The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-26
BEGIN CHOOSING ! LEADERSFOR 1872
New York Will Play Big
 Part in Conventions
GRAND OLD MANI ITO
Horace c. Dunbar of Alabama Says He Is Remarkable Man--Father Belford Gives His Views on
 Weddings and Mayors

New York, November 2S--lspecal.)--It
 is still some distance to the nominating
 conventions, but already political lead
 CTS in New York are beginning to figure
 quietly on the men who are to lead the re- i. speetive parties to victory or defeat next
 year.
 New York will play big part in both
 conventions and may be determining factor in the democratic. So far as I have been able to discover there is no
 opposition to amount to anything to
 President Taft In the republican party. It
 is as safe as anything can be in poll
 ties eight months ahead that the Presi-
 dent will get the solid vote Of the Elm pire state.
 On the democratic side the situation is
 by no means 30 simple. Previous to this
 months election 1t looked as though Charles r. Murphy would be tho New ]. York delegation, just as he was at Dem yer in 1908.
 But things have changed. While Tam many will be powerful factor in tho representation of New York at the next democratic convention there will be other influences which must be recltoned with. 5 Tammany will hold Manhattan but the l balance of the greater city Is In doubt
 and 1t is more than doubtful if the bal anee of the state will follow tho Mur- phy lead.
 Of the leading candidates now before the public Harmon seems to have the best chance of carrying the New York delo- gation. Champ Clark, however. has strong and influential friends and so has Wood- row Wilson.
 It may be that the name of Mayor Gaynor or Governor Dix will be presented to the convention, but no one takes tho candidacy of either of them seriously A 2 complimentary vote is all they can get in any event
 It Is not at all an improbability that tho vote of the state will be split among several of the candidates.
 '.The late Marquis Ito, the grand old man of Japan, was the most remark able Japanese ever saw" says Horace : c. Dunbar of Alabama, for many years proprietor of the Gibson House in Cn- clnnat, and later of hotel in Seattle. .When I was in Seattle Ito was a
 guest at my hotel. It was In 1902. if am not wrong in my memory. He came from Japan as the special envoy of the Japanese government. The Japanese res idents of the Pacific coast outdid them selves In an effort to pay homage to
 their nations representative. When Ito arrived at tho hotel. tho Japanese had strewn flowers from the entrance up to
 hts room, and he literally walked on a bed of roses. But Ito did not pay much
 attention to the homage paid him by his countrymen. He stopped to order from mo case of wine and box of the best cigars, and hardly had he arrived in
 his room when he requested that tho order be duplicated. He did not want them for himself for Ito did not drink. ; He was preparing for his visitors kNA& ''The act of 1to's proved to mo that had often heard before that the Japanese abroad are the most hospitahe people in the world Ito was wonderful man. He
 reminded mo in the fact and figure of tho virtuoso Du Pachman. who was cele-
 brated some years ago. He was slight of
 figure, but his face was grave and strong.
 I spent number of years in Japan and
 knew something of the great men of
 that country, but fin my opinion Ito was
 the most remarkable statesman tho
 F'iowery Kingdom had produced in many
 years. It was a severe loss to Japan when Ito was assassinated in Corea.
 "The Japanese are wonderfully T ehrewd people, but I prefer the Chinese.
 A Chinsman would go broke before he
 would tell lie or avoid an obligation"
 What is a fair price of a nuptal knot7
 Mayor Gaynor put himself on record with
 young bridegroom who protested against
 s marriage fee the other day in let
 ter In which he said that if he could
 have his way he would marry all appll-
 cants for nothing, though he thought So men out of 100 would be grateful for get
 ting the object of their hearts adora-
 ton that they would give up gladly.
 But now comes along Father John l..
 Belford of the Church of tho Nativity.
 Classon avenue, Brooklyn, declaring that
 bridegrooms arc too stingy and that the
 church would go to the dogs if it had to
 depend on the scanty offerings of bcncvo- lent benedicts.
 He critoses several recent bridegrooms
 who were married with all sorts of frls
 and furbelows, but failed to "conc
 across with a fee. After reminding his
 readers that they who serve the altar are
 expected to live by the altar. he cites in- stances of brdegrooms of the unlit lamp.
 "A gentleman from california married
 young lady of our parlsh." he says.
 ''They came to the house--he was not a Catholic--in a procession of automobiles.
 They were arrayed as Solomon in all his
 glory. They had wedding reception at
 one of the New York fashionable hotels
 But they made no wedding offering It was not case of forgetfulness. The man
 promised to send it. After waiting reas-
 enable time we wrote him. reminding him, but he had not the decency to ans
 wer the letter
 'The second was the case Of another automobile party. The man came from
 St. Augustine parish. After the ceremony
 he handed the priest a fee that certainly
 would not pay for the car that bore him
 to the church. He was Informed of his
 mistake Out he paid no attention to the
 invitation to make good.
 ''The third party came In an automobile also The appearance of the people was prosperous. Their dress was faultless.
 Their manners were most urbane. The wedding fee was tvo si bills. and, we
 may add, they were dirty"