The Mena weekly star., 1908-09-17
RIVALS WILL MEET
TAFT AND BRYAN TO BE GUESTS OF HONOR AT CHICAGO
 BANQUET.
BOTH MEN TO ADEREss SAME AUDIENCE
Candidates for the Presidency Have Accepted invitations of Business Men for October 7--First Time in History-Chicago Association of Commerce Invites the Two Men.

Chicago, Sept 13.-For the first time in the history of modern politics, two rival candidates for the presi- dency of the United States will meet at the same board and address the same audience, when William H. Taft Republican of Ohio, and William J Bryan, Democrat of Nebraska, are to
 be the guests of honor at the annual banquet of the Chicago Association of Commerce at the Auditorium on the evening of october 2.
 This announcement was made Fri. day at the headquarters of the Chi cago Association of Commerce, which organization already had secured as surances of the presence of the tive presidential nominees on different days for the third convention of the Lakes-to- the-Gulf Deep Waterway as
 sociation, for which the Association of Commerce will act as host
 It already had been announced that
 Mir. Taft would open the convention on the afternoon of october and that MT. Bryan would close it on Oc. tober 9, and that Mir. Taft would be the guest of honor at the banquet on the evening of October '. MT. Bryan's acceptance of the dinner invitation, however, assuring notable occasion, came as a pleasant surprise. MT. Tafts acceptance was obtained by President Richard c. Hall, Vice Pres
 ident F. F. Conway and Secretary T. E. Wilder, of the association, who re- turned to Chicago from Cincinnati Thursday.
 The long distance telephone figured
 prominently in the negotiations to e. cure the presence of MT. Bryan at the banquet. The invitation had been un- der serious consideration by Norman
 D. Mack, chairman of the Democratic national committee, for some time, and at a late hour Thursday night he called up Mir. Bryan, then at Terre Haute. Ind, on the long distance tele-
 phone. MT Bryan. who had retired for the night. arose, dressed himself
 and answered the call. He was in
 formed, as MT. Taft had been. that the banquet would be q non-political
 one. and that it would be held under
 the auspices of non-partisan' organi- zation. He readily agreed to attend The Deep Waterways project is ia
 yored by the leaders of both parties, and is not, therefore, subject over
 which any political discussion is ex' pected.
 There will be no question as to which of the candidates will occupy | inc righthand seat It will be occu' pied by Mir. Taft at the express wishes l with the full approval of the Dem
 ocratic nominee and his friends 1 Chairman Mack declared Friday that MT. Taft. as a recent member of the present administration, was clearly
 entitled to the place of honor at the feast. The Ohioan therefore will si' at inc right hand of President Hall and the Nebraskan on the other.
 The meeting of the two candidates will differ from the meeting of the
 national candidates in the state or H.
 linois AS years ago when Abraham
 Lincoln and stephen A. Douglas be
 gan their famous debates. by reason
 of the inhibition placed on political | discourse.
 President Hall said that he was
 greatly pleased with the success o'
 inc associations plans, and that an
 attendance of about 1000 persons was
 expected at the banquet. In addition
 to the great banquet room or the
 Auditorium. the rooms adjoining on
 the ninth floor of the Fine Arts build
 ing have been secured and the whole
 win he thrown together for the occa