The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-01-21
THE OLD AND new So u.
sensible and Patriotic views Expressed

League OI the OQ1LeQ= States nGfQ d
largely attended and extremely profit
able and interesting annual convention
ia New Orleans last week, and one Of
the very enjoy able features of varied
program OF entertainment prepared
and admirably carried out in honor of
the deieg ates and their ladies was
banquet Friday night at the ST.
Charles Hotel which was unlike most
affairs of its kind in at least two
particulars: the ladies participated
and wines were tabooed. Many
otherwise level-headed people profess
to believe that no banquet is complete
without wine on the table, and the
greater the variety and profusion of
the liquid accessories, the more cor
respondingly successful the spread in
the estim alton of the bibulously in
clined. There is no good reason, how
ever, why such an occasion may not
be as much a-''feast of reason and
flow Of soul' without wine as with it,
and the repast to which we are now
referring furnishes ample proof Of
this fact.
George W. Davidson was toast
master, and the speakers were M. j.
Sanders, president of the New Orleans
Progressive Union; T. F. Cunning
ham, vice president of the same or
ganization, and Charles Rosen, all of
whom made timely and forcible ad-
dresses.
Mr.. Sanders assured the delegates
that New Orleans felt honored by the
presence of such a gathering of the
representative business men of the
country, and congratulated herself
that they would leave for their homes
with persona al knowledge of her great
and rapidly growing Importance as a
seaport and commercial centre. He
described she advantages aud facilities
which made New Orleans the principal
exporting and distributing point for
the Mississippi valley and the south
west, especially for the products
handled by the merchants who we're
members Of the league, hence the rela-
lions between these gentlemen and the
merchants of New Orleans were natu-
rally close and friendly. The speaker
said the convention had not only ac-
complished great deal for the adj
vancement and benefit OF the interests
which most nearly concerned its mem.
bers, but that many other branches of
trade and commerce would profit by
the interchange of ideas. Mr.. Sanders
inters persed his remarks with number
of witticisms lat elected much laugh
ter and applause from his apprecia-
tive hearers.
Mr.. Cunningham responded felici-
tous1y to the sentiment, 1.-THE United
States, = and The Chief is glad to ac-
cord space to one Of the most striking
portions of his speech: "Speaking of
matters geographical, however, most
Of US here tonight can remem Der tuck
ing our biographies under our arms
and tramping off unwillingly to the
little red schoolhouse on the hill,
where we were taught that the United
States OF America was bound by the
British possessions, by the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans and by the Republic OF
Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. How
shall we bound it today? Away beyond
the Arctic circle our lands are yielding
up the golden nuggets that the world
may have its necessary supply of the
precious yellow metal. To the west
sardl Those of you from the Golden
Gate can stand upon it's headlands
and remember that far, far beyond
lies an empire peopled with millions of
human beings, embryo American citi-
zens. To the south! Well! A few
weeks ago distinguished member of
she presidents cabinet told US in
this very room that we are digging a
continuation of the mouth of the Mis-
sissipi river through the Isthmus of
Panama. And to the east! Jutting far
out into the Atlantic lies the beautiful
island of Porto Rico with it's added
million of inhabitants learning eagerly
ii the first rudiments of American
citizenship. And who shall say where
it will end, and who shall say where
We should stop?
81 am not an expansionist, and I
doubt if many of US here are, but am
a firm believer in the destiny of our
nation, a destiny that has led it to
become possessed of other lands, not
by lust of conquest, not by greed Of
power, not by an unholy desire to
obtain that which is another's, but by
that sheer force of circumstance all
compelling and not to be denied, that
men call fate; and that destiny or fate
guided by the hand OF the Omnipotent
Ruler is, I firmly believe, for the good
of mankind and the advancement of
the world.''
Mr.. Rosen, who made some Of the
finest and strongest speeches heard in
behalf of the Home Rule cause during
the recent municipal campaign in New
Orleans, fully maintained his reputa-
ton for eloquent and impassioned
oratory in the following response to
the sentiment, ssOur Southland.
Past and PRESENT. "There was a
south Of slavery and secession-that
fc 90
union and freedom-that south, thank
God, is living, breathing. growing
every hour. Yet the dreams Of that
southland of the past are with US still,
with US always, with young as well as
old; and will be with us forever. For,
though, in that south We see no golden
age where sun and moon shone
brighter than today, we yet see a land
Ear off from sordid things; land of
strong, true men and fair women, of
little wealth but little poverty, where
honor went for more than riches, where
was sacrament, where
home was sacred, and courtesy the law
Of life. We see her statesmen rule
our land and guide its destinies for the |
hrst three quarters of a century OF its
existence. We see her men and women |
aelp TO make America WnaG Sne As To- /
day. We see her heroes fight the |
greatest war the world has ever known |
and sacrifice their lives for a prinei T
pie and an ideal. And we thank God /
We have heart to cherish their sacred
memories forever.
"But that south is gone. Il had to be.
70 the eyes of d just God it seemed
light that it should be so; and, with
10 regret for the past, we set our faces
confidently to the future. For the
south of the present is the south OF the
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