Evening journal., 1915-01-11
New News Of Yesterday
An Earnest Champion OF
American Corn Meal
BY Holland.

few days after the return of Sam
mel j. 'rildcn from summer excursion
TO Europe in 1877. be delivered a
speech TO "a great throng which had ass
semblcd i'm front OF his house in Gram
Grey Park, New York city. Governor fill
den sailed for Europe shortly after the
electoral commission had decided that
rutherford b. Hayes mad received ma
i0rity of one vote for the Presidency
over Mr. Iilden in the electoral college.
Governor Iildon SAID to his hearers
that his excursion into various parts ofI
Europe had persuaded linn that there
was great opportunity for Americans
TO carry on a large trade With contin-
entail Europe, aud especially with Nor
way and Sweden, in Indian corn meal.
he said the people Of those nations re-
gardcd Indian corn as it only for fod-
der and cattle. They could not under
stand how Indian corn could so be pro.
pared as to make palatable food.
There fore, Gov. 1ilden urged the forma-
zion OF an association who would send
qualified persons to Europe for the pug
Jose of teaching people the various
methuds adopted in The United States
10y which Indian corn meal, or mush, as
it was commonly called could be made
into a delicious table food. If that could
be lone, 1lldcn said, you could find an
enormous market across the seas for
our Indian corn
Ten or twelve years later, 1 CHANGED
90 mention 10 the late William r.. Grace,
who had twice been mayor of New
York and who was regarded as one of
the greatest of American merchants
carrying on an oversee trade, this sug-
gestiou of Gov 1ildcn. Mayor Grace
was much interested n what told him
and asked me TO repeat, as nearly as
could remember all that GOV. lidcn
had said. lie said that at the first OPP
portunity he should call the attention of
some one of the house of Barring Broth
ers. with which he had close business
relations, 10 this romarl and then to re-
mind him of an unccdOtc which some
years before had been narrated TO him
by a member of the Barring firm. Mayor
Grace asked me IT | would like to hear
that anecdOto and replied that it would
please me greatly.
lie said; 81 think it was Just before
the Crmean war, in which France and
England were opposed TO Russia, that
Barring Brothers began to buy enormous
quantities of American wheat and -four.
They did not say at the time who it
was they were buying for but after
ward There was AN informal admission
that they we're buying for Louis Napol-
con, Emperor Of France. lie wanted
American wheat and Hour TO feed his
armies and also 10 make good the def.
cheney of wheat m France.
"Ihcrc Was a man named Sturgis. an
Amcricln Vito was member of Bar
ing Brothers house and who was an in
innate FREUD of John NJ Forbes the
great capitalist uf Boston. Mr.. Forbes
hcarl rnat France was buying through
the Bnrings q large amount of -four
much OF which was carried over the
Michigan Central railroad, which Forbes
owned. We thciUlpon wrote to Mr.
Sturgis 10 say 10 him ,hat France could
get IN the United States much cheaper
and fully ms GOOD an article of food if Il
would buy Indian. corn meal. lie said
furthermore, that if the great chefs OF
France could make a tour through tho
Southern States they would speedily
learn what delicious food preparations
could be made from Indian corn meal
or il they would 90 through the New
England States they would learn how to
make iohunycakc, which was then as il
has always been, a lavoritc food in New
England. Furthermore, he said that
France could save millions of dollars, ii
She bought Indian meal rather than
flour No heed was paid to this sugges-
ton"
What interested me in what Gov. Til.
Il 4 e
later he was so impressed with the util-
ity Of Indian corn mcol as food foi
the European nations that he made il
the chief suggestion in his speech in re-.
! ply TO the welcome home which was
given 10 him by so many citizens.
Copyright 1915 by y. J. Edwards. Al
rights reservedl.
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell oi
1.-TWO Leading Figures in Railroad De
vclopment."