The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-23
A SCENE OF SPLENDOR'
Besides the Address of the vice-Presi-
dent, There Were Speeches by
Yerkes, Rollins, Charles ]. Harris
and Others. Blackburn Acts as
Toast Master. A Reception to
Fairbanks.
Especial to News and Observer.)

Especial to News and Observer
Greensboro, N. c., March 22.-The
banquet given by the Tar Heel Club in
the dining rooms of the Benbow ho-
tel tonight, complimentary to Vice
President Fairbanks. Hon. John w.
Yerkes and Hon. Joseph M. Dixon, was
an elaborate, tasteful and in every re-
spect successful function. Messrs.
Cobb & Fry, proprietors of the Gull
ford -Benbow, had the two great build
ings ablaze with electric lights frosted
in the national colors of red, white and
blue, while garlands of evergreens
twined the columns. banks of flowers
and ferns graced the windows, potted
plants and cut flowers adorned the
tables and bunting in, national colors
and flags abounded everywhere. Gov
ers had been laid for three hundred
members of the club and invited
guests, and when at half-past nine the
party adjourned from the reception
given the distinguished visitors at the
Guilford parlors to the dining room at
the Benbow, there were not more than
half a dozen vacant seats at the seven
long tables, arranged so that President
and ToaStmaster Blackburn, with the
President on his right and Com
missioner Yerkes on his left at the
central one faced the door and the
guests grouped in series of rows in the
large dining room. On the wall be-
hind the Vice-President was large
life-size picture OF him with the ma
tional colors and shield and suspended
in the center of the room, in addition
to hundreds of electric lights in other
parts, was an immense electriA cham
delier. the bulbs rejecting alternate
rays of red, white and blue. The
menu cards were handsome souvenirs
of the occasion, being real works of art,
the outside cover bearing a splendid
engraving of the President en-
twined about which was the national
and North Carolina flags in colors and
the words "Our Guest stamped in
gold letters at the apex.
AS Toastmaster Blackburn, accom-
panied by the Vice-President and the
other distinguished national officials
entered the room and took their seats
there was a spontaneous outburst of
applause which lasted for several min
utes. The menu was all that taste
skill and good service could provide
even the platters being embiematic of
the occasion, consisting of embro
shields, flags and war vessels, while
every Wand procurable was supplied,
including oysters, spanish mackerel,
canvas backs, birds, etc, with salads
of all kinds interspersed with Manhat-
tanS, Sauternes, MummS, National
Punch White Rock and cigars. 1t
was truly royal feast, royalty serv-
cd and gloriously enjoyed. The feast
of cloquence, philosophical and polit-
ical phillipices, was equally elaborate
and diffiuse, while Toastmaster Black
burn made an admirable presiding
officer and manager of the toasts and
their presentation.
When Vice-President Fairbanks was
presented there was another outburst
of demonstration and APPLAUSE, and
his address was listened to with rapt
attention, being frequently applauded.
The Address of Fairbanks.
The Vice-President's prelude to his
address brought applause when after
speaking of how glad he was that he
had come said:
There is something about Southern
hospitality that is delightful and in
deed there is nothing in all the rest
of the world like it,
He declared he had no message of
partisanry to bring, but that he hoped
thanked God there was no more sec
tionalism in the republic. and that the4l
South was fast being recognized as notN
only fully as enterpriSing as other sec
tions of the country in material
things, but was the equal of any in
boundless va1or and noble patriotism. |
He paid a tribute to President Me-
Kinley. whose chief ambition was to
cause to perish forever the enmity of
the past and had he been spared long
enough would have realized that his
efforts had not been in vain. On the
other hand the South had cxemplified
by General Wheeler. General Fitz-
hugh Lee, Mr.. Hobson, Bagley and a
thousand others. what Southern cour-
age and Southern patriotism was.
He then commended to all the con-
sideration of the cardinal principle Of
the American form of government
simply the basic one of Justice. Justice
TO God, to country, to fellow citizens.
PartiSanship was necessary in all pop
ular governments, but partisanship
which forgot patriotism was worse
than an error. it was a crime. Let
us have in America in every section
of our country clean politics, clean
measures and clean men. We owe it
to the founder of this republic to pre- |