The Sentinel=record., 1912-04-26
SPEECHES BY
 TELEPHONE
DECIDED INNOVATION AT Asso- GATED PRESS BANQUET IN
 NEW YORK CITY.
President Taft and Premier Borden Talk From Boston and Hot Springs, Va.-Noted Sing
 CTS Entertain by Wire.

tive Journalists from all over the country were brought together tonight at the annual banquet of the Associ- ated Press and the American News paper Publishers association, held in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, and the entertainment provid- ed for them, which was interesting throughout. was novel in the character in some of it's features.
 The telephone played a prominent part in lending both variety and nov city to the program. President Taft, although actually in Boston, address ed the assemblage gathering over the long distance wires of the American Telephone and Telegraph company, his voice being distinctly conveyed to each guest by means of g receiving instrument. In like manner Premier Borden of Canada addressed the guests by long distance from Hot Springs, Va. Intermingled with these addresses, were songs over the tele- phone wires from Miss Collins at Daly's theater, and Al Johnson at the Winter Garden.
 The banquet hall was handsomely decorated with draped flags and great masses of flowers and foliage. At the tables were seated more than 700 guests, those at the table of honor including Frank B. Moves and other directors and officers of the Associ- ated Press, President Bruce Halde- man Of the American Newspaper Publishers association. President Fin ley, of the College of the City of New York; August Thomas, the play. wright; Talcott Williams, head of the | Pulitzer School of Journalism of Co hlmbia university, and Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, and other guests ol note. The surrounding galleries afit boxes were filled with many women handsomely costumed
 It was between the courses of the banquet that the novel features were interspersed. The announcement shortly after the start from Congress- man Victor Murdock, editor of the Wichita Eagle, who acted as toast master, that the voices of President Taft and Premier Borden would be heard from such great distances was greeted with enthusiastic applause. Underneath each table was a watch case receiver supplied by the West ern Electric comtany with collec- tions with the long distance wires and also with the local wires of the New York Telephone company.
 First there came over the wires the voice of Al Johnson, singing a rag time melody, Fiddle Up on Your Ragtime Violin" The diners were next connected with Premier Borden, who addressed the guests.
 A demonstration of cheers by the diners and enthusiastic waving of handkerchiefs by the women in the gallery broke out when the toast master introduced Thomas A. Edison, as the first American"
 MT Edison will not make a speech" said MT. Murdock, but l want the members of the Associated Press to know him. 1 propose a ris- ing toast to Thomas A. Edison, the first American" AS the venerable inventor acknowledged the toast with bow, cheers broke out afresh.
 The wires next brought to the ban queters a soprano voice singing a plaintive old southern melody. The voice was that of Josie Collins, of the Winter Garden, and it held the diners silent until the last note died away. Then, as the inventor of the telephone, who had made to..ights long distance entertainment possible and as the man who had made the deaf hear" Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, was introduced Like his broth. CT inventor, he did net speak, but rose to acknowledge an enthusiastic rising 1 toast.
 President Bruce Haldeman of the | American Newspaper Publishers as ! sociation was the first of the even l ing's speakers. He referred to the | fact that Major Archie Butt was a guest of honor at the banquet of a year ago and paid feeling tribute tc the presidents former aide and to 'all heroes of the Titanic" for whom he proposed a rising, silent toast The toast was given with all reverence.
 President Tafts address came over the wires at this juncture. It was re ceived with great applause and laugh ter. When the president asked:
 Do you hear?' the entire telephon ic audience answered Yes" although it was said the president could no have heard the answer at his end o the wire. MT. Tafts humorous dec larations that the safety of the couz try lies in the fact that you neutral ize each other" and that the trutl lies not in you, but between you, caused a roar of laughter.
 Toastmaster Murdock, before intro ducing Talcott Williams, head of tn l Pulitzer School of Journalism, at Cc lumbia university, made an appeal 10 independence of the press.
 "The uebl that the weak owe t
 the strong and the strong to tn
 weak" he said. "is independence an