The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-26
HAD SPORT WITH
THE CANDIDATES
"Grand Political Rally and Bar
beCue" of the Gridiron Club
at National Capital.
MANY R0LLICKING SONGS
COURT JOURNAL" ONE OF THE
LITERARY FEATURES.

Washington, Jan. 25.-It was a grand
| political rally and barbecue in the hall
| OF the Willard house." This was the
| official description of the twenty-third
annual winter dinner rendered tonight
by the Gridiron club to as many of its
friends as could conveniently be seated
at the fower-bedecked tables in the
great ball room of the New Willard ho-
tel. Cut flowers. giant palms and pot
ted plants, with splashes of beautiful
coloring made by the red poinsetta and
other winter blooming plants, had
transformed the handsome room into a
bower of floral beauty
Candidates Night"
Into this scene of almost tropical
splendor were introduced, with charae-
teristic Gridiron felicity, aspirants for
the presidency, for it was a candidates
night. Into the limelight were brought
William J. Bryan, still the Peerless
Leader" Vice President Charles War
rem Fairbanks, Justice George Gray
Speaker Joseph C. Cannon, former At
torney General Judson d. Harmon and
United States Senator Philander c.
Knox, all of whom figure as factors in
the presidential equation. The presi-
dent of the United States, Theodore
Roosevelt, who, it was alleged at the
dinner, had a long string attached to
his defamation of another term as pres
ident, was afforded an opportunity to
look over at close range some of those
who are in the list of his possible sue
cessOrs.
RoIlickins Songs.
An impressive feature of the dinner
was the inauguration Of the president
of the club, James Henry Of the Phila-
nl nh TNarrS hn ,sr,sr
songs were sung to the presidents;
songs TO the candidates for president,
and they were all rollicking songs, full
of jollity and with not a sting or bite
in any of them.
Indeed, the campaign song book,
which, with the court journal. consti-
tuted the literary features of the dinner,
afforded not only the candidates them
selves, but all of the guests, a lot of
food for thought. On the cover of the
song book were the Elephant and the |
Donkey singing as if they really |
meant it. This song book was the SOU
venir of the banquet, and was 'Dedi- |
Gated to the candidate who stays out" /
illustrated by Cartoons.
All of the sixteen or more candidates
were deity and humorously treated in
song, each OF the musical productions /
being Illustrated Dy q clever cartoon in
tended in the best of humor to "hit |
off, the candidates particular foible.
During one period of the banquet,
songs or jests were hushed while eio-
luent tribute was paid by members and
guests to the memory of Charles EN-
Dry Smith, whose death only a few days
ago prevented him from being present
II this dinner, as one of the clubs
guests of honor.
Among the speakers during the even
ng were President Roosevelt, Vice
President Fairbanks, w. ]. Bryan,
Judge Gray, George AIDE, Speaker Can
ION, Representative John Sharp Will
Jams, Senator Knox. Secretary Root,
ambassador Hengelmuller and the
Right Rev. Henry Y. Satterlee, bish-
70 of Washington.
Among those present were Secretaries
'traus and Wilson, Postmaster General
deyer, the Brazilian ambassador the
Minister from Switzerland, Senators
3everidge, Kitteredge, Long. Nelson,
scott, Perkins, Stone; Representative
Lowden, Moore, Tawney; ]
Governor Hoggatt, Alaska.