The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-26
LOOK FUTURE
IN THE FACE
Three Hundred Representa-
tive Citizens Listen to
Banquet Prophecies.
ONWARD" THE WORD
Federal Day Goes Out in Blaze Of
0ratory-Event Last Night
Brilliant Success.

The banquet last evening given in
honor of the dedication of Hammond's
magnificent new federal building was
one of tn most dignifed affairs that
it has been the pleasure of the bust
ness and professional men of this
city to participate in.
On the wall to the rear of the speak
ers table upon a background of smilax
in large white floral letters was the
word Onward" indicating not only the
spirit that has moved the business
men of this region to such splendid
accomplishments but also prophetic of
the outbursts of enthusiasm that greet
ed the eloquence of the speakers as
they talked of the past the present and
the future of the Calumet region
1t was plain that the subject was
near to the hearts of every one of the
800 guests who gathered together from
the four corners of this great indus
trial center and talked together of the
achievements of the past and inspired
each other with prophesies of the flu
ture.
Guests Are Seated.
1t was s o'clock before the guests,
who had been met by the reception
committee and escorted to their places
at the tables, were all seated and the
first course was served In an hour
the tables had been cleared and as the
smoke from scores of cigars filled the
air. DIR. w F. Howatt arose and intro
duced Mayor Lawrence Becker who
made the address of welcome.
Mr.. Becker was the first to indulge
in prophesies and it seemed as though
all of he speakers who followed him
took the cue and We'd with each other
in painting word pictures of the splen-
dor of the Hammond of tomorrow.
The Mayor told OF the low taxes, the
/ cheap water, the good government and
| the fine police protection that Ham
4 mond has and then declared that Ham
was in a class with such cities as
South Bend and Terpe Haute. One sig
nifcant statement he made was that
Hammond is now spending three quar-
! ters of a million dollars annually for
improvements and that these expendi-
lures would probably reach a million
dollars in another year.
Crumpacker Speaks.
Congressman Edgar D. Crumpacker
whose subject was Our Country" was
the next speaker introduced and re-
ceived the ovation of the evening
While Mayor Becker would only prop
| hesy that Hammond and its neighbor-
| ing cities might some day extend to
| Michigan City on the east and four
miles south of the lake shore. Mr.
Crumpacker said he believed some day
there would be one continuous munich
pality as far east as Michigan City, as
far south as the Kankakee river, a mile
| high and as far down as the people
cared to go.
He then paid a glowing tribute tc
! Congressman Mann and referred to hin
as the best congressman the 10th dis
trict ever had. Mr.. Crumpacker sale
that the Importance of the Calumet re-
gion might be appreciated when it wa:
known that of II bills of local import
ance passed by the recent congress fol
the 10th district. Z applied to Lake
county and the Calumet region alone
Upon the toastmaster's suggestion {
cheer was given for Architect ]. T
Hutton, Contractor John c. Cullen anC
their assistants whose conscientiou!
work has resulted in the building O
such a splendid structure.
Introduce President of VnIpO.
President II. B. Brown of Valparaiso
University was then introduced AM
after being heartily applauded spok
of the rapid progress Hammond ha'
made in the years since he first knew
the place as merely a junction of rail
roads. AS to the possibilities of TIL
Calumet region he said he could no
advise a young man better than to tel
him to locate in the Calumet regiol
: which was destined some day to be
great world port.
Johannes Kopleke responded to tn
toast, Its Bench and Bar" and mad
one Of the happiest speeches of IN
: evening Mr. KopeIke hailed fror
: Crown Point and said he would like t
2 have his city considered a part of tn
Calumet region. He then based hi
' claim to the right to be known as
resident of the Calumet region by say
? ing that the Beaver ran through Crow
Point and emptied into Deep rive
/ Deep river emptied into the Little Calu
2 met and the Little Calumet emptie
into the Grand Calumet thereby estat
fishing the right OF Crown Point to /
known as a part of the Calumet regiol
Mayor DeBriae Next.
Mayor Smith of Whiting was n,
: present and so Mayor BeBriae of Eai
[ Chicago was introduced as the ne1
e speaker. He said that while East Ch
: cago was not building subways
:, tunnels under the lake, the city ia
: so many factories that there were NJ
nearly houses enough to house the en-
n ployes-
t James R. Mann Of Chicago. spoke {
: the subject Of the Calumet region
I kinskip to Chicago and made a mo
|. eloquent address. He in turn paid
fine tribute to E. D. Crumpacker WI