Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-03-24
DAzED The GUESTS
The Grand vizier's Speech at the
Gridiron Club Dinner.
FAIRLY BLAZED WITH ABUSE.

Climax Averted All Danger of Diplo-
matte Complications.
In January, 1904, Mira Ali Asgar
Khan, former grand yizier of Persia,
was making a trip around the world
and was booked to sail to Europe from
New York. His attendance at the
Gridiron club dinner in Washington
was announced in the newspapers.
What happened at that banquet is
thus dramatically described by Arthur
Wallace Dunn In his book, "Gridiron
Nights"
The grand yizier came in late, after
the dinner had beer i'll progress for a
time, and was accompanied by Scott
c. Bone of the Washington Post, his
host of the evening. Before taking his
seat, directly in front of the president
of the United States, he bowed low to
that official and then made a sweep
ing salaam to the assembled company
Senator Beyeridge was introduced
and shook hands. William II. Taft,
then governor general of the Philip
pines, WHO udu CIOSSeu Tile Ocedll Ol
the same ship with the grand vizier,
walked across the dining room and
shook hands, expressing his pleasure
at seeing him again. Senators Aldrich.
German and Hanna and Speaker Can
non, sitting neal by, were introduced.
After the dinner had progressed for
a time President Louis A. Coolidge In
frodn0nJ fho nrianta1 0fIact od n mhn
had journeyed far and who came that
night with views he had gathered IN
his travels.
Mira All Asgar Khan, with more
profound bows, said that his message
to the Gridiron club and it's guests had
been written, as he was somewhat i'm
perfect In our language, and then he
began to read from large sheets of pa
per.
1.-The people of the United States" he
began, ARE watching every day to see
whether there is to be a war in the old
world. In the east we also watch for
that war. 1t is to observe preparations
for that war that | travel.
IL was in Japan before l came to
this country. In Persia we take great
interest in Japan, because the next
war will be the great struggle between
the civilizations of the east and vest
We believe that the eastern civilization
will overcome the western civilization.
This will mark the downfall of Rus
STA, that ~treacherous power that has
plotted against peace of mankind from
the days of Peter the Great and has
| hnnn Tho hunaap;fo 4ho FaIoa frIoad nP
every weaker power 1t has aimed to
destroy"
He was interrupted by a member of
the club, who suggested that as the
Russian ambassador was our guest no
such discussion should be permitted.
Mira All looked puzzled and contin-
ued:
1.-THE barbarous rule of Germany will
be brought to an end, and a higher mo-
rality will supplant the vicious rule Of
the vandals who have kept the intelli-
gence of Europe under a reign Of ter
ror"-
Again he was interrupted and atten-
ton called to the presence of the Ger
man ambassador. The situation was
explained to the grand vizier, and he
turned over two or three pages of his
manuscript and continued:
And then Great Britain. the tradi-
tional enemy of the free American peo-
ple-perfdious Albion, as she is called
by one of your poets-she has been the
trader of the world-buyer and seller
of men-pretending to love liberty. but
hypocritlcally sheltering slavery when
1t could be to her interest
President Coolidge stopped him by
sharp raps of the gavel. The faces of
the diplomats We're drawn into frowns
Of d~isapproyal. Guests and members
were aghast, while President Roose-
welt looked as if he thought it was the.
makings of a bully row.
W are very much obliged" said
Mr.. Coolidge, 'to his excellency the
grand %vizier, but as some members of
the British embassy are with US
you will not let me speak, said the
vizier angrily: ''then l bid you good
night! You invite me here-you ask
me to speak, prepare my speech
you are as bad as the rest. You have
no free press-you have no free speech!
1 60"
And as he was making sweeping GEES
lures he tore away his fez, wig and
beard, and there stood Francis f..
Leupp of the New York Evening Post.
He had put over the greatest hoax
ever perpetrated by the Gridiron club.
The real Mira Ali Asgar Khan had
sailed for Europe that very day.