Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-13
OF LINCOLN
Many Addresses by Notable
Speakers Last Night
IN HONOR OF THE EVENT
Secretary Taft's Tribute to the Great
Commoner
AT GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Other Distinguished Takers There
and Observation-Disclosures
Jusserand's Remarks.
IN HONOR OF THE EVENT
AT GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

| GRAND RAPIDS. Mich. February 13.-
| The Lincoln Club banquet here last night
was brilliant success. with a galaxy of
speakers never equaed in Michigan po-
litical banquets. More than 2.GOO persons
occupied seats at the table. The hall was
elaborately decorated. and as a compli-
meEt to Ambassador Jusserand of France,
French colors We're mingled with the
American.
President Roy NJ. Watkins Of the Young
Mems Republican Club and President
Charles Holden of the Lincoln Club open
ed the banquet with greetings. Senator
William Alden Smith was POSTMASTER
and introduced the guests of the evening
The speakers were Ambassador Jusserand,
Representative George Edmund Foss Sec
rotary of War Taft. Gov. Curtis Guild jr,
of Massachusetts and Dire John Bar
rett of the bureau of American repub-
lies at Washington.
Although all of the speakers were
greeted with enthusiasm, it was Secretary
Taft who received the greatest outburst
of applause. 1t continued for several
minutes before he could begin his address,
interrupted frequently by applause.
Mr.. Taft's Remarks.
Secretary Taft said in part:
There are few lives which seem to have
been shapen so providentially to meet
country's great need as that of Lincoln
with reference to slavery and the civil
war. Coming from a childhood of the
greatest perjury and discomfort and squa-
lor mingling with the humblest and the
poorest in western settlement Lincoln
acquired a sense of equality and de-
mocracy and love of equal rights that
never left him and gave deep color to
his whole life. His soul revolted at hu-
man slavery He had a tenderness of
heart and sympathy with his fellow
man that manifested itself in the small
est details of his life, and he had a power
of putting himself in anothers place
which gave him profound sense of JUS
tice.
He understood the play of human ma
ture as few men have. He knew the mo-
t1ves and the things which influenced
our American race of politicians has I'M
derStood them He had a sense of humor
ana power of quaint expression and a
capacity for creating apt stories which
enabled him to give force by homely il
lustration to the arguments which his
great power of logic enabled him to drive
home.
HE was the greatest politician of the
age, and while he had deeply imbedded
in his moral nature principles in favor of
rifice his influence to bring about the goal
of his whole life's ambition by going so
fast in extreme declarations of abstract
principles as to deprive him Of future
usefulness"
Ambassador Jusserand's Tribute.
when Washington died." said Ambas-
sador Jusserand./ France went into
mourning as if she had lost the best of
her own citizens: at the death of Lafay-
cite President Jackson had. in touching
words. prescribed similar mourning here.
showing that the ties between the two
countries were. indeed. of a unique char
acter. When the news of the tragic death
OF Lincoln reached France the emotion
was intense: party lines disappeared, and
the country was unanimous in the ex-
preston Of her sorrow" After referring
to the condolences of the emperor and the
empress and the action of the French
senate and chamber Of deputies, Mr. JUS
serand declared the most noteworthy cir
cumstance was the feeling of unofficial
France. where addresses of coincidence
came from thirty-one French towns and
other evidences of sincere sympathy were
manifested in many ways, while in the
press the most famous writer's WED with
each other in the expression of their re-
grets over the death of Lincoln and the
admiration for his qualities. In closing
the ambassador told his hearers that
With luey NlSllSU TdTlS Cncy would De
struck not only by the beauty of that
famous city. but by the frequency with
which America. will be recalled to their
minds. the name Of the land and of grea.
men being engraved on it's very walls; a
public reservation is called the Square of
the United States. boulevard bears the
name of Franklin. a street the name of
Washington and another the honored
name Of Lincoln.
Gov. Guild on Corporations.
Gov. Curtis Guild. jr., of Massachu-
sets said:
I'VE are ready in war to die, if need
be. under one common national flag.
Why. should we shrink in peace from liv-
ing under one common national law?
Let us stand up. not as men of Michi-
gan or of Massachusetts, but as Ameri-
cans against this inhumane. this inhuman
line of cleavage between the states. Let
national law take the children from the
mills and mines and put them in the
schools in every state in the Union.
Shall / go further?
1--WE owe much to the great captains of
Industry who have built the railroads and
the lighting plants and the telephone and
telegraph lines. It is the fashion to at
tack the wealth of these men. 1t is not
the fashion to remember the losses and
risks of the same men. nor to give them
credit for what they have dared for their
private prifit. of course. but for the pub
lie benefit also. That these great enter
prises are consolidating is no crime but
as absolutely logical a development as the
combination Of labor in labor Unions
Secretary Taft's arrival from Kansas
City at 2:2O yesterday afternoon was
marked by tremendous enthusiasm. When
he descended from the private car Of Vice
President Hughart of the Grand Rapids
and Indiana railway, in which he rode
from Chicago, he was cheered by hun
dreds of members of the newly organized
local Taft Club. He entered an auto for
the trip to the Morton House. but the
streets were so crowded that progress
was slow Policemen rode in the auto to
give the Secretary safe conduct.
Anarchists After Taft.
It developed that information had been