Weekly journal-miner., 1908-12-09
CHIEF ADDRESS |S DELIVERED BY HON. PAUL
 MORTON Former President Declare Speakers Was Most
 Conscientious
 Worker
POLITICAL FRIEND AND FOE
 PRAISE STATESMAN
HoKE SMITH NOT ABLE TO BE PRESENT WRITES LETTER PRAIsING FORMER
 CHIEF
By Associated Press.

By Associated fre-r.
 NEW YORK, Dee. By word of mouth and pen many high tributes to the worth of the late Grover Cleve land as citizen and statesman were paid at the memorial exercises which formed the first session of the second annual meeting of the Association of Life Insurance Presidents in this city this morning. Mr. Cleveland's last field of public activity was in eonnec- ton with the work of that organiza. tion, he having been it's chairman and general counsel from the date of its formation until the time of his death on June 24th of this year.
 The presidents and other executive officers of life insurance companies from all over the United States and Canada and many insurance eommis- sioners from the states and provinces were present to do honor to the man who mad proved such bulwark of confidence to the policyholders at a time when life insurance was under fire.
 Chief among those who spoke at Morton, president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society and former secretary of the navy under President Roosevelt, and John II. Finley, Ph. D. president of the College of the City of New York. Mir. Morton's father ]. Sterling Morton, served in Presi dent Cleveland s cabinet.
 Letters of tribute from Adlai F. Stevenson, vice president during Mir Cleveland's second administration and from several of the surviving cab inet officers of the late president form ed an impressive part of the program Charles A. Peabody, president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, presided at the exercises
 President Paul Morton, the princi pal speaker, in bis address said
 will not attempt today to delive, eulogy on MT. Grover Cleveland. am only going to speak of aim in a personal way and of his connection with the life insurance business; al the same time recalling to your atten ton a few of the things he did while in public life, and emphasizing some of his strong characteristics.
 The first time had the pleasure of meeting him was at Lakewood, New Jersey, early in 1893, at the little White House, where 1 mad gone with my father who had been requested by telegraph to come there to see MT Cleveland, and who then offered him a position in his cabinet, which he ae cepted. was very much impressed with the kindly manner and simple ways of MT. Cleveland at this first interview, and remember distinctly what n humaIs view he took of things
 The next time 1 saw Mir. Cleveland was the night before the inauguration of his second term as President. H' was nt that time nearly iifty.six year, of age, and 1t was at the Arlington Hotel in Washington. He was in hi prime, and probably never anticipated the next day with more satisfaction for. after having been defeated by Mir Harrison, after experiencing the chag rin of escorting him to the Capito four years before and seeing him in aupuTRted as his successor; after foul long years in New York as a private citizen. ne was to have the extreme satisfaction the next day of having MT. Harrison personally conduct hin ,o the Capitol, and hand him back th' preatest oft nt the hands of th, American people He was eertainl! in great glee, not because of exulta ton in defeating an adversary, bu more bocause he had been vindicate' by the people he loved 10 serve.
 Three years ago MT. Cleveland, ae companicd by Mrs. Cleveland, wen with me to Nebraska for the expres purpose of delivering the address a