The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-05-16
WASHINGTON
HOST AT A BANQUET
Minister Furniss the Guest of
Honor; Many Other Men
of Prominence Present

+ New York, May 12.-Dr. Booker r.
Washington was host last Thursday
night at the Republican Club, in honor
OF the Hon. Harry w. Furniss Ameri-
can Envoy Extraordinary. and Minis.
ter Plenipotentiary to Hayti. A distin.
guished company greeted the guest of
| honor; wit was there in abundance;
eloquence. tread upon her own ground;
| but beauty was far, far away. This
neither htndered the diners nor dis.
| turbed the onward flow Of speech. This
event ought to have first place on the
page reserved for nights rare and
! men altogether agreed. DR.. Washing.
| ton heard that Minister Furniss would
coon be returned, to his post at Port
au Prince after a dee-lightful visit to
| Washington; and, Booker Washing.
ton like, asked him to hold on a
| minute; there's word to say, q speech
! to be made, and the debts of acquain-
| tance on the one hand and success on
the other to be paid. The Minister
must have fe.t as we'll as he looked.
sitting on the right Of the most dis.
| tinguished Negro living, sitting as, his
especial guest; invited because of char
acter and honorable service rendered
his country. Booker Washington Id
always looking for the man apart;
finding him, he calls in. others apart
| and distinct to honor him. That's I'm.
seIfishness;; that's the way real great
| men do. +'..,.-.. ... ....
1T was = o'clock when the suave
and graceful and witty Anderson--
yes, G. W.-7said, Gentlemen Ev-
erybody got real real quiet, some in
| fear, others all carried away on the
wings of expectancy. Mr.. Anderson,
paid a tribute to his brother In the
service, the occupant of the post he
used habitually, to aspire to-, in words
that were all right. c>All Mr.. Ander-
| sons speeches are that way VI. H.
| Lewis, of Boston, Assistant District
| Attorney up that way, announced, un-
consciously, the text Of the evening, and
| e.ieved an otherwise emhargaBs list
OF sneakers, all Of whom lcatas with
their lamps Is sun i'll led d.+ ssT
t5he, sg5s 1ss
a5si sisg
4 ilsseas ssS
/ catch a::trai1i for .BSS ton, ,ssahd Yi1a aesS
the end Of this bit of philosophy. The
Rev. DR.. It. W.. Henderson became
reminiscent and closed eloquent. He
told OF Cd times, and said the new
| tlmes were better; new men, new
| Ideas! The future? It's all right.
Governor Pinchback was there in
all his glory; he did not make O.
speech, arising, when announced by
| Mr.. Anderson as "That grand old
Rupert Of debate" to thank the COM
pany for the welcome and to say that
he knew the guest Of honor when he
| was "ip knee breeches.' The Governor
was never happier; men, all men, paid
| him q tribute. No member Of the "O.d
| Guard holds on to the affection Of the
| great people like this man; young men
think on him and move on! P. A. Pay
ton, Jr., spoke, saying he thought the
American Negro had better chance
In America than the white man.
why" said he, why, there are thou.
sands of white men walking the streets
! Of New York without shoes to wear
who know more about real estate than
l." F. B. Watkins came over from
Brooklyn to say he was proud Of Min
lister Furniss because he was born in
Brooklyn. Which reminded one guest
that perhaps Brooklyn is possibly all
rteht as p.a ace to be born in!
When DR.. Washington was introduc,
ed he was cheered heartily. DR.. Wash.
ington seldom talks; he never talks
without saying something He told
how Mr.. Furniss came to be Minister
to eHayti. "The Secretary of State"
said he, told me that when the va
cancy occurred at Port au Prince he
sent to the Chief Clerk and asked for
list Of Consuls with their record.
| The name Of II. w. Furniss, then Con.
sui at Bahai, Brazil, led all the rest.
He was appointed; the first time,
doubtless, the office has been filled by
| one chosen altogether for merit" DR..
Washington said that the Negroes in
| the Diplomatic service were all rem
dering the most satisfactory service
and that service, day after day, was
| calling out high praise from Washing
ton. In this conection hear ye, hear
| ye, the salary Of the Minister to Hayti
| has been raised to $4,000 a year.
Wilford II. Smith, the lawyer, went
| into discussion Of Hayti and said
he hoped that the lone black Repub-
| lie would stand on it's feet and dem.
onstrate to the world that the blacks
are capable of the highest develop.
ment. Which moved Minister Fur
| Mss to make remark, after which
! the company felt nearer Hayti. Ros.
coe Conking Simmons said that no
element in the common homogenity
had reason to be prouder Of it's rep.
resentatives in the service Of the
Federal Government than the Negro
Of his. And" he continued, what
Is true today has been true down the
years. He paid tribute to Gov
ernor Pinchback; said CDR. Washing.
tons character illumines the path Of
race, blesses country and is a con-
stant star Of hope painted a pic,
ture Of the country fifty years hence;
felicitated Minister Furniss in poetry
and let it go at that. All the time the
brilliant Chas. w. Anderson was IN
the chair. He called on Mr. Jerome
| i. Peterson to make the mSnnech of