New-York tribune., 1907-06-18
HONOR T. DEW. WELLS.
DINNER TO ASSElfBLYMAN
Tells FoIlozcers Party Should Re
7vard WOrkerS.

District gave dollar dinner last night to its
leader and the Assernblyman of the district
Frederic De Witt Wells. Speaker Wadsworth
of the Assembly was expected to have some
things to say about the reapportOnment fight,
! but neither he Timothy l. Woodruff who
was also to have spoken was able to attend
! the pressure of business at Albany being too
great. Another absentee was Robert Watch
! orn, Commissioner of Immigration, who sent
word by Deputy Commissioner Murray that the
sun had proved too hot for him
! Five hundred sat down to the dinner, which
was served in the main hall of Terrace Garden.
The hall decorated with flags and flowers
and at every place was q small American nag
When the diners were at their places the band
played The Star Spangled Banner" and the
hundreds of little flags were waved by the guests
as they sang the hymn.
After Mr.. Wells had heard himself praised by
John Henry Hammond. the toastmaster, and
ex- Senator Nathaniel A. Elsberg, his prede-
cessor in the leadership, he received piece of
silver plate from the hands of Herbert Parsons,
who complimented Mr.. Wells sH the fact that
what was commonly known as the plutocratic"
district had been able to turn out a large num-
Der of guests at the dollar dinner provided FOR
them at Terrace Garden.
Mr.. Wells thanked the members of the club
for the warm reception and for the glft, ana
then said things about the rewards or
| party workers that drew reply later from
Job E. Hedges, the last speaker Of the evening.
Mr Wells seemed TO think that party workers
should be rewarded for their efforts by any
offices in the gift Of the party, and said that
men who had worked for the OrganiZa tions sue
cess were better fitted to fill such offices
than any one else. He said the rewards of party
allegiance were small enough in any event, ana
that he had very little sympathy with reformers
who decried party government and party Bosses
and who would deny rewards 10 SuccessIul
workers.
Mr.. Hedges referred to this in his speech and
said that party workers who had worked unself-
ishly for planks in the platforms should be re-
warded. but that the danger was In the ten
dency to reward men for personal allegiance 10
leaders rather than for their work for the or
ganization itself. This he held to be wrong
Mr Hammond introduced ex-senator Elsberg
as a man who might be q has-been in politics.
but certainly was not in any other way.
The ex-senator. in replying, said he was much
interested in hearing that he was a has-been
But" he said Il am not so much OF has
been that 1 cannot appreciate the work of Fred
Wells and that l cannot come here TO praise
him"
Ex-senator Elsberg spoke with much feeling
Of the difficulties of political life and the risks
run. He said that mans motives were almost
sure to be called into question. that his honesty
and sincerity Of purpose would be doubted and
that he would meet with scant gratitude.
Herbert Parsons said he was going back TO
Washington 10 tell every that the pluto
cratic district had gathered for a dinner and
that the cost had been only dollar. Why ne
said Il am being chaffed all the time about my
district because it includes the 10Th. couldn't
/ convince any one there that OFT 7. Bannard for
instance, ever ate dinner for less than $50. Yet
here he is enjoying 81 dinner"
Congressman J. Van Vechten Olcott had little
TO say except TO express HIS regret about the Rb-
sence OF Commissioner Watchorn. He explained
that his place the programme was due 70 the
fact according 10 Mr.. Hammond. that every one
would wait to hear Job l.. Hedges talk, but tina;
no one would wait to hear him.
Then Mr.. Hammond got up. lie sat next 70
Mr.. Hedges. and he started TO introduce him by
dilating upon the wit and the e!oquence Of the
next speaker There a break IN the sen
tence caused by q threatening look from Mr.
Hedges
THE man who can survive Introduction
like that" said Mr.. Hedges "is entitled your
consideration and regard Then there OIL
colts remark. He said there were only two
after dinner speakers. They were Watchorn
and myself and Watchorn always said some
thing. There you have It."
Mr. Hedgess toast was the Ladies' ana ne
addressed number OF women in the galleries
"Id always rather talk with the ladies than TO
them" he said. 80 hope the ladies VIII excuse
me for rambling along the way intend 10 do.
l used to be 4 district leader myself Ior one
| consecutive year. l made mistake | had a
dinner too but 1t was at the wrong end OF the
year Thirty days after the dinner I wasn't
on speaking terms with any man who was
there and paid the deficit myself
II believe IN political organization and In
common action TO accomplish common results
but don't want the results TO be too common,
Mr.. Hodges continued. The Republlcah party
has been gaining ground In the last few years
because It has stopped mental inbreedlng and
has quit living in the past, There is such a
thing as mental inbreeding, and too much intro
I spection can produce the result of making one
see a thing twice and can even make one see
ones self twice Now, if a man sees himself
/ +,,vtOa ha &c mt get q
| Importance.
when President Roosevelt's term Of office
/ shall cease his greatest service To the people
viii have lain IN his attack on things that had
come TO seem immovable, and that every one
had been afraid to touch. And similarly when
Governor Hughes shall leave office his greatest
service to the people Will not have been in any
act of his or in any suggestion Of a line of
action, but in his determined effort TO secure
for some problems final and decisive action.
The strength Of Governor Hughes lies in his
ability to reason from the major premise of de-
sira bility and to make himself the minor pre-
| mise to efface the personal equation. And that's
what l cali both scientific and artistic politics.
AT the guests table, besides the speakers, were
William Leary, State Superintendent OF Elec-
tions; Senators George B. Agnew, r. Fulton Cut
ting Clarence r. Freeman, Edgar j. Lauer, Jo-
seph Murray Alexander T. Mason, Henry e.
OBren and Beverly r. Robinson.
| Some of the others present were Abraham Cru
Der, Senator Lexow Homer Folks. A. r. Conk-
ling, Gordon Knox Bell, Henry Birrell Elihu
Root jr.. William H. Ten Eyck. George w. Wan
maker and George w. Wickersham.