on reception, and they ali8acted their
parts we'll. Il
@ Toastlnaster. Stuart and the speakers
were upon IN elevated platform and their
table was fairly loaded With flowers as
were indeed all those In the hall. Tall
growing palms were ranged around the
walls while Virginia ind United States
flags floated from almost every quarter
OF the room f "a
Governor Montague. who spoke on
'virgnia, sat Immediately ut Mr..
Stuarts right and Mt his left was Mr.
Joseph Bryan, who responded on behalf
OF tho invited guests. The other 5regti-
lar speakers were ranged along the table
ON either side. #
Emmett B. Eaison, ono Of the bright
est pages in the Convention, now grown
almost to manhood, was present and II
developed that he Is still n prime fayorite
with the members. 81 n
Speaking Begins.
1t was 1890 o'clock when Toastmas ter
Stuart raped for order and extended !. y q
hearty greeting to the assembled guests
The remarks OF Mr.. Stuart were elo-.
quent and timely and were loudly cheer:
cd. He spoke In part rs follows
The first popular demonstraton j, O. v III
-.
ginla came almost ut the hour OF ,,. Us
birth Iii the form of n BANQUET tendereu
to tho makers OF that instrument, J., ny !,
leading citizens Of the cap. n, GL eSce and
good will, coming from a source 50 repre-
sentative Of the best thought OF the . Sta,e,
was accepted alike MS a high testimonial III IA
Of good deeds faithfully periorthhetn news 'st ~
as u fair prophecy Oh Detler }Ailiiss ~
come. 5is 3, t5 IN, l., . !, -. 4, 10.
on the excellencins Of the Constitntitio
though in this the thru year g nr,ds and
satisfaction on improved systems, Win
reduced cost of administrator on largely
Increased revenue. Will lightened burdens
indlyd!a sans 9 r. estabilsh
5long-needed Improvements and to answer,
the call or our public institutions FOR
necessary enlargement and betterment;
ereui nt home and
abroad. Ss, 81 b, N 53..t@ 81 !, ~! b; .
which most press upon me ininos sht
nor is it indeed the enjoyable social
features Of the occasion but 3ra ther 1t IS
hefvlsta of our re Prospect. We think OF
that bright June day, when one hundr res
old Capitol, whose walls are SO suggestive
Of the proud traditions and sacred .mem-5
cries OF great Commonwealth, IN Y Inc
very shadow CT those splendid effigles,
which, even$in silent and ,sombre bronze
seems to stand as sentinels over the her
itage beuueathed US. There " s lands the
man whose matchless eloquence inspired
the man whose genius conceived i the man an
whose noble heroism achieved, and the
man whose mighty intellect expounded5
the chart OF human rights, which en-
bedded in the Federal Constitution ma
brought under Its eegis eighty millions Of
the happicst and freest people on the;
n. Assembled on such spot, with the
voice Of the peopse crying aloud for dc-
liverance from an alien constitution which
had brought Units train evils past endur-5
a1lce, and for the restoration as Tar as
might be, of civil conditions which lay! at
the base OF the best civilization virginia
ever saw there:ewas no lack of insptra-
tlon for the loftiest endeavor. J, In 3 that
solemn hour new VOWS of fidelity. were,
registered, and the fires OF u fervid pa
trlotism were reklndled IT. every loyal and
courageous heart. In what measure that
body caught the spirit Of the people. and
in what measure that spirit was reflected
in the instrument of their hand, 1T is not
for US to say; but t Is for us to hope, aye,
confidently to trust that the people. l1ayet
law, the faithful arsWer to their petition
and are already realizing the glorious
fruitage of their hopes.
The Governor Speaks.
When tho Governor arose he was re-.
scelved with warm applause and when
1T had subsidized sufficiently, hevery grace
fully acknowledged the honor done him.
by the gentleman of the convention. Ad-
dressing himself to his theme, Virginia."
the Governor eulogized the name, which.
he said meant one thing to one person.
and another to another at various times
in Its history
Infsketching the history Of the old Com
luonwealth;s he did so in a series of pic
lures of the great cpochs In Its history,
a and Of the men whose names We're linked
With those epochs. Beginning with the
Jamestown settlement, he referred to Ba-
cons rebellion as the first great express
sion Of the Anglo-Saxon spirit in this
country, and traced the career of the
greatest of the Commonwealth's through
the days antedating the revolution, when
.yirglnia's. son. Mason, had drawn the
chart OF human rights. and later when
Jefferson had proclaimed nations in
dependence. To George Rogers Clarke
another of Virginia's sons. the Governor
attributed the fact mat tho st. Law
renee River. instead of the Ohio. marked
tho northern boundary Of the nation Con-
8tinuing, the Governor called the glorious
roll of the epoch making sons OF Virginia,
and enumerated their contributions to the
glory Of the American Commonwealth,
coming down to the nineteenth century.
and IT'S galaxy of greatness In peace and
war.
Referring to the Constitutional Conven-
tlon Of 10000, the Governor declared that
their work represented tho best of the
hest people of the best times in the his
tory OF this Commonwealth. There might
have been and there might still DO diff
fcrences OF views concerning phases of
the work OF the convention, hut 1t was
Il. such differences that the best work
OF constructive statemanship was
wrought. out. your instrument is destined
to play n great Fart In the history Of
this Commonwealth. It's full acceptance
may be matter of time, but 1t Is n
sure growth. Referring to his own APP
prevail of the Constitution and his off
cial part III making 1t the organic law
OF the Commonwealth. the Governor as
sured his hearers that 80 far as the Ex-
ccutivc Department OF tho government
could give 1t force 1t had been given with
pleasure and with pride He closed with
| n spltndd aI,ostrophe to patrotsm, that