New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-27
DEPEW, FETED At 70,
EXTOLS A GOOD DINNER
Learned More State Secrets
Abroad While Feasting than
in Any Other Way.
MONTAUK CLUBS GUEST
Ex-senator Belittles Shouting
for a Pure Democracy, and
Says Leaders Were Never
More Needed than Now.

When Chauncey NJ. Depew was fifty
seven years old, twenty-five years ago,
the Montauk Club, of Brooklyn. gave
dinner in his honor. Every year since, on
April 90 the club has done the same
thing.
More than two hundred of the club
members and their guests sat down with
Mr. Depew last night and listened to his
ouips on the seventy-ninth anniversary of
his birth He was the only speaker. with
the exception of William II. English. pres-
cent of the club, who introduced the guest
of honor.
Looking back on his busy life. Mr.. De-
pew RECALLED his friends with anecdotes
and bits of philosophy. and, incidentally,
touched upon current topics After eX-
toling the value of a good dinner, with
congenial spirits about the board as q
medium through which to meet lifelong
friends, Mr.. Depew said he had learned
more state secrets from Cabinet ministers
abroad in the condolences Of the dinner
table than he could have cleaned in any
other manner.
Leaders in Demand, He Says.
"Al great movements in our day. said
the former Senator. "can be traced TO
leader With ell the shouting and the
trumpeting for a pure democracy the ex-
actions Of our busy. hurried. rapid, nerv-
Gus life call for a leader in every depart
ment more than at any other period in our
history.
THE same Is true in the industrial dis
orders which are now so acute. In their
more revolutionary phases they are gov
erned by leader with very few assist
ants, whose power is unlimited, whose au-
thority IS unquestioned
But after over one hundred years OF
satisfaction with the Constitution, with
in this year two amendments have been
added. one an income tax, the other for
the election Of United States Senators
by the people. I am not going to dis
cuss these measures. They are here to
stay But when the history of their pas
sage comes to be written, IT will be dis
closed that there are some curious phases
of human nature.
when the amendment to the Constitu-
ton Of the United States for an income
tax came before our New York Legis-
lature. II was defeated by a message
from Governor Hughes. That message
did not oppose an income tax, but clear
~ stated that the needs of our common
wealth were growing so rapidly and the
sources of state taxation were so linn
tied that the income tax should be left
to the states, and the general government
with its infinite possibilities, could raise
revenue from other sources.
When the income tax amendment was
before our New York Legislature ! said
to a man who as much as any other
controlled that body. Did you think Gov
ernor Hughes was right He said
Yes / then told him what these West
ern Senators had said to me- He said;
That l believe, too l said Then why
are you urging the adoption of this
amendment by our state? His answer
was: Because Bryan wants IT.
Each Decade Is Better.
"As look back over fifty-seven years
OF intense activity in many departments
Of life come to the conclusion that while
one year may be very bad, very miser-
able and very hopeless, yet, take time by
decades, every ten years as a whole is
infinitely better than all the preceding
ones.
Still. there are some things which
seem to be permanently lost, and are to
he regretted. for the enjoyment of life.
One OF them is conversation We ought
TO be grateful. therefore, to any one
who can help in the restoration OF that
most charming, almost say indispensa-
be medium for the enjoyment Of friends
and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
President Wilson is happily contribut-
ing 10 this end He is advocating in a
series of brilliantly written magazine
articles what he calls The New Free
DOM There is intense curiosity to know
what the new freedom means"