Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-26
GRLDLRON
CLUB GRHLS
CANDIDA TES
BRYAN AND ROOSEVELT AND
THE OTHERS MEET
NEWSPAPER MEN HAVE FUN
WITH POLITICIANS
Elephant and Donkey Make Merry
Together a; Annual Feast Given
by Washington correspon-
cents and Reporters
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
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,
the organization of Washington news
paper men, to as many of Its friends
as could conveniently be seated at the
hower-bedecked tables in the New Will
lard hotel. Cut flowers, giant palms
and potted plants, with splashes of
beautiful coloring, made by the red
poinsettia and other winter blooming
plants, had transformed the handsome
room into bower of floral beauty.
Into this scene of almost tropical
splendor were introduced with char
acteristic Gridiron felicity aspirants to
the presidency, for 1t was candidates
night.
Into the limelight were brought Will
liam ]. Bryan, still the peerless lead
err; Vice President Charles Warren
Fairbanks, Justice George Gray,
Speaker Joseph C. Cannon, former At
torney General Judson D. Harmon and
United States Senator P. C. Knox, all
of whom figure as factors in the presi-
Dental equation.
Roosevelt Sees Candidates
The president of the United States,
Theodore Roosevelt, who, it was al
legged at the dinner, had a long string
30 II fc of anOt her
term as president, was afforded an op-
portunity to look over at close range
some of those who are in the list OF
his possible successors.
An impressive feature of the dinner
was the Inauguration of President of
the Club James T. Henry of the Phila-
delphia Press. During the evening
songs were sung to the president; songs
TO the candidates for president, and
they were all rolicking songs, full of
jollity and with not sting or bite in
any of them.
Indeed. the campaign song book,
which. with The court journal, con-
stituted the literary features of the
dinner afforded not only the candidates
themselves but all of the guests lot
of food for thought.
on the cover of the song book were
the elephant and donkey singing as If
they really meant it. This song book
was the souvenir of the banquet and
was dedicated to the candidate who
stays put"
Tribute to Smith
During one period of the banquet
songs or jests were hushed, while elo-
ouent tribute was paid by members
and guests to the memory of Charles
Emory Smith, whose death only few
days ago prevented him from being
present at this dinner as one OF the
clubs guests of honor
Among the speakers during the even
ing were President Roosevelt, Vice
President Fairbanks w. j.. Bryan,
Judge Gray, Georgo Ade, Speaker Can
non, Representative John Sharp VIII
Iiams, Senator Knox, Secretary Root,
Ambassador Hengelmuller and the Rt:
Rev. Henry Y. Satterlee, bishop OF
Washington.
Among those present were Secretaries
Straus and Wilson, Postmaster GEN
eral Meyer, the Brazilian ambassador,
the minister from Switzerland, Senators
Beveridge, Kittredge, Long, Nelson,
Scott, Perkins and Stone and Repre-
sentatives Loudenslager, Lowden,
Moore, Tawney and Governor Hoggatt
of Alaska.