The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-03-26
SPLENDID TRIBUTE
PAID TO CLEVELAND
BY PRESIDENT TAFT
7ad ANNIVERSARY or FORMER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPRo-
PRIATELY OBSERVED.
MANY NOTABLES ARE PRESENT
EuIoaist Pictures Deceased Statesman
As Being Completely American in
Character, as Much SO as Abraham
Lincoln.

NEW YORK, March 19.-Tribute
in poem, song and speech were rer
dered Thursday in honor Of the seven
ty-second birthday anniversary of tn
late President Grover Cleveland. a
memorial exercises in which President
Taft, Gov Hughes, Chief Justice Full
er and Mayor Mcclellan made address
es, and several hundred of New
York's most prominent citizens attend
ed. Mrs. Cleveland, with a party Of
friends, occupied a box in Carnegie
Hail. where the memorial was held.
A second memorial was held Thurs
day night at the College OF the City
of New York, at which speeches were
made BY Gov. Hughes, Senator Root
Mayor McClelland, Judge Gray, OF
Delaware; William B. Hornblower and
Edward M. Shepard.
Carnegie Hall was tastefully deco
rated with palms, French smilax,
which was set along the front of the
stage, and pots of roses and daisies,
while from the tiers of boxes were fes-
TONED large silk American flags. The
brilliant audience rendered a hearty
cheer when President Taft, Gov.
Hughes, Chief Justice Fuller, Mayor
Mcclellan, former Secretary of State
Richard Olney, Judge Gray, President
Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Carnegie
DR.. Lyman Abbot, and men prominent
in the city took their places on the
stage.
President Taft was introduced by
Mayor Mcclellan, who called upon the
audience to rise and be presented to
the President.
The President spoke with unusual
fervor in his eulogies of Mr.. Cleve-
land, and frequently the course of his
address was broken by applause.
Presiden. Taft said:
Grover Cleveland was as complete |
ly American in his character as Lin
coin. Without a college education he |
himself for the bar. His
life was confined to Western New
York. His vision of government and
Of society was not widened by foreign
travel. He was a pure product of the
village and town life of the Middle
States affected by New England an
cestry and the atmosphere of clergy
mans home. His chief characteristics
we're simplicity and honesty, courage
If his convictions, with a sense of
public duty that has been exceeded by
10 statesman within my knowledge.
t was so strong in him that he rarely ]
wrote anything, whether in the form
# private or public communication, (
hat the obligation of all men to OBJ
erve the public interest was not his {
hief theme. I
His career was a remarkable one.
BY his administration of the affairs of ]
is city as it's Mayor he showed his '
over of resistance to- and of over 1
oming, the influences that made for g
and negligence in city gov e
both in his own party and S
4 the party of his opponents. His a
equation in this regard spread over o
is native state of New York a! time
hen such an attitude of his seemed
and when his standing
efore the community became politi-
al asset for the Democratic party
ven those who had but little sympa-
ly with his principles were glad to
.ize uron as means of getting into A
over. Accordingly, he was nomina-
ID for the Governorship, and was
ected by the votes, not only of his
yn party, but of hundreds of thou
nls of the Republican party. Ia
1.-THE discharge of his duties as Gov ic
nor confirmed and strengthened the A
putation that he had acquired as a es
ayol Before he had ceased his OF
ice as Mayor he had been elected
overnor. Before he had ceased his m
ice as Governor he had been elected ne
'esident of the United States.
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