«...^^^ LIBRARY OF THE University of California. Gl FT OF 0. .hl-ci LrOr.C f\lM/[^.. Class PRESENTED WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF 1 H E OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK HISTORY OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK One thousand copies of this book have been printed from type by The Grafton Press of New York and the type has been distributed. " We found this Society because we love Ohio, and would cherish her history, her traditions, her recollections of home, and camp, and forum." Thomas Ewing, January 13, 1886. Ohio Bickeye ^fJ)iriiliin ijUihru, WiUd HISTORY OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 1885—1905 Prepared and compiled under the direction of Henry L. Burnett Warren Higley Leander H. Crall Committee on Publication BY James H. Kennedy Historian of the Society THE GRAFTON PRESS NEW YORK MCMVI c-^^'" %'''' Copyright, 1906 By the Ohio Society of New York Extract from the minutes of the Ohio Society of New York, January 11, 1904: " Whereas, It is deemed highly desirable to have prepared a correct chronological history of the Society from its inception and organization; therefore, be it " Resolved, That the governing committee be, and it hereby is, authorized and requested to cause such a history to be prepared, and to employ such assistance in the work, at such compensation as to it may seem proper, and also to appoint a special committee of five members to supervise and approve the work." The governing conmiittee reported to the Society on February 8th, 1904, that the following gentlemen had been selected pursuant to this resolution : Gen. Henry L. Burnett, Hon. Warren Higley, Mr. Leander H. Crall, Hon. Milton I. Southard,* Mr. Andrew J. C. Foye.* * Deceased. IG279! PREFACE THIS record of the Ohio Society of New York has been prepared under the direction of the special committee appointed for that purpose. The author desires to acknowledge the courtesy, the willing assistance, and the devoted interest which these gentlemen have shown, not only in advice as to plan and scope, but in the aid which they have extended in the gathering of material, and in counsel from time to time. The story told in these pages is, and purports to be, nothing more nor less than that called for in the resolution under which the work was author- ized — a plain chronological history of the Ohio Society of New York. The minute books of the Society and of the governing committee have furnished the main body of information. These have been supplemented by the re- ports of officers and committees, by the official programmes prepared upon special, social or other occasions, the year books, scrap-books, kept by the superintendent of the Society rooms, by newspaper files, and, in a few in- stances, the personal recollections of early members. While it is to be regretted that in many cases good material has been lost by the meagreness of official record, it cannot fail to be a gratification to the members that so much of value and interest has been preserved; far more than was thought possible by any when it was proposed that the story of the Society should be preserved in concrete form. This holds especially true of the banquets which have achieved national fame. Many have been the expressions of regret that the Society had not earlier inaugurated its present commendable system of reporting in full and preserving the speeches made by eminent men upon these occasions. It is with pleasure your historian states that practically all of these speeches are reproduced with more or less fulness; many of them verbatim. It was not without research and labor that the valuable material was secured, but a perusal of the pages that follow will show that it has not been lost. Many of the most eminent among American citizens have spoken upon these occasions; presidents, vice-presi- dents, cabinet officers, senators, governors, diplomats, soldiers, naval officers, and others. In the twenty years which have passed since the Ohio Society was organized, there has been hardly a man great in national affairs who has not been present as orator or guest on one or more of these occasions. The speakers have dwelt eloquently upon great themes. It can hardly be questioned that there is no one book published in America that can show so PREFACE much that is truly great and varied in the way of public speeches as this History of the Ohio Society of New York. The official transactions of the Society, and its social relaxations, have been recorded in the order of their occurrence, with such fulness as available records would permit. The historian has confined himself to the record, without criticism, comparison or comment. There has been no attempt to depart from a plain statement of the facts as they have occurred; no en- deavor to point a moral or adorn a tale. There will, no doubt, be errors of fact discovered; there will be omissions pointed out; there will be sugges- tions that undue mention has been made of this thing or not enough of that. These are acknowledged in advance. They were necessary features in con- nection with a work in which so many have a loving, personal interest; in which so much of detail appears. The historian has done what he could with the disconnected and widely scattered material at his hand. James H. Kennedy, Historian. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I — Organization 3 II — Proceedings during the year 1886 l6 III — Proceedings during the year 1886 24 IV — Proceedings during the year 1887 34 V — Proceedings during the year 1888 49 VI — Proceedings during the years 1888-1889 '. . . 57 VII — Proceedings during the years 1889-1890 83 VIII — Proceedings during the years 1890-1892 96 IX — Proceedings during the years 1892-1894 125 X — Proceedings during the year 1894 l65 XI — Proceedings during the years 1894-1896 187 XII — Proceedings during the years 1896-1897 231 XIII — Proceedings during the year 1898 252 XIV — Proceedings during the years 1898-1899 282 XV — Proceedings during the years 1899-1900 308 XVI — Proceedings during the years 1901-1902 331 XVII — Proceedings during the years 1902-1903 356 XVIII — Proceedings during the year 1903 397 XIX — Proceedings during the year 1903 423 XX — Proceedings during the year 1904 448 XXI — Proceedings during the years 1904-1905 485 XXII — Proceedings during the year 1905 513 APPENDIX The First Settlement in Ohio 531 By John Q. Mitchell The Second Settlement in Ohio, at Cincinnati 538 By Hon. Warren Higley The Ordinance of 1787, and the War of 1861 548 By Gen. Wager Srvayne Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Assassins .... 591 By Gen. Henry L. Burnett The Struggle for Freedom in Kansas 6l7 By Gen. Thomas Erving Some Recollections of Abraham Lincoln 629 By David Homer Bates A Rebel Cipher Dispatch which Did Not Reach Judah P. Benjamin . . . 637 By David Homer Bates ILLUSTRATIONS A Buckeye Branch Frontispiece Portrait of Gen. Thomas Ewing facing page 4 Diagram of First Banquet " " 16 Portrait of Col. Charles W. Moulton " " 52 Portrait of Gen. Wager Swayne " " 74 Memorial to General Sherman " " 108 Portrait of Hon. William L. Strong " " 120 Portrait of Hon. Whitelaw Reid " " 128 Ohio Field, University of New York " " 144 Portrait of Gen. Henry L. Burnett " " 190 Memorial to Hon. Thomas Ewing " " 222 Resolutions presented to Gen. Henry L. Burnett .... " " 270 Portrait of Hon. Milton I. Southard " " 282 Title page Peace Commissioners' Banquet " " 284 Portraits of Presidents — William H. Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley .... " " 310 Portrait of President William McKinley " " 314 Title page Governors' Banquet . . . •. page 332 Portraits of the Governors of Ohio pages 333 to 340 Portrait of Hon. George K. Nash facing page 344 Portrait of Colgate Hoyt, Esq " " 348 Portrait of Leander H. Crall, Esq " " 350 Portraits of United States Senators — Joseph B. Foraker, Marcus A. Hanna, William M. Stewart, William B. Allison, John P. Jones, Charles W. Fairbanks, Julius C. Burrows, Albert J. Beveridge, Stephen B. Elkins and Nathan B. Scott .... facing page 356 Senatorial Banquet — Tol'sts Portrait of Hon. Marcus A. Hanna Cup presented to Leander H. Crall, Esq Title page Diplomatic Banquet Portrait of Hon. John Hay Portrait of Col. John J. McCook Title page Army and Navy Banquet Portrait of Hon. William H. Taft The " Fighting McCooks " Portrait of Hon. Warren Higley Title page Nineteenth Annual Banquet Portrait of Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks Portrait of Andrew J. C. Foye, Esq Memorial to Hon. John Hay 358 362 366 400 404 436 452 458 478 488 492 498 514 516 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK CHAPTER I 1885-1886 THE foundation principles upon which the Ohio Society of New York was built were set forth in a few eloquent words by its first president, Thomas Ewing, on the night when the labors of its founders had reached a point where the work of organization was to be completed. " We found this Society," said he, " because we love Ohio, and would cherish her history, her traditions, her recollections of home, and camp, and forum." It was in the spirit of loyal love for Ohio and of fraternity among its sons that breathes in these words, that a few Ohioans in New York City came together in the closing days of 1885 for the purpose of forming an organization that should bring the sons of their native state into closer per- sonal relations and keep alive the memories of home in this city of their adoption. The justification that comes through triumphant success has been theirs. The story that follows shows not only how wisely were the founda- tions laid, but also with what unswerving love and patriotic devotion these men and their later associates and successors labored to make this great organization not only the first, but the foremost of its kind. It detracts from the credit due to no other Ohioan in New York, and voices only the sentiments of his working associates, to say that Col. Charles W. Moulton was especially enthusiastic and insistent as to what might be done, and for some little time made it a labor of love, to call upon Ohioans in New York with a view to enlisting them in the formation of a Buckeye organization. Suggestions and sentiment seem to have soon crystallized into a definite plan, and, as the first starting-place of this record of the Ohio Society of New York, we turn to the first entry in its first minute book, under date of November 10th, 1885, where is found the following: " The Ohio Society of New York. We, the undersigned, hereby agree to unite with each other to form an association to be known as The Ohio Association in New York, and to that end will meet at any place designated for the purpose of completing such organization, upon notice given to us 3 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK whenever twelve persons shall have signed this agreement. There is to be no expense incurred until the organization is completed and assented to by each member." Following this entry are the names set down below, which are given in the order in which they appear upon the record: C. W. Moulton, Joseph Pool, T. Ewing, Samuel Thomas, Homer Lee, Wm. Perry Fogg, INlilton Sayler, Mahlon Chance, L. M. Schwan, J. O. Moss, M. I. Southard, Anson G. McCook, W. C. Andrews, W. M. SafFord, Calvin S. Brice, J. W. Har- man, J. Q. Howard, David F. Harbaugh, H. J. Jewett, Wai-ren Higley, Cyrus Butler, Carson Lake. There hangs upon the walls of the Ohio Society rooms in the Waldorf- Astoria — placed there in obedience to a formal vote of a later date — a framed call reproducing the words above quoted. To this are attached, in the orioinal autographs, the names and addresses given below: reproduced as nearly in facsimile as the types will permit: Name. C. W. Moulton, Joseph Pool, T. Ewing, Samuel Thomas, Calvin S. Brice, Homer Lee, Wm. Perry Fogg, Milton Sayler, Mahlon Chance, L. M. Schwan, Jay O. Moss, M. I. Southard, Anson G. McCook, \V. C. Andrews, W. M. Safford, J. W. Harman, J. Q. Howard, David F. Harbaugh, W, L. Strong, H. J. Jewett, Warren Higley, Carson Lake, Cyrus Butler, A. J. C. Foy^, Henry L. Burnett, Albert W. Green, Charles H. Blair, Business. Atty. at Law, Banker, La^vyer, R. R'd, Atty., Bank Note Eng., Caxton Co., Atty. at Law, Equitable Life, Atty., Banker, Lawyer, Lawyer, Lawyer, Editor, Insurance, Merchant, R. R.J La\vyer, Journalist, Merchant, Merchant, Lawyer, Merchant, Lawver, Address. Tribune Bldg., No. 3 Broad St., 155 Broadway, 110 Broadway, N. Y., 110 Broadway, 60 Cedar St., 81 White, No. 2 Wall, No. 120 Broadway, 110 Broadway, Windsor Hotel, 155 Broadway, 303 Broadway, 22 Cortlandt, 2 Wall St., 340 Broadway, Grand Hotel, 120 Broadway, 75 Worth, 4S William, 38 Park Row, Tribune Office, 24 Cliff Street, 68 Reade St., 67 Wall St., 51 Leonard St., 149 Broadway, Formerly of. Cincinnati. Cleveland. Lancaster. Columbus, Ohio. Lima, O. INlansfield, O. Cleveland, O. Cincinnati, O. Fremont, O. Cleveland, O. Sandusky. Zanesville, Ohio. Steubenville, Ohio. Cleveland. Cleveland. Cleveland. New York. Cleveland. Mansfield, O. Zanesville, O. Cincinnati. Akron, O. Norwalk. Mt. Gilead, O. Youngstown, O. Columbus, Ohio. Zanesville, O. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK In accordance with the above, a notice was sent to the subscribers to meet at tlie law office of Ewing & Southard, No. 155 Broadway, on the 13th of November, 1885, at 3:30 P. M. A majority of the signers were present. General Thomas Ewing was elected president pro tern. David F. Har- baugh was elected secretary pro tem. The president appointed the follow- ing members as a committee on permanent organization: C. W. Moulton, Wm. Perry Fogg, Cyrus Butler, J. Q. Howard, Mahlon Chance, M. I. Southard, David F. Harbaugh, Warren Higley, Calvin S. Brice and Joseph Pool.* The official record mentions no business done at this session, except to adjourn to the same place at 2:30 P. M. of November 20th, and to instruct the secretary to notify each of the subscribers of said meeting. The second meeting was held upon the date above named. So much was accompUshed in this session toward setting up and starting the machinery of the Society, that the official report of the gathering is given in full as follows : " New York, November 20, 1885. " Pursuant to adjournment, the meeting of the Society was called to order by president pro tem General Thomas Ewing, and the minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. The chairman then an- nounced that the first business in order was to hear the report of the com- mittee on organization appointed at the last meeting. " Col. Wm. Perry Fogg, on behalf of the committee, submitted a report of a constitution of the Society. Upon motion the report was read, section by section. Each section was discussed by the various members, and a separate vote on each section was taken. Col. C. W. Moulton then moved that this report on the constitution be unanimously accepted and adopted, and that copies of the same be engrossed and printed for the use of members. Motion seconded, carried. The following is the report so adopted: " To the officers and members of the Ohio Society in New York. Gentlemen: The committee on permanent organization, who were instructed to frame an outline of a constitution and by-laws for the government of this Society, beg leave to submit the following report: " CONSTITUTION. " Article 1. — The name of this association shall be ' The Ohio So- ciety of New York.' "Article 2. — Its object shall be to cultivate social intercourse and promote the best interests of its members. * The facts concerning the above meeting are entered in the first record book of the recording secretary, attested bv David F. Harbaugh, secretary pro tem. Where the pro- ceedings of the Society are quoted hereafter, they will be from the books of the secretary or of the governing committee, unless otherwise specified. 5 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " OFFICERS. " Article 3. — The officers shall be chosen from the active members and shall be: 1, a president; 2, three vice-presidents; 3, a secretary and assist- ant secretary ; 4, a treasurer ; 5, a governing committee of nine members ; all of whom shall be elected at the regular annual meeting of the Society, and shall discharge the duties incident to their respective offices under the general direction of the Society. " MEMBERSHIP. "Article 4. — There shall be three classes of membership: 1, Active members ; 2, Non-resident members ; 3, Honorary members. " Article 5. — ^Any person of good moral character and twenty-one years of age and upwards may become an active member of this Society upon payment of the prescribed dues, who is a native of the state of Ohio or has for a period of seven consecutive years been a resident of that state, and who has a good social and business standing in New York. " Article 6. — Any person of like age and character, and residing in the state of Ohio may become a non-resident member (if approved by a majority of the governing committee) upon payment of the prescribed dues. " Article 7. — Honorary membership may be conferred by a unanimous vote of the governing committee upon persons deserving that distinction, provided, however, that not more than five such memberships shall be con- ferred during one year. " Article 8. — Non-resident and honorary members shall be entitled to all the privileges of the Society, except those of voting and of becoming officers of said Society. " Article 9. — The governing committee has power by a majority vote to admit active new members; but the names so admitted to membership shall be reported to the Society by said committee at its next monthly meeting. " Article 10. — The first meeting of this Society for the selection of officers shall be held within ten days after at least one hundred persons shall have signed the constitution, and at the regular annual meetings thereafter. " MEETINGS. "Article 11. — The annual meetings of the Society shall be held on the 29th day of November in each year. Monthly meetings shall be held on the first Monday of every month, at such hour as the governing com- mittee may determine. 6 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Article 12. — The initiation fee of active and non-resident members shall be ten dollars until at least one hundred persons have become members, and until the first meeting is held for the election of officers. Thereafter the initiation fee may be fixed at any sum by resolution of the Society that it may deem proper. " Article 13. — This constitution and the by-laws that may hereafter be adopted may be altered or amended by a two-thirds vote of those present at any meeting called for that purpose, of which due notice has been given to the members. " C. W. MOULTON, " Wm. Perry Fogg, " J. Q. Howard, " Cyrus Butler, " David F. Harbaugh, " M, I. Southard, "Joseph Pool, " Mahlon Chance." " Col. W. W. Moulton moved that the following resolution be adopted : * That the committee on permanent organization be directed to report to the president pro tem. of the Society whenever one hundred names shall have been enrolled, and as soon as this is done, the president shall call a meeting of the Society, and the secretary shall give due notice thereof two days before the meeting to every member to be present, at such time and place as shall be designated for said meeting by the president.' Motion seconded, carried. " Col. William Perry Fogg moved that the following resolution be adopted : ' That the committee on permanent organization be authorized to enroll new members, and have leave to report at any time until the election of permanent officers.' Motion seconded, carried. " Col. Fogg moved that : ' The committee on organization be authorized and requested to, report for consideration suitable names for the officers (permanent) of this Society, at the meeting to be called for the selection of officers.' Motion seconded, carried. " It was then moved that the following names be added to the com- mittee on permanent organization: Carson Lake, Cyrus Butler, Joseph Pool, John W. Harman, Charles H. Blair, Homer Lee. IMotion seconded, carried. " David F. Harbaugh, Sec. pro tern." 7 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ft A gentleman who was present at these early conferences has fur- nished his testimony as to the spirit of these gatherings. Charles H. Blair says : " Committees upon constitution and by-laws were appointed and a very warm discussion arose, as I recall, between Cyrus Butler and Colonel Moulton, regarding the objects and aims of the Society. It was pro- posed to make it into a regiilar club with a restaurant and all the accompani- ments of a city club. This was warmly opposed by some of the members, myself among others, on the theory that many of us were already members of clubs in New York city, and that it was not desirable to so disassociate ourselves from our fellow citizens of New York as to form ourselves into an ordinary social club. The club idea never prevailed." On the 13th of January, 1886, a meeting was held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, at which a number of important measures received consideration. Gen. Thomas Ewing occupied the chair. The minutes of the preceding meeting were read by Mr. Harbaugh, and approved. Col. Moulton, on behalf of his special committee, recommended that the constitution be so amended as to provide for five vice-presidents instead of three. The president held that, being in the nature of an amendment to the constitution, it would require a two-thirds vote to adopt it. The vote was called for, and the change was ordered unanimously. On motion of Mr. Southard the constitution as amended was adopted as a whole. The election of officers was then called for, and Gen. Ewing was unanimously elected presi- dent for the ensuing year. We quote from the official record : " On motion of Mr. Follett, which was duly seconded. Col. Moulton was authorized to cast the vote of the Society for the five vice-presidents, and there being no dissenting vote, this was agreed to. The names of the five members recommended by the committee were put in nomination to serve one year: Whitelaw Reid, William L. Strong, Wager Swayne, Hugh J. Jewett, Algernon S. Sullivan, thus endorsing the recommendation of the committee. " The nomination for secretary for the ensuing year was then con- sidered, and Homer Lee was duly elected. The recording secretary and treasurer were then acted upon. Carson Lake and William Perry Fogg, respectively, were unanimously elected. The president, on motion of Cyrus Butler, then named a committee of five to nominate a governing committee of nine members, as follows: Cyrus Butler, William Perry Fogg, Washing- ton Belt, Wallace Mayo, Milton I. Southard. This committee retired to prepare a Hst for presentation to the Society. During the interval. Gen. Henry L. Burnett was called upon and responded, after which Algernon S. SulUvan, Gen. Wager Swayne, Bernard Peters, Col. William L. Strong and Col. IVIoulton made appropriate remarks. 8 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " The nominating committee at this point reported that a list of names for the governing committee had been; decided upon, and presented the fol- lowing for consideration, which wa^ unanimously elected, alphabetically: Henry L. Burnett, Calvin S. Brice, Stephen B. Elkins, A. J. C. Foye, Jerome D. Gillett, A. D. Juilliard, C. W. Moulton, Joseph Pool. The motion to appoint a committee of seven, by the chair, on art, history and literature was made, seconded, debated and carried. Thereupon the president stated that he would announce the names of the said committee at the next meeting in February. C. W. Moulton notified the members present that he would move an amendment to the constitution increasing the governing committee from nine to twelve, at the next monthly meeting. On motion of H. A. Glassford, it was resolved that the adoption and consideration of by- laws for the Society be referred to the governing committee for action. Considerable discussion on the subject having arisen, the motion was modified, and the subject of by-laws was referred to the president and the five vice- presidents, as a special committee, to frame and report a suitable code of by-laws for the government of the Society. A letter was read from Joseph Pool, a member of the committee on permanent organization, stating illness as the cause of his absence, and one from W. S. Hawk, of the Windsor Hotel, kindly tendering to the Society the use of a parlor. The meeting ad- journed, after a vote of thanks to the proprietor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel for courtesy extended. ., _,. _ « ^ » Homer Lee, Secretary. The above official report gives but the cold, bare outlines of tliis, one of the most fruitful and interesting of the early meetings of the Society. Fortunately, the remarks made by President Thomas E^ving, on calling the meeting together, have been preserved among the family papers, and are here given in full: " We have met here to-night, as sons and foster-sons of Ohio resident in New York city, to complete the foundation of a new society in our national metropolis. Full as this city is of organizations of men, she has, I think, none such as this. The ties of religion, charity, pohtics, science, art, htera- ture and common occupation draw and hold people together in numberless associations which have filled our gi'eat city with splendid edifices. So, too, the sympathies of a common race and history have founded here societies of St. Patrick, St. Andrew, St. George and many others, at whose annual re- unions the wit, song and sentiment of the fatherlands warm the hearts of their sons in this land beyond the sea. And here, also, is an American society which has at several crises in the last fifty years exerted a considerable in- fluence on public opinion; and the annual reunions of which are watched with eagerness everywhere throughout our land where the sons of New Eng- OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK land from their distant homes look proudly and fondly back on their grand old mother. " But the New England society is composed of the sons of six states. This is a society of the natives or former residents of but a single state — Ohio — the state first bom of the American republic. I do not say she was the first state received into the union, for Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee preceded her. Vermont was admitted in 1791, Kentucky in '92, Tennessee in '96, and Ohio not until the 29th day of November, 1802. But these three older states were never territories of the union. Tliey begun Hfe as colonies, each exclusively owned by and settled from its parent colony — Vermont from New York, Kentucky from Virginia, and Tennessee from North Carolina. But the territory northwest of the Ohio River was the first land ever owned by the United States. It was a vast and pathless wilderness when, in 1784, Virginia, with magnificent generosity, presented it to the Union. It was not until ten years later, when the savages who had been allies of Great Britain throug'hout the War of the Revolution were routed and subdued by Mad Anthony Wayne, that agricultural settlements, except under the shadow of blockhouses, first became possible. Then the veteran soldiers of the Revolution, broken in fortune but aflame with the love of liberty, and triumph- ant from the long struggle for independence, flocked there from every one of the glorious thirteen — hewed out their homes in the primeval forest — paid the United States for their lands in the long dishonored certificates of indebted- ness given for their service in the war, and thus founded the first state which sprung from the womb of the republic. " We are proud of Ohio, for her heroic birth, her honorable achieve- ments, and her glorious destiny. She ' sits in the centre,' belongs to no section, and is a bond of all. " Her sons who have met here to-night are at home in New York. We do not come together as strangers in a strange land to seek relief from the depression of inliospitable influences. No! New York is not inhospitable. She is merely too big and too busy to note who comes or goes. Her gates, landward and seaward, are thrown open to the world. She is a focus of all the great forces of American Hfe. Miuch that is best and worst in it is developed here; and the struggle for a foothold here is always intense and generally unsuccessful. But New York is more truly cosmopohtan than any other city in the United States, or perhaps in the world, and there is little of race or sectional prejudice to bar the path of merit, from whatever quarter it may come. *' We found this Society because we love Ohio and would cherish her history, her traditions, her recollections of home and camp and forum. How often do we not look back to the days and scenes of our life there to revive 10 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the sweetest influences and the dearest memories of existence. But we have aims for our Society besides the memories and affections of other days. We hope to make it felt in this great theatre of thought and action as a gen- erator of wholesome, intellectual and moral forces. " When this meeting was called there were one hundred and fifteen signers of our constitution. Under the direction of a judicious governing committee the number will doubtless be increased by several hundred. Our member- ship of non-residents will, perhaps, be equally large. We should make some- thing more of such good and abundant material than a mere social club. I am far from insensible to the pleasures of convivial reunions, and hope our Society may have many of them, and that I may long be of the number present. But we can have some good work out of it as well as plenty of rec- reation. For instance, with the aid of our western and southwestern brethren who, like ourselves, have drifted into this comer of the republic, we might help it to throw off its colonial subserviency to English politics and manners and gradually Americanize it. We can thus repay in kind the debt of grati- tude we owe the East for its missionary efforts a generation ago, when it was the seat of power in the United States and the now imperial West was but a half -subdued wilderness. " Ere long, we can command means, I hope, to fit up and maintain an accessible, commodious and permanent clubhouse, tlie halls of which will be a pleasant rendezvous for members and their friends, wbere the ideas and policies of East and West may meet in friendly and intelligent encounter, and where sectional prejudices may be worn off in the attrition of social inter- course — where Ohio men and women who are eminent, or rising in any worthy field of effort, may have cordial recognition and a helping hand if needed; and where those who have unfortunately fallen in the struggle for a foothold here will not be forgotten. In conclusion, gentlemen, I venture to express the hope that our Society may be from the outset and continue to the end so aristocratic that wealth cannot buy a membership for vice; and so democratic that none will be excluded by needless cost of membership from an association which their virtues and talents would adorn." There is contemporary testimony from a prominent Ohio newspaper of that date* that the meeting was " one of the happiest gatherings ever held in Gotham. Nearly one hundred were present, including General Thomas Ewing, who presided; General Wager Swayne, Algernon S. Sullivan, Col- onel W. L. Brown, J. Q. A. Ward, Colonel W. L. Strong, General H. L. Burnett, Henry E. Abbey, Rev. Dr. I. K. Funk, S. B. Elkins, B. Peters, and other well-known gentlemen. General Ewing created much enthusiasm by his address on the opening of the meeting." * Cincinnati Enquirer, of January 14, 1886. 11 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The governing committee, always an important and responsible body in the record of the Society, immediately set itself in motion to put the affairs of the organization in running order. Its first meeting was held at the office of Gen. H. L. Burnett, No. 67 Wall street, at three o'clock, on Sat- urday, January 16th. There were present Messrs. H. L. Burnett, Thomas Ewing, A. J. C. Foye, Wm. Perry Fogg, George FoUett, J. D. Gillett, Carson Lake, Homer Lee, C. W. Moulton, Joseph Pool and Whitelaw Reid. The meeting was called to order by General Burnett, who nominated General Ewing for temporary chairman. Mr. Lake was made temporary secretary. The permanent organization of the committee being declared the order of business, Mr. Fogg nominated Colonel Moulton for chairman. C^olonel Moul- ton, after a brief statement of his reasons, respectfully declined to permit the use of his name for that position. Mr. Gillett moved that General Bur- nett be selected as chairman, and the motion prevailed unanimously. JVIr. Lee moved that Mr. Lake be elected secretary of the committee, and the motion prevailed. Mr. Moulton moved that it be the standing rule of the governing com- mittee that the chairman should appoint, as the chairman of any committee hereafter to be appointed, any member he might see fit, and that the usual parliamentary rule which makes it incumbent on a chairman to make the proposer of the motion for the selection of a committee the chairman of such committee, be abrogated. Carried. On motion, duly carried, the chaii appointed Messrs. Moulton, Elkins and Lee as a connnittee to prepare forms of papers necessary for the admission of members. Mr. Moulton moved that a committee of three be appointed on by-laws, and assist in the preparation of the same, if desirable, and also to prepare and submit amendments to the constitution which might be deemed advisable. The m.otion was carried, and the chair appointed Messrs. Burnett, Pool and Fogg. On motion, Mr. Reid was also added to the committee. Mr. Fogg, as treasurer of the Society, stated that there were now one hundred members enrolled, of whom fifty-one had enclosed the initiation fee of ten dollars. The receipts from membership in his hands were $510, and the disbursements had been $49.49, leaving a balance on hand of $460.51. The following resolution was offered by him and passed: " Resolved, Tliat the treasurer be requested to collect the initiation fee from those gentlemen who have signed tlie constitution and been enrolled as members." The chairman was instructed to confer with members of the committee and report at the next meeting on the matter of permanent headquarters. Until a permanent abiding place could be secured, the Society was the guest of various hotels, several of which were under the control of Ohio 12 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK men, all of whom were glad to make the associated Buckeyes welcome. The next meeting was held at the Windsor Hotel, on February 1st, 1886, with President Ewing in tlie chair. He reported in behalf of the special com- mittee, consisting of liimself and the five vice-presidents, on the subject of by-laws. A number of amendments to the constitution were proposed, and then it and the by-laws were adopted, and both were ordered printed. Col. W. L. Strong proposed General WiUiam T. Sherman as the first honorary member, and it was carried unanimously. A blank form of appli- cation for membersliip was read and adopted, and ordered printed and dis- tributed among the members. At the second meeting of the governing committee, held on February 12th, the matter of selecting a permanent home was taken up and discussed, but no formal action was taken. The list of those who had been proposed for membership was taken up for consideration. Colonel Moulton moved that where names were approved the persons should be declared elected to mem- bership, subject to their compliance with the requirements of the constitution and by-laws, and that the secretary of the committee be instructed to notify the gentlemen of their election. Carried. The following names were ap- proved, and are given in full, as being the first list officially acted upon by the committee: James C. Beard, T. Frank Beard, D. C. Beard, A. W. Beas- ley, D. T. Lawson, James Parker, E. B. Convers, J. B. Leavitt, J. S. Newberry, W. H. Quinn, Jacob N. Bonnett, N. W. Emerson, C. P. Cassiday, J. W. Worthington, Wallace Shillito, F. T. McFadden, Wm. S. Munson, R. G. Hanford, Lycurgus B. Moore, B. F. Peixotto, Gaylord McFall, H. H. Brockway, Richard Butler, E. J. Wheeler, Dr. N. H. Beckwith, Frederick J. Prentiss, Frederick C. Prentiss, Frank Brainard, Walter H. Brainard, Andrew Donaldson, Wm. C. Peet, H. B. Brundrett. It was by vote ordered that all persons within a radius of fifty miles of the city hall of New York be considered eligible for active or resident mem- bership. It was also ordered that the annual dues be made payable on the first of April each year. On February 26th a resolution was adopted direct- ing the governing committee to take a lease of rooms at No. 236 Fifth avenue. The meeting of the Society of February 26th, 1886, was held at the Gilsey House, and was called to consider the question of quarters. General Burnett, as chairman of the governing committee, made a report as to the action of that body, and gave details as to various places that might be se- cured, with locations, rentals, and other particulars. The question was discussed in all its bearings by Messrs. Burnett, Butler, Foye, Harman, Brown, Kimball, Fogg, Lee, Pool, etc. Mr. Lake moved that the governing committee, through its chairman, and the president and secretary of the Society, be empowered to lease rooms at No. 236 Fifth avenue 13 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK for a term of one year. ]Mr. Kimball's amendment that the location be left to the judgment and selection of the governing committee was accepted by Mr. Lake, and the motion was then carried. A design for the seal of the Society was presented by Secretary Homer Lee; was inspected, endorsed and adopted with thanks. The meeting of March 8th was held at the Grand Central Hotel, at which the president announced a committee on Hterature, history and art as follows, in alphabetical order: C. H. Applegate, Cyrus Butler, J. H. Beard, J. Q. Howard, Andrew J. RickofF, Wilham Henry Smith, J. Q. A. Ward. The committee on entertainment was announced as follows: W. C. Andrews, Wilham L. Brown, R. C. Kimball, Bernard Peters, William L. Strong. On motion of Mr. Pool the names of the president, secretary and chairman of the governing committee were added to the entertainment committee. President Ewing suggested that between the present and the next meet- ing the members look up the date of admission of the state of Ohio to the Union, " which seemed to be in dispute." It was ordered that " the date of Ohio's admission be made the subject of discussion at the next meeting."* William Perry Fogg moved that the entertainment committee be in- structed to arrange a subscription dinner within a few weeks, at a cost not to exceed $5.00 a plate, and the motion was carried. At the meeting of the governing committee held on March 16th, 1886, General Philip H. Sheridan and ex-President Rutherford B. Hayes were unanimously elected honorary members. On April 5th the committee appointed a sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. Moulton, Lake, Lee, Fogg and Harbaugh, to present in brief form a history of the formation of the Society. The meeting of the Society on April 6th was held at the Murray Hill Hotel. The name of C. W. Moulton was added to the entertainment com- mittee. Letters were read from Senator John Sherman, Senator Henry B. Payne, Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite and Justice Stanley Matthews. Mr. Howard, as chairman of the committee on history, literature and art, opened the discussion of the evening on " The date of Ohio's admission to the Union " by proposing the following resolution : " Resolved, That in the opinion of the Ohio Society of New York, Febru- ary 19, 1803, must be accepted as the date of the admission of the state of Ohio into the Union." Mr. Howard read a paper citing various authorities in support of the • It will be noted that even at this early date the Ohioans in New York began the dis- cussion of this never-ending and never-settled question. It has been brouglit to the front many times since, and one of the pioneer members, Mahlon Chance, made it a close study for years, and collected mudi valuable material and data on the subject. 14 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK resolution. The matter was discussed by Messrs. Moulton, Burnett, Mitchell, Strong, Chance, Ashley, Ewing and Peters. The resolution was referred to a committee consisting of Messrs. Ewing, Burnett, IMoulton, Howard, Ashley, Mitchell, Lake and Strong. The president stated that, as the beginning of a library for the Society, Mr. Stout had presented a history of Wayne County, Ohio. A vote of thanks was tendered. General Burnett moved that the presi- dent be requested to prepare a sketch of Thomas Corwin and present it at the next regular meeting. Motion was carried. 15 CHAPTER II. 1886. THE " subscription dinner," proposed by Colonel Fogg at the meeting of March 8th, was held at Delmonico's on the evening of May 7, 1886, and passed into the Society's history under the descriptive title of the " First Annual Banquet of the Ohio Society of New York." " Two hundred citizens whose hearts throbbed like one," to quote from a news- paper account of the affair, " cheered and applauded the sentiments that told how great and glorious were the good people withini its hmits. The Society was organized only last January, and is made up of men who have left the elysium of Oliio for the flesh-pots of New York. Members must be either natives of the Buckeye state or the descendants of natives. That tells its own story, and any attempt to say how really glorious last night's gathering was would sound stale and flat in comparison." Five tables ran the length of the dining-hall, with General Thomas Ewing, president of the Society, at the centre table, flanked by Senator H. B. Payne on his left and Senator John Sherman on his right. Wager Swayne presided over one table, with Bernard Peters at the foot ; Whitelaw Reid over a second table, with W. L. Brown facing him ; A. S. Sullivan and W. C. Andrews had a third table, and W. L. Strong and H. L. Burnett a fourth. As the official diagram prepared for tliis initial occasion tells the story of the banquet so far as relates to those who participated therein, it is repro- duced in full. The eloquent writer quoted above throws a further light upon the occa- sion in these appreciative words : " Never since the morning stars sang together has there been such broth- erly harmony as prevailed last night. One common enthusiasm kept the two hundred throats cheering all' the evening. Every man felt convinced that without Ohio this country would be a land of darkness, and he wasn't afraid to say so, either. And every other man, when he wasn't busy saying this himself, put in his spare moments cheering the sentiments in the mouths of others. The American flag that tapestried the Union smiled only on Ohio men, and the very menu lacked something of its French flavor out of deference 16 y 7, 1886 A Wager Swayn ^ullivan ( Benj. Butterworth W. E L. Strong Daniel Voorhees A. Wm. McKinley, Jr. Leon Abbett Alex. Sullivan H. W. H. Upson A. D. Juilliard S. L. Woodford Robt. W. ShoppeU J.. / John C. Short David Robison, Jr. Stephen B. Elkms L. H. Crall J.] [ Thos. S. King Wm. Linn Tidball A. J. C. Foyt R. J. Kenworthy Jol J. J. Slocum Albert W. Green E. F. C. Young W. D. Lee Jol Carson Lake H. K. Enos John A. Walker D. C. Beard j.y Frank Hatton Wm. W. Heaton W. J. ArkeU Geo. H. Brown G. Chas. P. Bruch F. Brainard Edwin F. Green T. A. Legler M. E, F. Cummings W. H. Brainard Thos. McBride Wm. H. Eckert F.< G. N. Howlett H. Q. French Wallace Shillitto I. J. Struble Jai D. F. Harbaugh L. B. Moore John T. Granger J. F. Sadler Chi A. McKinley Gary W. Moore D. S. Hammond John W. Stout Ith CjTus Butler J. M. Chandler A. W. Follett John Guth Wr D. T. Lawson (reserved.) Washington Belt Tlios. Hinds Ge( I. K. Funk (reserved.) J. H. Hewson John A. Smith Jol A. W. Wagnalls Hugh J. Jewett G. H. Valliant John Dickson S.l M. B. Wright L. C. Hopkins (reserved.) H. R. DeMilt H. Z. K. Pangborn H. K. Wick C. L. Buckingham Theo. Ricksecker J.^ F. M. Foy6 T. B. Musgrave W. M. Saftbrd J. M. Edwards Jol Wm. Brinkerhoff Jolin R. Brady A. R, Lawrence (rkserved.) R.: Chas. H. Grosvenor Andrews Chas. Foster B. Hazen Bernard Peter H.L . Burn ett OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to the men who came from Cleveland and Mansfield and Fremont, and the cheering when the speeches began was as continuous as the rain that pattered outside. They cheered John Sherman before his speech ; gave him three times three after it, and punctuated every sentence with a wild howl of enthusiasm. It was one great love feast. Proud senators and governors and congressmen clinked glasses with humble citizens of the day, and Democratic lions lay down with Republican lambs just as if the millennium had come in with the coffee. Levi P. Morton hobnobbed with Steve Elkins, and Weather Chief Hazen re- called Washington days with the great Frank Hatton." Among those present were Senator John Sherman, Senator H. B. Payne, Joseph E. McDonald, ex-Governor R. M. Bishop, Hon. Charles Foster, James M, Ashley, William Henry Smith, Thomas T. Eckert, W. H. Upson, Charles H. Grosvenor, B. F. Jones, chairman of the Republican national committee; Governor Leon Abbett, Judge W. H. Upton, General W. B. Hazen, Gen. Anson G. McCook, General Benjamin Harrison, Levi P. Morton, Benjamin Butterworth, Stewart L. Woodford, Stephen B. Elkins, Calvin S. Brice, Frank Hatton, William McKinley and General Thomas Ewing. iThe following cablegram was received from the Hon. S. S. Cox: " General Thomas Ewing, 155 Broadway, New York. Ohio full of civil and martial honors. Her sons are peei-s without the heraldry ; her daughters Peris without the harem. Fill the Golden Horn." Homer Lee, the secretary, read letters of regret from Governor Hoadly, General Durbin Ward, Murat Halstead, Judge Thurman, Chief Justice Waite, Judge Cartter, General Schenck, Senator J. P. Jones, W. D. Howells, Richard Smith, General Sherman, General Sheridan and others. General Thomas Ewing then arose and said : " I hail and congratulate you, guests and members of the Ohio Society of New York, on our delightful and auspicious reunion. It is good that we are here. This large assemblage of Ohio's sons, coming from far and near, attests how strong and vital are the ties which bind us to our mother state. We have every reason to love and to be proud of her. If American citizenship be a patent of nobility, it adds to the honor to have been bom of that state which, almost in the forenoon of the first century of her existence, has shed such lustre on the republic; which has given to it so long a roll of presidents, chief justices, judges of the supreme court and statesmen in the cabinet and in Congress; among whom is found not one dishonored name, but many that will shine illus- trious in our country's annals forever ; a state which, in the supreme struggle by which the union was established as indissoluble and the plague of human slavery destroyed, gave to the republic even more than her enormous quota of noble troops, and with them those great captains of the war. Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Rosecrans, McPherson. Gentlemen, we have not formed our society 17 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to the men who came from Cleveland and Mansfield and Fremont, and the cheering when the speeches began was as continuous as the rain that pattered outside. They cheered John Sherman before his speech ; gave him three times three after it, and punctuated every sentence with a wild howl of enthusiasm. It was one great love feast. Proud senators and governors and congressmen chnked glasses with humble citizens of the day, and Democratic lions lay down with Republican lambs just as if the millennium had come in with the coffee. Levi P. Morton hobnobbed with Steve EDcins, and Weather Chief Hazen re- called Washington days with the great Frank Hatton." Among those present were Senator John Sherman, Senator H. B. Payne, Joseph E. McDonald, ex-Governor R. M. Bishop, Hon. Charles Foster, James M, Ashley, William Henry Smith, Thomas T. Eckert, W. H. Upson, Charles H. Grosvenor, B. F. Jones, chairman of the Republican national committee; Governor Leon Abbett, Judge W. H. Upton, General W. B. Hazen, Gen. Anson G. McCook, General Benjamin Harrison, Levi P. Morton, Benjamin Butterworth, Stewart L. Woodford, Stephen B. Elkins, Calvin S. Brice, Frank Hatton, William McKinley and General Thomas Ewing. iThe following cablegram was received from the Hon. S. S. Cox : " General Thomas Ewing, 155 Broadway, New York. Ohio full of civil and martial honors. Her sons are peei"s without the heraldry ; her daughters Peris without the harem. Fill tlie Golden Horn." Homer Lee, the secretary, read letters of regret from Governor Hoadly, General Durbin Ward, Murat Halstead, Judge Thurman, Chief Justice Waite, Judge Cartter, General Schenck, Senator J. P. Jones, W. D. Howells, Richard Smith, General Sherman, General Sheridan and others. General Thomas Ewing then arose and said : " I hail and congratulate you, guests and members of the Ohio Society of New York, on our delightful and auspicious reunion. It is good that we are here. This large assemblage of Ohio's sons, coming from far and near, attests how strong and vital are the ties which bind us to our mother state. We have every reason to love and to be proud of her. If American citizenship be a patent of nobility, it adds to the honor to have been bom of that state which, almost in the forenoon of the first century of her existence, has shed such lustre on the republic; which has given to it so long a roll of presidents, chief justices, judges of the supreme court and statesmen in the cabinet and in Congress; among whom is found not one dishonored name, but many that will shine illus- trious in our country's annals forever ; a state which, in the supreme struggle by which the union was established as indissoluble and the plague of human slavery destroyed, gave to the republic even more than her enormous quota of noble troops, and with them those great captains of the war. Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Rosecrans, McPherson. Gentlemen, we have not formed our society 17 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK from a desire to cultivate state pride in any spirit of divided allegiance. No, no! There has been far too much of that in the past and cannot be too little in the future. " We are first Americans, then Buckeyes. The blessings and misfortunes of our sister states are ours as well as theirs. The love of our own state and pride in her history spring largely from the fact that she and her institutions in their birth and growth are purely American. She is the oldest and, so far, the best developed of all the typically American states. Neither Roundhead nor Cavalier stood sponsor at her cradle. She never wore the collar of colonial subserviency. Her churches and colleges are not endowed of King Charles or Queen Anne. Her lands are not held by grant or prescription under tlie Duke of York, Lord Fairfax or Lord Baltimore, but by patents under the seal of the young repubhc, and the hand of George Washington — whose name will con- tinue to be loved and honored throughout the world long after the memory of the last king and peer of Great Britain shall have sunk in oblivion. The early generations of her sons were not reared amid distinctions of wealth and rank and class, but in the primeval forest and prairie, where all stood equal and had no aid to eminence but strenuous effort; where recollections of the sufferings and sacrifices of Revolutionary sires became inspirations of patriot- ism in their sons, and where nature threw around them all her pure, loving and benignant influences to make them great and strong. " I now have the pleasure to present to you a typical Buckeye — ^the archi- tect of his own fame and fortune — who stands below only one man in the repub- hc in official station, and below none in the respect of his countrymen — John Sherman." Senator Sherman was applauded many minutes before he was allowed to speak, but when quiet was restored he said : " I am grateful for tliis very warm greeting, but if you were to receive every Buckeye from the State of Ohio in this manner you would have the hordes of Ararat among you. Such a reception as this would bring every boy from every farm in the state of Ohio, and what would become of New York then ? It was a happy idea to gather the sons of Ohio and those who have been identified with her history in so pleasant a manner as this to preserve the recollections of Ohio boyhood and manhood. Why should you not do this? Why should you not have an Ohio Society as well as New England ? Why the citizens from the shores of New England, from Ireland and Scotland and from Germany form their societies in the state of New York, and why should not the state of Ohio, which is more than either of these countries? Now, gentlemen, there is one thing about the Ohio people which has marked them from the be- ginning of its history, and marks it now — ^we are a migratory race. We are the innocents abroad. We are a migratory race, and why should we not be, 18 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK for we desen^e the best of any land? When we go to any country, we do not go to rob them, but to aid in their wealth. If I wish to prove this, what better evidence could I desire than the men around me? Here is my friend, General E^ang, who is from one of the garden beds of Ohio, brought up under circum- stances that would lead you to suppose tliat he ought to be content, but he wan- dered off to Kansas, then to the war and then to Washington, and at the last settles down near New York in the shadow of the shades of the great town. Here is the grandson of William Henry Harrison, and we have representatives of the old Puritan fathers. We have representatives not only of Virginia, but also of Newark, New York and Pennsylvania, all from Ohio. Why, my coun- trj^men, Ohio was the camping ground of all the states. It is true that Vermont and Kentucky and Tennessee were admitted into the Union first, but Ohio was the first fruit of the Federal Union. Every state had a camping ground in Ohio, either reservation by purchase or by settlement. The}' went there to improve the lands of the wilderness — they made Ohio prosperous. In Ohio was the beginning of that magnificent march westward which leads on to prosperity. " I want to defend Ohio people against a charge which is often made against them in this city of New York, They charge them with being fond of office. Well, my countrymen, I can show by statistics — and they never lie — that Ohio never had a fair share in public office. There is nothing so dr^i^ in an after-dinner speech as figures — they never lie. Well, we have never had our share of public office, but if we have, we always performed the duties with credit. Only one or two other points. In the early times migrations were always westward. Nobody thought of coming East. Therefore it is that the eight sons of Ohio who are now members of the United States Senate all moved westward, which was the star of the Empire. But lately the star of the Empire seems to have settled here in the city of New York, and to-night more than two hundred Ohio men assemble to feast. There is more money in New York than anywhere else. Some of our people have come here to better their conditions, and I hope to God they will — not only to better their own condition, but all those around them. Here are men who have come from Ohio poor, but with honest endeavor to do what is best for their families, and here they are to-night, rich and happy. " We love Ohio ! We love Ohio as our mother, who guarded us in our infancy, and never, my countrymen, although you may hear ill of Ohio, never fail to remember all that is good of Ohio, and be true and noble for the love of Ohio. But we love our country more, and no man from Ohio would ever be true to his mother unless he was more true to his country. Our country for- ever — from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canada line and away round." 19 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Senator Payne followed, and reviewed the history of the Buckeye state, her advancement, resources and wealth, and paid a glowing tribute to the " men from Ohio," who had conquered in the fight for Hberty, independence and constitutional rights. General Benjamin Harrison, ex-Governor R. M. Bishop and others fol- lowed in short speeches, and the company separated. Of this meeting, George Alfred Townsend, in his dispatch to the Cincin- nati Enquirer, said as follows: " Senator Payne distinguished himself at this dinner by the copiousness and simphcity of his remarks and character. He seemed to be a feeble man when he arose, and he is far advanced in Hfe. His voice was not very clear at first, but his conception was earnest. As he went on he seemed to take a new life, and broke out in patriotic praise of Ohio and her sons, among whom he had spent the most of his days. There was a palpable feeling and tenderness in his words, whidh found responsive chords in all minds ; and every time he wavered he was called upon to continue. " Ben Harrison, senator from Indiana, who is a native of Ohio, showed his metal in a considerable speech, delivered with a vigor and style that carried to my mind the idea that he was an abler man than his distinguished ancestor, the President of the United States. In appearance he does not generally impress people as he goes about the streets, with his head somewhat down and no particular ' get up ' about him. But when he rises to speak you see that he is broad-shouldered, full-chested, healthy and strong, square-headed, firmly planted on his feet, aggressive, loud and incisive — very much of a leader of men. In all he made the strongest impression of any speaker of the night. " It occurred to me that the Ohio Society of New York, which the Irish speaker, SuUivan, fitly characterized as an Irish bull, had better change its name to the ' Ohio Club,' which is brief and to the purpose, and if it designs to take rooms in New York it will be the first organization from the West, and sufficiently indicated by the latter name. One of the originators of the move- ment said to me : ' In a large city like New York these social organizations are beginning to have an immense influence, and men can hardly find each other without some such facility. A good many men join clubs without any other apparent purpose than to use their letter sheets to write their letters upon, and thus localize themselves in the metropolis. Therefore,' said my informant, ' the Ohio Club has a business utility and significance quite as important as it is friendly in character.' " It may be a matter of interest for those who have been managing banquet aff'airs in these later days of prosperity to peruse the report of the entertain- ment committee made to the Society a short time after the occurrence of this event. It is as follows : 20 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " First Annual Banquet of May 7, 1886 — Delmonico's, 202 plates, at $4.00 $808.00 « Ex.* 904.95 Coat of arms 8.50 Printing and postage 168.68 Telegrams, etc 1.80 Messenger service 4.10 $1,896.03 Tickets sold, 184 at $4.00 $736.00 Sen. H. B. Payne 5.00 741.00 Deficiency $1,155.00 " Twenty subscribers to pay each $57.75. " Mr. Strong's proposition to pay personally for deficiency was declined with thanks. Mr. Sullivan moved that the secretary notify the subscribers of the deficiency and ask a check from each for the same. Carried." That seems to be the end of the matter so far as the records of the Society give testimony. Action was taken by the governing committee from time to time in placing the rooms on Fifth Avenue in order and in providing for their care. The chairman was empowered to secure a visitors' register for the rooms, and the first visitor to place his name upon the record was William Jones, of Coburg, Canada, introduced by J. J. Slocum, on May 21, 1886. Mr. Follett moved that the chairman appoint three members to act as house committee, and that official named Messrs. Moulton, Lee and Pool, and said committee were instructed to complete the furnishing of the rooms and make the necessary purchases. The thanks of the Society, on motion of Gren- eral Swayne, were extended to Mrs. Hannah B. Strong for a handsome copy of the Bible. The Hon. R. B. Hayes was elected a non-resident member rather than an honorary member, at his own request. The first meeting of the Society in the rooms at No. 236 Fifth avenue was held on June 14, 1886. In the absence of the president, Vice-President W. L. Strong presided. General Henry L. Burnett, chairman of the governing com- mittee, reported that the expense of fitting up the rooms so far amounted to about $1,500. Mr. Howard, chairman of the committee on literature, history and art, off'ered the following resolution, which was adopted : " Resolved, That the committee on history and art be requested to assign to suitable members of this Society appropriate subjects relative to the history of Ohio, with a view * The " Ex " in this case means " extras." At the last moment it was discovered that the affair was likely to be " dry," and an order was given by those in charge that obviated that difficulty. 21 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to having biographical essays or historical papers prepared, to be read at each monthly meeting of the Society." Mr. Howard then read a paper relating to some of Ohio's most noted sons, and, on motion, the same was ordered to be printed. C. W. Moulton, on behalf of the house committee, stated that a considera- ble number of newspapers from the state of Ohio had been received for fiHng, and that a number of other publishers had expressed their willingness to send their papers soon. Mr. Pool, of the house committee, reported progress in fitting up the rooms. H. L. Burnett moved that an auditing committee, com- posed of three members, be appointed by the chair to examine the expenditures of the governing committee to this time. This was concurred in by Mr. Fogg, the treasurer, and the chair named John W. Harman, Warren Higley and Leander H. Crall as such committee. At the meeting of July 12th this committee made a report to the effect that they found everything in first-class shape, and took occasion to compli- ment Colonel Fogg, the treasurer, for tlie neat and handsome manner in which his accounts were kept, and for the ready manner in which his vouchers were produced. They characterized his books as a marvel of neatness, and his accounts as in every way intelHgible. Mr. Howard, from the committee on history and art, reported the follow- ing subjects as having been arranged for subsequent meetings, stating that he expected the reading of these papers would be begun by the August meeting ; " The First Settlement at Marietta," Mr. John Q. Mitchell. " The Second Settlement at Cincinnati," Judge Warren Higley. " The Administration of Governor Arthur St. Clair," Wilham Henry Smith. " Thomas Corwin," General Thomas Ewing. " The First Constitution of Ohio and Its Framers," General Henry L. Burnett. " The Second Constitution of Ohio and the Chief Men Who Made It," Algernon S. Sullivan. " Thomas Ewing and Hocking Hunter," General Wager Swayne. " The Character and Career of Hiram Powers," James H. Beard. " The Public Services of Salmon P. Chase," Whitelaw Reid. It was decided that w'hen the Society should adjourn at the close of this meeting, it should be until the second Monday in September. On motion, the president was authorized to extend the thanks of the Society to Mrs. Alice Ber- nard for a crayon portrait of Hon. John Sherman, and the house committee were instructed to have it framed. The first fall meeting of 1886 was held on September 13th, with Presi- 2^ OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK dent Ewing in the chair. J. Q. Mitchell read a very interesting paper entitled " The First Settlement at Marietta." The governing committee were instructed to have this paper, and also one offered by Mr. Howard, printed in a uniform style, and copies of these distributed to the members of the Society without delay. It was at this meeting that the custom of adopting resolutions in honor of deceased members seems to have been inaugurated.* The chair was instructed to appoint a committee of three to take action in regard to the decease of several members of the Society, and appointed J. W. Harman, Warren Higley and Cyrus Butler. The members who had died were William Hunter and J. Monroe Brown. The secretary was instructed to write to Judge Manning F. Force and General Jacob D. Cox, asking them to furnish the Society with papers on the Mound Builders. At the meeting of October 11th James H. Beard delivered an interesting address on Hiram Powers, replete with reminis- cences of art in Ohio in early days, and Mr. Kimball presented the Society with a history of Stark county. At the meeting of November 8th General Burnett, on behalf of the gov- erning committee, stated that preliminary steps had been taken by that com- mittee to arrange for the next annual banquet. Judge Warren Higley read a very interesting paper on " The Second Settlement of Ohio at Cincinnati." A vote of thanks was tendered, and the paper ordered printed, and that copies, together with those of previously printed papers, be sent to each member as well as to the representative newspapers of Ohio. Milton I. Southard offered the following resolution : " Resolved, That the committee on history and art be requested to examine into and determine upon the general character and quantity required of such papers as may be read and printed under the auspices of the Society, and then refer the matter to the governing committee for printing." It was adopted. A discussion then occurred concerning the election of officers for the en- suing year, and a nominating committee of seven were provided for by motion. On motion of General Burnett, the resolution ordering this committee was amended in that the nomination and terms of service of members for the gov- erning committee be also referred to the same committee, with power to act. The chairman named the following gentlemen as members of the nominating committee: P. B. Armstrong, Warren Higley, William Henry Smith, Cyrus Butler, William Ford Upson, J. Q. Howard, William H. Beard. * Appropriate action has been taken by the Society from time to time upon all its members who have passed away, and the resolutions and memorials appear in full in the minutes. It was thought wisest to refer here only to the action taken in exceptional &nd conspicuous cases. CHAPTER III 1886 THE first annual meeting of the Ohio Society of New York was held at the rooms on November 29, 1886. The reports of the various officers and committees were presented. They form a valuable summary of the work already accomplished. That of the governing committee was especially full of data and sugges- tions, and the most salient portions are here reproduced : " The by-laws require that the committee shall meet at least once a month, and provide that five members shall constitute a quorum, except during July, August and September, when three shall constitute a quorum. The committee held its first meeting January 16th and its last on November 17th, and during this eleven months held twenty meetings. The interest of a majority of the members of the committee in the welfare of the Society and an earnest desire to discharge with faithfulness and efficiency the duties which had been imposed upon them by the Society was at all times manifest. At the regular and at the called meetings there has usually been a good attendance. " The duties imposed upon the governing committee by the by-laws were {a) the admission of new members; (b) to control and manage the property of the Society and enforce obedience to its rules; (c) to make all expenditures and all contracts on behalf of the Society; and {d) generally to manage the affairs of the Society, and at regular meetings recommend such action by the Society as it may deem advisable. " Our present membership is as follows, viz. : Resident members, 229 ; non- resident members, 62; total, 291. " The governing committee, during the y^ear, has passed upon and elected two hundred and sixty-eight members ; the other twenty-three became members either by subscribing to the original constitution or by direct action of the Society. " The next step taken by the committee in managing the affairs of the Society was to secure attractive and commodious permanent rooms or head- quarters for the Society. After careful consideration of the subject and per- sonal examination of rooms in various localities by several members of the committee, the present rooms at 236 Fifth avenue were unanimously selected. On the 13th day of March, 1886, the president and secretary of the Society 24 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and the chairman of the governing committee, on behalf of the Society, entered into a written agreement with the Messrs. Everall to lease said rooms for the term of one year from May 1, 1886, for the sum of $2,250, and the right of renewal from year to year thereafter for five years at the yearly rental of $2,500. The committee feel assured that the lease is an excellent one in a financial point of view for the Societ}', and that the locality is most convenient and desirable. " A sub-committee of the governing committee was appointed to take charge of the repairs, changes and furnishing necessary to fit the rooms for occupancy. This was accomplished as rapidly as possible and on the 26th of May a card was issued to the members, notifying them that the rooms were then substantially in order and ready for the use of members. At the meeting held on said 26th of May a sub-committee of the governing committee, con- sisting of Moulton, Pool and Lee, were appointed a house committee, which should thereafter have special charge of the rooms and make such further purchases as were necessary to complete the furnishing of the rooms. The re- port of said committee through its chairman, Colonel Moulton, is hereto ap- pended and is commended as a very full and complete report of the work of the house committee in the performance of its duties. ■" The total cost of the furnishing and fitting of the rooms was $1,832.37. Of this sum about $500 was expended in construction of water-closets, wash- room, coat-room, ventilators and plumbing work, leaving about $1,300 as the total cost of furniture, carpets, draperies, etc. ; i.e., in furnishing proper. For more particular specification of the expenditures, reference is made to the annual report of the treasurer. " Of the 291 members elected, 229 were resident members and 62 non- resident ; 232 have paid both the initiation fee and annual dues and 262 have paid initiation fee. " The treasurer reports,on November 20, 1886, the total receipts. $5,755.00 " Of this sum there has been expended under the orders of the gov- erning committee, for construction and furnishing of rooms. . 1,832.37 " Printing, stationery, etc 652.65 " Rent, attendance and current petty expenses 1,976.45 " Total expenditures $4,461.47 " Leaving balance in hand of treasurer $1,293.53 " The committee estimate that it will require about $4,000 to meet the actual fixed expenses of the club for the coming year. For the Society to have an income of this amount there must be 225 certain paying members at $15 25 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK each, and at least 27 new members paying initiation fee and annual dues of $25, or the equivalent of tliis in resident and non-resident and new members. " The committee, by way of suggestion or recommendation, beg to say that in order to maintain the requisite membership a sustained interest in the monthly meetings and in the general purposes and objects of the Society must be manifested by the present members. First: There ought to be a greater attendance, a more frequent dropping in of the members to the rooms of the Society afternoons and evenings. It might be well for the Society or govern- ing committee to designate some special evening each week as Ohio Society night, w'hen it shall be understood that as many of the members as can possibly do so will visit the rooms. " No more attractive feature could possibly be added to the Society rooms than to fill them comfortably full with the cultivated, able and attractive men who constitute its membership. ' All place a temple ; all season summer ' where such men do congregate. " Then again, while the papers read at our monthly meetings are most interesting and instructive, are filled and weighty with great truths and his- toric facts, yet may they not be just a little depressing, from their very pon- derosity.'' Might it not be weU to lighten a httle the great load of historic facts, of robust reasoning and massive wisdom shoveled on to the average intellect on these occasions, by a little music — a sprightly duet or a stirring glee song? I doubt not we have the talent. Our committee on history, litera- ture and art might brighten the sombre tints of the evening by a choice recita- tion or reading. Why can we not have the presence of ladies at our monthly meetings or semi-monthly meetings ? Their presence would certainly bring into our rooms Matthew Arnold's vision of ' Sweetness and light.' It has also been suggested that by concerted arrangement members of the Society, or a large number, might meet once a week and dine together at INforelli's or some such place, after the manner of the Twilight Club. The dinner would be good and moderate in price — not more than a dollar each, without wine — and nothing would tend more to build up the fraternity of feeling, the good comradeship and personal attachments among members, which are the best foundations for Society existence. It might be well also, during the "winter, for the Society to invite some of our many eminent non-resident members to come here and give a pubhc lecture or lectures on some burning question of the hour. The ex- penses could be met by voluntary subscription, and the lectures being of a high standard, and given under the auspices of the Ohio Society, would give us a place in the Hterary and intellectual life of our city and time. These sugges- tions are thrown out for the thoughtful consideration of the Society. To continue to live as a Society we must be very much alive, and show that we are worthy to live. « Henry L. Burnett, Chairman Governing Committee." 26 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The following are extracts from the report of the house conunittee re- ferred to above : " Book cases are becoming necessary, but have not yet been provided. The supply of newspapers and periodicals is shown by schedule of superintendent, annexed hereto; dailies, 18; weeklies, 23 — ^total, 41. Of the above all are contributed. Since last May two hundred visitors have inscribed their names in a book kept for that purpose, and perhaps as many more called at the rooms but neglected to register. Ever since the rooms were opened the interest manifested by members of the Society has fully justified the expendi- ture incurred in leasing and furnishing these apartments. Your committee is gratified to be able to report that the property of the Society is in good order, and with the few additions added there wiU be no necessity for any con- siderable outlay for house furnishings during the coming year." The first annual report of the secretary, Homer Lee, was also replete with information. It will be recalled that at one of the meetings already re- ported a committee, of which Mr. Lee was a member, was appointed, with in- structions to prepare a history of the origin of the Society. He apparently took this occasion to present the information asked for. The report was as follows : " New York, November 29, 1886. " To the memhers of the Ohio Society of New York. Gentlemen : The secretary begs leave to submit the following sketch of the several attempts at the formation of societies composed of Ohio men and of the work of the Ohio Society of New York for the past year : " The first step of which any record can be found towards establisliing an Ohio Society was a call printed in the Boston papers on the 25th day of January, 1786, not quite one hundred and one years ago, when eleven dele- gates met at the Bunch of Grapes tavern in Boston and organized by electing General Rufus Putnam president and Winthrop Sargent secretary. This was undoubtedly the first Ohio Society. It was called the ' Ohio Company of Associates,' and was intended to promote emigration to Ohio and to develop that portion of the national domain, then a part of the state of Virginia. " The next step talcen was at the outbreak of the civil war, when there was formed in the parlors of one of Ohio's fair daughters residing on Murray Hill, in this city, a society composed mainly of Ohio ladies and gentlemen, which held weekly meetings, and which was afterwards known throughout the land as the Sanitary Fair. " The object was to send supplies, clothing, medicines, etc., to the soldiers at the front. A handsome silk and satin banner was made at a cost of some $500, upon which was a beautifully embroidered coat of arms of the state of Ohio, to be presented to the bravest Ohio regiment. As might have been expected, there was much rivalry for the possession of this prize, as glowing 27 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK descriptions of the beautiful souvenir were given by the newspapers at that time. The commanding officers were appealed to, but could not be prevailed upon to decide the question, because, as one officer put it, * It could not easily be decided which was the bravest where aU the regiments by their valor and heroism had covered themselves with glory.' At the close of the war the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of Cleveland, secured the prize. This, how- ever, was not carried further, but several members of our Society were among the number, as follows : William L. Strong, Augustus D. Juilliard, Theron R. Butler, Albert W. Green, Thomas Reed, A. Jennings, D. M. Porter, Samuel Hawk, Frank Work, Clinton Work, Joel Reed. " The Ohio Soldiers' Aid Society was formed about the same time at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, of which Theron R. Butler was elected president and John R. Cecil treasurer. Committees were appointed to assist all the sick and wounded soldiers belonging to Ohio regiments, from the army of the Potomac, that could be found in the hospitals of New York and vicinity. Hundreds of disabled men were sent home, transportation free. Over $15,000 were ex- pended in this good work. " About twenty privates, belonging to a Dayton regiment, were found in a Jewish hospital uptown, who, true to their Ohio instinct, longed for pork, which was rather difficult to get at that place, but those in charge, recognizing their wishes, informed Colonel Strong, chairman of the disbursing committee, and the result was a splendid feast of Cincinnati pork sent up from Del- monico's in baskets, which was much enjoyed. " Upon the occasion of the funeral of the late Honorable Salmon P. Chase, in 1877, the subject again came up and was warmly discussed by a large number of Ohioans who were residents of New York at that time, but no decisive steps were taken. Several of the gentlemen who were the most active are also members of the Ohio Society. Among them were Henry L. Burnett, Whitelaw Reid, S. S. Cox, A. S. SuUivan and others. " Some of the younger Ohioans in New York again endeavored to form an Ohio Society in the winter of 1874. Several meetings were held at the Hotel St. Germain, Broadway and Twenty-second street, where they endeav- ored to put the Buckeye Club on its feet.- This, also, was but a glimmer. Several of these are likewise among the present members of the Society, viz. : William M. HofFer, Giles N. Howlett, Henry C. Ehlers, Homer Lee. *' Still another and last attempt was the one out of which the present Society sprang. It was rewarded with better success, however, for when a paper was circulated in this city, about a year ago, to see whether a dozen Buckeyes could be united on this matter it was found that over thirty re- sponded, and with such spirit and enthusiasm that there was no longer any doubt that the time had at last arrived for organization." S8 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mr. Lee's report tlien reproduced the call, already given, and followed with a brief recital of the facts as given in the record preceding this. After the presentation of reports the chair announced that the election of officers and of a governing committee for the ensuing year was in order, and the following gentlemen were elected: President, Thomas Ewing; vice-presi- dents, Whitelaw Reid, Wager Swayne, A. S. SuUivan, WiUiam L. Strong, WilHam Henry Smith; secretary. Homer Lee; recording secretary, John Q. Mitchell; treasurer, William Perry Fogg; governing committee, three years, Henry L. Burnett, Andrew J. C. Foye, George FoUett; two years, jfoseph Pool, John Dickson, William H. Eckert; one year, Charles W. Moulton, S. B. Elkins, J. J. Slocum. It was ordered that the committee on entertainment and the history and art committee be increased from seven to nine members. On December 6, 1886, a special meeting of the Society was held for the discussion of the question, " On what date was Ohio admitted as a state into the Federal Union ? " Letters were read from General Ewing and William Henry Smith, regretting their inability to be present and to participate in the dis- cussion. Mr. Smith's letter contained a concise argument upon the question under discussion. At a meeting of the governing committee, held on December 13th, General Henry L. Burnett was elected chairman and J. Q. Mitchell secretary for the coming year. At a meeting of the Society on the same date those present were entertained by an interesting and instructive paper by William Henry Smith upon the life and public services of Jeremiah Morrow, once governor of Ohio. It seems appropriate at this point, the close of 1886, to speak with some detail of the first manual or year-book of the Society. It was a small paper- covered pamphlet, about 6 by 4% inches in size, containing twenty-eight pages, exclusive of the cover. The title page was as follows : CONSTITUTION, BY-LAWS, OFFICERS AND MEIMBERS OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 1886 First Edition Rooms of the Society : 236 Fifth Avenue, New York 29 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The contents comprised a list of the officers of the Society at that time; announcement as to the location at No. 236 Fifth avenue ; the constitution and by-laws ; the list of names which are found below ; and the remarks of General Thomas Ewing upon his election as president of the Ohio Society of New York at its meeting on January 13, 1886, which remarks are found elsewhere in connection with the report of that meeting. The list of membership at the time of pubHcation is herewith given: LIST OF MEMBERS TO APRIL, 1886, WITH DATES OF THEIR ELECTION. Resident Members. Abbey, Henry E., Dec. 30, 1885 Bryant, Stanley A., April 5, 1886 Allen, Theo. F., Dec. 15, 1885 Buckingham, G., Dec. 30, 1885 Andrews, W. C, Dec. 12, 1885 Burnett, Henry L., Dec. 15, 1885 Applegate, Chas. H., Dec. 14, 1885 Busbey, Hamilton, March 16, 1886 Armstrong, Geo. E., Dec. 12, 1885 Butler, Cyrus, Dec. 12, 1885 Armstrong, P* B., April 5, 1886 Butler, Richard, Feb. 12, 1886 Ashley, James M., March 16, 1886 Cassiday, C. P., Feb. 12, 1886 Bartlett, Geo. S., April 5, 1886 Chance, Mahlon, Dec. 14, 1885 Beard, D. C, Feb. 12, 1886 Chandler, J. M., Dec. 12, 1885 Beard, Harry, Dec. 15, 1885 Clark, Heman, Dec. 30, 1885 Beard, James C, Feb. 12, 1886 Comly, G. S., Jan. 15, 1886 Beard, J. H., Dec. 15, 1885 Convers, E. B., Feb. 12, 1886 Beard, T. Frank, Feb. 12, 1886 Corwine, Quinton, Dec. 29, 1885 Beard, W. H., Dec. 12, 1885 Crall, L. H., Dec. 12, 1885 Beasley, A. W., Feb. 12, 1886 Delamater, Jehiel, Dec. 26, 1885 Beckwith, N. Mahlon. , Feb. 12, 1886 Dickson, John, April 5, 1886 Beebe, A. 0., Jan. 4, 1886 Donaldson, Andrew, Feb. 12, 1886 Belt, Washington, Dec. 18, 1885 Doren, D., March 8, 1886 Bidwell, Fredric H., April 5, 1886 Doyle, G«orge, April 5, 1886 Bonnet, Jacob N., Feb. 12, 1886 Eckert, Thos. T., Jan. 22, 1886 Bostwick, J. A., April 5, 1886 Eckert, T. T., Jr., Jan. 22, 1886 Brainard, Frank, Feb. 12, 1886 Eckert, Wm. H., Jan. 12, 1886 Brainard, W. H., Feb. 12, 1886 Edgerton, David M., Dec. 12, 1885 Brewster, S. D., Dec. 21, 1885 Edwards, J. M., Dec. 21, 1885 Brice, Calvin S., Dec. 18, 1885 Elkins, Stephen B., Dec. 12, 1886 Brown, J. Munroe, Dec. 20, 1885 Ellis, John W., Jan. 4, 1886 Brown, Walston H., Jan. 15, 1886 Emerson, N. W., Feb. 12, 1886 Brown, W. L., Dec. 31, 1885 Enos, H. K., Jan. 22, 1886 Bruch, Charles P., March 16, 1886 Ewing, Thomas, Dec. 14, 1885 Brundrett, H. B., Feb. 12, 1886 Fleischmann, Max, Dec. 22, 1885 30 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Fogg, Wm. Perry, Follett, Austin W., Follett, George, Foye, A. J. C, Foye, Frank M., French, Hamlin Q., Funk, Isaac K., GiUette, M. G., GiUett, Benjamin W., Gillett, Francis M., Gillett, Jerome D., Gillett, Morillo H., Glassford, Henry A., Goddard, Calvin, Gorham, A. S., Granger, John T., Green, Albert W., Green, Edwin M., Grojean, J. H., Hain, Isaiah, Hall, Philander D., Hammond, D. S., Hanford, R. G., Hanover, M. D., Harbaugh, David F., Harman, George V., Harman, Granville W Harman, John W., Hawk, William S., Heaton, William W., Hewson, J. H., Hibben, J. H., Higley, Warren, Hine, C. C, Hoffer, William M., Hopkins, L. C, Howard, James Q., Howlett, Giles N., Hoyt, Colgate, * Deceased. Dec. 10, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 22, 1885 April 5, 1886 Dec. 22, 1885 April 5, 1886 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 March 8, 1886 Dec. 14, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Jan. 12, 1886 April 5, 1886 March 16, 1886 Dec. 18, 1885 April 5, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Dec. 10, 1885 Dec. 16, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 ., Dec. 15, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 21, 1885 Jan. 15, 1886 Dec. 26, 1885 March 16, 1886 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 15, 1885 April 5, 1886 Dec. 14, 1885 Dec. 20, 1885 Jan. 4, 1886 *Hunter, William, Hunt, John L. N., Jennings, P. S., Jewett, Hugh J., Jewett, W. K., Juilliard, A. D., Kimball, R. C, King, Thomas S., Knisely, WilUam, Lahm, Frank M., Lake, Carson, Lauer, E., Lawson, D. T., Leavitt, John B., Lee, Homer, Lee, W. D., Lloyd, William S., Mayo, Wallace McCook, Anson G., McCracken, W. V., McFadden, F. T., McFall, Gaylord, McGill, George W., McGufFey, Edward M. Miller, Gus M., Miller, J. W., Mitchell, John Q., Monett, Henry, Moore, Cary W., Moore, Lycurgus B., Morse, Theodore G., Moss, J. O., Moulton, Charles W., Moulton, Sherman, Munson, William S., Newberry, J. S., Newton, Ensign, Nichol, Thomas M., Oberholser,- Jacob, Dec. 21, 1885 Dec. 22, 1886 Dec. 20, 1885 Dec. 13, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Jan. 5, 1886 Dec. 20, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Dec. 15, 1885 Dec. 11, 1885 April 5, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Dec. 10, 1885 April 5, 1886 Dec. 20, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Jan. 4, 1886 Dec. 14, 1885 Feb. 12, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 April 17, 1886 , April 5, 1886 Dec. 15, 1885 April 5, 1886 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Jan. 15, 1886 Feb. 25, 1886 March 8, 1886 Jan. 5, 1886 Dec. 10, 1885 Dec. 16, 1885 Feb. 12, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Jan. 5, 1886 March 8, 1886 Jan. 4, 1886 31 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Oldham, J. L., Palmer, Lowell M., Parker, James, Peet, W. C, Peters, Bernard, Philipp, M. B., Pierson, Frank H., Peixotto, B. F., Pool, Harwood R., Pool, Joseph, Post, Charles A., Prentiss, Frederick C. Prentiss, Frederick J. Reid, Whitelaw, RickofF, A. J., Ricksecker, Theo., Rodarmor, John F., Root, E. W., Sadler, J. F., SafFord, W. M., Sayler, Milton, Schooley, John C, Schwan, Louis M., Scott, George, Shillito, Wallace, ShoppeU, R. W., Shotwell, Theodore, Shotwell, William W. March 16, 1886 Dec. 26, 1885 Feb. 12, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Dec. 14, 1885 Jan. 20, 1886 April 5, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 Dec. 23, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Jan. 10, 1886 , Feb. 12, 1886 , Feb. 12, 1886 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 28, 1885 Dec. 15, 1885 April 5, 1886 Jan. 5, 1886 Jan. 10, 1886 Dec. 16, 1885 Dec. 31, 1885 March 16, 1886 Dec. 18, 1885 March 8, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 March 16, 1886 Dec. 21, 1885 , Dec. 21, 1885 Slocimi, J. J., Smith, John A., Smith, William H., Southard, Milton L, Sprague, Charles, Stout, John W., Strong, William L., Struble, I. J., Sullivan, Algernon S Swayne, Wager, Terrell, H. L., Thomas, Samuel, Thyng, Charles H., TibdaU, W. L., Tunison, Joseph S., Upson, WiUiam Ford Vaillant, George H., Waggoner, Ralph H. Ward, J. Q. A., Wells, Joseph, Wheeler, E. J., Whitehead, John, Wing, Charles T., Wing, Frank E., Worstell, G. W., Worthington, J. W., Wright, M. B., Wylie, David G., Dec. 12, 1885 Jan. 10, 1886 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Dec. 24, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Jan. 10, 1886 , Dec. 15, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 18, 1885 Dec. 31, 1885 Dec. 20, 1885 March 16, 1886 Dec. 22, 1885 Dec. 14, 1885 Dec. 21, 1885 Mar. 16, 1886 Dec. 22, 1885 April 5, 1886 Feb. 12, 1886 March 8, 1886 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 12, 1885 Dec. 30, 1885 Feb. 12, 1886 April 5, 1886 Jan. 15, 1886 Elected April 28, 1886. Atkinson, W. H., Buckingham, C. L., Critten, T. D., DeWitt, Henry R., Fairbanks, Chas. W., Fawcett, J. C, Griffith, G. F., Howell, William D., April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 Kidd, George W., Loveland, F. C, Morgan, Henry M. Pritchard, Daniel, Seigfried, A. H., Townsend, Amos, Work, Frank, April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 April 28, 1886 32 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Non-Resident Members. Allison, William B., March 16, 1886 Long, J. A., April 5, 1886 Washington, D. C. Akron, O. Arms, CD., April 17, 1886 Loud, Enos B., March 16, 1886 Youngstown, O. Paris, France. Barber, A. L., April 5, 1886 Matthews, Stanley, April 5, 1886 Washington, D. C. Washington, D. C. Beardslee, John B., April 15, 1886 McBride, John H., April 17, 1886 Mt. Vernon, O. Cleveland, O. Card, Henry P., April 5, 1886 Means, WOliam, April 5, 1886 Cleveland, O. Cincinnati, O. Cooper, Wilham C, Payne, Henry B., April 5, 1886 Mt. Vernon, O. Washington, D. C. Dale,T.D., April 17, 1886 Plumb, P. B., March 16, 1886 Marietta, O. Washington, D. C. Dawes, E.C., April 15, 1886 Powell, J. H., March 16, 1886 Cincinnati, O. Urbana, O. Dayton, L.M., April 17, 1886 Reinmund, H. J., April 5, 1886 Cincinnati, O. Lancaster, O. Ford, George, April 17, 1886 Robison, David, Jr., March 16, 1886 Youngstown, O. Toledo, O. Foster, Charles, April 5, 1886 Sherman, John, April 5, 1886 Fostoria, O. Washington, D. C. Geddes, George W., March 16, 1886 Sterl, O. W., April 5, 1886 Washington, D. C. Rutland, Vt. Goodrich, B. F., April 5, 1886 Upson, William H., April 5, 1886 Akron, O. Akron, O. Hale, Harvey W., April 5, 1886 Van Tine, H. C, March 16, 1886 Wilmington, O. Baltimore, Md. Hanna, Marcus A. March 16, 1886 Waite, Morrison R., April 5, 1886 Cleveland, O. Washington, D. C. Jones, John P., March 16, 1886 Wick, Caleb B., April 17, 1886 Washington, D. C. Youngstown, O. Kimball, William C, April 17, 1886 Wick, Henry K., April 5, 1886 Tiffin, O. Youngstown, O. 3S CHAPTER IV 1887 THE first official action of 1887 was taken on January 4th, at a meeting of the governing committee, when the chairman appointed a house com- mittee, consisting of Messrs. Moulton, Lee and Slocum, to serve the en- suing year. Colonel Fogg, acting with the house committee, was directed to prepare and cause to be printed a circular letter in the form of an application for non-resident membership, to be widely distributed among those eligible for such membership. The house committee was instructed to prepare and have printed cards of invitation to visitors. The secretary was directed to cause to be kept in the rooms a bulletin of the arrivals in the city of Ohio people. The first meeting of the Society for 1887 was held on January 10th. Attorney-General Kohler favored the gathering with remarks upon the pres- ent prosperity and prospects of the state of Ohio. On motion of Mr. Butler, the Society voted to hold a ladies' reception on the evening of January 31st, and a special committee was appointed to arrange for the same, consisting of Messrs. Butler, Burnett and Upson. There was a gratifying attendance of members of the fairer sex on the occasion named. One of the features of the entertainment provided was an original poem of ten stanzas, dedicated to " The Boys of the Ohio Society of New York," by its author. Prof. J. C. Zachos. The tone and tenor may be judged from the opening and concluding stanzas, which were as follows : " I greet you all, Ohio Boys, Reminders of my youthful joys, When games, and school, and college toys Filled up the fresh, young hfe: I take your hand in friendship's grasp, For cordial love and faithful clasp, In manhood's noble strife. " And thus we give the manly grasp. Unselfish, in our friendship's clasp. Where faith and love we find ; We'll take each other by the hand, Ohio's sons — fraternal band — Where'er we find them in the land, And love them for their kind." 34 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " The Buckeye Tree " was another original poem prepared for the occa- sion, and was read by its author, Cyrus Butler. Of the seven decidedly unique stanzas, the first three are reproduced: " A wonderful plant is the Buckeye Tree — In O-hi-o, in 0-hi-o ! " A decidedly deciduous tree, Umbrageous to a prodigious degree — ^In O-hi-o, in O-hi-o! " An exogenous, horse-chestnutty tree, That grows and that blooms spontaneouslee, As the botanist all over can see — In O-hi-o, in O-hi-o." " Pandora's Message," a third poem, accompanied by the presentation of " gifts," " amulets " and " blessings," completed the entertainment of the evening. The question was taken up in the meeting of February 14th as to the character of the annual banquet of 1887, and on motion of Judge Higley the matter was referred to a committee of arrangements, with instructions to select a date as soon after the close of the Lenten season as practicable, con- sisting of the following named gentlemen: Samuel Thomas, C. W. Moulton, J. A. Bostwick, A. W. Green, Joseph Pool, A. J. C Foye, Homer Lee, W. L. Strong, Judge Higley, General Ewing and General Burnett. Col. C. W. Moulton, on behalf of the artist, Miss Marion Foster, pre- sented to the Society a crayon portrait of Gen. Tliomas Ewing, and Colonel Fogg was directed to extend to the donor the warm thanks of the Society for her gift, and assurances of its grateful acceptance, and also to have the picture suitably framed. The Society was favored with an instructive historical address by Gen- eral Eaton, of Marietta College, and a very interesting speech by Col. A. L. Conger. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Chance, Peixotto and Upson, was appointed to procure for the Society portraits of some of Ohio's eminent men. T!he question of providing for the Society a memorial album, and the portraits and autographs of its members, was referred to the art committee. A committee, consisting of Judge Higley, R. Harwood Pool, Carson Lake, Homer Lee and John Q. Mitchell, was appointed to make the necessary ar- rangements for a second ladies' reception, to be held on the last Monday evening in February. The gentlemen entrusted with this pleasant task set themselves to work immediately, and succeeded in securing the consent of the following named ladies to act as a reception committee: Mrs. C. W. Moulton, Mjrs. Joseph Pool, Mrs. J. Q. Howard, Mrs. W. L. Strong, Mrs. A. J. C. Foye, Mrs. M. I. 35 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Southard. A notice was sent to the members notifying them that the evening of February 28th had been set aside for the gathering, and adding : " The success of the first Ladies' Night gives confidence in the success of those to follow; and the committee takes pleasure in announcing that arrangements have been made for the next one, which promises many good things. Tickets, admitting gentleman and two ladies, are one dollar each. Your presence is respectfully requested." A further announcement was made that among the distinguished Ohioans who had kindly consented to contribute to the pleasure of the evening were: Mme. Eugenie de Roode, the pianist ; Mrs. Ehza Archard Connor, of the Am. Press Association; Mrs. Harriet Webb, the elocutionist; Mr. Wilbur Gunn, Miss Belle Cole, and Mrs. Marion Wilcox. Also that the following artists would contribute paintings: Albert Bierstadt, Edgar M. Ward, G. D. M. Peixotto, J. O. Davidson, J. H. Beard, S. J. Guy, Miss Belle Smith, and others. The following were among the invited guests: Gen. and Mrs. W. T. Sherman and Miss Sherman, Hon. Geo. H. Pendleton, Mrs. Lucretia R. Gar- field and family, ex-Gov. and Mrs. Hoadly, Col. and Mrs. C. O. Rockwell, Col. and Mrs. Fred D. Grant, Hon. John W. Bookwalter, Hon. Howard Douglas. A collation was to be served by MoreUi. The anticipations of the committee in charge seem to have been fully realized. In an account of their stewardship, rendered to the Society under date of March 14th, they say: " The number present was estimated at two hundred and fifty, which the committee deemed quite satisfactory in view of the fact that the Lenten season was in full force, and the first Ladies' Night had occurred but a month before. " The committee was especially fortunate in securing the hearty con- tributions of song, of music, of recitation, of address, from the following well-known artistes, whose rendition of their several numbers elicited the highest commendation of those present: Mr. Wilbur Gunn, Mrs. Harriet Webb, Mme. Eugenie de Roode, Marion Wilcox and Eliza Archard Connor. " Excellent works of art were kindly loaned by George D. M. Peixotto, S. J. Guy, Homer Lee, Cyrus Butler, Carson Lake, J. H. Beard, Rev. Jared B. Flagg, Richard Butler, W. H. Beard and Isabella Smith, and were artisti- cally hung under the kind supervision of Mr. Cyrus Butler." All bills were reported paid and a small surplus left in the hands of the committee. The programme of the evening, and the list of pictures on ex- hibition, were as follows: 36 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 1. Tenor Solo, 2. Reading, 3. Piano Solo, 4. SoPEANO Solo, 5. Address, 6. Duet, PROGRAMME. " Tell Her I Love Her So." Wilbur Gunn The Women of Mumbleshead." Mrs. Harriet Webb " Grande Polonaise." Mme. Eugenie de Roode "La Fiorga." Marion Wilcox " The Ohio Woman." Eliza Archard Connor " A Night in Venice." Marion Wilcox, Wilbur Gunn DeFaye Clement Scott F. Liszt Bevignani Arditi ARTIST. George D. M. Peixotto, do S. J. Guy, J. O. Davidson, Magnus Von Bagge, do Albert Bierstadt, C. E. Proctor, J. H. Beard, W. H. Beard, A. F. Tait, George H. Hall, W, H. Beard, Isabella Smith, do do CATALOGUE. SUBJECT. LOANED BY " Portrait," " Alice in Wonderland," A Study " Open Your Mouth and Shut Your Eyes," " Constitution and Guerrier," Homer Lee. " Midnight Moon, Norwegian ^ ^ -p ,, -r^ . n .« v^yrus Jtiutler. Fjord," -^ Artist, do do " Romsdal Valley, Nonvay," do " Green Mountains," Carson Lake. " Old Tokay," do " Queer, Ain't It.? " Artist. " Ideal Head," Rev. Jared B. ] " Misplaced Confidence," Richard Butler. " Adirondack Deer," do " Study of Grapes," do " The Inquest," Artist. " Faded Beauty," do "Portrait:— Lady," do " Portrait:— Gentleman," do 37 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK At a meeting of the governing committee, held on March 10th, the resolution that follows was adopted : "Whereas, a number of editors in the state of Ohio have very kindly and generously furnished their papers to be placed on file in the rooms of the Society for the use of its members, be it therefore, "Resolved, That in recognition of their courtesy and generosity, the secretary of tliis committee be instructed to notify the gentlemen thus con- tributing their papers, that all the privileges of non-resident membership in this Society are hereby extended to them, and that copies of all notices of meetings and publications of the Society in future be sent to their addresses." It was ordered that the house committee should be increased from three members to five. Andrew J. C. Foye and John Dickson were selected as the two additional members. The March meeting of the Society was held on the 14!th. General Burnett, chairman of the governing committee, recommended the renewal for one year of the lease under which the Society occupied its present quar- ters. The chairman of the annual banquet committee reported that April 21st had been selected as the most suitable date for the banquet, and that the committee had decided to invite the ladies. The Society was favored by ex-Gov. George Hoadly in a brief speech. Mr. Chance, chairman, read a report from the special committee ap- pointed to procure for the Society portraits of Ohio's distinguished men. The report was accepted and the committee continued. The document pre- sented was as follows: " The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Society, to obtain the portraits of eminent and distinguished sons of Ohio, for this Society, beg leave to submit the following: As the rooms of this Society are limited, the space would not accommodate a tithe of those deserving to adorn our walls ; and for this reason, if for no other, there must be some discrimination in their selection. Representative men should be chosen, and we do not feel like taking this responsibility without conference and the concurrence of the Society. We would suggest that the first efforts should be made to secure the portraits of those men who have achieved a national reputation and a world-wide fame, whose names are household words throughout the length and breadth of the land. List of names: " 1. The four presidents of the United States, Wm. Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield. " 2. General Sherman, General Sheridan, General James B. McPherson. " 3. Chief Justices Salmon P. Chase and Morrison R. Waite, Associate Justices John McLean and Noah H. Swayne. " 4. Edwin M. Stanton. 38 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " 5. Vice-President Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. Wade, Thomas Ewing, Thomas Corwin, John Sherman and Allen G. Thurman. " 6. The Governors of the state of Ohio and ex-Governors of the state. " The Presidents of the Ohio Society of New York. " There will be many difficulties and delays in securing these portraits, and we have no doubt by the time this list is placed the Ohio Society will have grown to such magnificent proportions and enlarged its facilities that we can take care of many more than these named. " There is a long line of senators, representatives, soldiers and jurists, eminent sculptors, poets, divines, scholars and writers that we should honor: but it would be impossible to put upon our walls the portraits of the smallest proportion of those we could obtain, and in the invitations or withholding invitation to gentlemen equally distinguished in service there might arise a feeling of unjust discrimination. There are man}'^ who might not contribute, but there are certain things, like custom, more honored in the breach than in the observance, and in this care should be taken not to offend sensibilities or prejudice the Society. " The committee desire to say that in the selection of portraits a reason- able degree of uniformity as to size and so forth should be indicated to the donors. " Respectfully submitted, " Mahlon Chance, " Wm. Ford Upson, " Committee.'" On motion of Judge Higley, George D. M. Peixotto was authorized to paint for the Society a portrait of Chief Justice Waite. The session of April 11th was enlivened by a notice from Colonel Moulton, on behalf of the governing committee, that an amendment to the by-laws would be offered at the next meeting, forbidding any reception committee of the Society from expending more than the receipts. A present of the statutes of Ohio, from the beginning of its organization to the year 1852, and a copy of the code of 1853, was received from John M. Giiiteau, Esq., and a vote of thanks was extended to the donor. A loan, for an indefinite period, of an oil portrait of Thomas Ewing was received from Colonel and Mrs. Moulton, which was accepted by the president, Gen. Thomas Ewing, in behalf of the Society, in a brief speech, giving an interesting history of the picture and attesting its value as a portrait. The following resolution was unanimously adopted : " Resolved, That the Ohio Society of New York hereby expresses to Mrs. Col. C. W. Moulton its high sense of appreciation for the loan of the original 39 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK portrait of the Hon. Thomas Ewing, whose illustrious services in the councils of the state and nation have made his memory dear to every American heart; and, ** Resolved^, That the Society will safely guard this portrait, in trust, and while hoping that the trust may be made perpetual, will surrender it to Mrs. Col. Moulton whenever that gracious lady shall request its return." The second annual festal gathering of the Society was held on the even- ing of Thursday, April 21st, 1887. The committee of arrangements having the matter in charge consisted of the following gentlemen : Henry L. Burnett, Thomas Ewing, William L. Strong, Warren Higley, Samuel Thomas, J. A. Bostwick, C. W. Moulton, Homer Lee, Albert W. Green, Joseph Pool, Andrew J. C. Foye. They were assisted by the following ladies: Mesdames Thomas Ewing, George Hoadly, William L. Strong, Henry L. Burnett, Algernon S. Sullivan, Anson G. McCook, Samuel Thomas, Wallace C. Andrews, Calvin S. Brice, Stephen B. Elkins, Joseph Pool and Miss Green. The affair was a success in the widest acceptance of the term. This was vouched for publicly in one of the leading newspapers of the succeeding morning,"* which said : " The Ohio Society of New York celebrated its first anniversary at Delmonico's about a year ago, with a highly successful dinner. This year the members gallantly determined to give their wives, daughters and sweethearts a share in the festivities. So the dinner, with its set speeches, was given up and a reception, ball and supper substituted. Gen. Thomas Ewing made a speech of welcome, standing on a little platform in the ball- room, amid the patronesses and chaperons, while the younger people waited for the mbusic and the forming of the first quadrille. But beyond that everything was an easy, pleasant come-and-go, with hand-shakings and talk in the re- ception rooms, lounging or walking in the corridors, and short, varied dances in the big ball-room. Supper was served in one of the small dining-rooms soon after midnight. There was no regular cotillon." The ball-room was gaily decorated with plants and flowers. Bunches of red or white roses hung in the spaces on the walls between the mirrors, and in each comer was a mass of palms, through which pushed the top branches of a buckeye tree just about to bud. The music gallery was trimmed in wreaths, and there were festoons of flowers from window to window on the north and south ends of the room. The buckcj^e tree had been sent on for the reception by^ the citizens of Findlay, Ohio. There was a card tied about a stem of the tree on which a long and, perhaps, jocose dedication was written. The tree, it was said, had come from good buckeye soil, for 1,100 feet beneath the surface where the * New York Tribune, April 22, 188T. 40 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK horse chestnuts grew, an inexhaustible supply of high pressure natural gas was met with. The first guests began to arrive at about half-past eight o'clock, and the reception proper lasted until nearly ten. President Thomas Ewing and ]Mrs. Algernon Sullivan led the march out into the ball-room. Lander's orchestra played a lively air while the big pro- cession made a turn or two, and as the seats about the hall began to fill and the crowd from the outside pushed in on the smooth floor. General Ewing stepped out a little from the corner, where the reception committee had its quarters under the buckeye tree, to give a brief speech of welcome. He talked rather than spoke, in fact, turning his sentences off lightly and familiarly. This is what he said: " Ladies and Gentlemen : In the name of the Ohio Society of New York I cordially bid you welcome to its second annual reunion. It celebrated its first by a dinner at Delmonico's nearly a year ago, when its career had as yet scarcely begun. We then went through the round of champagne and oratory common to men's societies in New York. The speaking was, in our opinion, especially excellent — almost every orator being a candidate for the presidency, and doing his level best. " To-night we intend to steer clear of politics and break all precedents by having a banquet and ball and a good social time with our wives and daughters. We can aff'ord to be peculiar. We did not organize this Society after an Eastern pattern. We are not perishing to be considered ' in good foiTDi,' but we are willing to be a little odd if we can have a pleasanter re- union by it. As for the oratory, in view of our acknowledged success of last year, we will forego it at this reunion, if only to give the New England Society a chance to catch up. " A year ago last January our Society was founded. It began with one hundred and fifteen members and now has four hundred. Its two informal social receptions, which were graced by the presence of many of the wives and daughters of our members, served to strengthen interest in it and add largely to its membership. Our rooms are becoming small for our numbers, and the time is not distant when we shall need more commodious quarters. It requires but a continuance of the interest heretofore shown to insure the per- manent foundation of the Society in a building of its own, supported by a membership of double our present number. " While I have the pleasure of looking into the bright and beautiful faces of the ladies before me, I wish to ask them for their help in building up the Society. We have to thank some of them for valued contributions to our rooms already made, and others for contributions promised. Any gifts or loans of portraits of eminent Ohio men or women, books of history, biog- 41 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK raphy, or general literature, especially if connected in any manner with our state, will be welcomed. We are founding a library in which is already col- lected more of the history of Ohio than can be seen in most of the great libraries of the East. Send us books — our shelf-room is ample and wiU be enlarged to keep up with the contributions. We are also having historical and biographical papers prepared by members and read before the Society, some of which have been published. We would be most happy to have sketches of the lives of memorable Ohio women, read to us in person or by proxy, by any who may find it convenient and agi'eeable to do such work. " The glory of the state is due to the virtues and talents of her women, equally with her men. Great men generally have mothers of great character, who are themselves born of great men of the preceding generation. Many of the daughters of the foremost leaders of the Revolution were mothers of heroes of the Civil War. Nature thus distributes high qualities between the sexes, turn about, and with an even hand. To preserve and transmit the en- vironments, the achievements and the characteristics of the men and women who have placed Ohio in the front rank of states, and to do all that can best be done in fostering a just pride in her and a friendly intercourse among her absent children, are among the objects of our Society, and surely it is as appropriate to look for help to the daughters as to the sons of Oliio. " This is an era of innovation in all things. I tliink no Hne of inno- vation more desirable to pursue than in bringing together men and women of character and culture, in social reunions founded on common sympathies, rather than on the accidents which establish the circles of modern society. Of course, a good-hearted, refined and intelligent woman is always charming, no matter whether she come from Europe or America, Ohio or New York. But if she comes from Ohio and knows of its history, its pubHc characters, or its social Hfe, I confess that I hke to meet her all the better, for then we have a hundred ties in common, and are friends from the outset. We rush away every summer, and often in winter, by a sort of imperative impulse, largely to get out of the ruts of our social sets, and we breathe freer for meeting new people and touching elbows with mankind. Our views and sympathies ex- pand and we come back to our little circle and feel cramped as we settle down in it. When I attend a meeting of the Oliio Society, and talk with the men coming from all parts of the state, talk of their counties and towns, their social life, their pohtics, their industries, and the people past and present associated with them, I come away feeling as if I had made a leisurely visit around Ohio; for, after all, its men and women are the state, while its scenery is only associated with their lives and actions. " Ohio had an early history of peculiar trial and hardship, and out of them came its greatness. It was settled by poor men and women, stripped by 42 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the long war of the Revolution of all their possessions, except hope and courage. They braved perils of savage men and beasts rarely known in the settlement of other states. In my youth I often heard from the now silent lips of women of that era, from the accomplished and charming Mrs. General Goddard, of Zanesville; Mrs. King, of Lancaster; Mrs. Morgan, of Cham- paign county, and from my father's sisters, tales of heroism of Oliio women, which seemed to me loftier and finer than any of the published tales of the frontier. I have a recent letter from a kinswoman in Westfield, N. J., tell- ing me of a visit made to Cumberland count}'^, in that state, in the year 1789, by a lady from the Northwest Territory, who came here to see her parents and relatives. Slie was the wife of a soldier of the Revolution who had emigrated to the far West after the war was ended. She had made the long journey from the Ohio, over river and mountain, by flood and fell, through an almost trackless wilderness, on horseback, alone, carrying a boy baby in her arms. I know you will pardon me the vanity of saying that that lady was my grand- mother and the baby my father. " There are hundreds of like instances of dauntless love among the women who early settled the Northwest, wliich are worthy to become historic. Must the memory of their high virtues perish because displayed only by women and in the wilderness.? And can we not find among us women's pens and tongues to revive and tell these stories of love and patriotism to our Society, and through it to the world? " Come, then, Ohio women of New York, meet Ohio men in these re- unions and help us to lay broad and deep the foundations of this Society, which will cultivate fellowship among Ohio's sons and daughters here, and keep alive the memory of all that has made our state worthy of the love and pride of her children. " And now, after the welcome and exhortation, which I am sure you will applaud me for stopping, let the dance and banquet begin." There was a round of warm applause as General Ewing closed. Tlien the band stinick up a quadrille air from " Erminie " and the floor was soon filled with dancers. General Sherman came in late from the Twelfth regi- ment reception, but quickly got into the dances. There were sixteen of these on the programme, carrying the gayeties far through the supper and be- yond into the morning. The statement was made at the meeting of May 11th, by General Bur- nett, chairman of the banquet committee, that the reception of the Society was a pleasant success ; that the receipts of the committee from tlie sale of tickets were $972, and that the total expense was $1,139, an excess of $167 over the receipts. On motion of Colonel Strong, a committee consisting of General Ewing, 43 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK General Burnett, Colonel Moulton, J. Q. Howard and Judge Higley were appointed to select a date on which the annual celebration of the Society should in future be held. The name of Colonel Strong was added to this committee. It was decided that the monthly meetings of the Society in July and August should be omitted. A paper entitled, " Gai-field, the Statesman," was read by Mr. Howard at the meeting of June 13th, and remarks were made by Dr. Zachos, General Burnett, Colonel Moulton and Colonel Loveland. The quiet of the mid-summer of 1887, when the Society was officially taking its long vacation, was pleasantly intennipted by an invitation from the Fall of Babylon Amusement Co. to witness the performance of " the Fall," at St. George, Staten Island, on Thursday evening, July 21st. This invitation had been accepted and it was determined in connection therewith to take dinner at the Casino, adjoining the grounds of the performance, on that evening. All members of the Society and their friends, including ladies, were cordially invited. The call was signed by President Ewing and seventeen other members, constituting a committee of arrangements. As the inclemency of the weather prevented the exhibition on the date named it was postponed to Wednesday evening, July 27th. Two hundred of the members and their wives and daughters sat down to dinner in the Casino on the evening last named. Algernon S. Sullivan, a vice-president, in the absence of General Thomas Ewing, president of the Society, was seated at the centre of the presiding officer's table. At his right was Senator Plumb, of Kansas, and at his left General Wager Swa3me. IViahlon Chance, Wm. Perry Fogg, Judge Warren Higley and Major H. A. Glassford occupied prominent places near the chairman. At the other tables were: W. H. Eckert, Thomas Ewing, Jr., and Miss Ewing, Dr. J. C. Zachos and Miss Zachos, Col. C. W. Moulton, Washington Belt, ex-Gov. George Hoadly, Gen. H. L. Burnett, Homer Lee, Carey W. Moore, Cyrus Butler, A. J. C. Foye, J. Q. Mitchell, George Follett, John W. Stout, Capt. J. P. Walker, United States Army; J. J. Struble, F. W. Steriing, Col. W. L. Strong, C. C. Shayne, Colonel Slocum, J. Q. Howard, J. H. Bunnell, A. W. Follett, C. H. Applegate, J. M. Guiteau, Amos A. Bard, Jerome D. Gillett, Colgate Hoyt, Col. Colin Goddard, M. I. Southard, Calvin S. Brice, Joseph Pool, Sherman Moulton, L. H. Crall, Carson Lake and David Pritchard. Fully one-third of the seats were occupied by ladies. When justice had been done to the dinner, Mr. Sullivan called the Society to order, and after expressing regret at the absence of General Ewing, con- gratulated his fellow-Ohioans upon the wonderful growth and progress of the Society, and Introduced as a distinguished son of Ohio, Senator Plumb. He was received with applause, and his speech throughout was greeted with 44 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK laughter and cheers. The Senator said that it was usually accepted as a truth that his state had been settled by New England men, and that they were the people who had braved the dangers of that period. He wished to correct the mistake. The pioneers of Kansas were from Ohio. For any one New Englander at or about Lawrence in those trying timies, he had found five Ohioans. Ohio has taken possession of the West. After she had succeeded in putting things in shape out there, she would be found turning her atten- tion to the effete East. New Yorkers would discover that next to governing themselves it would be desirable for them to be governed by Ohio men and in acordance with " the Ohio idea." Then, the Senator said, Kansas was com- ing East, and both Ohio and New England influence would disappear from here altogether. M!r. Sullivan next introduced General Swaync, one of the vice-presidents of the Society, who said that this was the centennial year of the Ohio Society. The origin of the Ohio Society, he said, was in 1787, when leading officers of the Revolutionary army banded themselves together in an association for the settlement of the Ohio territory. They sent delegates to Congress and appealed to that body for the enactment of an ordinance the very language of which is now incorporated in the United States Constitution, in the Xlllth Amend- ment, providing that " neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime," should ever exist in all the Northwest Territory. As a result of this action of this Ohio Society, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wis- consin became free states. It was the centennial of this society that was now being celebrated. The next speaker was Mahlon Chance, who, Mr. Sullivan said, was one of the veterans present at the fall of Babylon. Mr. Chance gave a humorous historical sketch of the fall of the ancient city, at the conclusion of which the Society adjourned to view the spectacular display. A pleasant breeze made the weather on Staten Island delightful and refreshing, and the guests re- turned to the city highly gratified with the success of the entertainment. At the first meeting in the fall (1887), held on September 12th, a matter of more than passing moment was taken up for consideration. As has been shown in connection with one of the early meetings of the Society, the idea of a clubhouse, or permanent home of its own, was suggested as one of the means by which the organization could be made most effective in the service of its members. The idea had come to the front again and again in consultations among the Ohioans, and to a certain extent had been carried to realization in the temporary home now occupied on Fifth avenue. It seemed to many of the active workers that the time had now come to take steps toward the purchase or erection of a clubhouse that should be the property of the Society. 45 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK At the meeting above mentioned this question of purchasing propert}'^ for the use of the Society was presented by Judge Higley and discussed by a number of the members. A motion was made by Judge Higley that a com- mittee of five be appointed, with instructions to take the matter into considera- tion. It was taken up and considered from time to time, but no action of a permanent nature resulted. At the meeting of October 12th the president announced the following committee for the nomination of officers for the ensuing year: A. W. Follett, J. D. GiUett, H. R. Pool, Leander H. Crall, William Ford Upson, H. A. Glass- ford and J. W. Stout. The chairman of the committee appointed to recommend a ticket to be voted for at the succeeding election reported, on November 14th, the follow- ing: President, Thomas Ewmg; vice-presidents, Whitelaw Reid, Wager Swayne, Algernon S. Sullivan, Charles W. Moulton, George Hoadly; secre- tary. Homer Lee; recording secretary, John Q. Mitchell; treasurer, William Perry Fogg; members of the governing committee, Charles T. Wing, Henry K. Enos and L. C. Hopkins. It was moved b}'^ Mr. Nye that a committee of eight be appointed to determine and report action to be taken by the Society relative to the centennial celebration of the first settlement of Ohio, to be held at Marietta, Ohio, April 6th, 7th and 8th, 1888. The motion was carried, and General E^ving, Homer Lee, W. L. Strong, Bernard Peters, Colonel Moulton, Henry Monett and Theo. S. Nye were appointed as that committee. Gen. Wager Swayne was subsequently added. A special committee of six were appointed to make the necessary arrange- ments for the ladies' reception, to be held in the rooms of the Society early in December, and it was further ordered that hereafter at each monthly meeting a similar committee be appointed to arrange for a like reception on the last Monday evening of the month. Messrs. Harwood R. Pool, Marshall Halstead, Charles P. Bruch, Warren Higley, John Q. Mitchell and Theo. Ricksecker were appointed as a committee to arrange for the receptioni in December. The annual meeting of 1887 was held on November 29th. The annual reports were presented and the election of officers called for. The nominees proffered by the official committee, as above given, were elected, except that William Ford Upson was made recording secretary in place of John Q. Mitchell. While the election was in progress a committee was appointed to invite Senator John Sherman, a non-resident member of the Society, who was at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, to visit the rooms. Senator Sherman on his arrival was greeted with loud applause, and after a brief interchange of greetings with acquaintances was formally presented to the Society by Colonel William L. 46 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Strong. The Senator made a brief speech of thanks, congratulating the Society upon its prosperous condition. As he had other engagements, he left the rooms after a brief visit. The governing committee held its first meeting after the above election on December Sd. Nominations for chairman for the ensuing year being in order, Henry L. Burnett was unanimously chosen to preside over the committee for the next term. General Burnett stated that his business engagements would not permit his serving, and that having already devoted much valuable time to the Society, he hoped that some other member would be willing to assume the position and that he be relieved from the responsibility. The committee were unanimous in requesting him to reconsider his de- cision and continue in the office. It was only after their repeated solicitations that he accepted the position again, upon consideration, however, that he would have the privilege of resigning when the Society should become an incorporated body. William Ford Upson, the recording secretary, was appointed secretary of the governing committee for the year. It was ordered that thereafter no resignation of a member should be accepted by the governing committee until the treasurer should report, or it be otherwise ascertained, that the said member was not in arrears for the current year. It was also decided that three members chosen from the nine members of the governing committee should be appointed a house committee. The chair- man appointed the following gentlemen : Joseph Pool, A. J. C. Foy'e and John Dickson. A special meeting of the Society was held on December 6th for the pur- pose of taking appropriate action relative to the death of Algernon S. Sulli- van, lately one of its vice-presidents. Appropriate resolutions were adopted, and speeches eulogistic of the deceased member were made. A committee of twenty-five, in addition to the officers of the Society, were appointed to repre- sent the organization at the funeral. When the Society assembled on December 12th, General Burnett moved Note. — A pleasant comment as to the status of the Ohio Society at this date is fur- nished in the following from " The Earth," a New York City publication, date of December 8, 1887: "Of the eighty-eight counties of Ohio, forty-eight are represented in the Society. Cincinnati and Marietta, the oldest settlements, have the largest number of members, being 55; Cleveland comes next, with 25; Toledo, 9; Columbus, 8; Youngstown, 7; Mansfield, 6; Akron, Springfield and Mt. Vernon, 4 each; Canton, Massillon, Steubenville and Mt. Gilead, 3 each; Daji:on, Urbana, Painesville, Granville, Lima, Wilmington and Zanesville, -2 each; Hamilton, Cuyahoga Falls, Chagrin Falls, Georgetown, the birthplace of Grant; Fremont, the home of Hayes; Nottingham, Lancaster, the birthplace of the Shermans and the Ewings; Ottawa, Clarkesville, Chillicothe, the first seat of government; London, Tifiin, the home of Ohio's first governor; Maplewood, Norwalk, Salem, Fostoria, Oxford, Circleville, the home of the mound builders; Piqua, the camping ground of Tecumseh; Fletcher, West Jeiferson, Berlin Heights, Wooster, Williamsburgh and Leesburgh, 1 each. Besides these there are others whom I cannot now locate." 47 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK that the president be requested to invite a fellow-member, Hon. S. S. Cox, to deliver an address under the auspices of the Society upon the following ques- tion : " Without reducing the internal revenue duties, can the import duties be reduced to the needs of the government economically administered without injury to the manufacturing industries of the country and to the laboring men? " The motion was carried, and a committee of three, consisting of Henry L. Burnett, Joseph Pool and W. L. Strong, were appointed to make the neces- sary arrangements for this address. 48 CHAPTER V 1888 THE 3'ear 1888 opened with the interest of the members in no way lessened and the fortunes of the Ohio Society of a nature to afford gratification to those who had labored so earnestly to make it what it was already becoming — a strong, prosperous and progressive organi- zation. At the meeting of January 9th a gavel was presented by Captain Glassford. The secretary was instructed to frame and hang in the Society rooms the original paper in response to which the first meeting of the Society was called. Mr. Howard, as secretary of the committee to fix a date for the annual banquet, reported as follows : " At a meeting of the committee appointed by the Society to determine a date whose anniversary it would be proper to cele- brate in connection with its public dinners or other annual entertainments, it was resolved that this committee do hereby recommend that February 19th, when practicable — the date recognized by the United States government as that of the admission of Ohio into the Union — ^be fixed upon as a suitable and proper date to honor on the occasion of its annual festivals." After a very spirited debate, in which a number of members took part, the words, " The date recognized by the United States government as that of the admission of Ohio into the Union," were stricken out, and it was finally re- solved that the following should be adopted as a substitute for the committee's report : " That the annual banquet of the Society shall be held, when practica- ble, on February 19th." On motion of Mr. Lake, it was ordered that a committee of eighteen be appointed to arrange for the annual banquet, whereupon the president ap- pointed the following gentlemen : Messrs. Higley, Ewing, Strong, Smith, Reid, Lee, Swayne, Andrews, Shayne, Foye, Rice, Milmine, Crall, Glassford, Mitchell, Lake, Wing and Moss. The first ladies' reception for the current j^ear was held at the rooms of the Society on the evening of January' 12, 1888. The committee of arrange- ments consisted of the following gentlemen: Warren Higley, Thomas Ewing, John Q. Mitchell, Charles P. Bruch, Mahlon Chance, C. C. Shayne, P. B. Armstrong, Leander H. Crall, Marshall Halstead. The programme of enter- ment arranged is here given : 49 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 1. Song, " This Kiss I Offer," MISS ALICE MANDELICK. 2. Piano Solo, Fantasia, or Spanish Song, . . Ceruelos SENOa CERUELOS. 3. Tenor Solo, " Like to Like," .... Denza PROFESSOB, EUGEXE CLARKE. 4. Recital, MISS JULIA THOMAS. 5. Address, " The Club-able Woman," MRS. D. G. CEOLY ( JENNY JUNe). 6. Whistling Solo, " Message of the Nightingale," Lauri Sedgwick Collins MRS. ALICE J. SHAW. 7. Duet, " Hour of Parting," . . . . Rubinstein MR. F. A. GUILD. MR. J. A. METCALF. The following is a catalogue of the pictures loaned for the occasion by the several artists: TITLE Portrait, Gen. W. T. Sherman, . Study from Life, H.R.H.., Albert Victor, Prince Albert of Wales, (Edward VIII), . Jupiter, lo and Juno, " Evangeline," . Wood Interior, . The Chess Problem, . Portrait, Portrait, Henry Barnard, LL.D. A Conversation, . Long's Peak, Rocky Mountains, " We Have Buried the Hatchet," An Oriental, After the Run, . Master Regie Trautschold ("Little Lord Fauntleroy "), " Nobody asked you. Sir ! she said," Portrait, In Dreamland, A Bit of Sunshine, ARTIST James H. Beard Franklin Tuttle W. H. Beard George D. M. Peixotto A. H. Wyant J. Wells Champney George D. M. Peixotto Franklin Tuttle J. H. Dolph W. Whitridge J. H. Beard J. WeUs Champney Daniel C. Beard Franklin Tuttle W. H. Beard Franklin Tuttle J. Wells Champney Harry Beard 50 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK TITLE Cloister du Convent de Saint Dom Palermo, built A.D. 1252, Portrait, .... Light for His Pipe, . Group of Heads, Still Life, .... Mighty Poor Country for Game, niquc. ARTIST J. H. Dolph Franklin Tuttle Daniel C. Beard George D. M. Peixotto Mrs. Holbrook James H. Beard A comprehensive and appreciative report of the entertainment was pre- pared by Judge Higley, chairman of the committee of arrangements, and was submitted to the Society at a later date, and as it explains fully how suc- cessful was the affair, it is well worth presentation here: " EEPORT OF COMMITTEE ON LADIES' RECEPTION. " To the Hon. President and members of the Ohio Society of New York. " Gentlemen : Your committee on the last Ladies' Reception, held at the rooms of the Society, January 12, 1888, beg leave to report as follows : The committee were fortunate in securing the co-operation of the following ladies who kindly consented to receive on that evening, to wit: Mrs. Wallace C. Andrews, Mrs. Wager Swayne, Mrs. Warren Higley, Mrs. Christopher C. Shayne, Mrs. C. C. Galbreath, Miss Rachael Sherman, Miss Beall Ewing, Miss Strong, Miss Gillett, Miss Hutchins, ]\liss Vaillant and Miss Harman. The gracious welcome extended by these ladies to members and guests as they arrived at once prepared them to enter heartily into the social enjoyments of the evening, free from the cold formalities of the ultra-fashionable, meeting together with no common sentiment of interest. The thanks of the Society and especially of your committee are due to the'se ladies for their presence and hearty co-operation in promoting the enjoyment of all. " Our distinguished artist-members kindly contributed beautiful works of art in oil and pastel to the number of twenty-four. These were admirably grouped by and hung under the direction of Mr. Cyrus Butler, whereby the best effects of the paintings were secured. Contributions came from the studios of James H. Beard, Franklin Tuttle, W. H. Beard, George D. M. Peixotto, J. H. Dolph, J. N. Beard, Daniel C. Beard, W. Whitridge, Mrs. Holbrook and J. Wells Champney. Taken all in all, this was the finest collection of paintings we have yet had. Our Society is especially fortunate in numbering among its members so many artists who stand in the first rank of their profession. The programme of instrumental and vocal music, of reci- tal, address and the whistling solo was rendered to the delight of all. The artists who kindly contributed to this are Senor Ceruelos, Eugene Clarke, Miss Mandelick, Miss Julia Thomas, Mrs. D. G. Croly (Jennie June) and 51 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mrs. Alice J. Shaw. After the rendition of the programme an excellent collation was served by Morelli. " That this ladies' reception, like the former ones given by the Society, was a great success will be acknowledged by all who were present. There was a manifest freedom from restraint and a homelike intercourse not usually observed in large social gatherings, and due, no doubt, to the fact that the daughters of Ohio are as loyal as her sons, and equally zealous in honoring the state of their birth or adoption. " The Ohio Society has stepped out of the narrow circle of prejudice and selfish exclusiveness of the club in admitting woman to social gatherings, and recognizing her as an important element in growth and strength and influ- ence. This feature is to be commended and encouraged, and should be enlarged. It is the beginning and promise of what the modem chib will be in the near future the recognition of the independence of man and woman in the social affairs of life, for — " They rise or sink Together, dwarfed or godlike, bond or free: For she that out of Lethe scales with man The shining steps of Nature, shares with man His nights, his days, moves with him to one goal. Stays all the fair young planet in her hands — If she be small, slight-natured, miserable, How shall men grow? For woman is not undeveloped man, But diverse: could we make her as the man Sweet love were slain: his dearest bond is this. Not like to like, but like in difference. ^ Yet in the long years liker must they grow; The man be more of woman, she of man ; He gain in sweetness and in moral height. Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world; She mental breadth, nor fail in childward care, Nor lose the childlike in the larger mind; Till at the last she set herself to man, Like perfect music unto noble words." A special meeting of the Society was held on January 25 (1888) to take action in honor of the memory of Col. Charles W. Moulton, one of the most prominent members of the Societjs one of its nwDst active founders and a vice-president at the time of his death. Colonel Moulton had passed away on the day preceding, January 24, 1888. On motion of Colonel Fogg, Captain Henry A. Glassford took the chair and in a few impressive words told of the loss the Society had sustained. On motion of Colonel Lake the chair appointed the following committee to draw up a suitable expression of sorrow on this occasion: Messrs. Lake, Chance, Fogg, Guiteau and Foye. The committee withdrew, and while they delib- erated General Swayne, INIr. Shayne and Colonel Strong told of their associa- 52 Col. Charles W. Moulton 0.--THi ^' OF OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tions with Colonel Moulton, of his many high qualities and of the deep regret at liis loss. The committee reported as follows: " Whereas, The members of the Ohio Society have learned with pro- found sorrow and regret of the death of Col. Charles W. Moulton, who was one of the earliest and most earnest founders of the Society, one of our most efficient fellow-members and a vice-president, and are desirous of expressing in suitable and fitting manner the grief and sense of bereavement felt at his loss ; therefore, be it " Resolved, That the secretary be instructed to extend in due form to the family of Colonel Moulton the heartfelt condolence of the Society, and to express to them the high esteem in which he was held by his associates for his many generous and manly qualities of head and heart ; be it further " Resolved, That this testimony to his worth be spread upon the minutes and a copy be sent to his family. " Carson Lake, Mahlon Chance, William Perry Fogg, John M. Guiteau, Andrew J. C. Foye." Colonel Fogg moved that the report be adopted and spoke most feelingly of Colonel Moulton, giving personal reminiscences, especially of his connection with the foundation of the Society. Colonel Fogg said: " I presume that no member of our Society, resident of New York, has known Colonel Moulton so long as I have. Our friendship has met the test of thirty-seven years. I first made his acquaintance In 1851, when he came to Cleveland from liis home in Medina county, about twenty-one years of age, and commenced the study of law. I was three years his senior, and we were both active members of a literary club, and congeniality of taste drew us very closely together." Colonel Fogg then briefly sketched the career of Colonel Moulton up to the opening of the war in 1861, when he was called to fill a very difficult posi- tion under the government In Cincinnati. He stood then firm as a rock be- tween the loyal government in Its heroic struggle to save the Union and a class of unpatriotic men whose only aim was to enrich themselves from government contracts. He was directed by the war department to buy the materials and open government workshops for the manufacture of army clothing. The strongest pressure was brought from Interested parties to break him down, but President Lincoln and the great war secretary stood by him, and the urgent needs of the boys In the field were supplied. Immense sums were disbursed by him, amounting to many millions per month. " What greater tribute can be paid to the Integrity of Colonel Moulton than to say, as he has often told me, that when he resigned his commission at the close of the war, he was a poorer man than when he entered the army ? " We who knew our friend who passed away so well would all bear testi- 63 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK mony to his strict integrity of character, his keen sense of honor, and his big, generous heart. I have been called upon during the past year to mourn the loss of my two brothers, and, next to these, the man who stood nearest my heart was Colonel Moulton." Gen. Wager Swayne was the next speaker. He said : " Gentlemen, an opportunity offers in wliich it becomes the duty of us all to say something of eulogy in memory of the deceased. With many sad feelings we reahze that the most valuable member of the Society has been called away from us. At this moment his body is going on to its last resting place. He stands to us in the relation of a sojourner; as one of us who has left as much of himself with us as we may gather in our hearts and keep forever. It is true of him, eminently true, that he cared for us, and that his care was not merely a passing impulse. He demonstrated that his constant care was for the well being of the Society and for each one of us individually. I remember that in the course of organ- izing I heard him express fear that the club might be regarded as having a political significance. How well he has succeeded in making it a social organi- zation is a matter of history." The resolutions were adopted unanimously. The proposed incorporation of the Society at about this time was taken up and the matter duly consummated. The names of the incor- porators were as follows: Thomas Ewing, Warren Higley, Andrew J. C. Foye, Henry K. Enos, William L. Strong, Calvin S. Brice, Homer Lee, John Q. Howard, John Dickson, John Q. IMitchell, Wager Swayne, Samuel Thomas, Henry L. Burnett, John H. Harman, Christopher C. Shayne, Charles T. Wing, Milton I. Southard, Benjamin LeFevre, Carson Lake, Cyrus Butler, Leander H. Crall. The constitution and by-laws were referred to a special committee, with instructions to make such changes as were needed to comply with the law. These changes and some others were duly made and the report of the committee was adopted at a meeting on March 1st. At a meeting of the governing committee, held on April 4th, General Burnett tendered his resignation as trustee and member of the committee in these words: " New York, March 26, 1888. " To the Trustees and Governing Committee of tlie Ohio Society of New York. " Sirs : I beg hereby to tender my resignation as trustee and member of the governing committee of the Society, to take effect immediately. " For nearly two years and a half I have given much time and labor in discharging the duties devolving upon me as chairman of the governing com- mittee of the old Ohio Society, now merged in the present incorporated body. " My professional duties are of such an exacting nature, and my time so fully occupied in the discharge of those duties, I feel now that I am justified 54 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK in passing the work and responsibilities connected with the governing com- mittee of the present Society on to other members of the Society. " Thanking my associates on the governing committee of the old Society, now constituting the governing committee of the new, for the uniform courtesy shown me as chairman of said committee, and congratulating them upon the high spirit and right thinking which seemed ever to actuate them in the dis- charge of their duties, I am, with sincere respect, " Very truly yours, " Henry L. Burnett." The answer of the gentlemen to whom this letter was addressed was made promptly. The resignation was laid on the table and the following unani- mously adopted : " Resolved, That it is the unanimous wish of the board of trustees of the Ohio Society that General Henry L. Burnett retain his membership with the trustees, and that Messrs. Dickson and Foye be appointed a committee to con- vey this wish to General Burnett." The committee for the third annual banquet (1888) was appointed in January, when it was expected that it would be given on Monday evening, the 20th of February — the 19th day of February having been previously fixed by the Society for its future annual banquets, excepting when this should occur, as it did that year, on Sunday, when the following day should be honored. The sudden and unexpected death of a member and vice-president. Col. Charles W. Moulton, naturally caused a postponement, and the 7th of April was de- cided upon as the time. Upon the card making announcement of this date were the following words : 1788 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE OHIO VALLEY April 7, 1788 1888 55 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The committee was constituted as follows: Warren Higley, chairman; Thomas Ewing, William L. Strong, Wallace C. Andrews, Calvin S. Brice, A. J. C. Foje, Henry A. Glassford, Charles T. Wing, J. O. Moss, Whitelaw Reid, Wager Swayne, Henry L. Burnett, William Henry Smith, C. C. Shayne, Carson Lake, John Q. Mitchell, George Milmine; Homer Lee, secretary; Leander H, Crall, treasurer. The work was mapped out and the chairman appointed the following sub-committees : Speakers and invitations, Thomas Ewing, Whitelaw Reid,, William L. Strong, Wager Swayne, William H. Smith, C. S. Brice and Carson Lake; cards and tickets, H. A. Glassford, L. H. Crall and George Milmine ; printing. Homer Lee, J. Q. Mitchell and J. O. Moss ; the press, C. C. Shayne, W. C. Andrews and Henry L. Burnett ; ban- quet, A. J. C. Foye, C. T. Wing and Warren Higley. The coming event was announced by the press of New York as one of importance. From the Star of April 1st we quote as follows: " Invitations are out for the third annual banquet of the Ohio Society of New York, to be held at Delmonico's on Saturday evening, April 7th. The invitations are unique and beautiful. They are printed on a richly tinted card about four inches square, on the front of which is engraved a map of the state of Ohio in Buckeye drawing. In the centre of the map is a vignette of an early settler, a man and a dog grappling with a bear, while two Indians lurk in a background of green foliage. Over this vignette are the name of the Society and date of the banquet. The back of the card is adorned with an admirable engraved portrait of George Washington, surrounded by scroll, over and on either side of which appear Cupids holding a silken banner, on which is in- scribed, ' Ordinance of 1787.' Below, in gold letters, are the words of Wash- ington to his men at Valley Forge : ' If we are overpowered we will retire to the Valley of the Ohio, and there we will be free.' On the inside of the invita- tion are the names of the committee of arrangements. Among the prominent people to whom invitations have been sent are : Governor Foraker, of Ohio ; ex- President Hayes, Senators Sherman, Payne, Allison, Manderson, Voorhees and Plumb, ex-Senators Thurman, Harrison and McDonald, Generals Sher- man, Sheridan and Rosecrans, Associate Justice Matthews of the United States Supreme Court, the Ohio Congressional delegation, and Governor Hill of this state and Mayor Hewitt, who Avill represent the state and city of New York." The fact that the most important event in the history of Ohio and the Northwest Territory was being celebrated at Marietta, the place of the first permanent settlement north of the Ohio, prevented a number of distinguished Ohioans from being present. But for this there was reason to believe that the occasion would have been honored by the presence of ex-President Hayes, Senator John Sherman, Governor Foraker, Representative Charles H. Gros- venor and others. 56 CHAPTER VI 1888-1889 ON the night of Saturday, April 7, 1888, Dehiionico's big dining-room was filled, over two hundred sitting down at the feast, which was dis- posed of to the accompaniment of lively music from the orchestra in the gallery and after a fashion which showed that Ohio men had extremely good appetites and presumbably equally good digestions. The affair was marked by channing informality and good fellowship. No cut and dried toast list had been prepared, so that the speakers were not under the necessity of restricting themselves to any particular text. There were five tables, but no distinctive guest-table. Its absence marked an inno- vation in the arrangement of dinners. The centre table was presided over by Gen. Thomas Ewing, the president of the Society. At the heads of the other tables were Stephen B. Elkins, Gen. Wager Swayne, ex-Governor Hoadly and Whitelaw Reid. Among the distinguished guests present were Gen. W. T. Sherman, Chauncey M. Depew, ex-Secretary Windom, B. F. Jones, chairman of the Re- publican national committee ; Gen. John S. Casement, Charles A. Dana, ex-Sec- retar}^ Bristow, Cornelius N. Bliss and Col. W. L. Strong. The banquet hall was suitably draped with the national colors, and the coat of arms of Ohio graced the wall back of the president. The speakers proved themselves worthy of the occasion. General Ewing, Gen. W. T. Sherman, ex-Secretary of the Treasury William Windom, White- law Reid, Chauncey M. Depew, Gen. Wager Swayne, ex-Governor George Hoadly, Col. C. S. Brice, Col. W. L. Strong, Charles A. Dana and others entertained those present with eloquence, and the enthusiasm with which their words were received gave unmistakable evidence of the delight of all. When full justice had been done to the good things of the feast, General Ewing rose and after welcoming the guests he sketched in eloquent language the growth of Ohio. He was listened to with the closest attention and was fre- quently applauded. He spoke in part as follows : " I bid you a cordial welcome, guests and members of the Ohio Society of New York, to our third annual banquet. If ever a people had reason to rejoice and celebrate, we Buckeyes have, on this centennial of the settlement at Marietta. For it tells of the founding of our state ; of the first act of Ameri- 6T OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK cans in assuming dominion of the continent; of the wonderful growth of the RepubHc in the first century of her existence; and the splendid future which awaits her as she leads the world to freedom. " The settlement at Marietta stands alone and without a parallel in origin and in purpose. It was not a colony of mere adventurers. It was led by no Lord Raleigh, Fairfax, Baltimore or Delaware, with vast grants of land to bestow on satelhtes and serfs; nor by unconquerable Roundheads, driven over stormy seas to struggle for existence on barren shores. It was a colony of American soldiers, inspired by the love of liberty regulated by law; an in- carnation of the bold, virile, intelligent Americanism, born in the fires of the Revolution. " From this initiative followed the agitations which formed and deter- mined the character of the RepubHc. The liberated colonies turned from the jealousies, poverty and discouragements of the hour, and became absorbed in the inspiring problems of the future — the need of forming an effective government ; defining and limiting its powers ; and assuming the empire of the continent. New York generously and fraternally surrendered her claims to the Ohio country ; Virginia followed ; and then Massachusetts and Connecticut. The constitutional convention was called; Congress sold a million and a half acres to Putnam and his emigrant soldiers, and in the same month gave them the glorious ordinance of 1787 — the first great charter of American hberty — which they bore as the Ark of the Covenant to the promised land. " Here was the founding of the Republic. By a system of public sur- veys in small divisions the landlordism wliich blighted most of the old thirteen states was prevented and a general distribution of lands among the people forever assured — a policy which, accompanied by liberal provisions for schools and colleges, has been followed in all subsequent dispositions of the public domain, and has proved to be the fountain of general intelligence and prosper- ity. Slavery, then existing in a majority of the states, was forever prohibited in the Northwest, and put under the ban of American civilization. And the fundamental propositions of American liberty, which were incorporated in the ordinance of '87, and four years later adopted as amendments to the Federal Constitution, became the corner-stone of state after state as it set its star in the blue field of the Union. " But it is not the material gi'owth of the West, past or to come, which signalizes the event we celebrate as one of the great epochs of history. It is the fact that there was formulated and founded then a new type of govern- ment, unlike any states of the Old World, and unlike most of the just liberated states of the New World which still wore some of the tattered Hvery of aristo- cratic institutions. After a hundred years of trial this American type of state government has convinced us, and is fast convincing mankind, that the people 58 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK alone have a right to rule, and are also the best rulers. The Republic formed of such states stands pre-eminent among nations in prosperity and peace, and is leading the world by its silent and shining example to the blessed consum- mation when ever}^ dynasty shall be dethroned, when every great army shall be disbanded, when every people shall rule themselves ; " ' And man to man, the Avorld o'er, Shall brothers be, and a' that.' " Several letters of regret were then read by Judge Higley. That from Senator John Sherman was loudly cheered. It was as follows : " Senate Chamber, Washington, April 2, 1888. " I have received the kind invitation of the Ohio Society of New York to attend their third annual banquet on the 7th inst., at Delmonico's, and also the inclosed cards. I assure you it would give me great pleasure to accept this invitation, not only for the good cheer of such a meeting, but to mark my appreciation of the great event of the first settlement of the Ohio Valley, one hundred years ago. The centennial ma}^ well be celebrated with hearty re- joicings, with songs and music, and cheers by all the people of the United States, but especially b}^ the sons of the pioneers of Ohio. To our ancestors it was the beginning of an important event in American history. It was the first outflow of population into the West and the first dedication of any por- tion of our territory to free institutions. It was the first proclamation of emancipation from the evils of slavery. I regret that other duties will pre- vent me from sharing in your happiness. But I wish you a good time and I know you will have a joyous reunion. " John Sherman." The mention of Governor Foraker's name was also the signal for applause. He wrote as follows: " Marietta, Ohio, April 6, 1888. " To the Ohio Society of New York. " On behalf of the people of Ohio and particularly those here assembled to celebrate the centennial anniversary of our first settlement, I send you enthu- siastic greeting. While we are justly proud of our state and the conspicuous part she has borne in the achievements of the centur^s our hearts are filled with grateful emotions b}'^ the loving pride and kind remembrances of our absent children. May God bless and prosper the Ohio Society of New York. " J. B. FORAKER." 59 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Other letters of regret were read from Congressman Charles H. Gros- venor, General Sheridan, Governor Hill, ex-Congressman Follett, Senator Allison, ex-Governor R. M. Bishop, John R. McLean, ex-Senator Harrison, of Indiana ; Senator Jones, of Nevada ; Congressman R. F. Kennedy and Senator Plumb, of Kansas. It had been expected that Mayor Hewitt would be present. Judge Higley said that the Mayor had told him on Friday afternoon that if he slept well that night he would come, but he had received subsequently a letter from the Mayor regretting his inability to be present. Judge Higley concluded by reading a poem by W. H. Venable, of Cin- cinnati, which contained a great many statements flattering to Ohio. Carson Lake next read a poem by Miss Bertha Monroe WickofF on Ohio. It was well received. The chairman then introduced General Sherman amid a salvo of cheers by referring to him as " the son of one of the earliest settlers of Ohio and the bearer of one of the most distinguished names in her civil roll." General Sher- man on rising to speak was greeted with another outburst of cheering. After stating that he had not yet the honor to belong to the Society and recounting a couple of pleasant anecdotes, he said : " My young friends from Ohio, whilst you bear your honored state in memory, honored memory, never reflect upon others. There were good men bom long before there were in Ohio. There are a great many good men born in other states out of Ohio. I have encountered them everywhere on this broad continent and in Europe. There seems to be a pretty fair representation of Ohio in this great city of New York, and I claim you have the same right here as the native-bom citizens, not by sufferance, but by right; and I hope you will bear in mind that you are citizens of a greater country, the United States of America. As your president has well told you in eloquent words to-night, our friends in Marietta are celebrating a past of vast importance in the history of Ohio and the United States and of all mankind. One hundred years ago there landed at Marietta that little body whose influence was then felt and is now felt all over the earth's surface; an organized body of men with dis- cipline, seeking to make homes for themselves and their families and to rear up a state, free, where all men could enjoy liberty and the pursuit of happi- ness in their own way and at their own time. Ohio was the first of the states created, not the first of the thirteen, but it was the child of the Revolution, although the ordinance of 1787 preceded the constitution by two years. Yet it was made by the same men, breathing the same spirit of freedom and na- tionality. " I was bom in the town of Lancaster, and I doubt if any town anywhere possessed a larger measure of intelligence for its numbers, about 8,000. 60 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK There was General Beecher, Henry Stanbury, Thomas Ewing, William Irvine. (A voice — 'Tom Corwin.') Yes; he belonged in Lebanon, and I knew liim well. His name suggests to me something which I am frequently reminded of when I go to Ohio. In these modern times I don't think they're as good as they used to be in those early days. I suppose it is a common weakness A\'ith old men to view things in that way. I could recount a great many things about those early days. My memory goes back to 1826. I remember perfectly the election of General Jackson in 182S. I remember the coffin handbills put out by The Cincinnati Gazette to stigmatize Armstrong and Arbuthnot. At that time I belonged to a strict Whig family, and we all thought Jackson a tyrant. I have come to the conclusion in later years that old Jackson was a very clever fellow. There used to be a man in Columbus named Gustavus Swain, and what he didn't know about Ohio nobody did. Ohio had its fun, and its serious times, and always bore in mind that they were the first free state northwest of the Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota followed aften^ard by catching the inspiration from her. It traveled beyond. I went with McCook to Arizona and found our fellows there from Yellow Creek. Everywhere we stopped we met them. They didn't know they were from Ohio, but we convinced them they were." Ex-Secretary of the Treasury Windom, the next speaker, was received with applause. He said, among other things : " Pride is not a characteristic of Ohio by any means. Under the inspira- tion of this occasion I think I could express my sentiments well were it not for that peculiarly Ohio characteristic of modesty. Ohio has many things which distinguish her, her material resources, her horses and cattle and hogs and wheat and corn. And of the whiskey of Ohio we are all peculiarly proud. We are proud of her men and her women. Her sons are found upon all the fields of commerce, of war and of politics — particularly of politics. Wherever a dollar is to be honestly made, wherever an office is to be filled, you will find an Ohio man on hand. In war her sons held a front rank ; and when you come to the civil offices of the country Ohio is not far behind. Of the last four Presidents Ohio has had three of them, and so far as I can see, among the names of the gentlemen who are spoken of in the party to which I belong, she has a fair chance of getting another. He would have been an Ohio man four years ago, too, almost. The gallant chieftain who led the Republican party four years ago came near it. He was bom within sight of Ohio. In his early youth he breathed the inspiring air that swept Ohio's hills. Had he been on the other side of that promised land he would have been elected four years ago." Whitelaw Reid then rose for the purpose of introducing Mr. Depew. He said in substance: " The Ohio Society is nothing if not original. Your president seems 61 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to have the idea that the vice-president should do something. Now you have been very Hberal to him, j^ou have provided him with five vice-presidents to take the surplus work off his hands. It is a curious reversal of things which in that list makes me the senior and our venerable friend Governor Hoadly the junior. Between us is §andwiched in the only other surviving vice-president who, I fear, is not always remembered as a soldier, because of the brilliant re- nown he has won as a lawyer. " Now one of these vice-presidents, as I am credibly informed, is about to explain the significance of the day we celebrate — the day that made Ohio, and so saved the country from awful trouble about finding presidents and chief justices and generals. The other, as is said on equally good authority, is going to vindicate the consistency of liis own political record and that of all his associates, present and past. You see, gentlemen, there are two very long speeches before you! — ^mine shall be short. " You noticed that General Ewing told us about how willing New York and other states were in Washington's time to give up to Ohio. Well, alas, Washington is dead. They don't seem so eager to give up to Oliio now. We are perfectly willing to let them give up. Why, we can furnish more presiden- tial candidates to-day than half the rest of the country put together, and they'll average pretty high, too. We can do more than that. We can furnish the only man now living, or that ever will live, that said, and meant it, that he wouldn't have the Presidency of the United States if it were brought to him on a silver salver. " He didn't intend to be mean about it, either. ' Why,' he said, ' if they don't take my brother John, bless their eyes, why don't they take my brother- in-law Tom? ' Well, gentlemen, even that doesn't exhaust the list. Only, when you find three candidates growing in one family — hke three monster ears of com on one stalk — you begin to get some Idea of the size of the Ohio crop. *' There's been some reference to John Sherman. Nobody will question that whether for length or distinction of public service he easily leads the pres- ent list. Nobody will hesitate much in saying that just now Harrison and Allison stand next. Both are sons of Ohio ; both ought to have been here to- night, and both would have been only for the secret fear of each that some Incautious utterance at this critical moment might blast his boom. It Is but fifty years since the grandfather of one of them was badly beaten In the race for the presidency. But he had staying powers, and four years later he made one of the most trlimiphant canvasses In our history, and was borne to the White House on the wave of a tremendous popular uprising. " Ten years later the other, before leaving his native state for the wilds of Iowa, resolved to get a stamp by wlilch he could always make good his Ohio claim, and so took his degree from the Western Resel'^'e College. 62 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " But I'm not going into the list of Ohio candidates. Life is short. And besides, it has always been thought that an after-dinner speech should not be too personal, and you'll bear me witness that I always try to obey that rule. I have been endeavoring by gentle stages, by mildly introducing the subject of the presidency, to lead up to the introduction of the gentleman whom I am charged by the president to introduce to you to-night as an adopted son of Ohio. I present to you this modest youth, Chauncey M. Depew." jNIr. Depew began in a humorous vein, by acknowledging that he had no near relationship with Ohio, and that though he was on good terms with all the other great nationalities at their celebrations, when he tried to make out some claim of kinship he was at a loss for it on tliis occasion. He then went on to show that Ohio was " all over everywhere," and not only a shining ex- ample in her institutions, but somewhat of a monopolist in the possession of men fitted for high national positions. The following sketch of his re- marks gives some of the points he made: " Ohio understands the presidential game so well that she has not only arranged it herself within her own borders, but she has studied the quality and the peculiarity of presidential lightning so as to put somebody where- ever it is likely to strike. It is the peculiarity of New York that she is the most conquered city in the world. She has been successively conquered by the English, by the Yankees, by the Germans, by the Irish. But still she thought her business was secure; but when she turned to look for the money the Standard Oil of Ohio had it all, and in business, law, politics and jour- nalism Ohio has captured New York; but then New York reveres Ohio. Ohio has alwa3^s been devoted to a high order of politics. She could not have furnished chief justices, justices in the Supreme Court and presidents of the United States in such abundance except for the quality of her men and tlie character of her politics. The great political leaders of Ohio on all sides and in all parties have always been easily the leaders of their party upon the party thought and sentiment of the hour. Senator Shopman's fight for honest currency and Garfield's magnificent struggle for honest credit and for the purity of the government In every department of policy and finance will long be remembered as a period when it required courage, con- sistency and abilty to stand up against the errors of the day. Among the Democratic leaders of the nation there is no one who has stood up for his con- victions and compelled his party to follow him because he knew he was right — and they found he was right — so well as the old Roman, Allan G. Thur- man, and that elegant gentleman, accomplished scholar and diplomat, George H. Pendleton, who taught the Democratic party the reversal of the old Jack- sonlan motto, that to the victor belongs the spoils, and the failure of this most 63 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK beneficent reform was due to that combination of good intentions and rural inexperience as illustrated by President Cleveland, except the man comes from Ohio, which always falls a victim to the wiles of the Hungry Joe of politics. " We have had eight years of continuous centennials ; and none of them more significant than that celebration going on to-day in Marietta, Ohio. It is more than a local celebration. It is an international celebration of the kind which affects the globe, because it affects and has affected the destiny of the human race. If every one of the hundred people who landed at Marietta a hundred years ago to-day could be a sentinel down the century, one for each year, and there could be attached to each man or each woman all that the year he or she represented meant in what Ohio was, what she has accomplished and what she is, that man and that woman would stand out conspicuously in each one of the hundred years of the century as the immortal centurions of the United States. " The next speaker was General Wager Swayne. He was greeted with loud cheers and his speech was listened to with marked attention and abundantly applauded. This is part of what he said: " I suppose it would be safe to assume that 100 years ago to-night our ancestors were not dining at Delmonico's, and were not listening to Chauncey Depew. Mr. Reid has been good enough to suggest that I was not much of a lawyer because I was something of a soldier, and that I had not been a great deal of a soldier because I had been something of a lawyer. Nevertheless I propose to say something of the influence of Ohio both in the results of the war and as to her impress upon the organic law of the land. In 1783 our revo- lutionary ancestors were encamped at Newburgh in this state, half fed, half clothed, waiting to be disbanded. They addressed to Congress a petition ask- ing that a tract of land, which became the Territory of Ohio, might be set apart in accordance with a previous provision of law, and in their plan of settlement they declared that in the constitution of the new State there should be a total exclusion of slavery. Out of this plan came the resolutions of 1787, which provided that within that territory from which so many States were erected, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, should ever exist. For ten long years Indiana laid siege to Congress, asking that that clause might be repealed. John Randolph, of Roanoke, although reared in slavery, reported against the repeal. The free State of Ohio resulted, and word for word that clause was written in the Constitution also of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. In 1820 the Congress of the United States put the same clause into the Missouri Compromise. " In 1854 Congress repealed that clause as far as it applied to the Ter- ritories, and that repeal brought on the Civil War. But the five States, made 64 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK free by the legends of Ohio, put into the war for the Union a milHon of men who marched and fought and gave victory to the Union. No words of mine can be appropriate when we turn to contemplate the glory of the State which shed such inestimable blessings upon all generations of men. Let us pray God that peace may be within her walls and prosperity in all her homes." Three cheers and a tiger greeted the close of General Swayne's speech. Charles A. Dana was the next speaker. He said among other things : " We who are not so fortunate as to have been born in Ohio feel to-night that we are praising what belongs to us, too. The glories of Ohio belong just as much to the sons of New York and Massachusetts and of South Carolina as to the sons of Ohio. Ohio is a great commonwealth; how admirable is her situation ! How great is the intelligence and the industry, and above all the virtue of her people ! There she stands, in the valley of that beautiful river, the centre of the continent not all belonging to the union as yet, but destined to belong to it, so that the Stars and Stripes planted in Ohio will be seen in the tropics and in the Arctic regions. The observations that we have heard here to-night, I am obhged to say, have been rather political in their tend- ency, and also rather Republican. (Laughter, and cries of ' Ohio is Republi- can ! ') Well, when we are in power, we all try to stay there, and when we are not in power we try to get the other party out, but there can be no party in this country that is not a patriotic party, so that while in Ohio you possess an extraordinary crop of Republican great men, men who are eminently fitted to be the candidates of that party for president, and while you have, as my friend, Mr. Depew, has said, planted a great number of them in other states, where they can be ready to take the place if those at home fail, you can't lose anything by stretching out now and then fraternal hands and adopting an outsider, and I have observed that you have a pretty warm side for our friend Chauncey, and I say you are right in it. He is one of those men of whom we all as Americans have a right to be proud. For my own pai-t I would rather that no Republican should be elected president next year, but if there is going to be any one at all I don't know of any one that I would rather it should be than Chauncey Depew." It was ex-Gov. George Hoadly's turn next, and that he acquitted himself to the satisfaction of everybody was attested by the applause he received. The following is a summary of what he said: " I came here without the expectation of speaking. Twenty-four hours ago I hoped for an even greater pleasure than that of dining here to-night, for I expected to be to-night on the sacred soil of Ohio. When I came, it was to listen to him who deserves the title given him the other day by the Republicans of Vermont, the Wizard of the North, unless, indeed, INIadame Diss Debar may prove her better title. I came to listen to New York's munici- 65 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK pal mayor, whom, although we have had some past differences of opinion, both he and I believe to be the best mayor in the country. I came to ask the mayor many things, and he is not here to enlighten me. I am told by my distinguished friend, who, when I last saw him, was a Democrat of the Demo- crats, Avliile I was a Republican, I must speak to a text, must speak of my record. In Spanish architecture there is employed an ascending spiral, used in building stair-banisters, but the architect can never place projection oppo- site projection; so I find the records of myself and my friend — they won't lie spoon-fashion. Do you once think what you could have done if you had drafted the whole state in the service.'^ You have made your presidents, your senators, your chief justices, with one hand tied behind your back, with half your population allowed only to pay taxes and do convict labor. We Demo- crats have been allowed to do all the fighting and heavy work, and have been defeated in elections without number, but we have always come up smiling the next day. " Tom Corwin was once asked whether he had heard a certain story about a friend of his. ' I don't know. Was it about himself ? ' 'No.' 'Then I have not heard it.' So there can be no speech from me to-night unless it is personal." After ex-Governor Hoadl}', Calvin S. Brice, Attorney-General Cole- man and Mr. Struss made short addresses. Then the company dispersed. At a subsequent meeting of the Society, the committee of arrangements, in making its report as to this banquet, said: " The committee take pleasure in calling your attention to the financial part of the banquet. A full and detailed report of the treasurer of the committee, Mr. Crall, with vouchers, is contained in the books of accounts kept for this purpose, among the records of the Society, and to which mem- bers are referred for particulars. The thanks of the committee and the Society are due to Mr. Crall for the important service he rendered in the work he has done. It is only necessary in this report to add that the gross receipts from the sale of tickets were $1,302. The total expenditures (and all bills of every kind have been paid), are $1,125.15, leaving a balance of $176.85, which the committee now pay over to the Society." At the meeting of the Society held on May 14, signs of that reserve fund which the organization has been laying away were apparent in a re- port from the treasurer, showing a balance on hand of $1,743.80. Col. W. P. Fogg presented to the Society a handsomely bound volume entitled " Charter Members," containing the original signed copies of the constitution. The gift was accepted with sincere thanks. Colonel Fogg's letter of presentation was as follows : OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " New York, April 16, 1888. " The President of the Ohio Society. " Dear Sir : — I have the pleasure to present to the Ohio Society the bound volume, herewith sent, containing the original signatures to the con- stitution of the one hundred and sixteen charter members. These include the honored names of several of our brother members who have passed away since our organization, and this volume may well be treasured among our most valued memorials. " Very truly yours, "Wm. Perky Fogg." The volume is bound in heavy morocco, with ornamentation and lettering of gold. It is eleven by eight and one-half inches in size. On the outside in gold letters are the following words : The Ohio Society OF New York. Charter Members. 1885. Presented by Wm. Perry Fogg. The book consists of various copies of the constitution of the Society, each one of which is ornamented with a handsome engraving of the seal of the state of Ohio. Every member of the list of charter members given below signed one copy of this constitution, except in several cases where two signed the same sheet, making a unique and valuable souvenir. The names are given in the following order: INDEX. « (Arranged in the order of their reception by committee on organization.) 1. C. W. Moulton. 8. J. M. Chandler. 2. Homer Lee. 9. L. H. Crall. 3. Wm. Perry Fogg. 10. Henry Monett. 4. M. D. Hanover. 11. G. E. Armstrong. .5. Frank E. Wing. 12. H. J. Jewett. 6. Charles T. Wing. - 13. W. C. Andrews. 7. Henry A. Glassford. 14. John Q. Mitchell. 67 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 15. A. J. C. Foye. 16. Wager Swayne. 17. Cyrus Butler. 18. John W. Harman. 19. Granville W. Harman. 20. George V. Harman. 21. C. C. Hine. 22. D. M. Edgarton. '23. Carson Lake. 24. S. B. Elkins. 25. Wm. Henry Smith. 26. Whitelaw Reid. 27. Waxren Higley. J. J. Slocum. 28. W. L. Strong. 29. Wm. Ford Upson. 30. James Q. Howard. 31. J. S. Gorham. 32. Bernard Peters. 33. Mahlon Chance. 34. Joseph Pool. 35. Wallace Mayo. 36. Thomas S. King. 37. C. H. Applegate. 38. Thomas Ewing. 39. Milton I. Southard. 40. W. V. McCracken. 41. Gus M. Miller. 42. W. H. HofFer. 43. Theo. Ricksecker. 44. Henry L. Burnett. 45. Algernon S. Sullivan. 46. Frank M. Lahm. 47. W. Harry Beard. 48. J. H. Beard. 49. David Harbaugh. 50. A. W. Green. 51. George Follett. 52. A. W. Follett. 53. H. L. Terrell. Calvin S, Brice. 54. Washington Belt. 55. W. K. Jewett. 56. Philander D. HaU. 57. Wm. Knisely. 58. R. C. Kimball. 59. Giles N. Hewlett. 60. P. S. Jennings. 61. W. L. Brown. 62. J. M. Edwards. 63. Geo. H. VaiUant. 64. Wm. S. Hawk. 65. J. Monroe Brown. 66. S. D. Brewster. 67. Wm. Hunter. 68. Theodore Shotwell. Wm. W. Shotwell. 69. Max Fleischmann. 70. J. Q. A. Ward. 71. Isaac K. Funk. 72. H. K. Enos. 73. Thos. T. Eckert. 74. Thos. T. Eckert, Jr. 75. Joseph S. Tunison. 76. Harwood R. Pool. 77. Frank M. Foy6. 78. John W. Stout. 79. J. H. Hewson. 80. Lowell M. Palmer. 81. And. J. RickofF. 82. Geo. Buckingham. 83. Clinton Corwine. 84. John T. Granger. 85. Heman Clark. 86. B. W. Gillett. 87. F. M. Gillett. 88. J. D. Gillett. 89. M. H. Gillett. 90. A. D. Juilliard. 91. Jacob Oberholser. 92. Anson G. McCook. 93. Colgate Hoyt. 68 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 94. Ensign Newton. 104. John L. N. Hunt. 95. A. O. Beebe. 105. C. H. Thyng. 96. I. J. Struble. 106. Charles Sprague. 97. John A. Smith. 107. Walston H. Brown. J. F. Sadler. 108. Theo. F. Allen. 98. Edwin M. Green. 109. Charles A. Post. 99. W. H. Eckert. 110. Cary W. Moore. David G. Wylie. Geo. K. Clark, Jr. 100. G. M. Worstell. 111. Wm. W. Heaton. 101. Sherman Moulton. 112. W. M. SafFord. 102. Henry E. Abbey. 113. Chas. H. Blair. 103. E. W. Root. 114. W. S. Lloyd. At a meeting of the governing committee held on June 14, John Dick- son was unanimously elected permanent chairman to succeed Henry L. Bur- nett, resigned. Mr. Nye, in the session of the Society held in June, on behalf of the committee on the Ohio Centennial, reported progress and recommended that arrangements be made for an excursion of the members of the Society to attend the celebration at Marietta. The report was accepted, and the com- mittee continued with power to act, it being understood that the Society as such should incur no expense. A. J. C. Foye read the following letter from William Ford Upson : " My Dear Mr. Foye : — Will you please present the name of Ralph Hazlett Upson for membership in the Society.? He was bom on the 21st inst., and will, I think, make a worthy member, to judge by the strength of his lungs. I shall not be able to attend this evening, but should be greatly obliged if you will provide a big bowl of lemonade (no stick), with the young man's compliments, charging the expense to me. " Very truly yours, " Wm. Ford Upson." " There being no further business before the Society," the minutes tell us, " except the drinking of the lemonade, thus generously provided for by Mr. Upson, the Society adjourned for that purpose. Whereupon, the mem- bers being gathered together fraternally with the bowl of lemonade, of gener- ous measure, close at hand, all standing and each duly supplied with a goblet of the same, it was ordered that the following minute be spread at large upon the journal of the Society, and that a copy thereof be sent to Messrs. William F. and Ralph Hazlett Upson, viz. : " At an informal meeting of the Ohio Societ}^, held at the Society's 69 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK rooms, Monday evening, June 25, 1888, it was, upon motion of General Swayne, " Resolved, That Ralph Hazlett Upson be and he is hereby unanimously chosen the first member of the Ohio Society by inheritance. " Resolved, That our congratulations are extended to his parents, with fervent trust that though he may sometimes lengthen their nights, he may never shorten their days, but make them brighter always."* When the sessions were resumed on September 10, 1888, it was ordered that a ladies' reception be held on the third Monday of October. Judge Higley was instructed to arrange for an informal dinner during the month. A committee of five were appointed to take charge of the ladies' reception, consisting of Messrs. Higley, Gard, Shayne, Doyle and Harbaugh. lAt the meeting of October 8, by unanimous consent, at the president's suggestion, the election of the committee on nominations under the by-laws was taken up, and the following were chosen by ballot: Wm. H. Eckert, A. J. C. Foye, J. W. Harman, Geo. B. Hibbard, Homer Lee, Dr. Zachos, B. F. Peixotto, F. C. Loveland, W. V. McCracken. On November 12 the committee on the ladies' reception reported that they were making arrange- ments for one to be held on the 26th inst. It was resolved, on motion of Mr. Shayne, that an engrossed copy of the original apphcation for the incorpora- tion of the Society be duly framed and hung in the rooms. The gathering for the ladies was a successful reunion of the members and their friends. The full committee having the matter in charge consisted of the following: Warren Higley, Wm. L. Strong, Henry L. Burnett, Homer Lee, Calvin S. Brice, C. C. Shayne, Anson A. Gard, George Hoadly, David F. Harbaugh, Sumner T. Dunham, G. D. M. Peixotto, John Q. Mit- chell, Alexander Doyle, Cary W. Moore, Marshal Halstead. The reception committee was composed of the following ladies: Mrs. W. L. Strong, Mrs. Calvin S. Brice, Mrs. George Hoadly, INIrs. Cary W. Moore, Mrs. Mary P. Bigelow, Miss Strong, Miss Hoadly, Mrs. Samuel Thomas, Mrs. Stephen B. Elkins, Mrs. Frank C. Loveland, Mrs. Carson Lake, Mrs. Anson A. Gard, Miss Ewing, Miss Perry. * Ralph H. Upson was born on June 21, 1888, and is now past seventeen years of age. He has finished a course in the high school at Glen Ridge, New Jersey, preparatory to one in mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute. His father, when the above action was called to his attention, commented upon it in these words : " As to his benefits from this membership in the Ohio Society, they are for the most part in the future. He is, I should say, in the position of one who is by infant baptism a member of the church, but has not yet reached the age of confirmation. We have preserved in the family archives for his benefit the letter of the secretary of the Society transmitting the copy of General Swayne's resolu- tion, from which we intend, at the proper time, to claim for him aU the privileges and immunities appertaining to such membership." 70 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The programme of entertainment and the catalogue of pictures on view were as follows: Song, " Chickk-Cklchie" — The Poultry Maid's Song. Words by Sidney Rosenfeld. Music by Ceurelio Ceurelos. Genie Holtzmeyee Rosenfeld. Accompanied by Sen. Ceurelos. Trio, D Minor, Op. 40, '* Andante," \ " Allegro Assai" ' Mme. Eugenie De Roode, Piano. Me. Harey Schloming, Violin. Me. Heney Finzi, Violoncello. Mendelssohn Song, " The Creole Lover's Song," Miss Claea E. Stutsman. Accompanied by Girant C. Odell. Dudley Buck Addeess, "The Carey Sisters." Mrs. Lucy P. Thomas. Tenge Solo, ■* Come to Me," WiLBUE GUNN. Denza 71 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK CATALOGUE Robert Blum. Landscapes in pastel. For Sale. Wm. Verplanck Birney. "Photographic Memories," .... $175 "Reading Her Fortune," .... 100 " The Rose," 50 "Au Revoir," 200 J. G. Brown. " Thoughts by the Sea," $1,000 Otto Backer. " Interior of St. Marc's, Venice," For Sale. " The Palace of Desdemona, Venice," For Sale. Albert Bierstadt. " Sunrise on the Matterhorn," . . . $5,000 Wm. M. Chase. Studies in oil and pastel, . . . For Sale. J. H. DOLPH. " Interior, Amsterdam," $400 RoBT. A. Eichelberger. Landscape, $500 De Haas. " Moonlight on the Water," . . . For Sale. Thos. Moran. Landscape, For Sale. J. Francis Murphy. Landscape, For Sale. J. Symington. "On the Bridge." OF PICTURES. Carrol, Beckwith. Portrait. Stanley Middleton. Marine, For Sale. J. C. NiCOLL. " Early Morning at Sea." " With Yacht Katrina." G. D. Madura Peixotto. Study head of H. E. Cardinal Manning, $1,500 Wm. a. Rogers. " The Carpet Weaver's Children." " An Autumn Walk." " Great Grampus House." Walter Satterlee. "The Puritan Mayflower." James Smillie. Landscape, For Sale. George Smillie. Landscape, For Sale. Theo. Wores. "Lotus Pond in Tokio," $850 " Street Scene in Tokio," ..... 850 " A Tea House and Cherry Blossoms," 1,500 Irving R. Wiles. " Study in Costume," For Sale. Hamilton Hamilton. " The Dominie's Daughter," . . For Sale. Louise Lawson, Sculpsit. "Abyssinian Boy." It had been decided by the entertainment committee that on this occasion a formal presentation of the portrait of a great Ohioan would be made by the president, Gen. Wager Swayne. George D. M. Peixotto, a member, had presented to the Society his painting of Mon*ison R. Waite, chief justice of the United States. Mr. Peixotto was a great admirer of the chief justice and decided to give a proof of that personal interest by painting a portrait of the eminent jurist 72 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK for the Ohio Society. The chief justice cheerfully granted Mr. Peixotto the time required for the sittings,, which were had at Washington in 1888. ^Ix. Waite being engaged at that period in writing his opinion in the Bell Telephone case as well as that of the Chicago anarchists, the artist de- picted him in a mood which conveys some reflection of the great responsi- bilities of his office. At an appropriate moment in the evening, General Swayne, in a few well chosen words, presented the portrait to the Society in the name of the artist, and then in accepting the portrait, in the name of the Society, he referred eloquently to the high quahties of the chief justice, and in sym- pathetic manner commended tlie artist for having contributed this memorial of one of Ohio's greatest sons; a gift he described as not only a magnificent portrait but a token of the artist's patriotic feeling and true interest in the purpose of the Ohio Society. A seated figure, half length life size, the por- trait represents Mr. Waite robed in the black gown of a chief justice, in one hand a vellum bound book, the other hand resting on the arm of the chair. It was ordered at the meeting of December 10, which was the annual gathering for the election of officers, that a committee consisting of Messrs. Ewing, Caldwell and Glassford, be appointed to confer with the committee on the centennial of the inauguration of George Washington as first president of the United States, to get such information as may be necessary for the members of the Society as desire to take part in the festivities, and to re- port at the next regular meeting. The report of the nominating committee having been already sub- mitted, the Society proceeded to the election, and the following officers and trustees were chosen by ballot: President, Wager Swayne; Vice-Presidents, William L. Strong, Henry L. Burnett, Milton I. Southard, Bernard Peters, Calvin S. Brice; Secretary, Warren Higley; Recording Secretary, Charles F. Bliss ; Treasurer, Leander H. Crall ; Trustees, for three years, Wallace C. Andrews, S. S. Packard, C. C. Shayne; for two years, George IVIilmine, William S. Hawk, J. F. Holloway ; for one year, A. D. Juilliard, Ralph H. Waggoner, Henry A. Glassford. President Ewing, on retiring from the chair, and before handing the gavel to his successor, spoke as follows : " It is three years since the Ohio Society was founded. It has not ac- complished all its founders hoped for — few men hit the mark they aim at, especially if it is high. But we have gone on each year with increasing num- bers and interest, and the Society to-day is stronger and more assured of permanent life than ever before. " Much yet is needed. We want more social life. First, it seems neces- sary to have a good-sized, commodious and well located house of our own, 73 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK or one held by a long lease at a low rent. We want it fitted up so as to be an attractive resort day and night for residents here and friends from abroad — as attractive as other club-houses of the city — not necessarily as large and elegant, but with the appointments and conveniences of an agreeable resort for ourselves and our friends. " We want, too, much more of intellectual Hfe. I think we should strive especially to have discussions on interesting topics of the day, as at the Twihght and other hterary clubs, and also to have more of essays, the taste and spirit for ha-Yiug which is strong, but the willingness to prepare it not so. For instance, I am in default for a paper for two years past and my successor is, I think, somewhat derelict also. " We were innovators in New York in establishing the first society of men from a single state. Our innovation led to the formation of the Southern Society and will lead, no doubt, to the formation of other state societies. " Now, in both our intellectual and social aims we need the help of Ohio women in New York. We have all enjoyed the ladies' receptions we have had, and the informal dinners. With our new house why can't we admit women as members ? Our constitution does not forbid it ; it does not limit membership to men. Let us enlist their minds and hearts and graces in the intellectual and social life of the Ohio Society, and by broadening the membership we will heighten the aims and increase the good work of the Society. " In surrendering the presidency of the Society with which I have been honored so long, I am troubled with a humbling sense in my failure to ade- quately exert myself for its welfare, and the grateful sense of the kindness which kept me so long at the head of the Society. I am rejoiced to know, however, that the next president will give a greater help than I have done. He has been identified with it from its birth, is zealous for its success, has high intellectual ability and sterhng worth which commands the respect and admiration of every member. To his hands, now, my fellow members, I deliver the insignia of authority as president of the Ohio Society. The Society is a democracy and the president has no power vested in him except as a pre- siding officer. The emblems of his authority are only these two gavels, one of stainless ivory, the gift of Captain Glassford, the other, the gift of jNIr. Nye, carved from a log of the double cabin in one room of which was held the first court of justice and in the other the first school in the Northwest Territory. It is of oak, which stood perhaps for centuries in the primeval forest, awaiting the coming of civilization. May it call our Society to order for a century to come, and may education and liberty, regulated by law, virtues of American civilization which it typifies, be illustrated by our Society for a century to come, and may it always be wielded by one as fit to bear it as our excellent friend and brother. General Swayne. 74j General Wager Swayne President from November 29, 1888, to November 39, 1891 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " And now, brethren of the Oliio Society, with grateful appreciation of the honors you have done me, I bid you farewell as your president and take my place as a worker in the ranks." On motion of General Burnett, it was " Resolved, That the hearty thanks of the Ohio Society are hereby tendered to the retiring officers for their devotion to the interest of the Society during the terms they have respectively served." At a meeting of the governing committee on the same night, Henry A. Glassford was elected chairman and C. F. Bliss secretary. A house com- mittee of three was then elected, consisting of Alexander Doyle, Cyrus But- ler and E. B. Bruch. At the meeting of January 14, President Swayne announced the ap- pointment of the following committees: Art and Literature Committee: John Q. A. Ward, chairman; George D. M. Peixotto, Cyrus Butler, Carson Lake and J. Q. Howard. Auditing Committee: Wm. Perry Fogg, John M. Guiteau, F. C. Loveland, Carey W. Moore and J. Q. Mitchell. Entertain- ment Committee : Homer Lee, chairman ; Thomas Ewing, Whitelaw Reid, Jay O. Moss and Andrew J. C. Foye. It was announced that the fourth annual banquet of the Society would be held at Delmonico's on Tuesday evening, February 19. The following reception committee for the banquet was announced: John W. Ellis, chair- man ; John D. Archbold, S. D. Brewster, Watson H. Brown, H. B. Brundrett, H. H. Brockway, S. B. Elkins, Wm. W. Heaton, Colgate Hoyt, George Hoadly, E. W. Hoagland, Anson G. McCook, H. J. Morse, Chas. B. Peet, Joseph Pool, John C. Schooley, Samuel Thomas, Wm. Ford Upson, Frank Work, F. H. Wheeler. By resolution it was decided that a committee of two should be appointed with a view to musical development in the Society. On motion of Mr. Chance, it was ordered that a committee of five be appointed by the chair to take steps towards the entertainment of the com- missioners from Ohio to attend the centennial celebration of the Washington inauguration, and to report at the next meeting. The chair urged upon the Society the desirability of its members con- tributing literature relating in any way to the state of Ohio, to the hbrary, whether as loans to be returned to the members so lending at their pleasure, or as absolute gifts. The annual banquet was held at Delmonico's, on the evening above designated, Tuesday, February 19, 1889, when, as a local chronicler of the day* declared, "Ohio pluck, Ohio push, and Ohio perseverance were loyally celebrated. New York Tribune, February 20, 1889. 75 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Rufus Putnam and the ordinance of 1787," the writer continued, " were the themes of patriotic eulogy, and the grounds of the territory which takes its name from the river tliat the French called ' beautiful ' was pro- claimed with eloquence and wit. " Although the Society is young, it makes up in enthusiasm what it lacks in age and numbers. The Ohio men are noted for coming to the front. Everybody knows that the aborigines, whose mammoth mud pies still exist, produced a superior article in mounds which defy competition. Their suc- cessors whom the intrepid La Salle encountered when he dodged his creditors and went picnicking along the Ohio, as well as the painted and befeathered hatchet throwers whom Mad Anthony Wayne subsequently dispersed, had no rivals in the fine art of hair-hfting and their stake tortures were simply unapproachable ; so that the state need not apologize for the want of the pic- turesque and romantic in its history. Washington, it is true, lacked the address to be bom on the ' Sacred Soil,' but the late settlement of the coun- try must be accounted an extenuating circumstance, and if there were no Buckeyes at Valley Forge it was merely because they did not live early enough." The dinner arrangements were democratic in their simplicity. No raised table made the honored guests targets for the gaze of curiosity and debarred them from participation in the common mirth. President Wager Swayne's figure graced the head of the centre table on a level with the rest of the diners, and careful scrutiny was required to pick out the features of Cor- nelius N. Bliss, the luxuriant locks of Roger A. Pry or, the rotund and smihng countenance of S. B. Elkins. The decorations were limited to a colored representation of the seal of Ohio, which displayed its golden sun- burst above the president's chair, and copies of the national shield which adorned the walls and the front of the building, and were draped with the Stars and Stripes. The menu was a tastefully lithographed card, bearing on its face an outline map of the state, with a star showing the city of Marietta, and a dramatic picture of a stalwart pioneer braining a ferocious grizzly which had just feasted off the head of his favorite watch dog. A summary of the history of Ohio since the organization of the Ohio Company was contained on the inside cover, as well as a note setting up a claim to the new nickname of " The Birthday State," on the ground that Ohio was the first state ad- mitted into the Union after the Revolutionary war, and literally the child of the Revolution. The compilers of this part of the document had, however, ingeniously hedged on their history by citing the several different dates which different chroniclers assigned as the period of admission and defied criticism by the 76 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK triumphant announcement that " Ohio and Virginia, up to date, have fur- nished twelve out of the twenty-three presidents of the United States." The invited guests were: Ex-Secretary WilHam Windom, Senator P. B. Plumb, of Kansas; Gten. Roger A. Pryor, C. N. Bhss, and Congressmen A. C. Thompson and C. H. Grosvenor. At about nine o'clock President Swayne rapped for order. He made no attempt at a formal speech, but congratulated the members on the agreeable occasion of the gathering, and warmly welcomed the distinguished guests. It was in New York, he reminded them, that Ohio was really bom, under Virginia auspices, when in the old City hall, at the corner of Nassau and Wall streets, the Continental Congress passed the ordinance of 1787 author- izing the sale of land at the mouth of Muskingum River, out of which grew Ohio and the other states which have since clustered about her, and they might therefore recognize the peculiar fitting of such a celebration in this city. He then read the following letters of regret, remarking that he would proceed in the inverse order of their importance: General Schenck : " The sons of our big state may well be proud of her. Ohio by her marvelous growth and advancement has crowded ages of time within her history of less than a century. Measured by the succession of events and progress of improvement, instead of by the calendar, she now takes rank with the oldest states of the Union, and computing by the standard, I sometimes feel as if I had lived five hundred years instead of eighty since my birth in the Miami Valley." Hon. S. S. Cox: " I am greatly concerned that I am always away when tlie good things are spread by my Ohio friends. As I cannot be there, the next best thing I can do is, perhaps, the best thing — to wish you all a happy evening, with much good cheer, and that every memory of Ohio may give an additional zest to the festivity." Gen. W. S. Rosecrans: "The saying that 'blood is thicker than water,' has always been suggested to my mind since I first left Ohio for West Point, and during my four years there the sight of an Ohioan made me feel toward him as though he were a brother. The years spent in the war for the Union strengthened these feelings, and age has confimied them." Hon. R. B. Hayes: "Very sorry I cannot meet the 'Ohio Boys,' as Corwin called them ; but some day my turn at your table will come." Other letters were received from President Cleveland and President-Elect Benjamin Harrison; also from many other prominent men. Simon Wolf, formerly consular agent at Alexandria, Egypt, was the first speaker called upon. He said in substance : " New York is so much prepared for a continual dose of Chauncey Dcpew that no one else has a chance, so our honorable president thought to-night 77 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK he would give you the speakers, as he has the letters of regret, in the inverse order of their interest and raising the foundation of the pyramid gently to the apex. It was the ambition of my life, as a boy in Germany, to become a citizen of America, and above all, a citizen of Ohio. I succeeded in that am- bition, and it has been my pride and delight to represent this country abroad, and to spread the fame of Ohio. " Ohio men go everywhere. Who, for instance, should I knock up against in Egypt but the genial Samuel Sullivan Sunset Cox. The first thing he said to me was, ' Old boy, here I am, where are the mumtmies ? ' I took him to the museum of Boulak and gave him a glimpse of the mummies that had just been unearthed from the caverns of the Nile. There was a Pharaoh of the expulsion, the man who did us the great good of expelling our ancestors out of Egypt, and Sam says to me, ' Wolf, speak to the old duffer.' Well, not having received a classical education, I said, ' Sam, you speak to him, as you are well versed in the dead languages.' Being a good Ohio boy, of course, he did. " Last year at our banquet we predicted that the United States would select its next president from Ohio. It did. We also predicted that two-thirds of the cabinet would be Ohio men. I am not going to give secrets away be- cause I have received cipher dispatches from Indianapolis telling me not to, but I think two-thirds is about correct, and it is only one more instance that Ohio men will always prove that wherever they are, there are life, prosperity, vim and enterprise." The chairman next introduced A. Minor Griswold, of " Texas Siftings." Mr. Griswold said: " This introduction reminds me of an introduction that I received once when lecturing in a little town known as Ashtabula, on the Western ' Preserve ' of Ohio. The president seemed to think it necessary to make an apology for having a comic lecture. He said, however, that in the formation of matter you begin with the lower order of creation. ' Take the monkey,' he said, ' who gradually advanced to the higher formation of man.' It was a pretty big audience, yet during my lecture not one of them laughed that night, but during the next day they began to snicker a little bit. I feel at all events that they are in convulsions by this time, for it is now fifteen years off. " At this stage I am reminded of a German who came to this country, not understanding a word of English. He was in a flour mill and a barrel of flour fell upon the top of his head and injured him, as it were, in the English language. Not understanding a word of that language the man did not know that he had been hurt — if the barrel of flour had struck him in Dutch it would have killed him. Time passed and he gradually acquired a smatter- 78 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ing of the English language, and presently his head began to hurt. At length when he began to speak English fluently he died of his ailment. I hope that fact won't befall my Ashtabula friends when they come to reahze the full force of my lecture. " Although born in New York I was a resident of Ohio for twenty-five years. I gave my best days to Ohio, and some of the most enjoyable nights I have ever spent were while I was in that blissful state. Many of you who were in that bhssful state before now will know, no doubt, what I mean. I was frequently urged to go South, but I replied : * No, I wiU stay with my state; nothing could persuade me to leave the state but an invasion.' I was drafted in two cities, Cleveland and Cincinnati, and there was only one thing prevented me going to the front — I was not twins. " I gave my initial lecture in a little town called Morrow, not far from Cincinnati. I said to the brakeman, who did not know stations, ' I want to go to Morrow.' ' Why don't you wait.? ' says he. ' I can't, sir,' says I. * Does this train go to Morrow.? ' ' No,' he said, ' it goes up to-day and comes back to-morrow.' " I told the landlord in Morrow that I was anxious to get a start. He said they had started every lecturer so far, and he presumed there would be no exception in my case. He was right. In Cedarville, where our old friend Whitelaw Reid comes from, I also lectured. I described a painting of Joseph and his brothers, where they were putting him in a pit, not having money enough to put him in the parquet." The chairman before introducing the next speaker took exception to the last sentence of the previous speaker. " The reason," he said, " that Joseph was put in the pit was because they had no room in the family circle." Congressman C. H. Grosvenor was next called upon. A few of the re- marks he made were: " I only made one suggestion to the president-elect about his cabinet, which was that he should pick as many Ohio men as possible, and when his slate comes out you will probably see that the president made a note of it. Ohio keeps her eye on whoever is bom in the state. She keeps a register of Ohio men, and whether they go West, over the Rocky Mountains and down across the Pacific Coast, or whether they go to New York, or become famous at the bar, on the bench, or in the halls of legislation, Ohio keeps her eye on them. " What a magnificent spectacle we have in this recent presidential elec- tion. An Ohio bom man gracefully, triumphantly elected president of the United States. Ohio man gracefully, smilingly, magnificently making a fight to beat the others, and say after the fight that he was at any rate glad that he was an Ohio man who won. Underlying the growth of Ohio is the great 79 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK fact that she built her institutions on a solid basis of freedom and liberty; liberty of conscience. " Principles underlying our organic structure, that religion, morality and education are essential to the growth and perpetuity of the state, are the great tilings that Ohio built upon. Those great principles were carried to us engrafted in our organic law by the men of New England." With a graceful allusion to the early settlement of Ohio by New England people, the chairman called upon Cornelius N. Bliss, president of the New England Society. Mr. Bliss said: " Mr. President and Gentlemen : — I shall make no apology for a single word that I may say, for I came here with the understanding that I should not be called upon to say a word. The witty words that I have heard uttered here to-night by Ohio men make me wish that I, too, had been bom in Ohio and always stayed there. " I wish to say a word to you, however, that in view of the kind words that you have spoken concerning the New England Society, it greets you with pride and gratification. We thank you and are glad that you remember the old home. It is with great pleasure that I extend to you the right hand of fellowship — with the same pleasure I did the same for the new Southern Society. It seems to me all these societies are calculated to do great good in our country. I believe that the good that can be accomplished by them will be incalculable. Let's hold together until we bring this city and this state and this nation into one harmonious whole. Gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention." Congressman A. C. Thompson followed with a brief but happy speech. Hon. Roger A. Pryor spoke next, making an eloquent and historical speech. He said in part: " May I, gentlemen, now that Virginia has fallen from her high estate, pause a moment with reminiscences? Who was it but Patrick Henry, of Virginia, that offered the resolution in the Continental Congress for the break- ing away from England? And who but Thomas Jefferson that drafted the immortal Declaration of Independence? G^eorge Rogers Clark, under the direction of Patrick Henry, organized the expedition that went to the West and wrested the state of Ohio from the British. In 1784, when our fore- fathers were endeavoring to form the Confederation, it was objected to on the ground that Virginia was such a large territory, and Virginia magnanimously surrendered the magnificent territory of Ohio. " But when it was feared that the government of the old Confederation was too weak to stand, Virginia, through the immortal George Washington, recommended the call of a convention, and the result of that convention was the written constitution that is the basis of our government to-day. It was 80 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK a Virginian who on the fields of Lundy's Lane and Chippewa vindicated the strength of the American anmy. In 1861, when the Civil War threatened the existence of the Union, Virginia dispatches messengers to Washington to urge moderation, and when the first shot was fired on Fort Sumter, Virginia in her convention voted two to one against secession. But when the conflict became inevitable Virginia said, ' I am of the South and I will fight with my state,* although she knew at the time that she would have to bare her breast and take the brunt of the battle. " After this narration, has any one a word to say against old Virginia? What has Virginia done since the war-f* There is not a man in Virginia to-day that would, if he could, reshackle the slaves who have been emancipated. We have come back, or, rather, we have been brought back, into the Union and we are here to stay, and don't you forget it! Do not confound Virginia, I implore you, with other Southern states. Virginia looks to an indestructible Union, of indestructible states." Ex-Secretary Windom was greeted with prolonged cheering when he rose in response to the president's call. It was some minutes before the en- thusiasm of the audience subsided, and when it did his remarks were singularly apt and graceful. He said in substance : " I want first to congi'atulate tliis Society on the splendid success of this entertainment. If I had come here to-night with any purpose of making a speech I should now be very glad to refrain from doing so, for after the speeches we have heard the attempt would be a greater task than I can per- form. However, I have congratulated myself very much since I sat here to-night upon my great wisdom and good luck. In the first place I con- gratulated myself on my wisdom in being bom in the great state of Ohio. " I hstened to my distinguished friend who paid so glowing a tribute to old Virginia, and remarked, too, that nearly thirty years ago two such mere youths as he and I represented our respective states on the floor of Congress, and have scarcely seen him since, and am happy to meet him to-night. I congratulate myself on my wisdom, ggod judgment and good luck in having both father and mother bom in the state of Virginia ; then again turning to our distinguished friend, president of the New England Society, I congratulate myself more than in all other respects upon my very good wisdom and my extreme good luck in getting a wife from New England. " Now, gentlemen, can you get up a better combination than that.'' There is but one thing that I can add to it to give you a further idea of my great good luck and judgment — that was, perhaps, in removing from Ohio to the great state of Minnesota, the queen of the head of the Mississippi River. We are all proud of our native state. I am especially proud of Ohio. I am proud of the combinations who have been represented here to-night, of 81 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the glories which are visible all about her, and the halo of glory in being de- scended from Virginia, as it is, in having such a great mother as our friend has told us of in New England. There is no reason why Ohio should not be great, and she is, and patriotic besides. You may go where you will on this great earth, and if there is a dollar to be honestly made, or an office to be honestly filled, Ohio is ready to make it or fill it. I believe it is reported that General Garfield once said that he never could look upon a boy without taking off his hat when he remembered the responsibilities buttoned up in his coat. He was speaking of Ohio boys, without doubt. " I have been making a little calculation as I sat here. There are about two hundred and forty Ohio men in this room, everyone of whom could make a better speech than I could, and if each one takes one minute — it is eleven o'clock now — it will be fifteen o'clock before we get through, I therefore shall not take up the time of any Ohio men any longer." As Mr. Windom resumed his seat he was again loudly cheered. Maj.- Gen. O. O. Howard was the next speaker. In the course of a short but in- teresting address he said: " If I am at the base of the pyramid I must occupy a very thin place. I have listened to speeches that made me wish that I was like the speakers and not like a simple soldier. I have listened to the speeches and I have rejoiced that I was here. I was telegraphed to come and I came. I cannot make much of a speech. I was bom in Maine. I have been in Oliio where I have seen the little children strewing flowers in the way of the soldiers returning from the war. " But my mind has run back to Maine to-night where I was bom, on a bleak hill. I have traveled in the Old World and I have returned to the United States to rejoice that I was bom here. It is a good country to be bom in and it is a good country to return to. I looked about to-night when I came in and said to myself, ' What a fine set of men — these men bom in Ohio.' I rejoice in the principles that have been taught me in my youth and for which I have stood up and am willing to stand up." President Swayne then bade the gentlemen good night, and the annual dinner came to an end. 8S CHAPTER VII 1889-1890 AT the meeting of the governing committee on March 4th, on motion of Mr. Holloway, the following declaration, prepared by General Swayne, was directed to be presented to the Society at its next regular meeting, and to be embodied in the chairman's report of the govern- ing committee, to-wit: " The governing committee having been instructed to consider and re- port upon several constitutional amendments looking to the extension in various directions of the field of membership, and changing in some particu- lars the amounts payable by members, respectfully report that in their judg- ment the Society at this time would be more benefited by stability and per- manence in both those features of its character, than by any present change. "At the same time the committee recognizes and appreciates the desire and need of a larger place for the social element in the Society's affairs. They beg to suggest, therefore, that the full time of one evening in each month is not required for the Society's current business, and suggest the propriety of occasionally giving notices that at the next regular meeting the regular order of business will be dispensed with and the evening given in charge of the entertainment committee, who will provide appropriate and interesting features, and that ladies and other guests of members will be welcome. The committee, if authorized by the Society, will give such notice whenever in their judgment the Society's current business will permit. " The committee recognizes also the desirability of purchasing works of art, whenever such a purchase will not only be desirable in itself, but will also secure to the Society a valuable member. They are advised, however, by the experience of other associations that life-memberships are apt to give rise to very inconvenient and difficult situations. The result in their judgment is that •a simple authorization to them to occasionally purchase works of art and give in payment therefor receipts for initiation fees and for dues paid in advance for not exceeding, say, five years, would best accomplish what is desired, and they recommend that such authority be given." This report was presented to the Society on March 11th, and on motion of Mr. Butler was adopted. The report of the entertainment committee upon the fourth annual ban- 83 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK quet was submitted by Mr. Crall, showing receipts from tickets sold to be $1,377.00; disbursements amounting to $1,104.03, and a surplus to be paid into the treasury of $272.97. The report was adopted. The thanks of the Society were also tendered to the members of the banquet committee. General Burnett moved that at the next monthly meeting the regular order of business be omitted and the evening be given in charge of the enter- tainment committee, which was to provide appropriate and interesting en- tertainment which ladies might attend. Carried. General Burnett moved that the governing committee be authorized to purchase works of art for the Society, and to give therefor receipts for initiation fees and dues not exceed- ing five years. This was also carried. A valuable and interesting paper was read before the Society on April 8th by Gen. Henry L. Burnett, on " Our Military and Naval Establishments. The Armaments of the Great Powers. Our Defenseless Coasts." It was listened to with great interest, and on motion of General Ewing was ordered printed at the expense of the Society. At the meeting of the governing committee on April 20th it was decided to decorate the Society building during the centennial exercises and to provide a platform at the front, from which members and their families could view the parade. Steps were taken to entertain the commission from Ohio while in the city. On June 10th Captain Glassford, on behalf of the governing committee, read a report stating among other things that the Society was in a prosperous and improving condition; that its funds had been husbanded to the utmost extent, and that its finances were in excellent condition, the balance of cash on hand at the time of the report being $2,790.57, and that all debts had been paid. The committee on entertainment of the commissioners from Ohio to at- tend the centennial celebration of the first inauguration of Washington re- ported through Mr. Caldwell that they had met the commissioners; had ex- tended to them the privilege of the Society rooms, and had given them enter- tainment of a private character. The report was accepted. The president reported that he had been invited to meet the general committee of the World's Exposition of 1892 ; and, on motion, it was resolved that he represent the Society in said committee. The first meeting of the fall was held on September 12, 1889, for the purpose of taking appropriate action relative to the death of the Hon. Samuel S. Cox. A committee appointed to draft a series of resolutions reported, and the same were adopted. A number of members were appointed a committee to attend the funeral. At a meeting of the governing committee, held on October 7th, a com- 84 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK munication was received from Ralph H. Waggoner, accompanied b}' a cer- tificate of the Oliio Auxihary of the World's Exposition at Chicago, urging the cooperation of Ohioans in furthering the interest of Chicago in that direc- tion. General Swayne addressed the committee requesting that action be taken in favor of New York city as the site of the fair. The following pre- amble and resolution was offered by him : " In view of the appointment of our president on the general committee of the World's Exposition of 1892, it is " Resolved, That the committee pledges itself to the president's sup- port and will promptly carry out his suggestions or those of the general committee." This was seconded by Mr. Milmine and carried. Judge Higley moved that a series of entertainments be given during the coming winter season to consist, first, of an address by the president on a subject of interest to Ohioans which he might select; secondly, of an informal dinner; thirdly, a ladies' reception with luncheon, followed by a dance; and fourthly, about the holiday time, to consist of musical entertainment and dance. The report was adopted. The chair then called for the election of a committee to recommend mem- bers for the offices to be filled at the annual election to be held in November. The following gentlemen were chosen as members of the nominating com- mittee: Messrs. Holloway, Chance, Stout, Upson, Butler, Sisson and Love- land. Ex-Gov. George Hoadly, of Ohio, was then presented to the Society by the chair; deHvered a eulogy upon the late Samuel S. Cox, and referred to his early life and training and subsequent career as a statesman. Mr. Crall, on behalf of Mr. Schuckers, the author, presented the Society with a life of Chief Justice Chase; also a portrait of Gen. William Henry Harrison. The g-ifts were accepted and the secretary instructed to return the thanks of the Society for the same. The nominating committee reported through Mr. Chance, chairman, the following ticket to be balloted for at the annual mGd:ing on the 29th inst., to-wit : President, Wager Swayne ; Vice-Presidents, William L. Strong, Henry L. Burnett, Calvin S. Brice, Henr}^ A. Glassford, John W. Harman; Secretary, Wan-en Higley ; Recording Secretary, Edward B. Bruch ; Treas- urer, Leander H. Crall; for Trustees for three years, Benjamin F. Peixotto, William H. Caldwell, Carson Lake. The annual meeting for 1889 was held on November 29. The report presented by the governing committee was as follows: " Mr. President and Gentlemen : — Your governing committee begs to re- spectfully submit the following report: Much of their attention has been given to your expressed wish for a permanent home, and in conjunction with 3'our building committee two efforts were made. One contemplated a purchase, 85 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the other a leasehold. Both failed of success, and the plan of conducting the Society on a club basis has for the present, at least, been left in abeyance on the recommendation contained in the special report of the building com- mittee recently adopted. " The lease of the rooms now occupied by the Society expires April 30th next, and steps should be taken at the proper time towards its renewal or the procurement of other quarters. On this point it is recommended that the Society should seek other apartments at a lower rental, where its meetings may be held and its property be protected, such as may be found on some of the streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, and that a hall be engaged for entertainments for and as the occasion may require. Your committee thinks a saving in expenses may thus be made and the financial and social interests of the Society be better promoted. " The arrangement for the partial use of these rooms by the Republican Men's Association was fairly profitable while it lasted, but under the contract it was terminable on notice. Such notice was given by the association and their occupancy closed June 30, 1889. It was not renewed, as was expected. " The president. General Swayne, was invited by the chairman of the general committee of the World's Fair of 1892 (Mayor Grant) to a place on the committee as a member representing this Society, and your governing committee thereupon pledged to him its prompt support of his recommen- dations and those of said general committee. " The Society mourns the loss by death of three of its members during the past year: Merrill H. Gillett, S. S. Cox and Henry Beard. The Society has adopted in due form the proper and customary resolutions of condolence in relation to the first two; as to the latter, the usual action will doubtless be taken; and while on this subject, jonv governing committee would respectfully suggest that uniformity and simplicity in the method and style of the publica- tion of obituary resolutions might with advantage be adopted, so that mem- bers of the Society, as well as the families of the deceased, may be put in possession of the reports of obituary committees. The usage of Loyal Legion in this regard is recommended for adoption — special report attached. " Your efllcient treasurer will in his report furnish particulars of the membership of the Society and of the financial condition, anything thereon from this committee would, therefore, be superfluous. " Tlie foregoing committee are largely indebted to the house committee for their valuable and indefatigable sendees during the entire year. " A. D. Juilliard, Ralph H. Waggoner and Henry A. Glassford retire from this committee on the election of their successors — they are not eligible for reelection. " Respectfully submitted, " Henry A. Glassford, Chairman. " No. 236 Fifth avenue. New York. Nov. 29, 1889." 86 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The report of Leander H. Crall, treasurer, was presented and ordered received, as was also that of the entertainment committee. The Society then proceeded to ballot for the candidsCtes for the officers for the ensuing year. The gentlemen proposed by the nominating committee, as already given, were all elected, with the exception of trustees ; George E. Armstrong and John Dickson being chosen in place of Benjamin F. Peixotto and Carson Lake. At a meeting of the governing committee, held on December 2d, S. S. Packard was unanimously elected chairman of the committee for the ensuing year. The house committee, consisting of Cyrus Butler, Alexander Doyle and Edward B. Bruch, was reappointed. The December meeting of the Society was held on the 9th, when the presi- dent announced the appointment of the following standing committees: En- tertainment: Homer Lee, R. H. Waggoner, A. J. C. Foye, Benjamin F. Peixotto, Benjamin Le Fevre; Literature and Art: Alexander Doyle, F. C. Loveland, Mahlon Chance, John M. Guiteau, Cyrus Butler; Auditing: Charles B. Peet, P. B. Armstrong, John W. Stout, John T. Granger, M. B. Wright; Library: Theodore Nye, J. S. Moulton, C. E. Milmine. William Henry Smith, one of the Society's members, read an interesting and historical paper, at the close of which the president expressed the thanks of the Society for the entertainment. After the formal meeting adjourned, refreshments were served, and several gentlemen rendered instrumental and vocal music. The fifth annual banquet was given at Delmonico's on the evening of Wednesday, February 19, 1890. The arrangements were in the hands of the entertainment committee of the Society, which was constituted as follows : Homer Lee, chairman; Benj. Le Fevre, Andrew J. C. Foye, Ralph H. Wag- goner, B. F. Peixotto. The reception committee consisted of the following gentlemen: Henry L. Burnett, chairman; Gen. W. T. Sherman, Thomas A. Edison, George L. Pease, Lowell M. Palmer, Calvin S. Brice, A. W. Follett, Chas. H. Zinn, George B. Hibbard, Charles Sprague, William L. Strong, John D. Archbold, Cary W. Moore, W. C, Andrews, A. L. Bennett, H. H. Hobbs, Thomas Ewing, Geo. E. Milmine, John W. Stout. The great hall of Delmonico's was decorated with American flags, and blazoned on the walls was the following record : " Our Generals : Grant, Sher- man, Sheridan, McPherson ; our Presidents : W. H. Harrison, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison ; our Pioneers : Putnam, Washington, St. Clair." *' In looking at the great names which Ohio so worthily claims," said Mr. Depew In the course of his speech, " I find, on a cursory examination, that Grant Is counted twice. How many more are similarly honored I do not know ; but I believe that one of the current questions of Ohio is an honest ballot box ! " 87 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The members and guests sat at five tables. There was no dais, all being " tables of honor." At the head of the centre one sat Gen. Wager Swayne, the toastmaster, and at the foot sat Judge Warren Higley. At the right of General Swayne sat Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, and at his left Hon. John S. Wise. At the next table Gen. Thomas Ewing sat at the head and H. A. Glassford at the foot. At the next, S. B. Elkins and John W. Harman ; at another, William L. Strong and S. S. Packard ; and at the last, Hon. Calvin S. Brice and Simon Wolf. At the right of General Ewing sat Gen. W. T. Sherman. The menu card was artistic. On an outer page it bore the sign of " The Bunch of Grapes Tavern," with the couplet: One of sour, two of sweet. Four of strong, and eight of weak. Within was the bill of fare, and a series of quotations having reference to the " Bunch of Grapes " and its associations. These were as follows : " OHIO. " * A Tavern Chair is the throne of human felicity.' " ' There is no private house in which people can enjoy themselves so well as at a capital tavern.' " First mention of the Bunch of Grapes, 1711 : " ' Mr. Francis Holmes be allowed eight pounds in consideration of a house of his in King street (Boston), being pulled down to stop ye fire.' " Bunch of Grapes diary, 1712 : " ' Deputies treat the Governor at Homes's * * * ' " ' I invited the Governor to dine at Homes'.' " ' Dine at Holm's. I supposed the Council had treated the Gov'r, but the Gov'r would pay * * * ' " ' Friday I treat the Gov'r at Homes, had two dishes of green pease. Party of eleven in all, paid 36s.' " ' The first meeting for the organization of Trinity Church was held in the Bunch of Grapes.' " ' The Boston Massacre took place almost before its very door.' " ' Washington's stay at the Bunch of Grapes upon his coming to town after the evacuatiom of the British.' " 1733. ' The foundation for the first Grand Lodge of Free accepted Masons in America was laid in the Bunch of Grapes tavern.' " Lafayette was entertained at'the ' Bunch of Grapes.' 88 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " ' The Boston Tea Party was organized at a meeting held at the Bunch of Grapes.' " ' The first meeting for organization of the Ohio Company was held at the Court Chamber of Bunch of Grapes Tavern. From this feeble beginning has spi-ung one of the richest, most populous and powerful states in our Union.' " O-O-OHI-0." Tlie entertainment committee introduced something new, strange and pleasing into the proceedings. Gen. W. T. Sherman was one of the speakers. Before he spoke, there were thrown on a white screen, by the stereopticon, por- traits of General Grant, General Sheridan and General Sherman. The orches- tra played " Rally Round the Flag, Boys," " The Star-Spangled Banner," and " Marching Through Georgia." Homer Lee read letters and telegrams of regret from Whitelaw Reid, John Q. A. Brackett, Thomas N. Hart, Mayor of Boston ; A. Miner Griswold, Gov. James E. Campbell, of Ohio ; Senator John Sherman, and John L. Cooper, of Chicago. Mr. Reid sent the following dispatch to General Swayne: " Most cordial greetings in answer to your letter and sincere regrets for necessary absence. You have learned to appreciate Ohio more than ever since you came to New York. Come abroad and you will be still prouder of your whole country, and especially of that fairest spot in it, the spot where we were born." Governor Campbell wrote : " Upon my return from Washington I find an engagement previously made with the Columbus Board of Trade for the 18th, and leara that there is no train by which I could reach New York in time to participate in the Ohio Society's banquet, very much to my regret. I send the state flag, however, and hope you will have a royal good time." Senator Sherman's letter, dated Febi-uary 6, ran as follows: " I regret to say that I shall not be able to attend the annual banquet of the Ohio Society of New York on the 19th inst. I have agreed to dine with General Sherman on his seventieth birthday on the 8th inst. in New York, and will probably not be able to go there again during the present winter." General Swayne, as usual, made an excellent presiding officer. His pre- liminary remarks were witty and able, and he introduced the speakers with tact and grace. The first speaker was Gen. Thomas Ewing, who delivered an eloquent address, of which the following is a part: " The Ohio Society is founded to help preserve, interpret and hand down 89 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the traditions of the most beneficent, peaceful event in American history, ex- cepting only the Declaration of Independence. But for the movement of the old soldiers of the Revolution in their last encampment at Newburg and the legislation they procured from the Continental Congress and their settlement at Marietta, the Northwest would probably have been still held by the British. Tennessee and Kentucky were threatening to cut loose from the Colonies, which were wrangling, disunited, penniless and powerless. It is not too much to say that our republic owes largely to that company its continental expan- sion, its free institutions, the arrest of slavery and its subsequent overthrow and destruction, and the development of that enlightened and progressive spirit of liberty which has placed it foremost in the majestic march of civili- zation." Mr. Wise reminded the Buckeyes, in charming phrases and well-chosen words, of the ties that exist between their state and " Old Virginia, mother of states." Ohio, he said, was bom, indeed, iinder a lucky star. He prayed that the active life of Virginia was not past, but that she was only recuperating for new effort. If, however, her days of glory were passed, she had always the old proud feehng of failing womanhood amid age and decrepitude, that of maternity, in that she had seven times reproduced her species. He continued : " The word of the message I bring you from old Virginia is, ' God be praised for Ohio's past; God be blessed for Ohio's present; God grant that her future may be the full and free fruition of what the present and the past give promise! If it is, Virginia, her mother, feels that her cup of happiness is full.' " General Swayne introduced Hon. Chauncey M. Depew with reminiscences of Mr. Depew's Yale life, when he was known by the prophetic name of " Chat Depew." Mr. Depew, after several quips and modern instances hav- ing more or less reference to Ohio, compared the children of Ohio and the children of New York in respect of politics. New York citizens, he com- plained, were stanch in politics, except on an occasion that was before the eyes of the whole world, and then New York saw politics as in everything else. Said he: " Nobody is to blame for this condition of things but ourselves. Public affairs have to be managed, parties have to be managed, and if the people don't do it they will be managed by gentlemen who have an interest in public affairs and naturally become leaders. Now in Ohio how different it is ! There efvery man, every woman and every child takes politics in with their mothers' milk. The first question which an Ohio man brings before you is either the tariff or its opposite. You never can discuss a professional question, a busi- ness question, or the promotion of a railway or a company or working a mine ; you never can discuss an enterprise to build up a Western state, with an Ohio 90 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK man, but what he takes a recess for politics. Scratch a Russian and you find a Tartar. Scratch an Ohio man, whether he have the cloth of a Bishop or the everyday suit of a railroad man, and he's after an office ! " The chairman, introducing General Sherman, said: " There are three species of generals : The little general, who is desirous only of fame; the other general who is ambitious of opportunity and willing to risk danger in his desire for distinction and regard ; and the greatest general of all, he whose heart is in his country and w^hose country is in his heart ; and for such a one the country can not do too much. The military commander of that character in tliis particular instance is the impersonation of Ohio, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman." Prolonged cheering greeted the introduction of the renowned leader and patriot, and as he got up and before he began to speak the warm greeting was repeated. He said in part: " Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen : — I have sometimes thought that we at- tach more importance to the place of our birth than it is really entitled to. I was there myself — in Ohio, I mean — but still I have no memory of my birth. I am told that I was bom there, but that's all I know about it — I mean in Lancaster, Ohio. I do believe that in the place of our birth the mind and the character of manhood begin to form very early in life; when the mountains, the woods and the streams that flow by your house all become stamped upon your memory and form part of yourselves. It is chiefly the men and women with whom you associate in early life who have the greatest influence in the formation and making permanent of what your character shall afterward be. I recall my own early days in Lancaster, Ohio, as vividly as I look upon your faces now. I thought, for example, Napoleon was a very small soldier when compared with old General Beecher. And I remember William and Christopher King and and old ' Bill ' King. Of the great men among whom my early days were cast, ' the noblest Roman of them all ' was Thomas Ewing. A better, nobler, more intellectual man never lived than Thomas Ewing of Ohio. I really think I received the inspiration of my life from an inferior class of men, if it is a fact that I received it from men other than those whom I can recall as having been associated with me in the days of my youth. " In those parts was the home of Phil. Sheridan. His parents were purely Irish, and they claim now to have been bom in Albany. Well, I have nothing to say against that, but it is certain that Phil, was brought up in Ohio. These associations and places were the schools in which we were taught. They were good schools, better schools than you have in New York to-day. Five dollars a quarter was the fee, and this included Greek and Latin, and all the sciences, as well as reading and writing. That's rarely taught nowadays. Sheridan was pure Irish and I pure Yankee-Scotch and Yankee; and in the course of 91 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK events each of us load to play important parts in the great effort to preserve the integrity of the RepubHc, by virtue of which we are free citizens." At the close of General Sherman's speech Mr. Depew jumped to his feet and cried : " Three cheers for that which best represents what Ohio is, has been, and can be." The cheers were given with a will. Professor Harper, of Yale College, next spoke, and was followed by Sena- tor Calvin S. Brice, who spoke briefly. He said : " The reason Ohio men seek office is because they value the good opinion of their neighbors, and if a man fails in obtaining that he fails in what he sought and his hopes are not realized. The reason I entered the contest was because my neighbors in my town and county wished me, and I succeeded. It is the little country colleges in states like Ohio where the fibre of young men is toughened for the battle of life, and we should keep these colleges by sending them both pupils and money." General James M. Ashley also spoke. It was late when the diners left the haU. A special meeting of the Society was held on February 28th, and a letter was read from Hon. John B. Mosby, mayor of Cincinnati, addressed to the Hon. George Hoadly, of New York, in reference to the memorial service to the Hon. George H. Pendleton, late ex-senator of Ohio. An invitation was ex- tended to Governor Hoadly to be present, and the letter of Mayor Mosby con- tinued as follows : " The remains are now on their way to this country on the ship of war Enterprise, and on her arrival at your port we will announce the day for the ceremonies here. It is also our desire that the Ohio Club of New York shall at once appoint a committee to receive the remains at New York, and if possible accompany them at least as far as the Ohio line, where you will be met by a committee of the Ohio legislature, who will assist you as an escort to this city. Will it be too much to ask you to at once call your Societ}'- together and make such arrangements as you think proper under the circumstances, and post me at once as to your own acceptance, as well as the action of your Society? " We also desire you, as a member of our committee, to send a formal and written invitation to his excellency ex-President Cleveland to be present at the ceremonies here." The following committee were appointed to wait upon Frank K. Pendle- ton, the son of the late George H. Pendleton, at No. 44 Broadway, to consult with him with reference to the foregoing request, and to render such service as might be found to be appropriate : Hon. George Hoadly, Hon. Calvin S. Brice, Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Thomas Ewing, Hon. Milton I. Southard, Gen. Henry L. Burnett and Hon. Warren Higley. At the meeting of March 10th Mr. Lee presented a report from the en- 92 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tertalnment committee upon the recent banquet showing that the bills had been paid and a surplus of $263.81 left in the hands of the entertainment com- mittee. The committee were authorized to retain and spend this sum for the benefit of the Society. Colonel Strong was called upon, and delivered an interesting speech. General Burnett was requested to deliver an address at the next regular meet- ing of the Society. Mr. Nye offered the following resolution, which was adopted : " Resolved, That the governing committee be instructed to consider the advisability and feasibility of having the proceedings of the Society steno- graphically reported; and if, in their judgment, it shall not involve too great an expanse, they are hereby authorized and directed to make proper provision for such verbatim repoi-ts of future proceedings of the Society." T. T. Eckert, Jr., gave an exhibition of the phonograph. In the meeting of the governing committee held on March 24th the fol- lowing resolution was adopted : " Resolved, That the matter to be published in the pamphlet authorized by this committee at its last meeting be confined to the dates of organization and incorporation, present officers, constitution and by-laws, roll of member- ship and roll of the dead." In the meeting of the Society on March 10th, the proceedings of which are above given, it is stated in the terse language of the recording secretary that Col. William L. Strong made a speech. There was present as a guest on that occasion an Ohioan newly arrived in New York, who set down and pub- lished * his impressions of the gathering. It has been thought permissible to make the letter a part of this record, as indicating the spirit of these gather- ings, and as showing the calibre and methods of the eminent Ohioans who then had the fortunes of the Ohio Society of New York in charge. It is as follows : " The Buckeye who has a spare evening in New York that happens to be coincident with the monthly meeting of the Ohio Society of New York can afford to omit his usual visit to the theatre and send in his card at No. 236 Fifth avenue. " The regular monthly meeting, whether held in rain or shine, in mud or snow, is sure to call out three or four dozen at least, mostly of elderly ex- Ohioans, who have come to depend upon these gatherings as upon a love feast, from which they could not bear to be excluded. A half-hour is spent in hand- shaking and gossip, when the formal call to order is given. Generally the veteran and venerable Gen. Wager Swayne is in the chair ; a man who needs no introduction to the generation of Ohioans now coming on the stage, and cer- * James H. Kennedy, in the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer, under date of March 23, 1890. 93 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tainly none to that wliich is passing away. A happier presiding officer could not be constructed out of the best parhamentary materials of the universe. He is not only at ease, but master of the situation, knowing when to accelerate business, and when to let it follow its own meandering course ; when to throw a dam across the stream of a too profuse eloquence, and when to clear out the channel of too trivial talk. He knows when there can be speech-making with profit, and whom to call out, and when one has spoken upon one theme and is to be followed by some one else upon another. " General Swayne knows how to weave in a few happy words, that dovetail the one into the other, and make a social mosaic of the whole. He is a combina- tion in that regard of Harvey Rice and Henry B. Payne. No man has the past of Ohio more in mind and regards it with a more tender veneration. When the General and some of the older members get fairly started in an informal way upon reminiscences pertaining to their home state it becomes a symposium of Ohioana full of golden gems of history and biography that, if gathered up and preserved, would become of rare historic value. " At a recent gathering, when General Swayne was absent, Gen. Henry L. Burnett, once of Cincinnati, was compelled to preside, being one of the vice- presidents. Although not possessing the experience of his honored chief, Gen- eral Burnett proved himself master of the situation, and was as happy in his selection of speakers as General Swayne could have been. William L. Strong had been upon an extended tour of the South, and after some persuasion was set upon his feet and delivered a speech that was as full of humor as it was of good sense and information. But, remembering that he was there in the capacity of an Ohio man, and not as a great American traveler or political economist, Mr. Strong led himself around to his experiences when he was a general merchant in Mansfield and Loudonville, back in these days when there were no railroads, no money, no markets and a great deal of bartering and * getting stuck ' on wildcat money. He recalled the time when he sent flour from Mansfield to Cleveland by wagon at a cost of fifty cents a barrel, and threw in the parenthetical information that it could now be shipped from Min- neapolis to Liverpool for twenty-eight cents ; told of trades of home-made flannel of Richland county production for patent medicine warranted to ' down ' the fever and ague natural to the bottoms of the Black and the San- dusky rivers, and of various mercantile transactions native to the Ohio of near half a century ago. " The venerable John W. Harman, once of Canal Dover, but for many years a New Yorker, followed with a few anecdotes of his early personal inter- views with Abraham Lincoln. A. M. Jones talked for a time of wonders of Idaho, and told of the Ohio men he found in every direction ; J. F. Holloway related an anecdote, and a son of General Eckert gave an interesting exhibi- 94 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tion upon a phonograph. Then came a light lunch and more conversation." On April 14th Mr. Waggoner read a letter from P. F. Collier, publisher of Once a Week, presenting to the Society a portrait of General W. T. Sherman. A letter from General Sherman regarding the same was also read. The thanks of the Society were duly tendered to Mr. Collier for his gift. The president introduced Mahlon Chance, who read an able and interest- ing paper upon the question of the date of Ohio's admission into the Union as a state, at the close of which it was unanimously resolved that the thanks of the Society be tendered Mr. Chance. 95 CHAPTER VIII 1890-1892 IN the meetings of the governing committee and Society on May 12th the house committee was authorized to close the rooms on Sundays of the coming summer if they thought it wise, and were directed to look about for another available place for the use of the Society. An interesting paper on " My Recollections of Ohio " was read by S. S. Packard. At the June gathering Treasurer L. H. Crall reported that the Society had a balance of $2,200 on hand and all debts paid. An interesting address was delivered by Wallace C. Andrews. The first meeting of the fall was held on September 8th. President Swayne delivered an address upon " The Ordinance of 1787," and the thanks of the Society were tendered by formal vote, and it was ordered that the address be published. An interesting musical programme was rendered under the direction of Eugene Clarke. On October 13th the following gentlemen were elected members of the nominating committee to select officers for the ensuing year: John Dickson, S. S. Packard, Cyrus Butler, H. K. Enos, Cary W. Moore, Dr. J. S. Converse, John W. Stout. J. F. Holloway read a paper entitled " The Story of an Ohio Boy Who Became an Engineer." At the meeting of November 10th President Swayne addressed the Society upon the recent celebration at Gallipolis, Ohio, for which a vote of thanks of the Society was tendered. The committee on nomination made the following report : President, Wager Swayne ; vice-presidents, William L. Strong, C. N. Hoagland, J. Q. A. Ward, Thomas A. Edison, George Milmine; secretary, Warren Higley; recording secretary, Edward B. Bruch; treasurer, Leander H. Crall; trustees for three years, A. J. C. Fbye, E. C. Bodman, Charles B. Peet. The annual meeting of the Society was held at the Hotel Imperial on November 29th, preceded by a dinner, at which eighty-five members were present. President Swayne was in the chair. The report of the governing committee was read by its chairman, S. S. Packard. It was so replete with in- formation, and suggested so much for the good of the organization, that it was ordered printed in pamphlet form, and is here given in full : " The governing committee of the Ohio Society of New York would re- 96 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK spectfully report that during the fiscal year just ended they have held eleven regular meetings, with an average attendance of seven members, five being a quorum. At the first meeting in December, S. S. Packard was chosen chair- man and the following members reappointed as house committee : Cyrus Butler, Alexander Doyle and Edward B. Bruch. A resolution was also passed to hold the meetings of the committee hereafter on the second Monday of each month, before each regular monthly meeting of the Society. At the monthly meeting of the Society, held on January 13, a lunch was served at the conclusion, which seemed so appropriate and hospitable that the practice has been uniformly observed at all the subsequent meetings. The matter of expense for this part of the entertainment was duly considered by the committee, and it was felt that as the comfort of members was one of the chief considerations of the Society, the experiment should be fairly tried. The average cost of the nine collations which have been served is $28.44. In fact, including this outlay, the average monthly expenses of the Society, as shown in the treasurer's statement, have not exceeded the average of former years. " The renewal of the lease of the present rooms was made, after full con- sideration, and with the approval of the Society. The failure of the efforts to secure a permanent home for the Society seemed to settle the policy as to its future character, of a society rather than a club, and the reaction developed a strong tendency on the part of some thoughtful members to do away alto- gether with a permanent home, and keep the Society together by monthly meet- ings, after the manner of some of the church clubs or of the Twilight club. It was felt that the main rallying point would always be the yearly banquet, which had already achieved an enviable place in the public esteem from the high char- acter of the speakers and the general interest felt in the historical importance of the state. Another argument against keeping up the form of a club lay in the fact that those members who were of the clubable kind had already their affiliations with regular clubs where the attractions were greater than they were ever likely to be in a club which should grow out of the Ohio Society. Besides, the Ohio Society was now, and was likely to remain, greatly a society of families, and the tendency already shown to encourage the presence of ladies at the general meetings was sure to increase rather than diminish. " The president of the Society, as well as some of the prominent members, had shown from the beginning a desire to bring forward for discussion Ohio topics, and members were encouraged to prepare papers touching various points of interest centered in the state. At the regular meeting in January, William Henry Smith read a thoughtful, historical paper which called forth the strongest expressions of approval. This was followed in the Februai'y meeting by a characteristic talk from the president on the ' Early Days of the City of Columbus.' This talk elicited much pleasant discussion, from which 97 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK cropped out personal reminiscences such as induced the president to attempt to work that field for future entertainment. General Ewing and General Burnett were placed on the Hst and are held for future papers, and Thomas Edison had an opportunity to decline. The failure to secure regular papers at once, and the interesting talks that sprang up without formal preparation, sug- gested to certain members the feasibility of employing a verbatim reporter in order to secure for the archives of the Society the many delightful things which fell from witty and modest members, destined otherwise to be lost. Although this pohcy did not prevail, the president did not permit himself to grow discouraged, but worked arduously along the line he had lain down. And he was richly rewarded in securing a carefully prepared paper at the April meeting from Mahlon Chance on the admisson of Ohio into the Union. At the May meeting Mr. Packard read a paper covering his recollections of Ohio, which was ordered printed; and at the June meeting Mr. Andrews gave an interesting talk on Youngstown and the growth of the iron interests in the Mahoning Valley. For the September meeting, the President was induced to give his estimate of the importance of the Ordinance of 1787, which he did under the title of ' The Legend of the Northwest Territory.' To this meeting ladies were invited, and the very generous response to the invitation at once satisfied the members that the key to the future of the Society had been struck. And in another direction the wisdom of the new departure became manifest ; ' The Legend of the Northwest,' as presented by the speaker, was found to so aptly emphasize the work of the Society in mantaining the histor- ical importance of the state, that there was a great unanimity of expression in the matter, and the president was urged to continue in his efforts. A further impetus was given at the next monthly meeting when Mr. Holloway read to a large assemblage of men and women a paper on ' How an Oliio Boy Became an Engineer,' which proved to be a graphic account of his own boyhood struggles and the condition and development of the northeastern portion of the state during the past fifty years. The president then began to reach out for material of the same sort, and has secured the cooperation and promise of a number of eminent Ohio men who can be relied upon in the not distant future to entertain the Society. Meantime, not to disappoint the Society for the November meet- ing, he gave from his own careful study of the question the true significance of the recent centennial gathering at Gallipolis. The continued increase of attendance on the part of the ladies has been one of the encouraging incidents of this departure, and leaves no doubt as to the feeling upon the subject. It is proper to state that at these meetings, besides the paper and the refreshments, we have, under the procurement and direction of Mr. Eugene Clark, been fa- vored with excellent divertisements in the way of music and recitations. There is a general acquiescence in the development of the Society along these lines, 98 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and in view of the fact that there is such a breadth of talent to be made avail- able, it has been thought that it would be well not to confine the speakers too closely to Ohio topics. Ohio men are themselves Ohio topics, and anything they may choose to say will be accepted as a development of the state through its eminent and honored citizens. " The question of extending the area of membership so as to include resi- dents of the states contained in the original Northwest Territory is still an open question, and by a resolution passed at the regular meeting in May the discussion and final action is set for this evening. A part of the resolution, however, provided that thirty days' notice be given in advance, which require- ment, I think, has not been met. It might be well, nevertheless, in the remarks made by members on this occasion to keep this suggestion in view. " The members of the governing committee have not failed to see the im- portance of some well-defined policy for the future guidance of the Society. They are alive to the fact that in itself Ohio is a great state, even without in- cluding the other states embraced in the Northwest Territory, and the recent establishment of an Ohio Society in Chicago, which they are assured had noth- ing to do with the prospective offices soon to be doled by the World's Fair Commissioners, as an indication that the Ohio idea is susceptible of expansion as well as of condensation. And while there may be warrant for extending the area of membership in the existence of the New England Society and the Southern Society, the recent estabhshment in this city of a Delaware Society shows how dear to the heart is the name and fame of the state. Whether this state pride may not be preserved even should the Society take on a secondary title of ' The Northwest Territory,' members must decide for themselves. " The Ohio Society is already an established fact ; it is on record in a way to admit of no diminishing consideration. It must grow larger, and not smaller. It must hold a greater and not a less place in the recognition and life of the metropolis. There should be attracted to it more young men, and they should have a hand in shaping its future. It should be so embalmed in our affections and our memory that its life and its interests will be promoted and guarded as we promote and guard the interests of our own families. At present there seem to be good reasons for retaining a home, especially as by sharing the rental with other organizations we may bring our expenses readily within our means. This keeping of a home will be necessary if it is ever thought best to collect and preserve books, pictures and other mementoes of the state. And while it is, for the present, at least, established that we do not desire a club, there are indications that a general meeting room for members is a comfortable thought, if not a necessary adjunct to our permanent growth. The report of the treasurer will disclose the fact that we are not growing rapidly in numbers and neither are we falling off. The same is true as to our financial condition. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK We can safely say that we are on a sound basis. It is quite evident, however, that there has been during the past year no great zest in adding to our num- bers; and the governing committee in canvassing this fact have felt that it would not be out of the way to urge upon members, while accepting the admoni- tion for themselves, a little more active interest in this direction. A very little effort on the part of each member would double our numbers and put us in a much better condition to carry forward whatever policy might be deemed best. " On the whole, the governing committee feel that some progress has been made. The treasurer's report as to the growth of the Society will be found encouraging. Of the vacancies b}'^ death, that of General Peixotto appealed with special force to the Society, as he was a most active and intelligent mem- ber and in many ways a man of mark. A special meeting was called on Septem- ber 20, and suitable resolutions passed and proper respects paid to his memory, and a committee appointed to attend the funeral. Proper recognition was also given to the removal of the remains of Hon. George H. Pendleton from Ger- many to his Cincinnati home, and, at the request of the mayor of Cincinnati, a committee was appointed to receive the body on its arrival in New York and to facilitate its removal to Cincinnati. The committee comprised Hon. George Hoadly, Hon. Calvin S. Brice, Gen, Wager Swayne, Gen. Thomas Ewing, Hon. Milton I. Southard, Gen. Henry L. Burnett and Warren Higley. " In conclusion, the committee would congratulate the Society, at the close of its fourth year, upon the satisfactory work accomplished, and the greater and better work which lies before it. The work of the past has necessarily been pioneer work, and its merit lies in the clearness with which it points out the path for the future. No organization can or should live that has not in it the promise and potency of good, and no social organization can establish itself in a great metropolitan city that does not appeal to the highest social interests and satisfy the best social demands. It must not only meet these requirements, but it must offer substantial returns for the fealty without which it cannot live. " Ohio is a talismanic word. Its very euphony charms the ear and cap- tures the imagination, while its associations answer the most exacting require- ments of history, sentiment and poetry. The place held by the grand old state in the movement which culminated in a country free from the blight of human slavery, and her geographical position as the keystone of the arch of our con- federation, conspire to dignify and bless the work committed to us. But all these considerations and impulses cannot of themselves build up an Ohio So- ciety. That can be done only through labor guided by wisdom and sanctified by unselfishness. " S. S. Packard, Chairman Governing Committee." The report of Leander H. Crall, treasurer, was presented, showing a bal- ance on hand of $1,951.80. 100 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The report of the entertainment committee was read as follows : " New York, November 29, 1890. " To the President and Members of the Ohio Society. " The entertainment committee takes much pleasure in stating that the fifth annual banquet, which was held on the 19th day of February (one of our seven birthdays), at Delmonico's, and sometimes called the ' Bunch of Grapes Tavern ' dinner, was even a greater success than any of its predecessors. As this banquet was held during the Lenten season, the committee had many appre- hensions as to its success, but were agreeably surprised at the attendance, as 226 members and guests were present. After clearing up, the committee found itself burdened with a surplus of something Uke $300, which worried us a Httle, so it was decided to work it off by giving the ladies a reception, which was held on the 30th of April at the Hotel Brunswick. Although the occasion was one on the eve of moving day, it did not prevent a large attendance, and was greatly enjoyed by everybody. " In addition to the above, nine collations were given during the year, at our regular monthly meetings, at the rooms of the Society to which ladies were invited. The result of this experiment has been most gratifying, not only to the committee, but we believe to the Society in general. The entertainment committee begs to thank the president of the Society and a number of its members for their hearty cooperation in every suggestion that has been made, also Mr. R. M- Walters for so kindly placing a piano in our rooms, and to Mr. Eugene Clarke for supervision of our music programmes. This is the first occasion where a dinner has been given at our annual meeting, and the attendance to-night vouchsafes a repetition in the future. Mr. Keech, our new member from Seneca county, and his partner, Mr. Stafford, whose only fault is that he was not bom in the United States — of Ohio, deserves the thanks of the Society. When the committee first applied to Mr. Keech he said his house was not big enough, but told us he would cut a door and make it larger, which he did. For a hotel with such hospitable proprietors, decorated as it is to-night by such a cluster of Ohio beauties, and built as it is upon a rock and of Ohio stone, should be a thing of substantial beauty and a joy forever. *' Homer Lee, Chairman Entertainment Committee.'* The Society then proceeded with the annual election of officers, and the gentlemen above named were declared elected for the ensuing year. Addresses were made by a number of members, and Eugene Clark favored the Society Avith a tenor solo. The meeting closed with a verse of " Auld Lang Syne," in which all joined. 101 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The standing committeees for the ensuing year were later announced by the president as follows: Literature and Art: D. C. Beard, Alexander Doyle, John M. Guiteau, F. C. Loveland, Franklin Tuttle; Entertainment: Homer Lee, George Scott, M. I. Southard, Wm. Ford Upson, R. H. Wag- goner; Auditing: Mahlon Chance, H. A. Glassford, John T. Granger, J. W. Stout, M. B. Wright; Library: H. L. Burnett, chairman; C. F. Bliss, C. E. Milmine. At a meeting held on December 8th Bernard Peters delivered an address entitled " Reminiscences of Ohio." In the governing committee, on the same evening, Mr. Packard was unanimously chosen chairman for the ensuing year. He was authorized to order the publication of two hundred and fifty copies of the constitution and by-laws, with a corrected list of officers and members and a roll of the dead. When the same body met on January 12, 1891, it was ordered that the house committee consist of mem- bers of the governing conmiittee. The three newly elected members of the governing committee, Messrs. Bodman, Foye and Peet, were appointed a house committee. In the Society meeting on the same night the regular order of business was dispensed with, and the president introduced the Rev. Dr. Henry M. MacCracken, who delivered an address upon " The Scotch-Irish in Ohio and other States and Territories." A musical programme was rendered, followed by a collation. A special meeting w^as held on January 30th for the purpose of giving suitable expression of sorrow on the sudden death of the late secretary of the treasury, Hon. William Windom, who was bom in Ohio and had taken a deep interest in the Ohio Society. Resolutions were adopted in honor of his mem- ory and a committee appointed to attend his funeral. The sixth annual banquet of the Society was an affair of rare enjoyment, although not so marked in its characteristics as some that had preceded it, and as others that have followed. The date was February 6, 1891, and the place was Delmonico's. The details were in the hands of the regular entertainment committee, constituted as follows: Homfr Lee, chairman; George Scott, Hon. Milton I. Southard, Wm, Ford Upson and R. H. Waggoner; and they were ably assisted by Andrew J. C. Foye. On the reception committee were: Col. William L. Strong, chairman ; John D. Archbold, C. N. Hoagland, Albert W. Green, Frank M. Gillett, H. L. French, John A. Smith, T. D. Critten, Charles B. Peet, George P. Tangeman, Henry K. Enos, S. B. Elkins, H. A. Glassford. Curtis H. Harraman, S. D. Brewster, Mahlon Chance, D. Pritchard, H. L. Burnett and Frederick C. Train. The story of the banquet as told at the time by a newspaper chronicler,* * New York Tribune, Saturday, February 7, 1891. 102 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK was prefaced by these appreciative words : " It is popularly believed in Ohio that the site of the Garden of Eden is in Ohio. It is popularly beheved in Ohio that if Goldsmitli's citizen of the world had had his own way, he would have surrended his nomad note-taking career, and would have been a citizen of Ohio. It is popularly believed in Ohio that the hub of the universe is in the centre of the state. It is popularly beheved in Ohio that the millennium will begin there. All these beliefs had their earnest expounders last evening at the sixth annual dinner of the Ohio Society of New York. The motto of Ohio is ' imperium in imperio,' an empire in an empire. The annual reunion of the exiles of Ohio in New York was a dinner of dinners. " The enthusiasm of the Buckeye boys who crowded the principal room of Delmonico's was all but roof-raising. It certainly made the walls ring. A real Ohio cheer is something worth hearing, and when heard will never be forgotten. The principal cause of the enthusiasm was Ohio. A supple- mentary one of liigh degree was the presentation to the Society, by J. Q. A. Ward, the well-known sculptor, of an old oil-picture of William Henry Harri- son, the log-cabin and cider-barrel Ohio president of the United States. This portrait was painted by a celebrated French artist about the time of the birth of Benjamin Harrison." On the face of the menu card was a representation of the old swinging sign of the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston. On the next page was a beau- tiful engraving of George Washington, who was a surveyor in Ohio before the Revolution. Above his picture was the motto, " Great Buckeyes from Little Grapevines Grow," and below it, in golden letters, was the following quota- tion : " If we are overpowered, we will retire to the Valley of the Ohio, and there we will be free." — Washington at Valley Forge. On the back of the menu card was a picture of the first log cabin built at Marietta, in 1786, and nailed to the cabin door, " The same old coonskin," where it was hung up to dry. The wine card was printed in gold and blue, and on the back of it was engraved a map of Ohio. Each guest found beside his plate, in addition to these handsome card souvenirs, two real buckeyes with little printed pasters on them, telling tlie uninitiated that they were " Fer rheumatiz." The Ohio men sat in the most democratic and brotherly fashion possible at five parallel tables running almost the entire length of the dining-room. The tables were alphabetically named, and at the head of C, the middle one, sat Gen. Wager Swayne, the president of the Society, while opposite him at the foot of the table was Stephen B. Elkins. At table B, on the right of the presidents, H. L. Burnett presided at one end and Charles B. Pcet at the other. At the head of table D, to the left of the president's, was Col. William L. 103 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Strong, and at the other end was Milton I. Southard. Gneorge Milmine had the presiding place at one end of table A, and ex-Judge Warren Higley sat at the other. At table E, J. Q. A. Ward and Gen. Thomas Ewing faced each other from the ends. Letters of regret were received from many men who had been invited to attend and who could not be present. President Harrison wrote : " Executive Mansion, " Washington, January 26, 1891. Mr. Homer Lee, New York City. " My Dear Sir : — I beg to acknowledge the invitation, which you con- veyed orally on behalf of the Ohio Society of New York, to its annual banquet on the 6th of February, and to say that it will be impossible for me to leave Washington on any social errand while Congress is in session. I recall with great pleasure the evening I spent with your Society two or three years ago, and would have been glad if the circumstances had been favorable to renew that pleasant experience. With the best wishes for the success of your Society, I am very respectfully yours, " Ben J. Harrison." Letters were also read from John Sherman, Grover Cleveland, James Whitcomb Riley, Murat Halstead, Gov. William E. Russell, of Massachu- setts ; J. M. Rusk, Secretary of Agriculture ; W. S. Rosecrans, Calvin S. Brice, S. L. Clemens, better known as " Mark Twain " ; Chauncey M. Depew, Gen. R. A. Alger and others. Gen. Wager Swayne, in his introductory speech, told, for the benefit of the people present who did not know it, if there were any such, and to the delight of those who knew all about it, the origin and history of Ohio's em- blem, the buckeye. Continuing, he said: " When Ohio began making presidents, she put in nomination William Henry Harrison. Some little great man of that day remarked, ' Why, Harri- son is more fit to sit in a log cabin and sip hard cider than to rule in the White House of Washington.' The people of Ohio wanted no better challenge than that. They covered Ohio with log cabins, each one with a barrel of hard cider at the door, and strings of buckeyes hanging up, and they asked in verse the question: ' Oh, what, tell me what, Shall be your cabin's fate? * 104 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " And the answer was : ' We'll send it on to Washington, And set it up in state, As a token and a sign For the noble Buckeye state.' " We have special cause to bring that to mind to-night. In the fore- most place among the artists of this city we are glad to recognize one of our vice-presidents, J. Q. A. Ward. This night out of the fulness of his heart he has presented to the Ohio Society of New York the best extant contem- poraneous portrait of the greatest Buckeye of all, William Henry Harrison." The picture was held up to view in the music gallery and there was tre- mendous cheering, followed by three cheers for MJr. Ward. Then President Swayne introduced Gov. James E. Campbell, whose rising was the signal for fresh cheering. Governor Campbell made a speech picturesque by reason of its versa- tility. He would be a well versed Ohioan, indeed, who could name a topic connected with the state on which the Governor did not touch. He said many witty things, some of them inspired by the friendly fire of comment which at- tended his remarks. He was never found wanting. For instance, he said: " I see before me many men who, both in peace and war, added to the glory of Ohio before they saw fit to shake the dust of it off their feet. I don't know exactly what you say to each other when you meet upon these occasions." An Ohioan voice — " Take a drink." The Governor — " I accept the proposition," and he did. Governor Campbell went on to claim for Ohio about everything in the heavens above, the earth beneath and the waters under the earth ; and this he did keeping his countenance admirably grave amid the laughter which his cool, calm, take-it-for-granted manner evoked. He did not forget, with all the fun and jollity, to pay an eloquent tribute to Ohio, spoken seriously and oratorically, which was received with tremendous cheering. The next speaker was ex-Governor Lounsbury, of Connecticut, who thinks a good deal of the Nutmeg state, and who didn't allow the " 0-O-Ohioans " to forget it. He was received with much applause, and by what he said awakened much responsive cheering and laughter. Part of it was as follows : " Mr. President and Gentlemen : — I am not one of the three contending governors of the state of Connecticut; I am simply an ex-governor. I re- ceived a few days ago an invitation from your worthy president to be present upon this occasion, and as a slight consideration for the evening's entertain- ment, he would deem it a marked kindness if I would say a few words con- 105 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ceming the relationship of Ohio to Connecticut. Not long since a dis- tinguished statesman of Ohio said in my presence that he had often wondered how in the world it was that this country managed to get along during the time when there was no Ohio. I wonder how such a man of intelligence could have wondered. The reason the United States got along before the exis- tence of Ohio was simply because Connecticut was to the fore. The next best thing to being the son of Connecticut is to be her grandson, a son of Ohio. And if I could noj; have been bom in the Nutmeg state, better known as the land of steady habits, and could have been consulted as to where the event should have occurred, I would unhesitatingly have chosen the Buckeye state. And if any one ever expects or dreams of desiring poHtical preferment, Ohio first and every time. " You are doubtless aware that your ancestors from Connecticut were a modest, generous, unselfish, peace-loving people, but whenever they were called upon to maintain what was righteous, like yourselves, they have never yielded. As I have said, it is because the earlier settlers of Connecticut were a generous and unselfish people, that is the reason, and the only reason, why the place in which I am now standing is not in the state of Connecticut instead of the state of New York. The territory of colonial Connecticut extended to the great waters of the West. Whether those waters were the Hudson River or the Pacific Ocean the historians have failed to tell us. Peace-loving Connecticut gave to her more ambitious sister all that she asked. Hence this is the city of New York. Grateful, indeed, are we that we had territory enough left out of which sprang a race of stalwart men, whose sons leaped across the state of New York and founded a new Connecticut in the state of Ohio. " Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut ! Why this should be the order in which you name your parents I cannot comprehend, unless it be on account of your Sriptural education, which taught you that the first should be last and the last first. Connecticut has no reason to complain of the generous wel- come her sons have always received from the hands of Ohio, and with the joy that springs from this is mingled admiration for Ohio's homes, her fertile fields and her unexampled prosperity. We in the East have seen your star and re- joice to know that from the first you have nurtured that redeeming principle of liberty that has filled the land from ocean to ocean and become the hope of the whole western world. " It is right that Ohio should feel a noble pride in her grand success. But she must not forget the tribute of gratitude that she owes to her parent states. That desire for bettering one's condition which is so God-given that it lies at the root of liberty — that, indeed, you caught up from your grand- sires who braved the storms of the Atlantic and from your fathers who trod the 106 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK path of the wilderness. You have made the fair face of your state to blossom like a rose, and in the vast fields beyond your borders you have carried and planted successfully the seeds of your success; for have you not inherited that indomitable pluck and sublime endurance that surmounted every obstacle? When the people of New England entered into the field of action they found freedom an accomplished fact, and in the glad knowledge that slavery had not poisoned the life-blood of their state, they sought not to enter where its malaria had been destroyed in the light of conscience or the winds that come down from the mountain peaks of eternal wrath. God creates freedom and not slavery. And in the light of this knowledge our brethren from the South now grasp our hands. " With eyes no longer looking reproach, we gaze upon the fields of the future. It is folly to ignore the logic of the century and childish to forget the lessons of the conflict. We cannot safely ignore the teachings of the past, whether they have been written in the lessons of our own experience or that of some less fortunate sister state. Not by generous blood, nor cordial manners, nor charm of culture, but in righteousness, is a nation exalted. " We want protection to the citizen, to his life, his labor, his liberty. It is an eternal law for all the nations that for every injustice there must be full expiation. No state can be so stable in its position or so firm in its strength that it can afford to overlook or to forget to right the wrongs of tlie humblest and the lowest class of its citizens. " I am one of the few New Englanders who cannot trace their lineage to William the Conqueror. Ohio! You do well to honor your ancestors. It was upon their virtues that the great state of Ohio was built up, and it is by the inspiration of their example that it must be preserved." Hon. Leroy D. Thoman, who was the president of the Ohio Society of Chicago, spoke like a good Chicago man, as well as a genuine " Buckeye," because when he didn't praise his native state he " boomed " the World's Fair. He said in part : " There may not be much of New York in Ohio, but there is a wonderful sight of Ohio in New York. I think it is a beautiful tribute to the character of the fathers and the mothers who were the early settlers in Ohio that their sons and their grandsons are brought back to New England and the seaboard, to mingle in and to become part of the great interests for which this portion of our common country is conspicuous. Wherever you find activity, enter- prise, pluck and steady development you find an Ohio man. The Ohio Societv of Chicago will be only one year old next April, and yet I could recite the names of many prominent men connected with it, whose birthplace was Ohio, that would make you feel proud of the progress we have made out West in 107 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK that line, as well as in all other lines. Governor Campbell says that he came six hundred miles to be present at this dinner. With the same object in view, I have traversed the continent to the extent of one thousand miles." Attorney General David K. Watson was introduced as a typical repre- sentative and champion of the legale fraternity of Ohio. He said : " Not expecting to be called on to-night, I am, Mr. President, embar- rassed by the situation. For I assure you I can be embarrassed, even if I came but yesterday from Ohio. I do not propose to eulogize Ohio, for, like Massachusetts of old, she needs no eulogy. But I may be pardoned if I speak in terms of praise of some of the men whom Ohio has produced in my own profession. In doing so I must refer first to him who was first and fore- most, Mr. Chairman, him who was the highest up — your own great father. For profound and comprehensive knowledge of the principles of law no man was more eminent than Thomas Hewitt. In the analysis and apphcation of those principles Henry Stanbury is the peer of any. Ohio has produced states- men as broad as any in the world. She started out to capture the nations of the earth with her great men and she has done it. You will pardon the remark, and Governor Campbell will swear to it, that out in Ohio we feel that we govern this republic. We have not only furnished presidents, but we have more yet to furnish and you will hear from them before long." (Cheers, and cries of " Campbell.") Clark Bell, the president of the Saturday Night Club, bespoke New York City's welcome to Ohioans. Gen. Stewart L. Woodford, of Brooklyn, as the representative of the Ohioans in Brooklyn, was received with round on round of cheers. He closed his address with a touching and eloquent tribute to Secretary Windom, which the Society, rising, applauded to the echo. Gen. Henry L. Burnett spoke the last words as a representative of the Ohio Society, and the singing of " Auld Lang Syne " by the entire assemblage closed the evening's programme. At the meeting of February 9th, Hon. Abner C. Thomas, a member of the New York bar, dehvered an address on " Ohio as Viewed by an Outsider." A progranmie of music was then presented. A memorial meeting in honor of Gen. William T. Sherman, who had passed away, was held at the rooms of the Society on February 17, 1891. The renowned soldier had been an honorary member of the organization. The rooms were filled with members, and deep feeling was exhibited. The following gentlemen were appointed a committee for the preparation of reso- lutions expressive of the Society's sorrow and sympathy: S. S. Packard, Warren Higley, Henry A. Glassford, T. M. Guiteau, Ralph H. Waggoner. The resolutions presented were unanimously adopted, as follows: 108 TRIg UTK OF THE ftEEiPlUAFlY 17, I59L ^ \\S at lis Uil^ ach'aiT on lf\e Wtfi of tt3 late P tticfoKovvhirjqeiitfniieu were n))|JoIntptl a COMMlTfC^tobraJt^ i?5ofutious e.vjirc5sivc of the ^ociehfs sowoii^ aiic) sqninalluj . ^ ^.5.$rtcliari/lVarrm7(iq^ , ^f nrq fl.S fttssjorb , «0.V^^ "Appropriate 'addresses mere mnbe tii tte presihcnt ^ J^^ciirWacierSiuayue, eof-XM^aytoii, CEic/of Staff oj (g|iili^m,'ll!^J^M'. rtnb ol&er5, aui) \i^e foiiowinq^ cxm^ssmis wcvc nmnmonsii\ oiiopleb . 10:^0 CkV^ Hew VORIO rcmimcs m HOT ONLY A apersouaf fo55, WHICH NO W0RD5 CAN EXPRESS AND NO SENTIMENT MEASURE . j ^JoUn(}j was ^ ®iiaiill|^g^Wlll^/Sfi3®(^nm[lKIo | kit a compffte vm'escr\Mm Wu'oan. O^E to fi\§ native §Mt a^ p ^¥y^\-//''^ ■ , ^ -to 6is COVNTtar rtiib fo'^uriiif - "beenThe p ride Ofj^/SSOCTff^ arid t£e Xeiuas lufioffq rmoveb' nature from ai'mciim anJJ ^Jp @pik mm immmm anJ) our MostHoKOR^D Mf UPcH' ,?.j ^. ■]j\ost^om%^ n v^? anb l^ciimxtioii of^b uanit- wi(f foreVer cau^e in ourIieart5 ^„ ,^-^TklOr^IC EiHOtlO/>t v\Nl!> '^^'' it5j:irivifege,fo ?i -r Duru,asins made a recorb of tijese toil; luil^ lije cUizca5 -^ courtly WHO ]KoW Rests FROM HIS LABORS ^ Vv ll)aiiglil5,ttnb to Whkhjhepipsomwh fionarrol(ie(|i^lf(|HlM /Aarch to Thie Sea _..^ ■;':v;:. hfESOLVEft ^ V_r — ^r^ Wmo Society of JSeW yORK ^xUn6 \o £e ^ m III etJ I ci\c jfnVn b 5 ai^b j*ain i (if of aur (Icceaseb inciupcr, {(tc iijniuutfuf rtuci aJU()(j(cnfe of LOYAL AND -{ ,-.-;v,>-:v>:o. .; HONE§THEAKI§ niiMbt ncopii dl. .^^(^:>>J?ui|#' \m$ c muT55 1 ons uf scwx . . « . ^ ^ ^ . . ." f r - ^ -5 f ACKAKP. f p, A . K 9,l\;|8^g ^ ^ ■ Ib::^ 1 # W^l ^^t^i^f M '^ forcgoiniT action, fk[5^^ ' mJm-4 [STm^^^ ^7 Wiuoriaf is nffrclioimtflc; ' J - -ij urcscirlcb to tfic famifii tCi KeTUPH OFTHEARWr. \Diix. yyaa^r (^tvavnp, '^en.c}feix.tcH.cxxi'iiA3{as5foi-6, XfaiTtWrXCerall, /fj S.S.^aciraus, y QAaiyix dif^aanoixcjk, eletcHoIioUrau, eovae^\Xx\\xx\xxe , J Itnin e^oixn^'^Mavixxaix., chonxev «4ff. I •) OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK A number of eloquent and heartfelt speeches were made. John M. Guiteau spoke of General Sherman as one of the saviors of the country, to whose genius and patriotism we are indebted for our liberties and our greatness as a nation more than to any man living. President Swayne pointed out how thoroughly were joined in the life of General Sherman two family currents of influence that went to make up the greatness of the state of Ohio, the Shermans and the Ewings. General Swayne then referred to Sherman's life and services at some length. He had enjoyed for years an intimacy with the great general, and the number of men who had enjoyed such intimacy was one of the surprising features of a wonderful life. At his death it became plain with regard to many men that each had supposed himself to be perhaps the most intimate friend of Sherman. Tlie truth was that the General's great wealth of af- fection and of sympathetic interest had enabled him to lavish upon each of many men what it would have required the whole breast of another man to supply. The range of his acquaintance was equally remarkable. A short time since he had shown to the speaker twelve large volumes, bound and in- dexed, of letters received from friends. The writers were in every field of science, literature and life. A publisher had offered $50,000 for them, but of course the offer was only amusing to the General. The varied occupations of the writers indicated the breadth of General Sherman's sympathies — as broad as humanity itself. Col. L. M. Dayton, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was ad j utant- general of the army of Sherman on his march to the sea, said he had been closely asso- ciated with General Sheraian for eight years, the most eventful of the republic. He said : " I knew the General intimately, served with him as liis chief of staff during the most exciting strain he probably ever had in his eventful life. He followed to the end as cheerfully and as courageously as any man ever did liis work. With all his sternness and possible severity, a tenderer and kinder heart no man ever possessed. He was the best man that I ever knew." The resolutions adopted on that occasion were by order of the Society engraved in a most artistic manner and published in a small monograph, which also contained the remarks above quoted and the speech delivered by General Sherman at the banquet of the Ohio Society at Delmonico's, on Febiniary 20, 1890, which has been already quoted. On the outside of this small book appeared the one word, " Sherman," while the title page was as follows : " Tribute of the Ohio Society of New York to the memory of Gen, William Tecumseh Sherman, February 17, 1891." The governing committee, at the meeting of March 9th, ordered that the names of the following Ohioans be placed upon the roll of honorary mem- 115 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK bership, the requirements of the by-laws having been complied with in each case: Benjamin Harrison, Allen G. Thurman, James E. Campbell. General Burnett appeared before the committee and on behalf of the library committee requested, first, that a correct list of the books now in the Society's library be prepared for the information of the library committee; second, that from three to five hundred copies of said hst be printed; and, third, that means be provided for keeping the books of the library under lock, and that the removal of books from the Society's rooms be prohibited. The subject was referred to the house committee with power. When the Society met on the same evening the president announced the unavoidable absence of Hon. J. M. Ashley, who was to have read a paper, and called upon General Burnett, Hon. Mahlon Chance and Professor Packard, who each favored the Society with a short address, after which there was the usual musical enter- tainment. The letters that follow were received, at a later date, in accept- ance of the election to honorary membership above noted: " Executive Mansion, "Washington, April 10, 1891. " Gen. Wager Swayne, New York City. " My Dear General : — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th inst., advising me that I have been enrolled as an honorary member of the Ohio Society of New York. Please express to your associates my appre- ciation of the honor they have done me, and say to them that I accept with gratification this evidence of their esteem. " Very truly yours, " Ben J. Hareison." " State of Ohio, Office of the Governor, Columbus, April 10, 1891. *' My Dear General : — I cannot too cordially express the pleasure with which I accept the honor conferred upon me by the Ohio Society of New York. I beg to assure you, and through you the Society, that I esteem it one of the chief gratifications of my life to have received this mark of respect and kindness from my former fellow citizens now in the great metropolis. Will you do me the kindness to convey to the members of the Society, in 3'our own happy manner, my high appreciation of their courtesy .f* " Sincerely yours, " James E. Campbell,. *' Gen. Wager Swayne, President Ohio Society of New York." 116 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK At the meeting of April 13th, Hon. Warren Higley deHvered an in- teresting address upon the " Western Resei'\'e, Its Origin and Settlement," at the close of which General Swayne made a few remarks in his usual happy vein. A number of musical selections were rendered. The Society gathered for a dinner of an informal nature lit the Hotel Imperial on the evening of May 11th. It was the last meeting before separat- ing for the summer season. The attendance was large. Gen. Wager Swayne was toastmaster and performed the duties of the office in his usual satis- factory manner. Tlie first person he called upon was S. S. Packard. A great surprise had been promised for the members. Only a few knew the nature of this surprise beforehand, but Mr. Packard " gave it away," so to speak, as it was intended that he should do. The surprise was in the form of a fine portrait of General Swayne, the president of the Society. It was the work of George R. Boynton, and was presented by a number of the mem- bers for the decoration of the rooms. General Thomas Ewing accepted the portrait for the Society in a few pleasant remarks, and then General Swayne told what he thought about it. He said that, as notliing that in the least resembled him could be a thing of beauty, he was afraid the members would not find the pleasure he wished them in looking upon his picture. Other speakers were Mahlon Chance, E. M. Boynton and Homer Lee. The opening meeting for the fall of 1891 was held on October 12th, and the following gentlemen were named as the committee for the nomination of officers to serve for the ensuing year : Henry A. Glassf ord, chairman ; Alex- ander Doyle, John M. Guiteau, Theodore W. Sterhng, David Pritchard, J. F. Holloway, Dr. H. Sisson. The president introduced INIrs. E. A. Connor, who delivered an address upon " Ohio in New York." Mrs. Harriet Webb recited " The Defence of the Bride," and musical selections were rendered by Eugene Clarke, Miss Beatrice Maltman and Mr. Will Rising. The president, in calling the meeting of November 9th to order, made a few remarks relative to the condition of the Society, and referred to the gratifying evidence of good will toward it as shown by the contributions that were beginning to drop into the library, and announced that a " History of Ohio," by Henry Howe, had been presented by Mr. E. C. Bodman : a complete set of the reports of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, by Mr. Sidnev D. Maxwell, and the " Memoirs of Grant, Sherman and Sheridan." He then introduced the Hon. James M. Ashley who delivered an address upon " The Proposed Changes in the Constitution of the United States." The report of the nominating committee was then read as follows : President, William L. Strong; Vice-Presidents, Henry L. Buniett, George Milmine, J. Q. A. Ward, 117 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK C. N. Hoagland, S. S. Packard; Secretary, Wm. Ford Upson; Recording Secretary, H. H. Hobb; Treasurer, Leander H, Crall; Trustees to serve three years, John D. Archbold, Henry H. Vail, John W. Harman. Tlie annual meeting of 1891 was held on the evening of November 30th. Secretary Higley reported the membership as follows The number of Resident members is . 224 " " " Non-resident members is 62 " " " Honorary members is 3 Making a total of 289 The report of the Secretary continued : " As the entertainments for our regular meetings have been arranged by the president and secretary, it may not be inappropriate for me to say something of them in this report. It was decided that our meetings should have more of the literary and social character than formerly, and that ladies should be invited to attend — con- sequently a speaker was provided for each meeting and an excellent pro- gramme of instrumental and vocal music was rendered under the direction of Mr. Eugene Clarke. The vocal part that came after was promoted by a tasteful collation, served by Mazzetti. These meetings have so grown in in- terest as to tax the capacity of our rooms to accommodate the number attend- ing. They have grown to be very popular and exceedingly enjoyable, and the ladies, especially, are enthusiastic over them." The report recapitulated the entertainments of the year and concluded in these words : "But most of all are we indebted for the charm of these meet- ings, and the prevalent good feeling among the members and the prominent place we occupy among the societies of New York, to our honored president. Gen. Wager Swayne, who has been present at every meeting, and ever been active in forwarding the best interests of the Society." Mr. Crall, treasurer, presented his report, showing a balance on hand of $2,151.08. The annual report of the governing committee recapitulated a number of events already mentioned and continued: " There was a decided feeling in favor of adding to the attractions of the Society's rooms, with a view to making them a pleasant place of resort, both for members and Ohio people who might be sojourning in the city. A beautiful crayon portrait of President Swayne, presented by the artist under the auspices of the treasurer (Mr. Crall), and which now adorns our walls, was accepted as a proper movement in this direction, and the procurement, by 118 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mr. Foye, of a marble bust of Thomas Ewing, kindly loaned by the family of General Sherman, was received with special favor by the committee as it has been by the members of the Society at large. " As will appear in the reports of the treasurer and corresponding sec- retary the status of the Society as to membership has been kept up during the year, with some few changes as to individuals. The Society has lost by death during the year one honorary, three resident and one non-resident members. " The death of General Sherman, which occurred on the 14th day of February, was especially noticed by the Society, both in attendance upon the funeral services and in the preparation and presentation of a suitable memorial to the family. A reproduced copy of this memorial, containing also a report of the meeting authorizing the same, and an extract of General Sherman's last speech before the Ohio Society, has been presented to each member of the Society. This speech had a special importance to Ohio people in that it emphasized the known fact that the three great generals of the civil war were Ohio men ; and the preservation of the memorial in the hands of the members and in the archives of the Society, was thought to be a sufficient import to warrant the expense. In fact, the committee have felt that to keep the Society along the lines of permanent growth and vitality, it is of the •first importance that the lives and services of distinguished citizens of the state should be kept prominently in the foreground. In the report submitted by this committee at our annual meeting last year it was thought proper to dwell at some length on the policy of the Society as emphasized in its history. " We had but recently passed through an important crisis involving the question of a club as against a society. Efforts had been made with some show of success to secure a club-house, and a permanent home for the Society and its friends. A reaction had come; the club idea been abandoned, and the lines laid down for a departure in the direction which has been assiduously followed during the year. While it was thought best to retain our present rooms and even add to their attractiveness, there has been no movement and no desire expressed in the hearing of the committee looking to the establish- ment of a club. Under the inspiration and through the kindly efforts of our president the monthly meetings have been maintained on the plan fore- shadowed in the last report. At the first monthly meeting since the vacation a delightful address was made by Mrs. Connor upon Ohio in New York, and at the meeting in October a paper was read by Hon. J. M. Ashley upon ' The Proposed Changes in the Constitution of the United States.' On both of these occasions the rooms were filled with members and their wives, and great enthusiasm prevailed. During the year, through the kindly services of 119 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mr. Eugene Clarke, musical and dramatic entertainments have been given, and on other occasions addresses and discussions by the president and other mem- bers of the Society. Taking it altogether, the sentiment of the committee and of members who have been positive in their expressions, has been that the monthly entertainments have reached a high average of excellence. " There has been a feeling often expressed that it would add to the zest of the Society if a few informal dinners could be had during the year, with the good fellowship wliich such meetings always invoke." The election of officers then ensued, and those suggested by the nomi- nating committee, as before quoted, were elected. Colonel Strong, being called upon, addressed the Society briefly, and expressed his thanks for the honor conferred upon him by his elevation to the presidency, and expressed the hope that the Society might continue to prosper under his administration as it had under that of his predecessors. Mr. Lee stated that the Ohio Society of Chicago were holding their annual banquet in Chicago, and moved that the Ohio Society of New York, through its president, send cordial greeting to the Society at Chicago. Carried unanimously, and messages were at once sent. The following resolutions, on motion of General Burnett, were unani- mously adopted: " Resolved, That this Society express here and now its grateful and sin- cere thanks to General Wager Swayne for the able and polite manner in which he has presided over its dehberations during the past three years. " Resolved, That the sincere thanks of the Society be also tendered to the secretar}^, recording secretary, treasurer and chainnan of the governing com- mittee for the faithful manner in which they have performed their duties dur- ing their respective terms of ofiice." John D. Archbold became chairman of the governing committee for the ensuing year, and the house committee, consisting of A. J. C. Foye, E. H. Bodman and Charles B. Peet, were continued for the same period. This action was taken at a meeting held on December 7th. At the meeting of the Society on December 14th A. J. C. Foye, acting for the chairman of the entertainment committee, reported as regarded the annual banquet that Friday evening, the 22d of January, 1892, could be secured as an open date when it could engage the banquet hall at Delmonico's. On motion of General Burnett, it was resolved that the rooms be secured for that date, and that the 22d day of January, 1892, be the date fixed for the holding of the banquet and that the entertainment committee be insructed to act promptly and vigorously. Mr. George E. Wingate, of the Twilight Club, favored the Society with 120 Hon. William I-. Strong President from November 29, 1891, to Xoveiuber 29, 1894 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK some interesting remarks as to the desire of his association to unite with other societies in engaging meeting rooms, homes, etc. Mr. Harriman read an inter- esting paper giving his views as to what the Society needed to give more enjoy- ment to members. Music and refreshments followed. A special meeting was held on December 30, pursuant to the call of the president, for the purpose of considering a change of date on which to hold the annual banquet. After a discussion of the matter the following resolution, offered by John M. Guiteau, was adopted : "Resolved, That the coming annual banquet be held February 19, 1892, instead of January 22, as previously pro- posed, and that the place of holding the same be Sherry's instead of Del- monico's." It was ordered that a committee of twelve be appointed to take charge of this banquet, five of whom should be selected to serve as an entertainment com- mittee for the coming year. The following gentlemen were named by the president: Wager Swayne, Thomas Ewing, Henry L. Burnett, S. S. Packard, Calvin S. Brice, Wilham L. Brown and Samuel Thomas. The entertain- ment committee for the ensuing j'ear and members of the annual banquet com- mittee, as per above resolution, were Warren Higley, Homer Lee, A. J. C. Foj^e, Henry A. Glassford and C. G. Harriman. In the meeting of February 8, 1892, the newly constituted entertainment committee began its career by several suggestions: That it was especially de- sired that members volunteer to prepare papers on appropriate topics to be read at the regular meetings ; also favorably as to the propriety of having the rooms opened for ladies ; also favorably as to the continuing of musical enter- tainment. A letter was read from the Ohio Society of Detroit, Mich., asking for a copy of the constitution and by-laws, and the secretary was directed to send the same. The seventh annual banquet was held on the evening of February 20th, one day later than that proposed in the above resolution, at Sherry's, on Fifth avenue and Thirty-seventh street. It was referred to on the following morning * in these words : " Ohio has been described by a wit as a state which is high in the middle and round at both ends. That was precisely the condition of the New York assemblage last evening. They were high in the middle, with General Wager Swayne as presiding officer, and they were round at both ends, to such an ex- tent that one of those present was easily pushed from the hall. It seems almost incredible that any one who appreciated the importance of a gathering of Ohio men should have to be expelled by force, though such was the case last evening. General Swayne described the man as a ventriloquist. He probably was. Dur- * New York Tribune, February 21, 1892. 121 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ing the progress of General Swayne's speech there were interruptions which appeared to come from certain groups and opposite walls. ' You bet ! ' ' Good for Ohio ! ' ' Ohio leads the way,' and so on, were the words uttered in a mysterious manner, and these followed throughout the address of Congress- man Outhwaite. All at once there was a commotion, and then the shiiflfling of an individual along the aisles, until the outer door was closed upon him. General Swayne, in explanation, at the close of Congressman Outhwaite's speech, said the man was not an Ohioan; that no seat had been assigned him and he was an intruder, and had been ejected as a disturber of the peace; and, from all appearances, it was a thoroughly proper act, though his disappearance did detract somewhat from the amusement of the occasion." Col. WilHam L. Strong, the president of the Society, was unable, on acount of illness, to be present. The secretary of war, Mr. Elkins ; the secre- tary of the interior, Mr. Noble; the secretary of agriculture, Mr. Rusk, and Senator Brice did not appear as it was expected they would. Congressman Outhwaite responded for " The State of Ohio." His ad- dress was a defence of the natural modesty of the Ohio man, wherever he is found ; and there was an appreciative cheer in the throat as well as an apprecia- tive smile on the countenance of every Ohio man present. It is only fair to say that there was an entire absence of partisanship displayed, and the appearance of Mr. Outhwaite was greeted with as much applause as the mention of the name of William McKinley, Jr. Ex-Govemor Campbell responded for " The Governors of Ohio," and his address continued for forty-five minutes, thus establishing the fact that, in the opinion of a Democratic ex-governor of the state, that high office is entitled to respectful consideration; and everything that ex-Governor Camp- bell said was appreciated because of the pleasant way in which he introduced his commendations of the character of the men who have gone before him in that important office, irrespective of party affiliations. Indeed, ex-Governor Campbell said many pleasant things of men in both political parties of that day, and his address was listened to with close attention. He touched gently upon the fact that his native Ohio modesty had not secured for him suc- cess in the contest with Major McKinley, but that he was not too modest to say that " the governors of Ohio have been men of standing, culture, ability and honor to their generation and to the great state of Ohio," and the applause which followed the announcement proved that everybody present thought just as the speaker thought, even though he included himself in the list. His refer- ence to the position which Ohio has attained in the matter of the national judiciary brought forth an enthusiastic response. The other toasts were: "The Congressman Abroad," to which Murat 122 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Halstead responded in a pleasant manner. Captain Hugh R. Garden, of the Southern Society, was present, and spoke patriotically for the best elements south of Mason and Dixon's line. Congressman Harter, of Mansfield, Ohio, who came from Washington fresh from his contests with Mr. Bland on the silver question, was splendidly received when he arose to respond to the toast. Col. James M. Varnum, of New York, spoke for " The Ordinance of 1787." The dinner was well served, and the taste in art employed in the prelimi- naries was worthy of praise. The menu-card was attractive, suggestive of pioneer endeavor in the construction of a great state. There was much enjoy- ment, good-fellowship and manifestation of patriotic unity throughout the entire programme. The following letter of regret was received by General Swayne and read at this gathering : " United States Senate, " Washington, D. C, February 19, 1892. " Hon. Wager Swayne, New York. " My Dear Sir : I am laid up in my room with a disorder in one of my eyes, so that I cannot accept your exceedingly attractive invitation to the Ohio banquet. It is always a pleasure to me to hear about Ohio or to talk about Oliio. It would be especially delightful to do this in the company of so many of her famous sons as will gather at your banquet. The importance of what was done at Marietta in 1788 is not likely to be overstated even by the most affectionate and reverent of her sons. Its consequences grow in importance with the growth of the nation, with the mighty life of constitutional liberty itself. Tlie dwelling house of Rufus Putnam, where he and Tupper sat up all night to frame the plan of the Ohio Company, and from which in the early morning went forth the call for its first meeting, still stands unchanged in Worcester county, Mass., about twelve miles north of the populous city of Worcester. It is a simple wooden dwelling, but it ought to be treasured and presei-ved as a shrine second only to Mt. Vernon itself. " I shall be hungry to read the proceedings of j^our gathering and am, faithfully yours, " Geo. F. Hoar." The regular meeting of the Society was held at Morelli's on March 15th, and Col. William L. Strong occupied the chair at both the business meeting and the informal banquet which followed.^ The subject of club rooms was taken up, and after discussion a motion was offered by General Swayne that possession of the club rooms, No. 236 Fifth Avenue, be given up. This was 123 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK carried, and the matter of procuring new quarters was referred to the gov- erning committee, with power to act. President Strong informed the members that he had cabled to the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, minister to France, on behalf of the Society, tendering him a reception on his return to this country.* He also offered a resolution to the effect that the Society shoiild give a banquet to Mr. Reid on or about the 7th of April, the exact date to be determined later. On motion of Mr, Crall, it was ordered that the banquet committee which served at the last annual ban- quet, should act in a similar capacity at the Reid dinner, and that Greneral Swayne be chairman of said committee. * There is an interesting bit of inside history connected with this event. Several of the members of the Oiiio Society learned that the Union League Club were contemplating a banquet to Mr. Reid. The fact was communicated to President Strong, who did not wait for the mails. He made the offer by cable, and once more Ohio was the first in the field. 124 CHAPTER IX 1892-1894. THIS banquet in honor of Mr. Reid, a member of the Society, was given at Delmonico's on the evening of Saturday, April 9, 1892. The names of the committee in charge were as follows : Wager Swayne, chairman ; Wil- liam L. Strong, Calvin S. Brice, W. L. Brown, Henry L. Burnett, Leander H. Crall, Tliomas Ewing, Andrew J. C. Foye, Henry A. Glassford, Curtis G. Harriman, Warren Higley, Homer Lee, S. S. Packard, Samuel Thomas, Wil- liam Ford Upson. The spirit which actuated the Society in this gathering, and the reason why it occurred, were well set forth in a New York newspaper of the following day,* which said: "About tliirty years ago there was a young man in the town of Xenia, Ohio, who possessed in abundance those traits which the natives of that state are proud to think the pecuhar characteristics of the Oliio young man — en- ergy, fidelity, perseverance, perspicacity and commanding ability. He was a young newspaper writer, and he used his talents so well that he became suc- cessively the first writer on the foremost journal of his state, a noted war cor- respondent, a writer for a New York daily, then its editor and guiding spirit and finally United States Minister to France. That was Mr. Whitelaw Reid. Last night at Delmonico's the Ohio Society of New York, of which Mr. Reid was the first vice-president, celebrated the triumph of the traits of the Ohioan in his career, to voice the applause of his fellow citizens at his diplomatic suc- cesses and to give him, as their honored son, the right hand of welcome home at a great banquet." A distinguished company assembled in the large banqueting hall, to join with the Ohio men in doing honor to the distinguished guest. Two members of the cabinet of the United States sat with many eminent public men and journalists of New York and other cities on the speaker's platform. Among the six hundred guests at the other tables were some of the foremost New Yorkers and some who had come from as far as Cincinnati to be present. Gen. Wager Swayne presided, in the absence of President Strong, who was detained by a family affliction. At his right, beyond Mr. Reid, were Charles Foster, secretary of the treasury ; Warner Miller, George W. Childs, of Philadelphia ; Chas. A. Dana, Frank R. Lawrence and D. O. Mills. At the * New York Herald, April 10, 1892. 125 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK chairman's left were Stephen B. Elkins, secretary of war; A. K. McClure, of Philadelphia; Chauncej M, Depew, jNIurat Halstead, Vicomte Paul d'Absac, Consul General of France in New York ; St. Clair McKelway, Ballard Smith and Gen. Thomas Ewing. Mrs. Reid, Mrs. Swayne, Mrs. D. O. Mills and other ladies had seats in the gallery. At the six other tables were W. W. Bostwick, Henry W. Cannon, Richard Butler, Russell B. Harrison, Richard Smith, Sr. ; ex- Judge Noah Davis, ex- Judge John F. Dillon, Horace White, Gen. Horace Porter, B. H. Bristow, Col. John A. McCall, Frankhn Edson, the Rev. Dr. Henry M. Field, Albert Bier- stadt, Gen. Thomas T. Eckert, Col. John J. McCook, and Robert E. Bonner, etc. The banquet began at half-past six o'clock. Ohio was not forgotten in the decorations of the occasion. Her coat of arms was emblazoned on the gallery fronting the speakers and reappeared on the elaborately engraved menu cards. The flags and arms of the American and French republics were intertwined on these cards. It was after nine o'clock when Gen. Swayne arose to call the assemblage to order and to introduce the speechmaking of the evening. He began by saying: " There once was a time when Horace Greeley signalized himself by say- ing to a certain young man, ' Come East, young man !' and so our guest of the evening did as many of you have done. If it be true that this night the great soul of Horace Greeley contemplates us, we may be sure that his great soul joins with ours in this greeting. No man could be so truly the forerunner of those friends who will come to the World's Fair next year as our returning minister, Mr. Reid." General Swayne then, in a few graceful words of compliment. Introduced the guest of the evening, Mr. Reid, who was received with most enthusiastic applause. The entire company arose and cheered for several minutes, while the air was white with fluttering napkins. When the enthusiastic Ohioans were ready to hear him IVIr. Reid spoke with a hearty emphasis that showed the sincerity of his appreciation as fol- lows: " Me. Chairman : No greeting could touch me more profoundly than this. No words could go stralghter to my heart than yours, and when I re- member what honor your father brought our state, and the nation, I am doubly glad that, in the regretted absence of its president, it is by your voice the Ohio Society receives me back. " This Is Indeed an Ideal welcome. It gives the first hand grasp from the metropolis which is our home and our pride, and at the same time it car- ries me really home — to that fairest of lands that lies between the lakes and 126 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the beautiful river — to the dear, gracious mother of us all. When she stretches out her hand the joy of return is complete. " No other applause can ever be so sweet to a man as that which comes from those who have known him earliest and longest. Better, to many a tired man of the world, the cheer of his native village than more stately honors from the most powerful of communities. Believe me, Mr. Chairman, in retiring from public office there can be no compliment more grateful than an assurance like this with which you honor me to-night, that your old friends and neigh- bors have not been ashamed of you. " And next, it is pleasant to be made to feel once more that those to whom you were sent were not tired of you. Two weeks ago, at a banquet like this, I had the honor to say goodby to the high members of the French government, and tq^representative Frenchmen who were kind enough to say they were sorry to have me go. To-night I find my friend, the Viscount d'Absac representing the same government here, to add another grace to the warmth of this most charming of greetings to a returning townsman. In the large banqueting hall of the Continental, in trying to express to the great American colony and to the Frenchmen about me the conflicting emotions by which I was possessed, I told the simple truth in saying that while I was eager, even to homesickness, in my desire to get back to New York, I did not in the least want to leave Paris. " Who that has ever passed under the spell of the City of Light — the one city of the world — can fail to understand or to sympathize with the truly Irish perplexity? Who that has ever known France or the French will not join with me in urging the duty, not merely of perpetual friendship, but of the warmest appreciation for that fascinating and chivalric people who have for many centuries commanded the admiration or the wonder of the world, and who are now well entered on the second century of an unbroken and most help- ful friendship for us ? I never met a Frenchman, from the Elysee or the Fau- bourg St. Germain to the forests of Auvergne, who did not, as soon as he found I was an American, receive me without question as a friend. We shall see more of them here during the next year, and I hope every American to whom the opportunity may come will exert himself to make them feel as much at home among us as we have always made ourselves and been made at home among them. " Those of us who have entered the fifties have learned that there is no great happiness in this world without attendant pain. To-night the joy of coming back is marked by finding such gaps in your ranks. Tlie numbers, to be sure, are not diminished ; but, ah ! what faces we miss. I cannot speak in the Ohio Society after a three years' absence without one word of tender and reverei;tial regard for the memory of your greatest member. Rough on the 127 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK surface, sometimes, as a chestnut burr, but always sweet and tender inside as the nut ; that is the man as one loves to recall him. We had occasionally the sharpest differences of opinion, and yet, from my early manhood till he said goodby to me on sailing, he had honored me with his friendship. Not a syl- lable do I care to utter to-night of his public career. The w^orld has long known that by heart. I only wish, as I recall the kind parting and the kinder messages and letters sent over seas, and as I now note the vacant place, to pause before it for a moment and salute the mighty shade. What glories the future may have in store for the Ohio Society we know not, but the past, at least, is secure. We have had Wilham Tecumseh Sherman. " We have had another, too, whose absence strikes sadly on a returning son of the State. He had guided the finances of the country through a most critical period — Ohio has had a specialty of great finance ministers^ from Ewing and Chase and Sherman to Foster. He had achieved a brilliant suc- cess. Mr. Windom stood to the financial world as the champion of sound meas- ures and as the pledge of national solvency and faith and honor, and in that moment, in a supreme effort, he fell. When in a foreign land I read the story, grief for the great loss was almost swallowed up in pride for the splendid end this son of Ohio had made. " There is no occasion to-night to call the roll of our Ohio worthies. We have never been charged, even by our worst enemies, with ever neglecting the duty to celebrate ourselves. But perhaps you will permit me a single reminis- cence. On one of the last occasions when I had the opportunity to act in the office with which you honored me as vice president of the Ohio Society I found an occasion, in presenting to you a gentleman who had been recently dropped from the Senate, and had thereupon described himself as a ' dead statesman,' to put out that, nevertheless, he had in him the material for an uncommonly live President. Well, gentlemen, I haven't yet seen the necessity of apolo- gizing for any mistake made in that prediction as to the future of that par- ticular member of this society. "Now, it is said that the other party is looking about for a candidate. But why should it have the slightest difficulty? Here Is the first president of the Ohio Society ready to its hand — statesman himself, and the son of a states- man, and although he has the proverbial shyness of both the politician and the lawyer, I will undertake to be responsible that he will answer quite soon after his name is called. " It has been sometimes said that there are two kinds of men in this coun- try — those who were bom in Ohio and those who wish they had been. A bril- liant example of the latter class is with us to-night; and very pleasant it is for tired eyes to rest on the familiar features of this prince of orators and of good fellows. His genius and versatility have accomplished wonders 128 ■ ^1 ^^^^^Ki ^t 1 ^H ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■LIl ^^1 ^^^^^^1 JL' V ^H ^^^^^^^^^^^ i^i ^^^A ^^^^^9 ^^^H ^^^^^^^^^^^^E ' '^^^^^1 H ^^H ^P' 4 1 R iH ^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hp^' -^'-,- :x- "-.'■ -"■".'i^,.j»^r':-r:''^''v ^: '■- • '*'*: .^w'^ ill ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^&'' ' ''-'*^- i^^^^lB^^^^^^^^I^HH g^l^^ !■ ^^^^^^^^^^^n^^;L^^^^^f^yg^^^^^^^H ^^^mJ^ ■ ,,^-—-Sii^^^^ 1 ^^^^^H -''^'^^'' ^1 ^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HH^BMH^Bb^^^ji H ^^^1 Hon. Whitelaw Reid OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK in the way of acquiring nationalities ; but this is a shining height he has not reached. He has, on a hundred occasions and to the entire satisfaction of thou- sands of auditors, announced himself as a Dutchman, a Puritan, a Huguenot, a Scotchman, a native of Peekskill and a bit of an Irishman. But he has missed the crown. He was never born in Ohio — and now I am afraid he never will be. " Nevertheless, the Ohio man continues to be prevalent. In the present cabinet, for example, out of the eight members four of them are from Ohio — and two of them are here to-night to explain the circumstance. When these four Cabinet officers vote together and the President joins with them the rest of the concern must feel lonely ! " Mr. President, I forbear. The trend of feeling seems to be toward levity. And yet nothing could be further from my purpose. I am most happy to find myself so thoroughly at home — so completely surrounded by those I know the best and prize the highest. I am most grateful for the care which has assembled here so many whom it is a pride and pleasure for me to meet again — Howells, almost the oldest and certainly one of the dearest of my friends, with whom I lived in the same house nearly a third of a century ago, when he paid his board out of a salary of $15 a week, and I out of one a good deal less; Ward, who made statues in those days, while we made newspaper articles, and whose early wares have lasted better; the gentlemen of my own profession — Mr. Childs, who is the friend of all of us ; Colonel McClure and Mr. McKelway, who lend to the wrong side such potent and persuasive pens ; my old master in the news- paper business, Mr. Richard Smith, and my old opponent, Mr. Murat Hal- stead ; Mr. Gilder, who has made one of the most successful magazines in the world; the delegates of the club which for fourteen years endured me as its president ; these representatives of the government — national, state and city — and this whole brilliant and imposing assemblage. I am touched beyond words that you should have shown me this kindness. I am happy to have escaped in apparent safety from public service and to be received among you again, and I close as I began with a heartfelt expression of my profoundest and most grateful thanks." There were again three cheers and a tiger when Mr. Reid closed speak- ing, and his health was drunk once more with great enthusiasm. General Swayne, in introducing the next speaker, said that it was in the room in which they were assembled that Benjamin Harrison was first nom- inated for President of the United States. The President was not with them, he was sorry to say, but he was represented by the ranking member of the Cab- inet. He called upon the Hon. Charles Foster, secretary of the treasury, to respond to the next toast, " International Commerce." 129 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK An enthusiastic round of applause greeted Mr. Foster as he rose in an- swer to this introduction. When the cheering had subsided he said : "Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: If I have paid my dues I am a member of this Society. I am not quite certain about that. But I ought to be a member in good standing. " I have been a member of the Society from the beginning. I am here to-night, as your president said, as the ranking officer of the Cabinet of Pres- ident Harrison, to testify to you to the great success of Minister Reid while representing the United States at the court of France. " Mr. Reid had considerable to say about Ohio. We never do forget to glorify ourselves. While I was Governor of Ohio I was often called upon, upon occasions somewhat similar to this, to respond for the State of Ohio. It began to be irksome. I began to study why Ohio had distinguished herself beyond all other States. I found a peculiar condition of things — a condition that existed in no other state. I found that our manufactures, our mining, our agricultural and our industrial enterprises existed there in more equal propor- tions than in any other state. " New York and New England are largely manufacturing sections and the South and the West are agricultural. Now, all these great forces oper- ating upon the minds of the people of Ohio as equally produce a level headed- ness, while in New York and New England these forces, not operating equally, produce a lopsidedness. Our institutions are peculiar. We believe them to be the best of any country on earth. Certainly here every man, be he rich or poor, has an equal chance in the race for life. We believe in rotation in office — but not just now. i " We have no class of people until recently — perhaps we may get some in the civil service — who hold their offices. Yet in other countries in Europe in the diplomatic service the diplomats are trained from boyhood and remain in that service all their lives. In this country we pick up our diplomats from our lawyers, our merchants, our newspaper people, and we send them abroad to discharge their duty. Now I undertake to say that from Benjamin Frank- lin down to the present time our diplomats have been as able and as successful and, I think, more so, in the discharge of these duties than the trained men of other countries. And, I think, my friends, that one of the finest illustra- tions we have of the success of the newspaper fraternity exists in that of Mr. Reid." General Swayne next introduced, to answer to the toast "Our Foreign Relations" the secretary of war, Stephen B. Elkins, who was received with great enthusiasm as he rose to respond. Mr. Elkins said that as a member of the Ohio Society he felt honored at taking part in this reception and expressing respect and regard for a fel- 130 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK low member who, by his ability in the untried field of diplomacy, had gained new laurels and added to his fame and distinction in this and other lands. On behalf of the administration it was the speaker's most pleasing duty of saying to Minister Reid in this presence that the chief executive and those associated with him in administering the affairs of this great republic sent him words of cordial greeting and a warm welcome on his return home. Mr. Elkins then continued : " You went abroad taking with you the esteem and affection of many of the leading men of your country. You had already risen to distinction, and your name, your ability and your varied accomplishments were widely known and appreciated. You return decorated with the confidence and approbation of the two great leading republics of the world, by reason of your great serv- ices to both. It will be remembered by many here that at the first annual dinner of the Society the distinguished gentleman now President of the United States was an invited guest. Our guest, then our Vice President, in fitting and graceful terms, called on General Harrison to respond to a sentiment, and in his remarks ventured to suggest that it was among the possibilities that an- other Harrison might some day fill tlie Presidential chair. From this happy allusion some members of the Ohio Society claim they saw in the speaker, as he responded with that clearness, power and strength wliich always character- ized his graceful oratory, what his countrymen later on discovered, that he was fitted for the high office of President, and to which by their choice he was soon after elevated. " As Oliio men we are proud of our Ohio President. He enjoys the con- fidence of his countrymen everywhere. He has shown to the country and world in point of integrity, intellectual force, power of administration and ability to deal with large and difficult questions that he will stand among the first of the great Presidents of the Republic. It is a source of pride to the society that the state of Ohio has given to this administration the President and four members of his Cabinet, an event not likely to occur again in the history of any state in the Union. The administration rejoices in Minister Reid's success. His services to his country in his high office are among his best assets. The great secretary under whom he sei'ved reports that he is de- tained at Washington and prevented from joining in this reception. He could and would tell you were he here with what ability, zeal and satisfaction to him Minister Reid always discharged his duties and the beneficial results he secured to his country." Mr, Elkins concluded his address by paying an eloquent tribute to the gifted wife of Minister Reid. After Mr. Elkins, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew was the next speaker. His appearance was greeted with a salvo of applause which must have warmed the 131 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK cockles of his heart. The toast to which he responded was "New York's Wel- come." Mr. Depew said: " Gentlemen : It is a rare pleasure and privilege to participate in the event we celebrate to-night. Both the absence and the return of our guest are fortunate for himself and his country. Abroad he conferred honor upon the republic and gained distinction for himself. By returning he adds to the happiness of his friends. " During the last ten years it has fallen to my lot on many occasions to deliver a eulogy upon some distinguished son of Ohio. In every instance he was dead. It created an impression in my mind that there was a mysterious relation between an eminent soldier or citizen of Ohio and the grave. It is an inspiration and a tonic for both my nerves and my spirits to be able to speak of a son of Ohio whose fame is international and who is very much alive. If there be any doubts on that question it will be dissipated through the columns of the New York Tribune during the coming months of the Presidential can- vass. It will be discovered that this accomplished journalist has not lost the art of occasionally criticising his party friends when they deserv^e it, and con- tinually scorning his party enemies because they always deserve it. " The one act of President Harrison which has received the greatest criticism has been his appointment of journalists to diplomatic places. We lawyers have felt especially aggrieved that after entering upon the legislative fields, which we have always called our own, they should have assumed to aspire to places which the lawyers have always regarded as belonging by right to them. ' What,' say the critics, ' can the journalist whose time and mind and training have been given to the discussion of theoretical politics, practical re- ligion, sociological questions, of party candidates and responding at innu- merable banquets to the toast of "Tlie Press" know about international law and the delicate matters of diplomacy.'" "Only twice in the history of the relations between France and the United States as nations has France been prominently and interestingly in the eye and mind of the American people. First, when she gave us the assistance which secured our independence, and second, when there was negotiated with her a treaty which will be of incalculable advantage to the people of this country. In the first instance our minister was Benjamin Franklin and in the second Whitelaw Reid, both journalists. " By sentiment and service we are more closely bound to France than any other European nations, and yet in the rapidity of our own development and the crowding events which have brought us in commercial communion or col- lision with other nations, we have taken little account of and given little thought to France during the last hundred years. Her fleet, her army and her credit enabled us to bring our revolution to a triumphant conclusion ; and 132 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the ideas of liberty absorbed here by the French soldiers and carried back to France revolutionized the continent of Europe. Upon the lines of civil and rehgious freedom and of the ideas and the measures which tend to the promo- tion of the happiness of mankind France and the United States have developed together. Their friendly relations have been enormously strengthened by the moral support which we gave the young republic in its struggle for the per- manence of its free institutions ; by the vigorous, wise and enlightened course of the American minister who is our guest to-night. " Our poets, our orators and our great writers, in celebrating the glories of our Western Empire, have all failed to recognize in epic verse and fitting phrase that principal and perennial source of our prosperity, the American hog. He, more than any other agency, has solved the problem of the farm and the market. When the Western farmer would be compelled to bum his corn because the price at the seaboard would not enable him to bear the cost of transportation, this intelligent animal consumes the corn, chemically works it up in his own person into profitable pork, and then transports himself to market to clear the mortgage from the farm and add to the wealth of his country. " The governments of the Old World have always been jealous of our growth and prosperity and fearful of the penetrating and propagating power of American ideas. They could not keep out Yankees, for they go every- where. They could not keep out Yankee inventions, for their adoption was necessary if they would keep pace in industrial competitions. They could not keep out American wheat, because their fields were insufficient to raise their own supply.^ But in self-preservation and with marvelous unanimity, and backing up the effort with the whole force of their great armaments, they banished and then prohibited the re-entrance of the American hog. For eleven years this great staple of our country has been denied admission. The popu- l^T sentiment was so strong in favor of the prohibition that any attempt to remove it threatened to hurl the government of the day from power. It was to this most difficult task that Mr. Reid applied his ability and his energy. His success has moved the torpid pulse of the Chamber of Commerce to en- thusiastic gratitude, and has done more for the commerce and wealth of our country than any single diplomatic transaction of the last decade. " It is an old saw that every good American goes to Paris before he dies. It is generally admitted that the visit hastens that desired or lamented event. Paris is known to our countrymen as the metropolis where their women are gowned and their men bankrupted. For the last three years we, which means virtually the majority of the American people who travel, have found in Paris a model American home, whose perfect appointments made us proud of our country, and whose generous hospitality made us feel at home. 133 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " The position of an American minister among the ironclad customs and inflexible traditions of the diplomatic service in the older countries is not a happy one. According to immemorial usage the ambassador, in the absence of his sovereign, is the sovereign in person, or if his state is not monarchial he represents the sovereignty of the commonwealth. Immemorial usage assigns to the minister only the dignity of a diplomatic agent. At the great capitals like Paris all the Powers of Europe and Asia send ambassadors, the republics of South America and the Isthmus send ambassadors, and Hayti is represented by an ambassador. Whenever the representatives of these governments call upon the Foreign Minister of France the obsequious attendant throws open both doors of the Foreign Office to the ambassador ; he opens one door to admit the American minister. At state receptions, official functions, Presidential dinners, the American minister decorates the rear of the diplomatic procession and sits next to Hayti at the foot of the table. " Our adherence as a nation to this Spartan simplicity decorates the rhetoric of the Fourth of July orator as to the prestige and power of the great republic, and degrades among his official associates the representatives of the great republic. The American minister, who is thus officially handi- capped and who has a proper patriotic appreciation of the dignity and posi- tion which his government rightfully holds among the nations of the earth, has a most difficult and delicate task. But it can be truthfully said by every one who was on the spot to observe that with tact which was never at fault, and dignity which compelled recognition, and assertiveness which was never offen- sive, and a pride which was never arrogant, the grandeur and glory of the republic of the United States so pervaded all official assemblages when the min- ister was present that for the last three years wherever the American minister has sat has been next to the head of the table. "New York stands to the people in all parts of our country as does a great university to its young men. The student who has won academic honors in Ohio or California, in Idaho or Indiana, comes to Yale or Harvard. There- after for the rest of his life he is known as an alumnus of Yale or Harvard. So the man who has grown too large for his neighborhood or his state in the West, the South, the East or the North, comes to New York. Here he is wel- comed without ardor and given such equal chance among the Knickerbockers, or finds himself crystallized among the ' four hundred.' " It is this cosmopolitan spirit which gives New York an Ohio Society larger than any to be found in any city in Ohio and a Southern Society stronger than any organized in any city in the South. It is in this spirit that we have more Germans than in any German city save Berlin, and more Irish than in any city in the Emerald Isle. It was this attraction which brought to us Ohio's great son, General Grant, and caused him to request that he might 134 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK be buried upon our island, a request which I trust will soon be honored by a monument erected over his grave worthy the great captain and the great me- tropolis. It was the multiplied charms of New York which drew here the most attractive soldier of our time and made him loved by us as he loved us, another of Ohio's grand contributions to the glory of the republic. General Sherman. New York welcomes the children of her adoption, when they are worthy of her recognition, with the same unstinted and generous gratitude or honor as she does her children to the manner born. I speak for her best impulses, for her vigorous manhood, for her broad and catholic judgment, when I say on her behalf to Whitelaw Reid : ' Welcome ! thrice welcome, back to New York !' " " The Molder of Public Opinion " was the toast to which Col. Alexander K. McClure, editor of the Philadelphia Times, was called upon to respond. During the course of his speech he said: " This is to me a most pleasant occasion. I have known the distinguished guest of the evening for thirty years as a journalist; remember liim well as one of the most brilliant of the remarkable galaxy of war correspondents developed during the Rebellion and have noticed his rapid advancement to the very front rank of his profession, not only with the pride that I have always felt in those who dignify the newspaper calling, but also with the gratification that ever comes to us all when cherished friends attain exceptional success. There is eminent fitness in this gathering of distinguished sons of Ohio to do honor to Whitelaw Reid, who is now a leading figure in American progress as journalist and diplomat, but whose name will be cherished chiefly, not only in this but in other lands, as one who has shed the richest lustre upon American journalism. " What is journalism in this great republic? In England it has been called the fourth estate; in the free institutions of America, where the people are sovereign and where the newspapers are the chief educator of those who govern the land, the press is the first estate. Like all great elements of power it has its shadowed aspects. It has many teachers of its o\vti creation that are dicreditable to the great calling and a reproach to the most intelhgent people of the earth; but discounted by all its imperfections the press of the United States is the best the world has ever known and is the most potent of all the varied factors in our free government. " I regard the editorial chair as the highest public trust of our free in- stitutions. Presidents, Cabinets, Senates, representative bodies come and play their brief parts and pass away, many of them into forgetfulncss, and great parties rise and fall in the swift mutations of the political efforts of a free people. Journalism not onl}' survives all the varied changes of our political sj'stem, but its duties and responsibilities multiply with each year as it becomes more and more the great teacher of the people in their homes. " When President Harrison came into power he honored himself by nom- 135 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK inating to three of the four first class missions of the government distinguished representatives of American journals — Whitelaw Reid to France, Charles Em- ory Smith to Russia and Murat Halstead to Germany. High as was the com- pliment paid to journalism by the President, the highest comphment of all was paid to Mr. Halstead when he was rejected by a Senate of his own political faith, and an exceptional compliment was paid to Mr. Reid, the honored guest of the evening, by his narrow escape from rejection by the same body. There was not an objection urged against the confirmation of either of these eminent journalists that was not inspired by resentment for the best journalistic efforts of their lives. It was the manly, fearless criticism of public men and public measures, the exposure of the infirmities and perfidy of those who pose as repre- sentative statesmen of the republic, that honored Mr. Halstead by refusing him the mission for which he had been nominated, and that paid a rare tribute to Mr. Reid by grudgingly assenting to his appointment. The cowardly, sub- missive journalist is innocent of antagonisms; the aggressive, fearless, faithful journalist commands the highest distinction of malignant hostility from all who make politics a trade and prostitute statesmanship to mean ambition and jobbery. " I recall also with great pleasure the fact that the two great editors who were confirmed to fill first class missions have both voluntarily resigned to re- sume their newspaper duties. We are here to-night to welcome Mr. Reid back to his high public trust of journalism, and in Philadelphia we shall soon be able to welcome Mr. Smith, who has resigned his mission and will resume the great calling of his life. These leaders of our profession have learned the httleness of official trust when compared with the highest of all public trusts — the direction of a great newspaper. " Need I remind this intelligent assembly of Horace Greeley, confessedly the ablest of all the many able journalists our country has produced.'* He was often more potent even than the President, and no man ever accomplished so much in the education of the people in all that was beneficent and just. He cared not for the honors or emoluments of public office, but he had fought the battles of the people. He had braved obloquy in his tireless eff'orts for the oppressed and lowly and his great sympathetic heart, that ever beat responsive to the cries of the oppressed, craved the grateful recognition of the people to whose cause he sincerely devoted his life. A brief term in Congress proved to all, as it must have proved to himself, that while the great editor was a master in criticising the imperfections of public men, the Congressman who had crit- icised his fellows through his own newspaper columns was a dismal failure. At last the great dream of his life gave promise of fulfilment as he was nominated for the Presidency ; but the clouds came, his hopes perished, and, smitten in all that he loved or dreamed of, his death was welcomed by his friends as end- 136 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK iiig the fitful life that had settled in a starless midnight of mental darkness. " And Raymond, whose name is spoken with reverence by every American journalist; the only man whose lance was never shivered in his many conflicts with his great master, is now hardly remembered as legislator, Speaker, Lieu- tenant Governor and member of Congress. He was a leader of leaders in politics. He was at the baptismal font of republicanism, and he penned the platform of Pittsburg in 1856, that crystallized the greatest party of Amer- ican history and made the most heroic achievements of any civilization of the world. I have seen him calm in a turbulent National Convention ; call it to or- der and method, and guide it to the great results of its mission ; but who re- members him as Congressman save as the target of the matchless invective of Stevens, or as having recorded failure after failure in statesmanship. " Dana, the Nestor of American journalism, dated his great success and power as a newspaper man when he indignantly declined a second place in the Customs of your city, tendered to him by a President whose election he had favored. Thenceforth he was free from the thongs of political expectation, and no one has more pointedly illustrated the difference in distinction and achievement between the editor who puts journalism before party and party honors and the editor who struggles for party success to share party spoils. "The elder Bennett has grandly illustrated the true theory of journalism by the assumption that a great editor could never be an acceptable popular candidate for any party, and I have reason to know that he regarded it as the crowning distinction of his life that he had the opportunity to decline, as in- compatible with his journalistic duties, the same mission from which our hon- ored guest of to-night has just returned. " The time was when journalism was confined to party organs and when newspapers were a luxury. Public office was then measurably compatible with the public trust of journalism; but that age has passed away never to return. To-day the newspaper is the educator of the home, and is read in almost every family in the land. It is the daily lesson to our children ; the daily monitor to those who exercise the sovereignty of our government. It is constant in its duties and its achievements. On great occasions it arouses public sentiment to aggressive action; in common times it is ceaselessly fulfilling its mission as gently as the dews which jewel the flowers of the early morning, and it is the one calling of our free land that cannot be dependent upon the whims of party leaders or the resentments of those who control official positions. It must be ' unawed by influence, unbribed by gain.' Such is the true mission of the journalist where journalism is so inseparably interwoven with the sovereignty of the republic, and it is to this high trust and duty that we welcome back the honored guest of the evening." General Swayne said that a welcome home to New York to ex-Minister 137 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Reid would be incomplete without a word of greeting from. Brooklyn. He therefore called upon St. Clair McKelway, of Brooklyn, to say a few words. In the beginning of his speech Mr. McKelway intimated that " Mr. Reid had returned home perhaps to receive a greater honor in connection with his party's nomination for the Vice Presidency," a suggestion that was received with the greatest applause. Mr. McKelway said that he spoke for the press of New York, and in that capacity he dwelt at length upon Mr. Reid's career as a newspaper editor in New York, his methods, the ideas he sought to introduce in his own journal and his influence upon journalism generally. He paid a very high tribute to Mr. Reid's journalistic abihty, and particularly commended the high moral character of the paper he conducted. He praised Mr. Reid for assisting to put a stop to personal contests in editorial writings and closed with a eulogy of his services as Minister to France. He said : " Mr. Reid in France has worthily honored an office in which Franklin, Washbume, Dayton, McLean and Bigelow and John A. Dix won for them- selves a lustre as bright as the day and as long as time. He brings back the gratitude of all Americans abroad with whom he has been in contact, and he meets here not only the greetings of his friends around these tables, and not only the congratulations of his fellow laborers in all the newspaper offices of the English speaking world, but the salutations of his countrymen and their best wishes for his happiness and prosperity, either on the lines of his resumed profession or on the paths of any higher duties that events in their unfolding may solicit or require him to tread." Ex-Senator Warner Miller made a brief response to the sentiment, " Our Commercial Facilities." Frank R. Lawrence, Mr. Reid's successor as president of the Lotus Club, welcomed Mr. Reid home as the spokesman of a numerous delegation from the Lotus Club, who were among the guests. Then the merry company dispersed with three cheers and a tiger for Whitelaw Reid. Among the many letters of regret from eminent men who had been invited was the following from the French Minister to the United States : " The Legation of the French Republic, " Washington, D. C, March, 1892. " General, : You liave done me the honor to invite me to take part in the banquet that your society has tendered to Mr. Whitelaw Reid after his arrival in New York on the 9th of April. I hasten to thank you for your courtesy and regret that it will not be possible for me to accept, as I already have another engagement for that day. I regret this all the more because dur- 138 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ing my stay in Paris I had occasion to appreciate the extreme courtesy of the honorable representative from the United States, and because I should have been very happy to associate myself with this occasion of expression of esteem which is given to Mr. Reid by his compatriots. Accept, General, the as- surances of my most distinguished consideration. Patenotee. " To Gen. Henry L. Burnett, No. 45 Cedar Street, New York." Vice President Morton wrote as follows : " Vice Peesident's Chamber, "Washington, March 31, 1892. " My Deae General, : I very much regret that previous engagements deprive me of the pleasure of accepting the invitation of the Ohio Society to be present at the banquet to be given the Hon. Whitelaw Reid on the 9th of April. " Mr. Reid has discharged his duties as the representative of his country to our sister republic of the Old World with conspicuous ability, in a manner alike honorable to his country and himself, and it would be a source of great gratification if I could join the membei-s of the society of his native state, and present in person my cordial congratulations, a hearty greeting and a warm welcome to our distinguished guest on his return to his native land. " Thanking the Society for the courtesy extended, I am, with renewed regrets, very faithfully and truly yours, " Levi P. Moeton. " Gen. Wagee Swayne, New York." f Other letters were from Senator Frank Hiscock, Senator Joseph R. Haw- ley, of Connecticut; ex-Minister to England E. J. Phelps, George William Curtis, Secretary Rusk, who was detained at Washington ; Col. John Hay and Frank Hatton. A number of ladies were present at the meeting of the Society held on April 18th. Vice-President Henry L. Burnett occupied the chair, as President Strong was absent on account of the death of his mother. ISlr. Crall, treas- urer, reported that the financial part of the Reid banquet, like all other parts of it, had been a success. With Vice-President Packard in the chair, General Burnett entertained the Society with a most interesting address, relating his services at Washington under the great war secretary, Stanton, immediatelv after the assassination of President Lincoln. Then followed a progi*amme of music under the direction of Eugene Clarke. A collation was sem'ed. At the meeting of May 9th Mr. Foye reported for the governing committee that the present rooms of the Society had been engaged for another year, at a reduction 139 k OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK of $700 in rent. The report was accepted. The treasurer reported a balance on hand of $2,900. General Swayne offered the following resolution, which was adopted: " Whereas, New York city has shown a most hospitable welcome to Ohio men, and has many times given generously to Ohio public and educational pur- poses, and, " Whereas, New York city at this time is giving liberally to a memorial of a son of Ohio, General Ulysses S. Grant, and, " Whereas, The chancellor of the University of the City of New York, a member of the Ohio Society, has interested several of our members in the establishing of a memorial tribute of an educational character, to bring to- gether in a pleasant manner Ohio and New York, " Resolved, That a committee of seven members with President William L. Strong as chairman, be appointed to confer with Chancellor MacCracken on the subject, and that power be given them to add the endorsement of the Ohio So- ciety to such plan of the character above named as they may approve." President Strong subsequently appointed the following committee to act with himself in accordance with the above resolution: Hon. Whitelaw Reid, General Wager Swayne, John W. Ellis, Gen. Samuel Thomas, A. D. Juilliard, William H. Caldwell, S. S. Packard. As alternates : J. D. Archbold, C. N. Hoagland, C. S. Brice, Thomas A. Edison, John W. Harman, J. Q. A. Ward. General Ewing gave a most interesting account of experiences in Kansas before the war, under the title, " The Struggle for Freedom in Kansas." By resolution, the Society asked General Ewing to furnish a copy of his speech for printing. The story of the " Ohio Field " of the University of New York is interest- ing, and as it is a part of the history of the Ohio Society of New York, the steps taken subsequently may be here recounted. Upon the presentation of the above action of the Ohio Society to the council of the University, at its meeting, May 27, 1892, action was taken as follows : " Resolved^ That the council welcomes cordially the committee appointed May 9, 1892, by the Ohio Society to confer with the chancellor of the Uni- versity as to the establishing of a foundation of an educational character, in- tended to bring together in pleasant association Ohio and New York, this com- mittee consisting of the following fourteen gentlemen, seven being principals and seven alternates, in addition to Col. William L. Strong, president of the Ohio Society, as chairman. (Here follow the names above given.) 140 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " And the council authorizes the committee on needs and endowment, with the chcancellor, to settle in conference with this committee the conditions upon which the University may be enabled to establish a trust which shall associate Ohio and New York in an important educational benefaction." The committee of the Ohio Society met at the Society's rooms on October 17, 1892, the following gentlemen being present: Col. William L. Strong, chairman ; C. N. Hoagland, Gen. Wager Swayne, WiUiam H. Caldwell, Prof. S. S. Packard, John W. Harman. After careful consideration the following action was taken : "The committee of the Ohio Society approve the solicitation from mem- bers of the Ohio Society, and from other Ohio men, of a fund to be given to the University of the City of New York, to aid in the purchase of new grounds selected for the University at University Heights. A new station to be estab- lished on the New York and Northern and the New York Central Railways, midway between the present stations of Morris Heights and Fordham Heights. This fund is to be given upon the conditions expressed in the following form of subscription, which is hereby approved : " The undersigned agree with the University of the City of New York, and with each other, that we will pay to the treasurer of the Unhersity, on or before January 1st, 1893, the amount of money set opposite to our names, respectively, upon the following conditions: " 1 . That it may be used to secure for athletic purposes a part of the new grounds of the University of the City of New York. " 2. That the University agree, in case $50,000 be subscribed in like manner, that it will set apart and definitely mark, within one year after pur- chasing the new site, not less than four acres thereof for an athletic field. " 3. That this field shall be permanently named the Ohio Field. " 4. That if ever the Universit}'^ devote such land to other than athletic uses, it will invest the above amount of $50,000 in another athletic field, or in buildings, or in both, which shall bear the same name and memorial character. " 5. That the University further agree, for each subscription of $2,000, to found a graduate scholarship, to be named after an Ohio college such as the giver or givers may designate, which scholarship shall provide tuition to the amount of $100 a year in the University Graduate Seminary for such grad- uate of the college named, as its president may recommend to the Chancellor of the Universit}^ Such graduate student may hold the scholarship for three years, or until the president of the college appoint his successor, but he shall be subject to such rules as are prescribed for the other graduate students of 141 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the University. These graduate scholarships shall be perpetuated, at the least until the year 1931, which will be the centennial of the University. " 6. That the University will make full announcement in each annual catalogue of these scholarships, with their titles and conditions, and with the names of their respective founders." A further declaration made by the committee was as follows: " Further, the committee of the Ohio Society suggest that subscribers, in naming Ohio colleges whose alumni may receive the graduate scholarships, may appropriately name any one of the eighteen colleges of Ohio which are admit- ted to membership in the Ohio College association, according to the minutes of its meeting in Columbus, December 28th, 29th, and 30th, 1891. One or more graduate scholarships in the University of the City of New York for alumni of each of these colleges will prove a most fruitful benefaction to the cause of learning. The following eighteen colleges are members of the Ohio College Association. The year of the foundation of each is given: 1. The Ohio University, at Athens, 1804. 2. The Miami University, at Oxford, 1809. 3. The Kenyon College, at Gambier, 1824. 4. The Adelbert College of the Western Reserve University, at Cleveland, 1826, 5. The Denison University, at Granville, 1832. 6. The Oberlin College, at Oberlin, 1833. 7. The Marietta College, at Marietta, 1835. 8. The Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, 1844. 9. The Wittenberg College, at Springfield, 1845. 10. The Otterbein University, at Westerville, 1847. 11. The Antioch College, at Yellow Springs, 1852. 12. The Baldwin University, at Berea, 1856. 13. The Mt. Union College, at Mt. Union, 1858. 14. The Wooster University, at Wooster, 1866. 15. The Hiram College, at Hiram, 1867. 16. The Ohio State University, at Columbus, 1870. 17. The Buchtel College, at Akron, 1870. 18. The University of Cincinnati, at Cincinnati, 1870. The committee proceeded to point out the valuable returns certain to come from this investment of $50,000. It would aid a noble institution of learning. The Ohio Field would be a perpetual benefaction to University students who come from Ohio and other states. It would honor and benefit the city of New York, the adopted home of the donors. It would be a satisfaction to Ohioans visiting New York. Continuing, they declared : "Equally important returns will come from the Ohio graduate scholar- ships. They will emphasize the true relations between universities which main- tain graduate work or professional schools, and undergraduate colleges. The fonner should avoid taking freshmen away from the territory of the latter. They should encourage Ohio students to attend Ohio colleges. But a univer- sity in New York city may fairly invite young men who have completed un- 142 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK dergraduate work to embrace whatever it has to offer of graduate instruction and of professional training. The Ohio graduate scholarships will say to Ohio 3' oung men : ' Go through an Ohio college ; win an opportunity, if you desire, to study afterward in the metropolis.' The principle involved here may be made very fruitful in establishing better relations among American univer- sities and colleges. Besides the effect upon the relations between colleges, each graduate scholarship may be a great benefit to some deserving student. Last year the New York University enrolled in its graduate seminary fourteen men from eleven colleges farther west than Ohio, and two men from Ohio, one from Baldwin College and one from Adelbert College. These graduate scholarships may add to these two many a young man who will be greatly helped by a year of advanced study in the metropolis." The compiler of this record has asked Dr. MacCracken to relate the steps subsequently taken in this matter, and he has done so as follows, under date of May 6, 1905 : " On February 12, 1894, New York University credited the following gifts to Ohio men: William L. Strong $2,500 E. C. Bodman 2,500 A. D. Juilhard 2,500 J. D. Archbold 2,000 H. M. MacCracken 11,000 Solomon Loeb 2,500 Charles T. Barney 4,000 C. M. Hoagland, M. D 500 Making a total of $27,500 " Further, it gave credit for an additional estimated value of certain tem- porary buildings at $15,000, or over. " It further acknowledged ' An agreement entered into by Messrs. Juil- liard, Strong, Bodman and Archbold on the one part and H. M. MacCracken on the other part, that the proceeds arising from the investment by these four gentlemen in a part of University Heights, North, will be paid to the Univer- sity.' Whereupon, the corporation the University resolved that ' The Univer- sity does hereby establish the Ohio Field according to the agreement of Octo- ber, 1892, as if the entire $50,000 had been contributed.' The proceeds to be paid over will probably sum up from $8,000 to $10,000. " The above is substantially the history of the financial side of the estab- lishment of Ohio Field. The plan of Mr. J. Q. A. Ward for some terminal 143 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK statues has not been carried out, simply because moneys have not been pro- vided for the execution of the same under Mr. Ward's supervision. The way is still open for the setting up of these terminal statues. The Ohio Field repre- sents an outlay for land and improvements of over $150,000." The suggestion of Mr. Ward, as embodied in the official announcement of the Ohio Field committee was as follows : " Mr. J. Q. A. Ward, the sculptor, of whom Ohio is justly proud, when asked to help the plan of an Ohio Field, particularly by suggestion, repUed that he would advise the marking off of the field from the remainder of the University campus by terminal statues, such as were set up in ancient times by Greeks and Romans. Further, he would con- tribute his labor in supervising the modelling of a number of terminals in simple form, giving each a plan column, ending in the head of some noted ath- lete of the old time — Hercules, Achilles, or the like. He would also supervise the cutting of the same out of Ohio native stone. Upon each column should ap- pear sufficient of the leaves or berries of the buckeye or like designation to mark the Ohio origin of the monument." The only further mention of this matter in the minutes of the Ohio Society occurs under date of October 14, 1895, when Col. W. L. Strong urged the members to attend the dedication on Saturday, October 19th, of the Ohio Field, " which had been given by members of the Ohio Society to the University of the City of New York, the chancellor of which. Dr. MacCracken, is an honored member of the Society. It was moved and seconded that Judge Higley be appointed a committee of one to make arrangements for a suitable representa- tion of the Society at the dedication. Carried." The minutes have nothing further to say upon this matter, and Judge Higley recollects that the Society was officially represented at the exercises. Forsaking this extended diversion into an " Ohio Field," we find that a meeting of the Society was held at Morelli's on the evening of October 17, 1892, at which a dinner complimentary to the members was served, and no business was transacted. At the gathering of November 14th it was moved by Mr. Crall that the entertainment committee be instructed to provide another dinner complimentary to the members on the occasion of the first annual meeting. Carried. Franklin Tuttle read an excellent and entertaining paper on " Oxford and Cambridge, as Seen by an Artist," for which he received the unanimous thanks of the Society. The secretary was instructed, on sugges- tion of General Swayne, to request the Rev. W. T. Rice, of New York, to read before the Society his paper, entitled, " Journey of a Bethlehem Boy to Ohio for his Bride in 1808." At a meeting of the governing committee on November 29th Andrew J. C. Foye was elected chairman for the ensuing year. The annual meeting of the Society was held at Morelli's on the same night. A dinner was served. Presi- 144 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK dent W. L. Strong occupied the chair. Speeches were made by the president and by General Henry L. Burnett, David Homer Bates, L. C. Hopkins, Thomas Ewing, Jr., John D. Archbold and Robert W. Tayler. From the re- port of the governing committee it appeared that twenty-seven new members had been enrolled during the year, and that only one death had occurred. The treasurer's report showed a cash balance on hand of $2,571.90. The annual election was then held and resulted in the choice of the following officers : Presi- dent, William L. Strong; vice-presidents, Henry L. Burnett, J. Q. A. Ward, Silas S. Packard, Milton I. Southard and John Dickson ; secretary, William Ford Upson ; recording secretary, Thomas Ewing, Jr. ; treasurer, Leander H. Crall ; trustees for three years, A. D. Juilliard, George P. Tangeman and John W. Stout.* At the meeting of December 12th it was ordered that five additional mem- bers be added to the entertainment committee to form a banquet committee, the five to be appointed by the chair. The president then introduced D. C. Beard, who gave an address on " The Anatomy of an Angel." The proceedings at the meeting of the Society on February 13, 1893, were of so important a nature, and the speeches made were so eloquent and full of valuable information, that they were taken in full stenographically at the time. The result was a small monograph, published by order of the Society, upon the cover of which are these terse descriptive words : " An Ohio Night." Tlie title page was as follows : PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ON THE Occasion of the Presentation by Its President, Colonel William L. Strong, OF THE PORTRAIT OF GEN. W. T. SHERMAN AT THE CLUB HOUSE, 236 FIFTH AVENUE FEBRUARY 13, 1893. * There is no record In the minute book of this annual meeting of November 29, 1892, except in a brief printed extract from the New York Tribune, pasted in and endorsed " Approved, Dec. 12th." There is no attest to the records of the meeting of December 12th. After the meeting of December 12th there appear in the book three blank pages, and the next meeting recorded is that of March 13, 1893. It is noted in that meeting of March that the minutes of December 12th, January 13th and February 13th were read and approved; but there were no minutes for the two dates last named in the book. The pro- ceedings of two of these meetings must, therefore, remain a blank in this record. 145 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Opposite this page was a handsome reproduction of the portrait of Gen- eral Sherman, which became the property of the Society on that night. The proceedings of the evening were as follows : President W. L. Strong was in the chair. After the reading of the minutes had been dispensed with the president said : " The next business will be the consideration of resolutions which have been moved by the Society in memory of ex-President Hayes, who was an honored non-resident member of this Society, and who has passed away since our last meeting. I have asked Judge Higley to prepare these resolutions and he will now read them; after which any remarks will be in order." The resolutions, as read by Judge Higley, were as follows : " The Ohio Society of New York, since its last meeting, has met with a great loss in the death of the Hon. Rutherford B. Hayes, one of its earliest and most distinguished members. After a brief illness he passed away, at his home in Fremont, Ohio, on the 17th day of January, 1893, in the seventy- second year of his age. Successful young lawyer, city solicitor of Cincinnati, the metropolis of Oliio, major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, and then brigadier- general in the late war of the rebellion, twice elected to Congress, and thrice governor of his native state. President of the United States — honored citizen of the republic! " In every position of public trust to which he was called, he served the people and the nation with that distinguished ability and unwavering fidelity which result from lofty purpose, masterful industry, and unquestioned in- tegrity. " His broad sympathies found forceful expression in noble, persevering efforts for the downtrodden, the poor and distressed, for the reform of prison management throughout the world, and for the promotion of virtue, peace, prosperity and happiness among mankind. " His private life was as simple and pure and beautiful as his public career was honored and illustrious. His memory will grow brighter and more hallowed with time, and future generations will pay homage to his rare worth. " Resolved, That the Ohio Society of New York extend its sincerest sym- pathy to the bereaved family in their great sorrow, and that a copy hereof be foi'warded to them. " Respectfully submitted, " Warren Higley, Committee." Gen. Wager Swayne moved the adoption of the resolutions, and in doing so said : " INIr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen : Having been at the funeral of General Hayes, I will say a word about it. Beginning with the statement which I am sure will find its response in your own hearts that, while if I know myself I loved our friend who has passed away, at the same time, searching 146 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK my heart, I have found no reason to be ashamed of the fact that it was not in me, it was not the uppermost feehng in my heart, to grieve over the fact of his death. I had seen him age ten years in as many weeks after his wife's death, and sweetly and patiently and manfully and truly as he bore it all, knowing, nevertheless, how sure he was of presently being with her again, and how very anxious he was that that might be, I feel freer, as I think it will be a relief to some of you at least to feel entirely free to say in your own hearts, as I said in mine, ' I thank Thee, for Thy servant departed this life in Thy faith and in Thy fear.' It was a matter of sincere rejoicing that such a life had been ended so completely, and without a blemish. There is an ancient adage, ' Call no man happy until he is dead,' and if ever that adage had an application, practical and certain, within the cognizance of our own lives, it was then and there. " When we got out to the funeral, it was touching to see very much such a concourse of people as had been assembled at the time of the death of his wife. When ten thousand people gathered in Fremont on the occasion of the death of Mrs. Hayes, it was not to celebrate the death of a great man in the affairs of state, but it was a tribute to personal worth and loveliness of high and rare degree. The same concourse, at least of the same character, seemed to me to be gathered out of neighborly feeling to pay the same sort of tribute to that same sort of attributes that, if you will pardon me, I find and enjoy here among you, and that we find and enjoy among ourselves here, if I rightly understand it. " Now when it came to his being laid away and we were allowed to pass by and look into his coffin, there was nothing sad there. The features had taken a fixed look which gave their dominant aspect a larger prominence than is found in the mobile play of countenance of the living. The face had a fixed look, but there was nothing doleful about that, for all that look was peace, and those of us who knew him, those of us who cared for him, those of us who cared to remember him, those who knew him with less intimacy and yet cared for him and cared to cherish a fixed idea, will fix in our own hearts and carry as our permanent recollection of the man that he went out of tliis world in peace." The resolutions were unanimously adopted. The president called attention to the fact that Col. William L. Tidball, a member, had passed away since the last meeting. Homer Lee gave an ex- tended account of Colonel Tidball's career, and on motion of General Swayne a committee was appointed to prepare resolutions in honor of his memory. Said committee consisted of General Swayne, Homer Lee and A. J. C. Foye. The president then called S. S. Packard to the chair. On assuming it that gentleman said : " Colonel Strong has called me to this chair, and so I 147 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK obey, because he is my superior officer, and because it is one of the rules of the Ohio Society that subalterns must obey their superior officers. Besides, as we all see, the colonel has the rheumatism, and I am the only vice-president in the room. There is at least that much fitness in it; but being here, what am I to do.f* We have been told, with some iteration and not a Httle impressiveness, that this is to be a surprise party ; and since I have been here and had a chance to nose around a little, I learn that everybody is to be surprised, except Colonel Strong and Brother Foye (and the people whom he has employed to help him keep the secret), and Homer Lee, and the announced speakers, and a few other members whose nerves were not strong enough to bear the strain. Especially is it to be a surprise to me. When I was called to the chair I thought that might be it; but have since concluded not. I thought possibly my friends might desire to give me a surprise similar to the one given to BiU Nye by the Clover Club of Philadelphia. The Clover Club, as you know, makes a practice of calling men to their feet in order to ' guy ' them down. Bill was invited to attend one of their dinners, and he went prepared to withstand their jibes. He shut his teeth tightly together, and fortified himself in every way, and went on with his speech. It was very funny, but nobody laughed. Nobody moved, even; but all sat quietly in their seats as solemn as owls: and when he got through and waited for applause, there was simply funereal silence. He was the only surprised person in the room. I beg to say that, knowing this story, I am not to be caught with any such bait. All the same, I find the position a very awkward one, and I am going to get out of it by calling upon a person who is already ' in it,' and whom you are always delighted to hear. I will ask our beloved friend and ex-president. General Swayne, to touch the button in his own way. Ladies and gentlemen. General Swayne." Gen. Wager Swayne : " Ladies and Gentlemen : — The only surprise I am quite sure that I have in store for you is that which comes to us all the time when our esteemed and valued friend. Colonel Strong, has something for us. On this occasion he has commissioned me to present to the Society in his name and in his behalf a portrait of our late honorary member. Gen. William T. Sherman. (Portrait unveiled amid long-continued applause.) This is a por- trait for which he made repeated sittings, and the details of which were per- sonally supervised by himself with much interest. The interest of the painting, however, does not stop there. That picture was painted by Mr. James H. Beard, one of our oldest and most valued fellow-members, one of whose sons we remember with much affectionate regard, and to another of whose sons we are indebted for a recent lecture on ' The Anatomy of an Angel,' so highly entertaining and instructive that it causes all of us a great deal of pleasure to recall it. Nothing, therefore, could more fully identify this Society than that present. It is the work of a member of the Society, a distinguished artist. It 148 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK is the gift of the president of this Society, to whom we are continually indebted. It represents a man as highly honored and as valued in Ohio as any man who ever lived there ; a man who did as much as any one man to identify Ohio with the well-being and the glory of the nation, and it stands to us like the picture of a mountain near which we have lived, whose scenery is dear to us, and whose later story is a part of the history of the country. More than that, ladies and gentlemen, the picture stands to us as in a sense peculiarly the embodiment of the state. The state gave the artist to the country, the state gave our president to the country and gave him to this city, gave him to us. Through the artist and the president, the state gave us the picture. The state likewise gave us this Society — the state brought us together. Besides that, we may say the state gave General Sherman to the country. I am glad to see that you applaud that sentiment — sincerely glad, because in the course of the history of this Society, and in discussing the status of this Society with others, the question arises continually, what did the state do.^* The answer is ready and complete. What did the state do for General Sherman.? The answer is, what the state did for us, and if we want to know what the state did for us, you may treat the question in the converse, that what the state did for us is to be seen by what the state did for him. If we want to know what the state did for him, the answer is very simple again. What did free institutions do for that man? What have free institutions done for us.^* The two great distinctive characteristics of that man were his loyalty to the Union of these states and his military prowess. What did the state do for his loyalty to the Union of these states.? What eifect shall we ascribe to the fact that that great chieftain was bom where to be bom meant hope and opportunity.? That he lived where to live gives life, the energy of freedom, and where to die admits of opportunities in contemplation of the future of our loved ones. Those are the things that the state does for us. That is the measure of our Society to the dead, ^e may treat it as a fact to which we are alive, or we may treat it as a debt of no con- sequence to us, but if we treat it as a debt of no consequence to us, the in- quiry is pertinent, who is it that is dead.? The state or we? Who is it that is dead? The state? The state yet lives. The state that still gives hope and opportunity to you, that still gives the strength and activity of security to manhood for those we leave behind. Is it the state that is dead, or is it the man to whom those things are dead as being of no present consequence to him? I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, that it is the state that lives, the state that is our environment, the state that within the recollec- tion of some of us and the state that in the history of that man determined whether or not he should be loyal to the Union of these states, or whether he should be like other men of great ability in other states who thought the Union of these states only a rope of sand. Let me say a word to you there. I hope 149 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK it is not irrelevant, as to the difference — not the difference, but the distinctive line between the state and the United States. We are apt to ignore that differ- ence, yet it is constantly of, practical value to us in forming an intelligent knowledge of current events. The distinction lies here. The United States takes charge of interstate and international relations. The state takes charge of all those relations of person and property on which we build our homes, our fortunes, and our hopes. The states are like a checkered floor upon a concrete basis. They get their strength and support from the insoluble and indisputa- ble union lying beneath them for that with which we come in personal daily contact, that upon which the eye rests, upon whose smoothness and cleanliness we depend for the accuracy and the convenience and the decency of daily life. Those squares with which we are immediately concerned, those are the states. It is the state with which we are concerned continually in our daily life. It is the state that echoes to our daily happiness, it is the state that determines the future disposition of our property, and it is the state and not the United States through which we exert all those humanitarian endeavors which do so much for the amelioration of mankind in our vicinity. It is the state that sup- plies and sustains our immediate environment. It seems not too much to say that the state has more to do with the formation of our individual character, with its determination and maintenance, almost more to do with it than has any one individual with whom we come in contact. Now our state produced this chieftain. What shall we say of him.? What man has shed more lustre on the recent history of his country ? No man, I may say, was ever more thor- oughly identified with our state. Among its early settlers was his father in the north. Among its early settlers in the south was the father of his wife — two great men in that land. His father was one of the early judges of the Supreme Court of Ohio, a man of great excellence and worth ; his wife's father was the greatest man, perhaps, Ohio ever produced — the Hon. Thomas Ewing — and his father had come with that immortal band who founded the state of Ohio and founded the Northwest Territory and secured and controlled thereby the freedom and the prevalence of universal freedom in these United States under the shield of the ordinance of 1787. That man grew up under these auspices ; grew up in the state of Ohio. It is enough to say that when the coun- try came to determine the question of its own union, his life was nothing with him. There was no weak joint in the armor of his loyalty. The spirit that was in him repelled every suggestion of secession. No matter where he was, though he was in Louisiana, there was no man in Ohio whose loyalty was more unques- tioned, and from that time on to the conclusion of the great war and to the close of his life, there was no man who more steadily acquired or held in greater degree, or held with greater certainty, the respect and veneration of the people of the United States than Gen. William T. Sherman. (Applause.) 150 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Now I have stated to you that tliis man, this chieftain, was to us — tlie very picture of this chieftain was to us Hke the picture of a mountain near whicli we had Hved, with whose scenery we were famihar and which was identi- fied with all our love of country. More than that. This man not only did we live near to, but he lived near to us, and he taught me — he taught many a man, and he may teach all of us, an invaluable lesson of self-respect. He was no hypocrite. He was no fool. And being neitlier hypocrite nor fool, great as he was, he saw no inequality between himself and me or you. It was not condescen- sion on his part that he loved us. Either there was that in his nature which saw something worthy of respect in us and that was fit to be loved, or else his life was one long, broad, continuing mistake, because he cared for us. When he came here he cared for us all. When we met him singly at his house he cared for us individually. " I travelled once with him three weeks at a time. We met hun- dreds and hundreds of men. I never saw a man for whom he did not care. I never saw him meet a man in whom he did not take a genuine, spontaneous interest, and there was no condescension about it. Either his whole life was a continuing mistake, or there was that in all the people that he met deserving his regard. I think I sincerely loved and venerated him, but I prefer to think that he found that in me which was worthy his regard, though I cannot see it myself. I prefer to think that he found that in me which waa worthy his regard rather than to think of him as continually purblind or con- descending, because condescending I know he was not. It was not in him. I prefer to ascribe his regard for you and for me and for the people whom he met to a great-hearted penetration which looked over, because he was so great, and looked through, because he was so clear. I prefer that you and I should think that that was the true lesson of his life, that there is in every one of us the essence of a godlike manhood and of womanhood that is divine, that found in that great heart a recognition that, great as it was, was yet not greater than the truth. " Before taking my seat, I will take the liberty of moving that a committee of three be appointed to prepare resolutions expressing the thanks of the Society to our president for this generous gift and our appreciation of it." Motion prevailed. The Chairman : " Before naming the members of this committee, the chair will assume to speak for the Society in calling upon General Ewing for some remarks." Gen. Thomas Ewing : " General Swayne and Ladies and Gentlemen : On behalf of the Ohio Societ}^ I accept this valuable gift. It is one of especial interest to us in the fact that it was painted by a member of our Society, who won fame before the war in Cincinnati, which was then, as it is now, one of the 151 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK art centres of the Western world, and who came on here seeking a wider field and larger opportunities. We miss his genial and venerable presence to-night, as we have missed it too often at our meetings of late. I am sure you will all join me in the hope that his four-score years will not cut us off from his at- tendance at many a meeting to come. " In 1854, or about that year, he painted a portrait in pastel of Minnie Sherman, the baby daughter of General Sherman, now Mrs. Fitch, of Pitts- burgh. It was a faithful and fascinating likeness. The child was beautiful, and the mode of the artist, the material with which he wrought, and the man- ner in which he wrought — ^which was by rubbing the crayon on the canvas with the finger — seemed to give a transparency to the complexion which you never see in life except in a girl baby, and rarely ever see in a portrait painted in oil. It still hangs in the parlors of a member of our family, admired by all who have seen it for forty years past. " This portrait of General Sherman now presented to our Society is, I understand, the last for which he ever sat, and the latest work — I hope not the last — of the distinguished artist. He and General Sherman knew each other in youth. Both started out from Southern Ohio, Beard animated by the gentle love of art, Sherman by the ruder instinct of war. Each ran a splendid career; and both met here in old age as members of the Ohio Society, one of them having achieved distinction, the other immortality. " This portrait is of a special interest to us also in the fact that it comes to the Society unsolicited from the ever-generous hand of our president. It marks his admiration for one of the greatest of Ohio's sons, and it marks, too, the big-hearted generosity which impelled him to seek out the old artist in his almost abandoned studio and pay him a large price for his noble work. I accept it on behalf of the Society because of the love with which it is bestowed, because of the superb art with which it is wrought, because of the incomparable genius which it perpetuates and commemorates. " The history of General Sherman is part of the history of his country and of mankind. He has been for half a generation one of the idols of the world ; and unlike most idols, he never received honor that he did not deserve. Great as is his fame, it has grown only out of great achievements ; there is no varnish or veneer upon it — it is sohd from centre to circmnference. " General Sherman was of a highly nervous organization, and was often fitful and wayward, but only in light and trivial matters. When it came to anything of consequence to his fellowmen, or to the country, he was as firm and unshaken as the still depths of the sea. Throughout his life, as boy, as cadet, as young soldier, as husband, father, friend, citizen, in every relation of life, he was as constant as that northern star 16g[ OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK Of whose true-fixed and resting quality There is no fellow in the firmament. " I do not claim for General Sherman that he was the first captain of the war. He did not claim, or even admit, that distinction as due to him. He always conceded to Grant the place at the top of the pedestal. He may have been wrong; he may have been too modest — many people think he was — but the general judgment of the Northern people assigns pre-eminence to Grant. Grant first — Sherman second — and it does not seem probable that history will disturb this opinion of the relative merits of these great commanders. " But there was one supreme virtue in which I think Sherman was un- equalled, in which I know he was unsurpassed, and that was in absolute un- selfish patriotism. Illustrations of this virtue extend from the beginning to the end of his pubHc career. The year before the war broke out he was en- gaged in the most delightful employment he had ever had, with a large salary, as Superintendent of the Military Academy at Alexandria, La. When that state took the first step in the general direction of secession, instantly, without a moment's hesitation or consultation with anybody. General Sherman resigned his place, returned North, and took a position in a petty street railroad com- pany in St. Louis. I myself stood by when President Lincoln, before the first battle of Bull Run, tendered him the position of brigadier-general in the regu- lar army. He declined it and asked to be appointed to no higher place than colonel — on the ground that in his opinion there were other men who were better fitted for the high command than he. When he had held his first promi- nent command at Louisville, soon after the outbreak of the war, he lost it because he bluntly told Secretary Cameron — that which he, and he alone, then clearly saw — that it would require 200,000 men to take and hold the strategic lines in Kentucky and Tennessee. Cameron degraded him — by assigning him to a petty duty as inspector at Scdalia, in Missouri — but Sherman went in- stantly to his post and performed his new duties with zeal, and never a murmur of complaint escaped his lips. " WTien he was at the head of the army in Washington, after the war, during President Grant's administration, he was living in comfort and luxury in a mansion presented to him by admiring friends — General of the Army, holding a higher rank than Washington ever held, or anybody but Grant ever held; but he was driven out of Washington. Why? Because General Bel- knap, then secretary of war, had demanded that he should place on his staff a cadet just graduated from West Point, and send back to his regiment a veteran of the war who on twenty battlefields had earned the high and coveted staff position. Sherman refused to displace the veteran and thus to set a bad example to the army. He quietly accepted the penalty, broke up his house in Washington, sold his furniture, and went back to St. Louis. 153 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " When we came to reorganize the armies of the United States, he had been restored to his place at Wasliington. He was then nearly sixty years old, in full health and vigor, intellectually and physically. He believed that it was best for the service to fix a precise age at which every officer should be retired. The Army Bill was so prepared, and sixty-four fixed as the age of retirement. But Democrats and Republicans alike, in the military committees of the senate and of the house, unanimously determined that General Sherman should be made an exception to the rule of retirement. He refused to be made an excep- tion. That position as general was dearer to him than almost any position was to almost any officer, civil or military, in the country ; for the army was his idol, and the position at the head of it was the aim and realization of his highest ambition. The presidency had no charm for him. Nothing was so high as the place he held. He was as fit to command then as ever, and seemed likely to preserve his intellectual and physical activity for at least ten or fifteen years. His friends and family begged him to accept the proffered exemption. They believed it would add many years to his life. He believed it too; but he was inexorable. He insisted on accepting for himself the rule that was imposed with his assent on liis subordinate officers. Think of it, and point me to a parallel in the history of our country ! Grand as was the example of Wash- ington in rejecting the third term of the presidency and in declining the re- newed command of the army, his self-sacrifice was far less marked than Sher- man's, if it could be considered self-sacrifice at all. Washington longed for repose and retirement, while Sherman loved action, conspicuity and command. By insisting on the common lot of retirement, Sherman cut himself off from a large part of his needed income and from all the delightful occupations of his high station. I think there is not another instance among our public men of such stem and patriotic self-sacrifice. In common affairs of life he was as selfish as the average man, but when it came to a question between him and the public service, he did not know himself, he did not consider himself. He sacri- ficed and forgot himself. That's the sort of stuff real heroes are made of. There is no true heroism in service, however brilliant, or in talent, however commanding, if the spirit be sordid and selfish. Useless is the example of genius which excites the wonder of mankind, if accompanied by the grasping and greed of Marlborough, or the self-centred egotism of Napoleon. It is only the Christ-like spirit of self-sacrifice which, when joined with great senace and great character, causes the heart of youth to leap and soar in noble emulation. Such was Sherman's character. His is and will be an example to American youth forever and forever, as one of the greatest of generals, the most un- selfish of patriots, the noblest of men." (Much applause.) The Chairman : " Ladies and Gentlemen : I am sure the question will never be asked again, ' For what was the Ohio Society formed? ' * What does 154 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK it represent? ' It seems to me that to-night there can be no question that we have shown one of its great purposes. This is an occasion that we are not likely to forget: an occasion which I am thankful to know is going on record. There are others in the room from whom we would like to hear ; and still we are not to forget the fact that a presentation has been made by our honored presi- dent, and that some rem§,rks have been made thereon; and it seems to me en- tirely proper that he should be called to his feet. (Applause and calls for Colonel Strong.) I will ask Colonel Strong to respond to this call." Colonel Strong : " Mr. Chaimian : I thought I had got sufficient talent to talk for me this evening without being called upon to say anything, and I know there are two or three gentlemen here who want to make a few remarks. I want to say just this in reference to the picture. This portrait was painted by an Ohioan and of an Ohioan, each about equally distinguished; for Mr. Beard, the artist, stands about at the head of his profession in certain lines of art, and you know General Sherman stood at the head of the military genius of the world. " I think General Ewing was a little modest in his reference to the two military characters, Grant and Sherman. They were both Ohio men. It is hardly necessary for us to draw a comparison between the two, but I am well satisfied myself that the world and the future historian will put General Sher- man as the master of military tactics and the superior of any military man that has existed in this century, and perhaps ever in the world. Bonaparte bears no comparison as a military chieftain to him — and I doubt very much if the celebrated Von Moltke can compare at all with General Sherman. The field that Sherman fought over was different from the field that any military man has ever fought over in the Christian era. There never has been anything just like it, so that it is impossible to compare the labors and the military tactics of Sherman with that of any military general on record, so that you must accept just what was done by Sherman. " Now having this veneration for General Sherman myself, being an Ohio man as he was, having his portrait painted by an Ohio man, and knowing that it was to be sold, it made me feel that that painting should belong to the Ohio Society. There was no other place for it. There could be no other place foi it. He could not manufacture a place for it in his own state or in New York state better than right here in the Ohio Society, and when that Society goes out of existence, I expect that it will be returned to my heirs, or their heirs. I trust it will never go out of existence, but if it should, I want it placed on record that the portrait goes to my heirs." (Applause.) The Chairman : " In the discharge of his duty, the chairman would name as the committee on resolutions covering this gift Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Henry L. Burnett and Hon. Mahlon Chance; and in order that the full signi- 155 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK ficance of this appointment may appear, I am sure the Society would be glad to hear from Greneral Burnett." The Chairman : " The meeting will be glad to hear from General Burnett." Gen. H. L. Burnett: "Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: After listening to the noble and touching addresses of General Swayne and General Ewing, no unpremeditated words of mine can add to the interest or charm of this occasion. This is not a time to attempt a fair admeasurement of the superb merit of General Sherman ; but we come to acknowledge the beautiful tribute to his memory by our worthy president, affording an opportunity which is inspiring. Ohio has given to the fame of the ages a Grant, a Sherman, a Sheridan. They are not to be contrasted or compared. History cannot be written, or patriotism illustrated, without their names. It is not the grandeur of princes or blaze of thrones that makes the glory of this world. Great men, great names, great deeds are the jewels that light up the dark passages of human history. General Sherman was a great man — one of earth's noblest, truest, gentlest, best. He was an ideal soldier, the idol of those who followed the feathery fringe of the skirmish smoke, winning victories along the advanc- ing lines as they marched with him from ' Atlanta to the sea,' and when the final triumph came, the vanquished honored him for the generous spirit which diplomacy deemed too magnanimous. He alone of all the great military heroes was absolutely without political ambitions and turned away from the blandish- ments of place and power. He was a man of trained faculties, accurate knowl- edge, and remarkable personality ; but above all a loving and lovable man. Soldier, patriot, citizen ! He needs no shadowy canvas, no enduring bronze, no sculptured marble. Nothing we can say or do, nothing the world may say or do, can mar, shadow, or change the fame his own genius won. " Mr. Chairman, allow me to express my appreciation of the generous and splendid gift of Colonel Strong, and in so doing voice the sentiment of every member of the Society. In honoring General Sherman he has honored Ohio, and endeared himself to every loyal and patriotic heart." The Chairman : " The occasion is complete as it stands, but I feel sure that there are others present who might esteem it a favor to render a personal tribute to the gift and to the giver. And surel}^, as it seems to me, there should be a motion looking to the publication of the proceedings of this even- ing. The chair will be glad to entertain such a motion." Judge Warren Higley : " Mr. Chairman, taking up your suggestion, which seems to me an exceedingly appropriate one, it gives me pleasure to move you, sir, that the records of the eloquent and admirable addresses to which we have been permitted to listen to-night, as well as the expression of opinion, none too strong, that has been manifested for the person who has 156 OHIO SOCTETY OF NEW YORK given us this magnificent gift, be made a permanent record of this Society, and that it be printed for distribution." The motion prevailed. Mr. Lee: " Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ewing, Jr., has a pleasant incident about this painting that I am sure you would like to hear." The Chairman : " We are always glad to hear from Mr. Ewing ; and this evening particularly so." Thomas Ewing, Jr. : " The artist related a very pretty story about this picture when I saw it in his studio a year or so ago. It appears that General Sherman — an old friend of the painter, the friendship dating long before the war — had often promised to sit for him. A warm feeling of admiration and comradeship at length moved the artist to write to the general, asking a fulfill- ment of his promise. He received in answer a rather hastily written and formal reply, saying: " ' Dear Mr. Beard : My engagements are so many that I cannot give you the sittings you ask.' " Two or three days after that, as the artist was sitting in his studio, he heard a tap on the door and, the door being thrown open, a brawny hand was thrust in, grasping that of Mr. Beard, while the general's voice was heard to say : ' Beard, old fellow, I've treated you badly ! Of course I will sit to you for my picture.' And notwithstanding the general's well-known restless disposi- tion, he gave him the sittings required, remaining with exemplary patience and self-control in the same position for two hours at a time. The general ex- pressed himself highly gratified with the result." The Chairman : " There has been a request to hear from Mr. Holloway, and the chair strongly seconds it." Mr. J. F. Holloway : " I have not the remotest idea where such a request came from. I certainly would like to see the person who made it. There is, however, one thought that has been in my mind while I have been sitting here and listening to what has been so well said ; and that is, that somehow or other we have been made to feel as if we had been brought in touch with important times and important events. As we have listened to speakers who from per- sonal knowledge have given us fragments of unwritten history in which the great men of the Republic were actors, who have repeated to us conversations they themselves had listened to, as they stood beside Lincoln and Sherman, we seem to be carried back to the scenes of those great events which still stir all who remember them. Somehow, it has seemed as if we were witnessing the closing scene of some great drama. Already many of the important actors have made their exit, while a few still linger on the stage, the descending curtain of wliich will soon hide all forever. To those of us who lived through the days about which we have heard so much to-night everything seems real and impres- sive — to the young people here all this is only tradition or history; but I 157 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK doubt not it will ever be a pleasant memory to them to have been here, and to have listened to the splendid encomiums that have been pronounced, not only on General Sherman, whose portrait is before us, but as well on the great heroes with whom he was so closely associated in the peist." A general call for the chairman. Mr. Packard : " The chairman was placed here to attend to the duties of the position, one of the most positive of which is not to make a speech. And yet he would give more than he is likely ever to possess to be able to do it. Really, I am full of it — that is, of the desire. But the speech that is in me is wordless. I regret it, for I would hke you to know what is passing in my mind. I think I can trust myself to say, however, that this is one of the great occasions of the Society, and will be remembered hereafter as presenting in the best form its most valuable functions. Not only have we been presented with an invaluable souvenir — hereafter to adorn our walls — ^but we have done appropriate honor to the memory of the distinguished dead who were once of our number. And who are these distinguished dead ? One, a modest citizen of our state, who did honor to his birthright and to his country in peace and in war; another, who was not only great as a private citizen, but who served honorably upon the field when his country was in peril; became the governor of his state, President of the United States, and was ever known as a man of large heart and unblemished character. And lastly, we have again had occasion to bring before loyal hearts the memory of our greatest hero, and to learn from those who knew him most intimately the delightful things that made up his strong personahty. And it is not improper that we should ask ourselves who are these friends — of his and ours — who have made this occasion memorable.'' Members of his family, com- panions of his childhood, compatriots in arms, honorable and worthy men who have helped to make the history of the country, and who are the bulwarks of this Society. " When we speak of Sherman, how naturally we think of Swayne and Ewing and Burnett. Can we, in fact, estimate this occasion beyond its historic value.'' Are we likely to have an occasion more worthy of preservation as a reason for the existence of the Ohio Society ? " Following this report in the " Ohio Night " monograph, came this appre- ciation of James H. Beard : " Tlie hope expressed by General Ewing that the portrait of General Sherman, although the latest, was not the last, of the eminent artist, and that there yet remained for him many years of usefulness, was destined not to be realized ; for within two short months thereafter he left his work, and is now on the hst of the illustrious dead ; and it is peculiarly fitting that his last ambitious work should be a portrait of his great friend, and that it should be in the pos- session of the Ohio Society. 158 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK "James H. Beard was born in Buffalo, N. Y., M!ay 20, 1812. His predilection for art was manifest in early childhood: at first in the form of charcoal and chalk sketches on kitchen walls and chair bottoms, and eventually with home-made brushes and personally prepared paint on personally prepared canvas, reaching up to the ambitious achievement of portraits of Hving people, done at five dollars a head, and cheap at that. While he was yet a boy his parents removed to Painesville, Ohio, and here it was that he entered upon liis great career. He bought some cotton cloth, coated it with white lead for can- vas, made his own stretchers, tacking the canvas thereon; went to the stone- cutter for his grinding stone ; smoothed it himself ; made a muUer for grinding the colors ; constructed his own easel and palette ; selected the bristles and hair for his brushes, and put them together, and went to work. " For his first portraits he charged three dollars, then raised to five, and eventually to ten. Years aftenvard he charged considerably more — and got it. In his early manhood he went to Cincinnati, where he entered upon his career, and attained to great distinction as an artist. For his sitters he had such dis- tinguished men as Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and William Henry Har- rison. One of the best portraits of Harrison, painted from life in 1838, is now at the studio of his son in this city. He was specially distinguished as an animal painter, putting into the faces, attitudes and actions of his figures human attributes, making the picture tell its own story." The eighth annual banquet of the Ohio Society was given at Delmonico's on the evening of February 18, 1893. The following gentlemen served as the committee in charge: Henry L. Burnett, chairman; Homer Lee, secretary; Leander H. Crall, treasurer; Wager Swayne, Thomas Ewing, Calvin S. Brice, A. D. Juilliard, William L. Brown, H. A. Glassford, Andrew J. C. Foye, D. H. Bates, C. G. Harraman, R. W. Tayler. There were about two hundred in attendance. The decoration of the room consisted only of a conspicuous dis- play of the American flag and the coat of arms of the state of Ohio. William L. Strong, president of the Society, occupied the centre chair at the table of honor. At his left sat Secretary of the Interior Hon. John W. Noble, and at his right Congressman Michael D. Harter of the Buckeye state. Others at the table were General Wager Swayne, Chancellor Henry M. Mac- Cracken, of the University of the state of New York; ex-Governor James E. Campbell, Gen. Thomas Ewing, C. C. Beaman, representing the New England Society; Ellis H. Roberts, the St. David's Society; John Sloane, the St. An- drew's Society ; John D. Crimmins, the St. Patrick's Society ; Augustus Van Wyck, the Holland Society ; R. D. Benedict, the Vermont Society, and Hon. Beriah Wilkins, member of Congress from Ohio. Mr. Strong, as toastmaster, introduced as the first speaker John W. Noble, who spoke for " Ohio Men in the Cabinet." This toast It ha,d been expected 159 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK would be responded to by the secretary of the treasury, Charles Foster, but, as Secretary Noble explained, his associate was undergoing a " gold cure "* treat- ment, and was unable to be present. Secretary Noble paid a tribute to the original strain of the line of ancestry of all Ohioans and of William McKinley, the governor of Ohio, in particular, the mentioning of whose name was met with a great burst of applause. It was expected that Governor McKinley would be a guest at the dinner, but at the last moment he was obliged to cancel the engagement. The " Annexation of Territory and the Admission of States " was re- sponded to by Hon. Michael D. Harter. A humorous speech was furnished by Frederic Taylor in response to the toast, " The Cosmopohtan Metropohs." It was cosmopolitan in its quality and dramatic in its rendering. Mr. Taylor in- dulged in spurts of dialect imitation, which were greatly appreciated. Ex-Governor Campbell, of Ohio, responded to the toast " The Sons of Ohio." He said in part : " In the absence of that distinguished man who now presides over the great state of Ohio, the Ohio Society has called upon me to say something about the sons of Ohio. You all know how great the sons of Ohio are. You all know that they combine the quahties of the religious New Englanders, the old Dutchmen of New York, the Quakers of Pennsylvania and the aristocratic Englishmen of Virginia. The sons of Ohio are the great- est and grandest people on the earth. Ohio furnished many of the greatest heroes of the war ; Ohio's sons have filled every important position in the Fed- eral government, and to-day there is no better, grander and more useful person than a son of Ohio." G«n. Willard Warner, of Tennessee, followed ex-Govemor Campbell. He spoke of " Ohio as a State." The last speaker of the evening was C. C. Beaman. He responded to the toast, " The Other Societies." The menu card consisted of three large square cards tied at the top corner with a scarlet silk ribbon. On the front at the top was a handsome steel engraving of the new coat of arms of the state of New York. At the bottom comer appeared the arms of the state of Ohio, with the motto, " Imperium in Imperio " (An Empire within an Empire). On the inside leaf was the menu, surrounded by various legends. On the reverse page at the top was a steel-line engraving of Washington, underneath which was a scarf on which were in- scribed the words, " Ordinance of 1787," and below this his famous reply to his soldiers at Valley Forge, when their defeat seemed certain, and they asked what was to be done : " If we are overpowered, we will retire to the Valley of the Ohio, and there we will be free." At the bottom of the last page was a vignette, " The Building of the Empire," which represented a IVIarietta pioneer felling trees, oxen hauling logs to build the first house in the settlement, which *A pleasaxit reference to the secretary's especial ofElcial labors at that time. 160 * OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK appears in the distance. The menu card graphically illustrated the progress of the state from its small beginning to its present greatness. Under date of March 13, 1893, there is an entry in the minutes of the recording secretary which says : " The governing committee report the Society as in flourishing condition ; plenty of money in the treasury, and not a dollar of indebtedness. The membership is gradually increasing, with flattering pros- pects of large additions from the eff'orts of General Swayne's recruiting com- mittee, and also from the ardent circular letter that accompanies the new manual now being sent out,* in which it is kindly suggested that each and every member use the blank apphcations that go with it in adding at least one or more to our membership, resident or non-resident. " The committee appointed to secure permanent quarters for the Society, after a thorough canvass of the situation, comparing carefully location, eligi- bility, accommodations off^ered, amount of rent, etc., came to the unanimous conclusion that, on the terms they could obtain the present quarters or premises, it was decidedly best to secure them for a term of years, which they have done, taking them for five years at a yearly rental of $1,800 per annum, $600 per year less than formerly paid. This eliminates the trouble and expense of mov- ing, refurnishing and fitting up, and also preserves our identity of location, which is very important. We have become known and established here, and as our first and only home for these many years much that is memorable and dear to us is associated with these rooms. In fact, the traditions of our Society almost entirely cluster about this spot. It is proposed to put the rooms in good repair, make them bright and cheerful, and the committee hope that mem- bers and their friends will use them freely and frequently." Dr. MacCracken made a very pleasant speech on the subject, " On a Change of Chaplain." The minutes tersely declare that the evening of April 10th " was devoted to fun; many speeches were made; no business was transacted." May 8th was ladies' night. Mr. Marion and Mr. Miller entertained the Society with two very interesting original papers entitled, " The Little So- * The following is no doubt the letter referred to: " The Ohio Society of New York respectfully asks from persons who are eligible to its membership attention to its aims. So long as the Society was in any sense an experiment this was not done. It is now in its seventh year, was never more prosperous, and has never been without sustained and active interest in its purpose, or without sufficient means. It has now a settled home, tried methods, and a demonstrated value to its members. This last is amply vouched for by its personnel. It offers to young men lately from Ohio an oppor- tunity for acquaintance. To older persons it supplies renewed familiarity with their own earlier life. For all its members it preserves the sense of individual history and enlarges the scope of personal cordiality. As a whole it contributes both here and in Ohio to the honor of the state, and in so doing pays a debt which by increasing patriotism enriches the community. To share these things, and to contribute to them, is what this invitation proffers to those to whom it is addressed. " For the Society, the membership committee, by " March 14, 1893. " Wager Swayxe, Chairman." 161 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK cialist," and " A Thafe and a Robber." Refreshments were served. On June 12th an adjournment was taken until the second Monday in October. The first regular meeting after the summer vacation was held at MorelH's restaurant on October 9, 1893. Dinner was served. The special subject for discussion was the representation of the Society on " Manhattan Day," October 21st, at the World's Fair. Speeches were made by President Strong, Vice-Presidents Burnett, Packard, Southard and others. The chairman of the governing committee reported an active interest in the affairs of the Society among officers and members. The following gentle- men were appointed a committee to report at the next meeting nominations of officers for the ensuing year: George B. Hibbard, chairman; Franklin Tut- tle, C. G. Harraman, E. L. Prentiss, John W. Stout, William H. Eckert, John A. Smith. At the meeting of November 13th the following ticket was reported by the nominating committee: President, William L. Strong; vice-presidents, Henry L. Burnett, J. Q. A. Ward, S. S. Packard, Milton I. Southard, Andrew J. C. Foye; secretary, Evarts L. Prentiss; recording secretary, Marion M. Miller; treasurer, Leander H. Crall; trustees for three years, David H. Bates, George Follett, S. R. Beckwith. The evening had been designated as " Ladies' Night," and a number of the fairer sex were present. Judge Higley was called to the chair to act as master of ceremonies for the literary and musical entertainment. This con- sisted of songs by Miss Louise Segur and recitations by Miss Gertrude Chase, " The Little Western Man " and " Back to Old Ohio," and Mr. M. M. IViiller in " Heracles and Hylus." Following this Mr. Miller gave a talk upon the pictures exhibited upon the walls of the Society. These were : Oils: (Sacred subjects), by Spanish masters. Oils, by Mr. Bruer, of Cincinnati. Water colors, by Maud Stumm, of Cleveland. Water colors, by John W. McKechnie, of Cincinnati. Black and whites, by Maud Stumm. After a vote of thanks to the singer and speakers, the meeting was ad- journed and refreshments sensed. The annual meeting of the Society was held on the evening of November 29th. The report of the governing committee contained the following inter- esting statements : " Possibly the most memorable meeting ever held by the Society was that of February 13, 1893, on which occasion our president, Colonel Strong, presented to the Society Beard's celebrated painting of Gen- eral Sherman. Some of the notable facts of this presentation were that this 162 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK picture was the last work of that famous ai*tist ; also that this sitting was the last that the ' grand old general,' who was, and whose memory is, so dear to us all, ever gave to any one; and also that it was presented to us by one for whom we all have such a close affection ; and, lastly, that the painter, the sub- ject and the donor were all Ohio men and members of this Society. " In this connection your committee would suggest and recommend that a relief, or chai'ity, fund be established by setting aside a certain percentage of our income, say ten per cent., to be used discreetly under proper hmitations, to aid and relieve worthy unfortunates of our household; for even Ohioans sometimes get stranded and occasionally wrecked. This would probably in- volve a change or amendment to our by-laws." Treasurer Crall reported that all debts had been paid, and that there remained in the treasury a balance of $2,945.30. The Society then proceeded to the election of officers, and confirmed the choice of the nominating com- mittee. Gen. Thomas Ewing, first president of the Society, was called on for remarks, and spoke of the foundation of an historical library for Ohio records, etc., as one of the original purposes of the Society. Milton I. Southard paid especial tribute to Colonel Moulton's memory for his services at the inception of the Society. The newly elected officers were called upon, and several made brief speeches. The meeting of December 11th was held at Morelli's. Col. William L. Strong presided at the dinner table. Mr. Foye was introduced as " the orator of the Society and a newly elected vice-president." Though the schoolmaster, Mr. Packard, was abroad, Mr. Foye showed himself perfectly at home in a theme wherein no man could give him coaching. He struck the keynote of loyalty to the Buckeye state in his story of " Hello for Ohio." Mr. Cald- well was called upon and told of " The Ohio Man at the World's Fair." Homer Lee aptly illustrated the pride Ohio takes in her departed sons by the Ohio statue at the World's Fair. It was announced by the president that the committee on the annual ban- quet would be appointed in the course of a week, and at a later date the fol- lowing gentlemen were named : Henry L. Burnett, chairman ; Thomas Ewing, Andrew J. C. Foye, Homer Lee, Wager Swayne, Charles B. Feet, L. C. Hop- kins, S. S. Packard, Warren Higley, C. G. Harraman, W. S. Hawk, Leander H. Crall, treasurer; M. M. Miller, secretary. Tlie governing committee met on January 8, 1894. Homer Lee pre- sented a design for the president's badge, to be composed of a scarf and jewel, the former being of a ribbon of gray and brown, the colors of the buckeye, and the latter suspended from the scarf of gold, circular in form, embodying the grand seal of the state of Ohio, the lettering surrounding the 163 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK coat of arms to be, " Ohio Society of New York — President — Organized 1885." At the top to appear a buckeye, surrounded by partly opened leaves, and made of a piece of oak from the first house built at Marietta. Above this appears the rising sun. The design was approved and the decoration ordered to be made. 164. CHAPTER X 1894. THE first meeting of the Society in 1894! was held pursuant to the following notice : " The next regular meeting will be held at the rooms of the Society, 236 Fifth avenue, on Monday evening, January 8, 1894. As the official announcement of committees will be in order, each member will take notice that he has been appointed a committee of one to re- late a personal adventure in which the ' Ohio man ' did not distinguish himself. As the date is the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans (Jackson Day), the ' War Horses ' are especially requested to come prepared." At that gathering the standing committees, appointed by the president, and the house committee, appointed by the governing committee, were an- nounced as follows: Literature and art, Warren Higley, chairman; Daniel C. Beard, Franklin Tuttle, Alexander Doyle, J. Q. A. Ward; entertainment, Warren Higley, chairman; Curtis G. Harraman, Andrew J. C. Foye, W. H. Caldwell, M. M. Miller; library, Thomas Ewing, chairman; Wager Swayne, Henry L. Burnett ; auditing, Mahlon Chance, chairman ; Frank C. Loveland, William M. Hoffer, Theodore S. Nye, De Frees Critten; membership, S. S. Packard, chairman; Mahlon Chance, Henry A. Glassford, D. C. Beard, William M. Hoffer, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Horace H. Brockway, William H. Caldwell, H. H. Sisson, Theodore S. Nye, Frederick C. Train, Andrew J. C. Foye, John W. Monahan, Edw. S. Wallace, Frank L. Fisher, Daniel Pritch- ard; house, Andrew J. C. Foye, chairman; George Follett, Charles B. Peet. Speeches by a number of the members followed on various themes; but the record does not show in what manner the Ohioans made confessions in accordance with the call. At the meeting of the governing committee on Febmary 10th it was ordered that the banquet committee be authorized to publish a book containing a full report of the speeches and proceedings of the annual banquet, and that the treasurer be authorized to pay for the same if the cost did not exceed $150. At the meeting of the Society on February 13th General Swayne made the occasion memorable by his speech of presentation of the president's badge to Colonel Strong. Responses of Colonel Strong and General Burnett followed. February 17, 1894, was the date of the ninth annual banquet of the 165 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Ohio Society of New York, and Delmonico's was once more the chosen place. It was in charge of the special committee already named, while the following gentlemen served as a reception committee : Gen. Anson G. McCook, Albert W. Green, D. Robison, Jr., Edgar A. Follett, P. B. Armstrong, Lowell M. Palmer, John F. Rodarmor, H. J. Reinmund, Mahlon Chance, R, C. Kimball, Thomas Ewing, Jr., D. H. Bates, Jr., H. H. Hobbs, S. C. Lewis, J. Stedman Converse. The menu card was almost a duplicate of that of 1893. There was a special guest table, and six others occupied by the members and their friends. Those who sat at the head and foot of each of these were as follows : A, Andrew J. C. Foye and Charles B. Peet; B, Milton I. Southard and Leander H. Crall; C, Henry L. Burnett and William S. Hawk; D, S. S. Packard and Homer Lee; E, J. Q. A. Ward and Samuel Thomas; F, Warren Higley and L. C. Hopkins. Hon. William McKinley, governor of Ohio, was the guest of honor, and when he was escorted into the dining hall he was greeted with cheers. Hon. William L. Strong, president of the Society, presided, and those who sat with him at the guests' table were as follows : On his right, Hon. William McKinley, Hon. Charles F. Manderson, Hon. Calvin S. Brice, Bishop John M. Walden, Gen. Horace Porter, George A. Morrison, president St. Andrew's Society; John D. Crimmins, president Friendly Sons of St. Patrick; Charles A. Deshon, president Southern Society; Gen. Thomas Ewing, ex-president Ohio Society. On his left were Hon. William B. Allison, Hon. Joseph H. Outh- waite, Hon. Frank Hurd, Prof. Sylvester F. Scovel, Ellis H. Roberts, presi- dent St. David's Society ; H. B. B. Staples, president Delaware Society ; John P. Townsend, president New England Society; Gen. Wager Swayne, ex- president Ohio Society. When the dinner, abundantly provided, had been disposed of. President Strong arose and announced that the intellectual feast of the evening had arrived.* He said : " Gentlemen of the Ohio Society of New York : I take it that the dinner of the Ohio Society at Delmonico's this evening has been en- joyed by all of you, because I see no one before me but that looks as though he had eaten, and, if he did drink at all, drank all that he felt he ought. " Now, gentlemen, for the benefit of the members of our Society who honor us with their presence only once a year — at our annual banquets — I want to say that the Ohio Society is sound financially, entirely out of debt. Owing to the watchful care of our noble treasurer, he does not allow the governing committee to create an indebtedness for the Society unless he has the money to pay for it; and, as he is one of that committee, the Society is * Fortunately for this record, the speeches delivered on that memorable occasion, when Governor McKinley was the guest of honor, were stenographically reported and published by order of the Society in pamphlet form. They are here reproduced in full. 166 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK never in debt. In addition to that, he has a very handsome balance to its credit in the bank, which is drawing a very fair rate of interest considering the present crucial condition of the money market. " The grim monster, death, has dealt very lightly with our Society since our last banquet. We have lost but four members out of a membership of about three hundred. The addition to the membership roll has been about as large as in any of the years preceding since the formation of this Society, so that now the Ohio Society of New York is on a firm foundation and is an assured success. " I am asked very often, What is the reason you Buckeyes kick up such a row in New York once a year.'' Well, there are a great many reasons for that. First, Ohio was the first state that was admitted into the Union out of the broad expanse of territory ceded to the United States Government by Vir- ginia, and in that celebrated ordinance of 1787 slavery and involuntary servi- tude, except for crime, was forever prohibited. " Now, the people, the pioneers of Ohio, that first settled that ' bonnie Buckeye state,' were an entirely different class of people from any that settled the states farther west. Their devotion to their cause, their reverence for their God, and their adherence to a form of government by the people which they fought for through the Revolutionary war, attracted the brainiest and the best class of Revolutionary soldiers and their friends that went from the Eastern states to the West. They and their descendants have left their im- press on almost every page of history connected with the government of the United States, from its foundation to the present moment. " Another reason why we celebrate this day is that it is the ninety-first anniversary of the admission of our state into the union ; and as Buckeyes we like to feel that we are again spreading flowers over the graves of the heroes who have gone before us from Ohio, and we like to hear from such distin- guished gentlemen as have this evening honored us with their presence how the gallant old Ship of State is rolling along at home. There is no Buckeye whose pulse does not quicken at the names of our distinguished men ; particu- larly such men as Allen and Thurman, Ewing and Corwin, Pugh and Pendle- ton, Chase and Sherman, Hayes, Garfield and Harrison. Also the last Demo- cratic governor of our state, and the present governor, Campbell and MJcKin- ley. And that trio of military heroes, whose names will continue forever, and glow with increasing splendor as time rolls on : Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. " Now, gentlemen, there is another reason why we celebrate to-night — although we have dated ahead a little — the 19th of February being our day, instead of the 17th. Dating ahead is, as you know, quite ordinary in business nowadays. By the providence of God, the state of Ohio was admitted into the Union on the 29th day of November, 1802, but it remained to give us a classic 167 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK month to celebrate this anniversary in, and when Mr. Jefferson ordered his secretary of state to affix the seal of the government to a document which bound us to this Union forevermore, that document was dated on the 19th of February, 1803; and, gentlemen, when we celebrate the birthday of the Father of our Country, the immortal Washington, in this month; and when we celebrate the birthday of the savior of our country, more commonly called the Messiah of Freedom, Abraham Lincoln, in this month, it is fitting that the state of Ohio should celebrate its birthday on the 19th of February ; and so we can only say : ' Roll on, O Ship of State, and let her sons continue to add brighter jewels to her crown than any that have been put there before, even in the pages of art, science, literature, commerce, finance, judiciary, or in the councils of the nation, forever.' And now, gentlemen of the Ohio Society, I would like you to rise and drink the first toast of the evening, ' The President of the United States.' " [Toast drank.] [Music—" The Star Spangled Banner."] " Gentlemen, the next order for the evening will be the reading of a poem by Judge Higley, of Cincinnati, now of New York, called ' The Buckeye Tree.' " Judge Higley : " Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I beg to correct the President in regard to announcing this poem as having been written by Judge Higley. The poem is by the first poet of Ohio, Dr. W. H. Venable, whom you all know. It is upon the subject of the buckeye tree, in which we are all interested from the fact that we have all received at least two of the products of that tree to-night. THE BUCKEYE TREE. BY W. H. VENABLE, Lli.D. When bluebirds glance the sunlit wing. And pipe the praise of dancing Spring, Like some gay sj^lvan prince, and bold. The buckeye dons his plumes of gold. When truants angle in the sun. Or roam the wood with dog and gun. How tuneful sounds the honeyed tree. Hummed round by the melodious bee! 168 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK When boisterous Autumn dashes down Imperial Summer's rusthng crown, Beneath the scattered spoils we find The polished nut in bronzen rind. The buckeye broom, in times of yore, Swept for the dance the puncheon floor; The backwoods beaux, hilarious souls. Quaffed sangaree from buckeye bowls. The friendly buckeye leaves expand, Five-fingered, like an open hand. Of trust and brotherhood the sign — Be welcome! what is mine is thine. Historic now, and consecrate. The emblem of a loyal State, A symbol and a sign, behold Its banners green, its plumes of gold. Ohio's sons ! their bugles sang, Their sabres flashed, their muskets rang, Forever unto freedom true. The buckeye boys in Union blue! [Applause, and cries of " Good ! "] President Strong: " The next regular toast of the evening, gentlemen, will be responded to by one who needs no introduction to this Society nor to any other gathering. He dedicated this Society and christened it; he was at our first banquet and made us a speech then, and some of us were foolish enough to think that he would be a candidate for the Presidency as long ago as that. I doubt if he needs any introduction at any banquet that could be given anywhere on the face of the globe, because there is no foreign country that sends its wares to this country but knows all about McKinley. WTien in Chicago last summer, attending the exposition there, I happened to be in the Russian department, and a representative of the Czar heard that this man McKinley was going to be at Chicago. He said : ' I will stay here until next year to see that man. He has the largest income of any man in the world, four or five times as much as the Czar of Russia. I want to see him. Any man that collects three or four hundred millions of dollars per annum I 169 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK want to see. I take off my hat to him.' [Great laughter.] And now, gentle- men, the regular toast of the evening is ' Ohio,' and I have the pleasure of presenting Governor McKinley, of that state." [Prolonged applause.] When Governor McKinley arose he was greeted with applause and cheers, and his speech was listened to with the closest attention. He said: " Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Ohio Society of New York : I have received the impression through some of the prominent members of this So- ciety that there is no limitation in expressions of boastful pride, in this pres- ence, of Ohio men and Ohio character. Indeed, I understand that eulogy is the chief object of this organization. I understand, too, that those of us actually living in Ohio who attend these meetings, are expected to spare no tribute of praise to the Ohio men resident in the city of New York. If this is not done, we are never invited to return. I want to come back, and there- fore am prepared to meet any condition or requirement of the Society in this respect, that I may have welcome to your club and board hereafter. " I am proud of the Ohio paen in New York. They represent every pro- fession. They stand in every mart of trade. They are great lawyers, great doctors, great preachers, great teachers, great editors, great bankers, great merchants, great manufacturers, great Democrats, great Republicans, great statesmen, and some of them have been great soldiers. Some of them are on Wall Street, or were, and still others are members, as I am informed, of the Tammany Society, and yet others have got into the sacred circle of the Four Hundred. As I look over this distinguished company I wonder what Ohio would have been if you had all remained at home. In such an event she must certainly have been ' paramount.' But then, I reflect, what would New York have been if you had not come? The stupendous loss to the great Empire State, I am sure, you feel more than I do, and know better than I can de- scribe. "There are ex-Representatives in Congress from Ohio in this great me- tropolis ; there are no ex-Senators yet. There are ex-Govemors, distinguished at home and no less distinguished here. It seems to be a favorite place for ex-Govemors, and the way they get on will encourage others to come after them. I might have been a member of this Society myself, if my honored competitor had been kept at home two years ago; and when the exit comes to me, as it comes to all of us, sooner or later, I may be so fortunate as to be received by you yet. I know of no better city in which to dwell than New York, and no better colony of which to be a part than this, outside the sacred precincts of Ohio. The only disparagement to you is that there are not so many of you here as there are in ' Greater Ohio ' back at home. You are just as good, just as true, and just as patriotic men that are here, but you are not so numerous as those remaining in Ohio. You have converted the an- 170 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YOllK cient sage advice, ' Go West, young man,' into ' Hustle Down East,' and you have come and amply demonstrated that the Ohio man can succeed quite as well in the older as in the newer states. I only speak the voice of the state when I say : ' Bless you, my children, we are all proud of you.' We will always feel that we have only temporarily loaned you to this great State and great city, and that you will all come home again to do us higher honor and credit than ever. Much as has been done by and for Ohio ; still, as the Pres- ident said of the nation at the Centennial in Philadelphia, she is great enough to appreciate how much there remains for her to attempt and achieve in the future. " A distinguished Senator from Massachusetts said a few years ago that he could not help applying to Ohio Pericles' proud boast of Athens : ' Athens, of all her contemporaries, is superior to the report of her.' Whatever honors Ohio enjoys here, or elsewhere, I think she has fairly earned them. Her dis- tinction rests upon what she has attempted and achieved in the domain of in- tellectual activity, and because she has fulfilled every requirement of duty to state and nation, doing always her full share to support the government at Washington in every crisis. The state was early dedicated to liberty. No slave was ever bom on her free soil, nor serf tolerated within her boundaries. She has presented the largest opportunity to individual development. She puts no weights upon her citizenship, no manacles upon either soul or body. " The people who founded the state of Ohio were master builders. If Rufus Putnam was the ' father of Ohio,' George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were his teachers through the long and se- vere schooling of the Revolution, from 1775 to 1783. The structure they erected was greatly to their credit, however much Nature may have done to assist the pioneers in the labor of love they had undertaken. We are all of us proud of our state, proud of her place of honor in the sisterhood of states, proud of her fields and factories, proud of her wealth of resources, proud of her benevolent, charitable, and educational institutions, and, above all, proud of our grand old pioneers — ^their pluck, perseverance, and virtue; their moral and intellectual worth; and, whatever else is said, I always feel like paying my respects and homage to them. " It was my privilege a short while ago to have described to me a striking but rude and unfinished picture, drawn in pen and ink many years ago. It was the scene at Marietta, the oldest settlement in the state, when the first laws were posted on the great beech trees of the forest, under the personal supervision of Governor Arthur St. Clair, in the summer of 1788. Whatever of art was lacking in this picture, the faces were those of strong, earnest men, well fitted to build a commonwealth. There, in the impenetrable forest, they were demonstrating that profound respect for law and order and constituted 171 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK authority, to which they ever held, and which they transmitted to their de- scendants, and which those descendants have themselves well illustrated in every crisis of state and country. " That they considered this first proclaiming and publishing of the law an important event, was strikingly apparent, not only by the attentive at- titude of the little group of revolutionary heroes that were there as our first state officers, who stood watching the posting of the parchment, but by the effect portrayed on the wondering faces of the Indian chieftains who were present. Even the untutored savage saw that this was an event of unusual significance. The beneficent sway of civilization was not to be gained merely by clearing the forests, by the building of forts and stockades, or even com- fortable homes. The possession of food and shelter, of splendid farms and generous crops, and all the rich returns of good husbandry were as nothing to these brave pioneers, if their civil and social institutions were not to be preserved, and the law not to be supreme over all. They would first establish courts, schools, and churches, before they thought of the sordid considerations which so often actuated pioneer civilization ; and the subsequent career of the state itself is the best proof of their wisdom and foresight. " Ohio was the centre of population for more than two decades, during which was witnessed the most triumphant period of our own and the world's annals. Those were decades of mighty struggles, and still mightier achieve- ments. They record events the most striking and far-reaching in our history. They record the mighty social and political transformation which changed the face of the civilized world. We passed during this epoch from a warring federation of weak and weakening states to a mighty and indissoluble Union of indestructible states. We emerged from a civilization half slave and half free to one where all are free ; we passed from unequal to impartial citizenship, and from division and weakness to unity and power. In our political auton- omy we were unrivalled in simplicity and strength. During these decades we were not only the centre of population, but our citizens occupied the centre of political activity, and contributed masterful forces in the field of war and statecraft. They were leaders in each, and supreme in both. No great battle was fought from 1861 to 1865 with which Ohio's name was not linked — no great victory achieved in which Ohio, or some son of Ohio, did not share the glory. This period not only witnessed the political and social progress which I have described, but registered the greatest industrial and material develop- ment, the widest utilization of our productive forces, and the most wonderful progress in art, science and invention that the world has ever known. " It is the fashion for us to boast about Ohio. It may not always be timely, and sometimes the praise may be too generous; but no unprejudiced student of our history can hold that it is altogether unjustifiable. The story 172 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK of the early settlers is the story of heroism and sacrifice, of devotion to free- dom and conscience ; and their sons have wortliily stood, and will forever faith- fully stand, for the principles of their sires. The story of Tiffin, Worthing- ton, and Morrow, of Wade, Giddings, and Ewing, of Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan, of Chase, Stanton, and Brough, and of Hayes, Garfield, and Waite has been often told, but I do not think too often. It cannot be told without being helpful to all. No history of the state can be written which would leave these names out, and no recital of their virtues and achievements can be made which does not inspire our admiration and create within us higher and better and nobler aims. But our state has had no lack of material pros- perity. Geographically, no state has a more advantageous position. Ohio is the highway between the East and the West ; she is the gateway to the South. This advantage has been so much boasted by our people that General Grant once said, in a spirit of playfulness, as well as rebuke, that I have always ap- preciated : ' Yes, Ohio is a great state. You can't get to Chicago from New York and back again, on American soil, without crossing it.' " Ohio is also preeminently a state of workshops. In material resources and their development, in the variety and extent of her applications of human skill, in her production of nearly everything necessary for human existence and happiness, Ohio can be said, without exaggeration, to be ' an empire within an empire.' In cereals, vegetables, and fruits, she stands at the front for variety and excellence ; and, to the amazement of her sister states, she took most of the prizes at the World's Fair for her exhibits of cattle, sheep, and swine. In the number and variety of her manufactures also, Ohio leads all the states. She mines not only enough coal for her thousands of furnaces, but annually exports millions of tons. Owing to her vast commerce on the Lakes, more iron ore is handled in Ohio than in any other state. Her rank in manufacturing is equally creditable. Ohio has more manufacturing towns than any other state. Great states may proudly boast of their cities of New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis. It is true Ohio has no cities to rival these, but Ohio can truthfully claim more pros- perous manufacturing centres of from ten thousand to one hundred thousand population than any other member of the Union. " In educational matters Ohio takes a proud position, as her trophies at both the Centennial Exposition and World's Fair have proven. Her graded public schools are not excelled. She expends in a single year for public in- struction more than any other of the states of the Union, except New York and Illinois. More than one-tenth of all the money expended in the United States for school purposes is expended by Ohio; and she has a larger per- centage of attendance upon insti-uction, according to population, than any other state of the Union. She is a state of colleges, having between tliirty 173 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and forty good and flourishing institutions, all firmly established and well supported. She has no Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but her standard of gen- eral education, even in the liberal branches, is nearly at the top. Nor is Ohio satisfied to stand still in educational matters. She is always on the march. Her common schools are better to-day than ever before, and some time Ohio will have a state university at her capital far grander and stronger than Washington dreamed might eventually be established by the nation at large at its capital. " Her judiciary has been able, pure, and learned. Its decisions have commanded confidence in every state and territory of the Union. Hon. Richard A. Harrison, of Columbus, himself a distinguished lawyer, said not long ago, on a banquet occasion : ' Is there any state in the Union that ever had a bar of greater men, either as lawyers or statesmen, than the bar of which Judge Thurman was one of the most conspicuous members?' Their names best answer his inquiry. The Ohio bar in Judge Thurman's time was graced by Hammond, Burnett, Chase, Waite, Ewing, Corwin, Boynton, Swan, Ranney, Stanton, Swayne, Stanley Matthews, Aaron F. Perry, Groesbeck, Day, Hoadly, Storer, and many others of exceptional strength and ability. There have been five men from Ohio upon the Supreme Bench of the United States, two of them reaching the station of chief justice of the greatest tribunal of the world, while death claimed a third before he could assume that exalted station. " In medicine, science, art, music, poetry, and letters, Ohio has won a leading place. In journalism she has been conspicuous. The Bulgarian Lib- erator, as he is called, whose fame as a correspondent is international, whose life was a chivalrous romance, whose pen was weighted with power and might, the heroic MacGahan, was a Buckeye boy. His body, transferred from the ancient seat of Eastern empire now rests among the rugged hills of his native county of Perry, where he spent his boyhood, and where was spent the boy- hood of the greatest cavalryman of the Civil War — the dashing and intrepid Sheridan. Kennan, also, the daring traveler, whose articles and lectures on Russian cruelty in Siberia have startled two continents, is a product of Northern Ohio. And Edison, the wizard of Menlo, most practical of scien- tists and greatest of electricians, first saw the light in an Ohio country village. The proud old state may well risk her fame in that field upon the work of this illustrious son, but to Edison she can add Brush, and to Brush the great Dr. Mendenhall, foremost of professors in electrical science. " No other state in the Union has made a more indelible impression upon the Senate of the United States than has our beloved commonwealth. Worth- ington and Morrow, Tappan and Allen, Ewing and Morris, Corwin and Chase, Pugh and Wade, Sherman and Thurman, Matthews and Pendleton — 174. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK what state can boast stronger men? Wade, rugged and resistless in his con- victions, with his colleague Giddings in the House, stood on the very outpost of liberty, fearless and defiant. They were the pioneers of freedom ; and the liberty which we enjoy to-day, and which is so universal in our country, and which represents more than any other civilization the best hopes and aspirations of mankind, will be forever associated with their great names. During the Civil War, Wade was at the head of the committee on the conduct of the war, in the Senate. Sherman was a member of the committee upon which rested the duty of raising the vast sums required for the prosecution of the war. At the other end of the capitol were Schenck and Garfield, Shel- labarger, Ashley, Delano, and Bingham. Schenck was chairman of the com- mittee on the conduct of the war, and was a moving force on the committee on ways and means. Garfield was at the head of the committee on military affairs; Bingham, chairman of the judiciary committee; and Ashley, at the head of the committee on territories, under whose administration West Vir- ginia, Nevada, and Nebraska were admitted to the sisterhood of states — jointly controlling the important legislation of that most eventful period. Stanton in the War Office stood hke a sturdy oak, unswayed and unbending. Upon him Lincoln rested, and his strong nature impressed itself upon the Union. He moved with but one purpose, actuated by the single motive of patriotism. That purpose he expressed in 1862, when he said: * For myself, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, serving no man, and at enmity with none, I shall strive to perform my whole duty in the great work before me. Mistakes and faults I will no doubt commit, but the purpose of my action shall be single to the public good.' [Applause.] " Chase was in the treasury department, devising and planning for the public credit and for the enormous revenue required daily to keep in motion the operations of the army ; and for a time still another Ohio man. Governor Dennison, was in the Cabinet of the martyr President. It should not be for- gotten, also, that when Mr. Chase resigned from the treasury, the first man in the country to whom President Lincoln turned as his successor was ex- Governor Tod, of Ohio, who declined the proffered portfolio. " Ohio contributed somewhat, at least, to bring to Mr. Lincoln the op- portunity which has made his name immortal. In 1860 the Republican Na- tional Convention was held in the city of Chicago. The third ballot had been reached; 465 votes had been cast; 233 votes were necessary to a choice. Lincoln had 231 1-2, Seward 180, and the remainder were for Cliase and others. Lincoln lacked one vote and a half to give him the requisite number to make him the candidate of the party — the second candidate for President the Republican party had ever named. Supreme silence followed the con- clusion of this ballot; every voice was hushed, but for an instant only. Dur- 175 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ing this instant my former fellow-townsman, David K. Carter (well known to many around this table), a delegate from Ohio, mounted his chair and transferred four votes from Salmon P. Chase to Abraham Lincoln ; and amid the huzzas of that crowded, historic wigwam, Lincoln was made the nominee of the Republican party. Some other state might have done it, some other state doubtless would have done it, but the fact remains that Ohio did it. [Laughter and applause.] " As Ohio's name is linked with that of Lincoln in the struggles and sacrifices for the Union, so also is it known in the pathos of the death of the great liberator. At his bedside stood his faithful secretary of war; and when, in the gray dawn of that awful morning, the spirit of the immortal Lincoln ascended, the solemn silence was broken by Stanton, who reverently said: * Nom he belongs to the ages.' " Standing in this presence to-night, I recall my former visit here. It was the first and only time, until now, that I have had the pleasure of being with you. I remember the distinguished company then assembled. That illustrious son of Ohio, William Tecumseh Sherman, a zealous member of this Society, was present. All interest centred upon him, whatever eminent men surrounded him. All eyes were turned to him, and all hearts were his. I re- member, in substance, the opening of his little speech : ' The world takes count of what men do,' said he, ' not what they say ; not where they live, but how they hve.' This single sentence was a sermon in itself, and well illus- trates the career of him who spoke it. His fame rests in deeds ; and while he loved the state of his home and his birth, he loved still more, as all of us do, the nation which he helped to save. " This sentiment, too, was in keeping with that grand letter of the old hero to a Southern paper, as to the proper obligations of an American citizen respectively due his state and the nation. You will recollect that General Sherman then said : ' Mathematically, the whole is greater than a part, and is worthy of more respect and affection. Instead of boasting of the spot where one is born, by an accident over which he has no control, I should suj>- pose the boast would be of the former; that is, that every American should be proud of his whole country, rather than a part. How much more sublime the thought that you live at the root of a tree whose branches reach the beau- tiful fields of Western New York and the majestic canons of the Yellowstone, and that with every draught of water you take the outflow of the pure lakes of Minnesota, and the drippings of the dews of the Alleghany and Rocky Mountains!'" [Prolonged applause.] President Strong : " Fellow Buckeyes, it is not often that we have the pleasure of being graced at our banquets by the ladies; and I would I'ko 176 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK every member of the Ohio Society to get on his feet and drink to the health and future happiness of the wife of the Governor of Ohio. [Cheers.] " When I was a boy in my father's house, we kept what the boys called a ministerial hotel. All the services we had in those days were in the school houses. We had no churches in the little town in which I was born. We had just one place in which to go to school and one place in which to have services on Sunday, and they were held by the Methodists, the Baptists, and the Pres- byterians. Those three predominated in our part of the world, and the min- isters would always come to our house. The most popular minister that came there was the presiding elder of the Methodist Church. When he rode into our barn on his horse — he always had the best horse in the country, and was generally considered the best horse trader — we knew there would be fun for us children, for the reason that we always had school on Saturday and Monday, but when the Methodists had their quarterly meetings, and the pre- siding elder came around, Saturday and Monday were holidays. Another rea- son why we always likM to have the presiding elder come was that he always said the shortest blessing, made the shortest prayer, and always told us the best stories. I give you, gentlemen, ' The Pioneer Preacher, the Circuit-rider of Ohio,' and have the pleasure of introducing to you Bishop Walden, of Cin- cinnati." [Applause.] Bishop Walden : "I have been studying your chairman since I had the pleasure of sitting by his side, as an instance of the influence of Ohio upon the boy ; but I have j ust now learned one of the real secrets of why we have this capital presiding officer — it was the influence of the circuit rider. " Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Ohio Society of New York, lovers of Ohio: To share with you in your annual meeting is to me an esteemed privilege; to be selected as one of the necessarily limited number of speakers is a high honor ; to be invited to respond to the sentiment, 'The Circuit-rider in Ohio' is a recognition of Methodism and my relation to it, at once com- plimentary to my church and gratifying to myself. Under these circum- stances I will be expected to speak mainly of the favorable influence of Meth- odism in our native state as it appears to a Methodist and a Buckeye. So much is crowded into the century since the first circuit-rider entered the Ohio territory that it is no easy task to select a few salient facts that may fittingly engage your attention amid the inspiring eloquence of my distinguished com- peers who as citizens of Ohio promote her welfare, or who, residing in this city or elsewhere, reflect honor upon their native state." Bishop Walden proceeded to give a masterly history of the times covered by his theme, and in conclusion said: " Take from the history of the war between the nation and the seceding states the chapters that record the part borne by Ohio, and what remains 177 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK would be fragmentary if not unintelligible. Three names alone would give our state an incontestable position — Sheridan, Sherman, Grant; and may I mention that the last was reared in a Methodist home and was familiar with the work and spirit of the circuit-riders. And while this great trio was in the field, the other Sherman and his coadjutors were foremost in Congress. Review the century, and the galaxy of Ohio statesmen seem to fill the very sky; five of them called to the highest civil trust, and that after an honor- able service in their country's defense — the elder Harrison, the hero of Tip- pecanoe ; Grant, great whether at the head of the army or at the head of the government ; Hayes, who illustrated his own wise axiom, * He serves his party best who serves his country best' ; Garfield, the self-made man and chivalrous leader; the younger Harrison, whose incorruptible administration is the na- tion's pride. " As the country now trembles and reels under the unprecedented finan- cial stress, the eyes of the people are again turning toward Ohio for leaders whose ability has been tested; and Ohio, proud mother, points each great party confidently to a very constellation made up of ex-governors, governor, and senators, and the ex-President and other Buckeyes in other states, and bids each select its standard-bearer from among her favorite sons. My theme makes it fitting to refer to the Methodist affiliations of the magnetic Foraker and others, but I only venture the conjecture that your honored guest. Gov- ernor McKinley, might have been a popular circuit-rider and become a bishop had it not been possible for him to serve his country as well or better as a statesman and — President." [Applause.] President Strong: " Gentlemen, I am going to present to you a man whose father was governor of the old Keystone State. He was elected by the people, for that is the way they elected in Pennsylvania. I do not know that he ever did any special thing with the exception of getting a boy; and as the Pullman palace cars have more porters in their establishment born in the state of Ohio than in any other state of the Union I will introduce to you General Horace Porter." [Applause.] General Porter : " Mr. President and Gentlemen : This is not fair. Your presiding officer promised me this afternoon that if I would come here and sit, even up on the roof, he would not only not call upon me to speak, but he would not permit me to speak if I wanted to. I have not anything to catch on to. I thought I had something during the feast — they served a buckeye, and I was ignorant enough to mistake it for a chestnut. I suggested that they might serve that better later in the dinner, and we could make more effectual use of it. I suppose I shall have to resort to the natural method as advised by that man in Ohio whose son was elected a member of Congress. In parting with him he said : ' Now, Jack, when you get into that house you 178 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK just pump your cerebral barrel full of ideas, and when you get onto your feet knock out the bung and let nature caper.' " I am still a little puzzled to know just how I got into this Sanhedrim to-night. History would have us believe that at the outbreak of the Revolu- tion there was a battle fought on Breed's Hill. It was called the Battle of Bunker Hill because it was not fought there. I suppose I am here in the society of the sons of Ohio to-night because I was not born there. Perrin of France said, after several ineffectual attempts to be elected a member of the French Academy, that he would write an epitaph to be put on his tomb, and it read : ' Here lies Perrin. He was nothing, not even a member of the French Academy.' " Now, I have just returned from this great state of Ohio, and I bring you the latest bulletin from the front. I went out to speak at the great Lin- coln banquet, and I supposed then as now that I might not be called upon to speak. I went out by invitation of my friend Governor McKinley, and I thought he might at least have thrown around me some of those great prin- ciples of protection, but he didn't. He put a duty on me. It was not ad valorem, or I could have sworn it off. It was specific. Well, I met all of the great men from all parts of Ohio at that banquet. The woods are full of them. I met the men from the Ohio and from the Maumee valley ; from the place where they feed on hogs to the place where they feed on frogs. I met the men from Cincinnati, where now we understand that they are closing up the windows of the stores during the day and burning lard lamps, for in the general fall in the price of commodities lard light is cheaper than daylight. " There is one reason that Ohio is never talked much of in foreign coun- tries. A foreigner cannot pronounce that name. I have seen in Europe men try to pronounce Ohio for an hour at a time, and it ended only in salivation or lockjaw. You see in that, you have nothing to catch on to. If you lose your grip you are gone. " If you want to pronounce that other name, Hi-hi-waii, and you get tangled up, you can fall back and call it Sandwich Islands. If you want to pronounce the name of that dusky savage potentate, of evanescent virtue and volcanic origin, you can call her Lili-cuckoo-alani. " I had a most comfortable trip through the manufacturing regions of Ohio — no cinders from stacks smutting and soiling my linen, and no smoke blackening my face. Now, when Governor McKinley was in Congress he always made a failure of this sort of thing. He was never a howling success as an abater of the smoke nuisance. Now, I noticed out there that they did not make as much distinction of colors in that state as they do in the state just across the Ohio River. They do not pronounce ' nigger ' with two g^s. Why, we had a colored bishop at that banquet that made about the best 179 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK speech there. He was so black that charcoal would have made a white mark on him. He had been a slave. I think he was one of the charcoal sketches from the hands of the old masters. When I listened to that man's speech I felt like saying what an old abolitionist of Boston said when Forrest went up there and blackened up his face and played Othello. This man took a party down from the country. He Hstened till they were all through, then he said to the friends who were with him : ' Well, now, as to the merits of them actors, laying aside all sectional prejudices, dam me, if I don't think the nigger held his own with the hull on 'em.' " The redoubtable Jim Fisk once said: ' If you can't be a rich man, just get as close up to a rich man as you can.' Not being able to be bom in Ohio, I did the next best thing and was born in the state right alongside of it. I hesitated for some time, but since I have heard these speeches here to-night and heard that state cried up in this manner, I see I made a mistake. Henr^- Ward Beecher once said that the most dangerous thing a man can do is to be bom. I think, after listening to these speeches to-night that most any one who was brought up in that benighted region outside of Ohio, would be will- ing to be bom again if he could be sure he would be landed in Ohio. " There were certain things in common between those two states — the dialect. A man from Pennsylvania goes South; they listen to him talk and they think he is from New England. He goes to New England; they listen to him there, and think he is from the South. He goes out to Ohio, and it is more discouraging still — they think he belongs there. Now, I spent nearly thirty years trying to get away from the reach of Ohio men, and I have not succeeded yet. I started out in the war with Gihnore from Ohio, and went up and joined McClellan's staif. He had gone out with a commission from Ohio — Ohio again. I then planned to go West, and they assigned me to Rosecrans' staff — Ohio again. Then Sherman's staff — Ohio. Then General Grant's staff — Ohio man again. Then I thought the only way for m.e to get out of reach of these people was to leave the army and go into the navy. I made an expedition down the coast in a gunboat commanded by Commodore Ammen — an Ohioan. I said then, we will never get this thing fixed until the war ends. It ended, and we went to electing a President — Grant — Ohio again. Second term. I said, we will go out to Cincinnati and fix the thing this time — Hayes. I said, now we will get loose from them at Chicago, and we worked nine days — Garfield. Tried it again — Harrison. I had a case in the Su- preme Court. There was Waite — postponed the case. I came over to New York and joined the Loyal Legion — Commander General Swayne, an Ohioan. I thought there was no hope for a man on this continent, and I went abroad. I got to Paris. There was Whitelaw Reid, a minister, from Ohio. Well, now I am getting used to it. I am going right through with it, and I shall take 180 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the supreme satisfaction of going to the polls at the next Presidential election and voting for a man from Ohio. " Now, with my experience, which you see has not been limited in regard to these two states, I have divided my attention between them. I feel a little like that tramp who went a number of nights into Spurgeon's Tabernacle, South London. Mr. Spurgeon went down and took a look at him — a closer view — one evening. His dress did not even rise to the dignity of the shabby genteel. It was evident from his garments that he did not belong to the Lon- don Four Hundred. Mr. Spurgeon took him by the hand after the service and said : ' My friend, I hope that these meetings have done you some good.' The man replied, in a voice husky with gin : ' It has, your honor, it has. When I first came here I was a reckless and a desperate man. I hated both God and the devil. Now, coming here and hearing your sermons I love them both.' I have mentioned all the distinguished Ohio men that I can think of this evening, thinking they might not be referred to in the spteches that are to be made. " Yes, I often in the war used to' look at that state of Ohio on the map. We used maps more then than we do now. I could see that comparatively narrow neck of land where the lake swoops down and where the Ohio swoops up. That was a great gateway through which all traffic and people had to pass in moving from the loyal East to the loyal West, and was a great centre and is a great centre to-day of population, of intelligence, equally removed from the isms that existed in the extreme sections of the country about it. That little narrow neck of land which forms the gateway between East and West used to look to me on the map like the waist of some of our young ladies after they had employed a stout maid and had been lacing for several years. " Let me say, after participating in this very hospitable feast, that I can only say before I sit down what was said by an Ohio man when we were on the march and got to a river and were ordered to wade across it. It had swamps for miles on each side. The leading regiment — it was an Ohio regi- ment — Ohio was always in the front — had waded half a day and did not find any t'other side to the stream, and this man turned round to his chum and said : ' Bill, I'm blowed if I don't believe we've struck this river lengthwise.' When I view the length and the breadth and vast extent of Ohio's hospitality here to-night I feel, for one, that I have struck it lengthwise." [Great ap- plause.] President Strong : " The General has given us a full history of the old Keystone state; but those of us who were bom in log cabins in Ohio — and I should think by looking around that there are only half a dozen or so of you — remember well the little log schoolhouse, and just how every man that sent a child, one or two or half a dozen children, to school had to furnish wood 181 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK enough to bum all winter. He also had to board the teacher just as long as his proportion of time was apportionate to the number of children that he had; and one of the joyous occasions of going to school in a httle log school- house always came around on Christmas Day. That was the time when the boys revelled in the anticipation of getting a few decayed apples into the schoolhouse and getting there early in the morning to build the fire, and bar- ring the door — bai-ring the master out; and if we could open the port-holes, which were paper greased over with lard, for windows — if we could open one of those and fire these decayed apples out at our teacher, we were just the boys that the girls all fell in love with. And that was what we all liked to do, to keep our teacher out on Christmas Day, and we were generally suc- cessful in doing it until about eleven o'clock, when our parents, both fathers and mothers, would come around, and we had to suiTender, but we surrendered with the understanding that no birch rods would be used. A boy then that had an elementary spelling-book, and Kirkham's grammar, and Daboll's arith- metic, was a millionaire; and if he was bright enough to study his lessons in daytime he could farm these books out in the evening for five or ten cents a night for each book, provided he would take it in kites or something of that kind, and the last day of school was generally the day that all of our troubles were settled. Now, gentlemen, we have here this evening a professor, a pres- ident of one of the celebrated universities of Ohio — President Scovil, of Woos- ter, Ohio, who will give us a dissertation on ' The Early Schools Contrasted with the Present School System of the State.' I have the honor of introducing to you now President Scovil, of Wooster, Ohio." [Applause.] Dr. Scovil delivered an extended and scholarly address upon his theme, and in conclusion said: " Our past and our present assure us of the best material the sun ever shone upon. And the colleges of Ohio, linking hands with the whole secondary education, are pressing eagerly forward toward the goal of an ideal funda- mental education of statesmen. In this we are quickened by whatever is new in the times upon which we are fallen. When the very deepest questions are coming into view, when ' direct legislation ' proposes to submit to the popu- lar verdict questions formerly reserved for legislative experts, carrying for- ward the evolution of ages from aristocratic exclusiveness to democratic dif- fusiveness, an ample and adapted education is demanded. Much is now being accomplished, opening the way for more. The one per cent, of college men the country affords are not found in business (as Carnegie complains), but they are found where they belong, and where for the good of the country they must continue to go (while the percentage continues so small) — among the directing classes. Tliey are telling powerfully on our legislative and administrative life now, just as they did in the great Constitutional Conven- 182 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tion. The scholar is in politics because the people will have him there, and the Ohio colleges are supplying an urgent demand in making political scholars. " In the whole Ohio college policy there is nothing but that which has come through our great commonwealth's historical development, nothing which does not already go powerfully toward man-making for private life and public, and therefore everything to set forward and develop with a generous and confident loyalty." [Applause.] President Strong: " Gentlemen, according to an old Ohio soldier, he always keeps the best troops in the rear, and we have this evening a gentle- man from Washington, who represents the capital of our state in Congress, who has come on here to tell us something about ' The Ohio Statesman.' I have the pleasure of introducing to you Mr. Outhwaite, of Columbus, Ohio." [Applause.] Mr. Outhwaite said: "Mr. President and Members of the Ohio Society of New York : Before responding to the toast, ' Ohio's Statesmen,' I must express my deep appreciation of the honor conferred by your courteous in- vitation to attend this ninth anniversary of your organization. Were I a sojourner in this city, or a resident thereof, I should deem it a high privilege to be a member of this Society. Since I was bom the population of Ohio, my native state, has increased over two millions. The number of its inhabitants is now greater than that of the thirteen original colonies when they declared their independence ; yet in this very city of New York, one hundred and seven years ago, the Ohio Company, then but recently organized in the State of Massachusetts to project a settlement in the Ohio country, after tedious and lengthened negotiations succeeded in contracting with the Continental Con- gress for a million and a half acres of land for the Ohio Company at two- thirds of a dollar per acre. This company then proceeded to make arrange- ments for the settlement of their newly acquired possessions in the wilderness. The details are interesting, but I shall not dwell upon them. Two matters to which the company gave special attention, however, are noteworthy m view of the programme of this Society to-night, in that it has been addressed by a venerable divine and an eminent professor. Among the arrangements first made by the Ohio Company was one to employ a suitable person as a public teacher, and another to employ a suitable person as a preacher of the gospel, at the settlement they were about to establish; but the company omitted or wholly neglected to employ a statesman. Perhaps they thought that with piety and learning prospering in their midst, statesmanship would spring up in their community as Minerva sprang fully equipped from the brain of Jove. But more likely they felt intuitively that every man among those sturdy pioneers was himself a statesman. The forty-eight persons who disembarked from the ' Adventure Galley ' at the mouth of the Muskingum, April 7, 1788, 183 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK had come out into the wilderness to lay the comer-stone of one of the greatest political edifices that has ever sheltered millions of brave, prosperous and hap- py freemen. They were certainly the progenitors of the state builders of the great Northwest. Within fifty years of their coming, Ohio had a million and a half of people, and had already made such rapid strides in its internal improvement, its systems of navigation, its jurisprudence, and its enlarge- ment of public education, as to become an example to some of the older states. In the promotion of those interests of the people, the wisdom of her statesmen had appeared. While Ohio was thus making a grand and glorious career for herself, some of her more adventurous citizens were pushing on into fresher fields of pioneer work, so that in the history of almost every territory we find evidences of their presence and progress. They helped to form the constitution of every new state carved out of the Northwest Territory, and to start and conduct the government thereof. For three-quarters of a century after the last war with England there was scarcely a Western state that did not have, either as a representative in Congress or as governor or as a United States senator, a son of Oliio, native or adopted. Since I have been in Con- gress, at one time there were thirty-six senators and representatives from other states who were either natives of Ohio or had lived there in their youth long enough to have their statesmanship permeated with the essence of Buck- eye civilization. Among them was one who, in youth, had directed liis course eastward and then came to Congress as a representative from the granite hills of New Hampshire; one in the Pennsylvania delegation. Another Ohioan, ' native and to the manner bom,' drawn eastward also, was one of the wittiest and most eloquent, one of the ablest and best of the legislators that ever came from this great metropolis into the halls of Congress — Sunset Cox. Other instances could be given of Ohioans who have represented the older States in Congress. Our people have not been content to spread out in one direction only. They have radiated in every direction. That is why there are so many Buckeyes here this evening. We have already penetrated back into INIassa- chusetts, where the Ohio Company originated. Governor McKinley, no doubt, would like to capture Maine early in 1896. There was a New England so- ciety which used to meet in Columbus, Ohio, when I was a youth. We never got through learning how much we owed the East. The lesson broke off about twenty-five years ago. " Mr. Chairman, I desire to quote here from an Ohio paper issued during the past week in my own city : ' Ohio has had thirty-nine governors, and the list is one that an Ohioan may view with pride. There are in the list propor- tionally as many names that figure in national history as in the same list of any other state. One of our governors, Rutherford B. Hayes, became Pres- ident. Three — Thomas Corwin, Salmon P. Chase, and Charles Foster — be- 184 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK came secretary of the treasury ; while two — Return Jonathan Meigs and Wil- liam Dennison, Jr. — became postmaster-general. Tiffin, Meigs, Worthing, Brown, Corwin, Chase, and Allen served in the United States Senate; while Huntington, Morrow, McArthur, Vance, Shannon, Convin, Mordecai Bartley, Medill, Cox, Hayes, Allen, Young, Foster and McKinley served in the lower house of Congress.' The editor has inadvertently omitted the name of one governor who served in the bigger house of Congress, James E. Campbell. We can further distinguish this list to-night by saying that it contains two prospective Presidents. Should they be entered against each other, it will be no scrub race, let me assure you. The last national administration was chiefly bom in Ohio; that is to say, the President and four members of his cabinet were. I regret to mention the fact that the present administration falls considerably below the last one, in this respect. If I say this with a sor- rowful heart and a sad voice, let no gentleman here suspect that I am thus moved solely by the refrain of personal disappointment. That one elector of ours did not count for much. " If we could collect the names of the sons of Ohio who have been the statesmen of other states, holding many of their most important state offices, and those who have represented other states in the Congress of the United States, and such as, bom or brought up in Ohio, have held high places in the executive branch of our national government, and add these to the illustrious names of all that can be truly styled Ohio statesmen, what a galaxy we should have ! Would the stars in our view in the heavens above us to-night furnish halos for them all? The statesmen from Ohio always rise to the level of the grandest occasions. But recently, on Thursday of last week, one of them proposed in the Senate of the United States to amend the calendar of our holy days. He rose with dignity and gravity, made a motion to adjourn, and eloquently alluded to the fact that ' yesterday was Ash Wednesday and to-morrow Good Friday. Certainly the Senate should adjourn over that day.' The grave and reverend senators discussed only the question as to whether there was any precedent for such action, whether the Senate of the United States ever before adjourned over Good Friday. Two boys were dis- cussing the subject of Good Friday, and one of them said to the other: ' ^Vhat is all this about Good Friday?' The other in his superior wisdom said, sneering at his companion : ' Don't you know about Good Friday ? Well, you had better go home and read your Robinson Crusoe, then,' " To recall in suitable words the various distinguished statesmen of or from Ohio, would occupy the whole of an evening, and it would require more than one grand volume to faithfully portray their noted labors and achieve- ments. " Mr. Chairman, in the State of Ohio there are no mountains, but many 185 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK hills and hillocks ; yet even from the summit of the smallest of these the Ohio statesman's vision surveys all that lies between him and the distant horizon of the whole country." [Applause.] President Strong : " The Ohio Society always observes the Sabbath day to keep it holy, but before we adjourn we have two or three telegraphic dis- patches that we would like to read. [Dispatches read.] I hope the Ohio Society feels, as its president does, that we are under many obligations for the interesting addresses that have been presented to us this evening by the gentlemen from Ohio and from Washington. I now declare this meeting ad- journed." 186 CHAPTER XI 1894—1896 AT the meeting of March 10, 1894, Governor McKinley was elected an honorary member of the Society. The April meeting, of which no date is given, and no minutes were taken, consisted of stereopticon views of Ohio scenery, and General Swayne gave a running commentary on the views. This was followed by banjo music and negro recitations by the Misses Leach. May 15th was ladies' night. The president, in opening the meeting, mentioned the honor that Ohio had lately received during the dedication cere- monies of the monument to the mother of Washington, the widow of Chief Justice Waite, of Toledo, having been called to preside on that occasion. Judge Higley, chairman of the entertainment committee, took charge of the evening's entertainment, which consisted of college songs by the University Glee Club, recitations by Mrs. Harriet Webb, and a picture exhibition of the works of Rubens and other artists. This was followed by a collation and social chat. On June 8th Mr. Foye, chairman of the house committee, on behalf of Franklin Tuttle, presented to the society the portrait of its pres- ident, William L. Strong. Dr. Beckwith and the recording secretary were appointed a committee to draft resolutions of acceptance and thanks to Mr. Tuttle for his generous gift to the Society. It was resolved to authorize Mr. Foye to arrange with Mr. Tuttle for the painting of a portrait of Colonel Moulton, one of the founders of the Society, then deceased. The last regular monthly meeting before the summer vacation was held at Morelli's, on June 11th. General Swayne, of the library committee, sug- gested that each member should contribute books especially appropriate for preservation. The features of the evAiing were two extended and impromptu yet finished addresses by Dr. Beckwith and General Swayne, the doctor's being upon the " Influence of Ohio Mothers," and the general's upon the " Eff*ect of Surroundings and Associations upon Character." During the summer an invitation was received from the commissioner of the centennial commemoration of the battle of Fort Defiance, at Defiance, Ohio, on August 8th, and the following reply sent: 187 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " New York, July 26, 1894. " At a meeting of the governing committee of the Ohio Society, held this day, we unanimously " Resolved, That the invitation extended to the Society by the Fort De- fiance centennial committee to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of Fort Defiance on the 8th day of August, 1794, was received and placed on file, and while it would be impossible for a committee of gentlemen from the Society to attend the ceremonies on that day, yet they will be with you in spirit, and join with the friends of Ohio and patriotic citizens of the Northwest in preserving the memory of General Anthony Wayne and his gal- lant associates in their struggle in defence of the Northwest Territory. Regret- ting that the Society cannot be represented by a body of gentlemen, we remain, " Very respectfully yours, " W. L. Strong, President." At the first fall meeting, held on October 8th, the following gentlemen were elected to serve on the committee for nomination of officers for the com- ing year: Chas B. Peet, chairman; George B. Hibbard, Henry B. Wilson, E. A. Follett, F. H. Kingsbury, John A. Smith, Frankhn Tuttle. The fol- lowing telegram was read, from S. S. Packard : " Nothing less than the rupture of an ear drum could keep me from you to-night, and so rejoicing with you as a strong man to run a race I say peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. — S. S. Packard." November 12th was ladies' night, and there was a large attendance. The nominating committee offered the following ticket: President, Henry L. Burnett; vice-presidents, S. S. Packard, Andrew J. C. Foye, Milton I. Southard, Geo. E. Armstrong, E. C. Bodman; secretary, Evarts L. Prentiss; recording secretary, Marion M. Mil- ler; treasurer, Leander H. Crall; trustees, Lowell M. Palmer, Richard J. Chard, Jerome D. Gillett. Relative to the honor conferred upon the Society by the election of its president, William L. Strong, to the office of mayor of New York, telegrams and letters of congratulation were read from Governor William McKinley, Senator Sherman and others, and the following resolutions offered by S. S. Packard were unanimously adopted: " 1. The Ohio Society of New York feels specialh^ honored in the selec- tion of its president to be the mayor of New York ; and our acknowledgments are due, first to the committee of seventy and the anti-Tammany organizations for recognizing in Colonel Strong the qualities which we have so long known to exist, and, next, to the thoughtful people of this city — men and women — who have so gloriously promoted his election. " 2. We believe that there has been no mistake in this election — that 188 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Colonel Strong not only possesses the spirit and desire, but the solid qualities as well, that will justify the expectations and reward the hopes of the people. " 3. While we are proud to know him as a friend and associate, and while we appreciate that simplicity of character and modesty of demeanor that make him ' one of us,' in the truest sense, we feel that the best service we can render to him and the city is to save him from the annoyance and embarrassment of personal solicitations or unsought advice and to leave his hands unfettered and his mind free to act in all the functions of his great office. " 4. And so we, the members of the Ohio Society, take this occasion to pledge to our honored president and friend our moral support in the great duties that have come to him, and to express our confidence in his abilit}' to discharge those duties, unswerved by personal considerations, and in the high- est interests of the people. " 5. We hail with unalloyed satisfaction the determination of the com- mittee of seventy and allied organizations — including Dr. Parkhurst — to re- main intact, and not to cease their vigilance untl the good work so gloriously begun shall have been so gloriously consummated." In further honor of William L. Strong as its retiring president, the fol- lowing resolution, presented by Henry L. Burnett, was unanimously adopted : " Our president having been asked ' to go higher up,' to be mayor of this great city and the representative of its good people in their war upon the corruption, the vice and crime which have so generally permeated and con- trolled its public life; now, at the close of his presidency of our Society, we deem it fitting and proper that an opportunity should be given for the mem- bers to testify their gratitude to Colonel Strong for his long and faithful ser\"- ices in that office, and their warm attachment and high regard for him as a man, to take him by the hand and say, ' God help you, and the good God keep and guide you in accomplishing the great work to which you have been called by the people.' To this end, " Be It Resolved, That a complimentary dinner be given to Colonel Strong at Delmonico's at such time as may best suit his convenience." In pursuance of the above resolution it was resolved to give the banquet on Tuesday evening, December 4th, at Delmonico's. The following members were appointed to make arrangements for the same: Banquet committee, S. S. Packard, chairman ; Henry L. Burnett, Wager Swayne, Thomas Ewing, Leander H. Crall, treasurer; Homer Lee, A. J. C. Foye, Charles B. Peet, W. S. Hawk, L. C. Hopkins, Warren Higle}^, C. G. Harraman, M. M. Miller, secretary. The special purpose of the meeting being the presentation to the Society of the fine oil portraits of the late Col. Charles W. Moulton, one of the 189 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK founders of the Society, and of President William L. Strong, mayor-elect, Warren Higley, chairman of the entertainment committee, took the chair. Speeches were delivered by Gen. Thomas Ewing, Chancellor MacCracken, C. C. Shayne, Gen. Henry L. Burnett, Col. William P. Fogg, and others. A certificate of Colonel Moulton's membership in the Army of the Tennessee was presented to the Society by Homer Lee. After a few felicitous remarks by Colonel Strong, the meeting was adjourned, and a collation served. During an interval in the social time, the members were entertained with a piano selec- tion by Miss Nellie Knapp, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The annual meeting of 1894 was held on November 30th, with President Strong in the chair. The officers proposed above were unanimously elected. After a few remarks by the retiring president, which were of a light and humorous nature, but direct from the heart, he thanked the Society for the approaching honor, it was to tender him as its retiring president and maj'^or- elect, in the banquet at Delmonico's. At the conclusion the mayor-elect said : " If I knew that this Society would tender me a banquet after my course as mayor, it would delight me beyond measure, for I prize the good opinions of my old friends in the Ohio Society more than those of any others of my fellow- citizens, as I have prized the honor of my position as president of this Society even above that of my new office." General Burnett, in assuming the gavel of the president, responded in an equally felicitous manner, engaging himself, to the best of his ability, to emulate his worthy predecessors in the office. General Ewing, General Swayne and Colonel Strong. S. S. Packard and Dr. Beckwith followed with some apt remarks. Mr. Packard, as chairman of the banquet committee, reported success in securing prominent speakers, and Mr. Crall, the treasurer, reported assur- ance of the financial success of the dinner. On motion of C. C. Shayne a vote of thanks was tendered President Strong for his services to the Society during the three terms of his office. The following extracts are from the annual report of the governing committee, made on this occasion : " Shakespeare says there are three classes of mortals who are great, namely : Those who are bom great, those who achieve greatness, and those who have greatness thrust upon them. To the first class about two hundred and fifty of our number belong. With St. Paul, we can say : we are Roman bom. To the second class fifty of our number have risen, having served in Ohio at least seven years, which, by the way, is but half the length of time Jacob was re- quired to serve Laban for his Rachel, and, for the great love he bore her, those years seemed to him but as one day. No doubt our immortals of class two esteem their sojourn in Ohio (their adopted home) as of similar brevity, 190 President from November i>9, 1894, to November ^^9, 1898 X i V )! OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK because only tlius could they have achieved their present greatness. We have no third class, although during the past year an ineffectual effort was made to establish such an order by making eligible to membership in the Ohio Society those primarily unfortunate beings not bom in Ohio, but who become fortunate through having married Ohio maidens. Had that proposal carried, we should doubtless have witnessed an alarming exodus of New York men to the Ohio land of Canaan for the purpose of capturing the Buckeye girls, whose honeymoons would have then included a ladies' night at No. 236 Fifth avenue, provided the governing committee had been able to pass upon so many applications to membership in this third class thus established. " Regarding our membership, our worthy recording secretary has fur- nished the following interesting statistics: Average years of residence in Ohio of non-native members, 19 ; longest residence in Ohio of non-native member, seventy years, namely, ex-Senator Henry B. Payne, bom in New York state; shortest resident in Ohio of native member, two years, namely, James M. Johnson, of Denver, Col., born in Bolivar, O. The oldest native Ohio born member is P. D. Hall, formerly of Akron, now of New York city, who is about ninety years of age. The youngest native Ohio bom member, so far as can be gleaned from the records, is Paul Worth Smith, of Oxford, Ohio, age about twenty. Our members come from eighty-four places in Ohio, as follows : Sixty from Cincinnati, 41 from Cleveland, 19 from Columbus, 9 from Mansfield, 8 each from Wooster and Youngstown, 7 each from Akron, Marietta, Steubenville and Toledo, 5 each from Springfield and Zanesville, and 1, 2, 3 or 4 each from the other seventy-two places. The governing committee is about to lose one of its number — our retiring president — who is called to higher honors and more important public duties. We lose him with sincere regret. He Avas our most punctual member, because our regular meetings have been held in his bank at the close of banking hours, and he could not get away. Nearly thirty years have elapsed since Ohio saved our country, for we all agree that she did save it. It has remained for an Ohio man to save our adopted city, the metropolis of our country. We pray that God may help him in his herculean task, and we promise him our united and our individual support in his great undertaking. " Since the immortal Lincoln's time — thirty years ago — only one presi- dent of the United States has been selected who was not an Ohio man, and that one bears the name of one of Ohio's great cities. In all probability, many persons voted for Cleveland because they had an idea that, bearing such a name, he was an Ohio man. It looks now, however, as if the Ohio order of things will be wholly resumed in 1896, when one of our immortals of the first class will take charge of the White House, for, even if McKinley's star shall wane, there are many others shining brilliantly, some of the first magnitude, 191 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK as, for instance, Harrison, Thurman, Allison, Campbell, Sherman and Strong, saying nothing of Ewing and Swayne, Burnett and Brice, Foraker and West, and, as in Sisera's conflict of old, described in Holy Writ, these bright, partic- ular, Oliio-bom stars, in their courses, shall fight against the stars from all other states, and surely one from Ohio's constellation shall eclipse the rest. In any event, the Ohio Society is prepared to furnish a man on tap whenever public office seeks the man and when the man does not seek the office, for it is admitted even by our enemies that Ohio never or seldom takes what she cannot reach." The report of the secretary was as follows : " To the president and mxembers of the Ohio Society of New York : Re- membering the able and comprehensive report made by his predecessor, the present incumbent of the office of secretary, after performing for one year its honorary but not onerous duties, has reached the conclusion that the chief, if not the only, remaining active function of the secretary's office is that of present- ing a report. If the report now off*ered seems to any one meagre in its state- ment of facts, the secretai-y begs that the members of the Society will kindly attribute that deficiency to those circumstances which have led him to the con- clusion mentioned. " Keeping the roll of members is one of the constitutional duties of the secretary. The few changes which have taken place, except by the addition of newly elected members, have made this duty easy and pleasant. I apprehend that this is due in good part to a policy which I believe has been long pursued by our worthy treasurer, and that is: never to drop a member from the list if it can be avoided. And whether a man wishes to resign or not, our esteemed brother is not disposed to consider a member's wishes in this respect, but con- tinues to revive his flagging interest from time to time by gentle monetary communications, accompanied by an extract from the constitution. That extract sets forth the fate of one who becomes delinquent in his dues. Most of the members have probably never obser\^ed this extract, for our kind-hearted financier has it printed on the back of his communication, as I am informed, so that it shall not be seen. By such gracious conduct of his office he makes light the secretary's duty in keeping the roll of members, and succeeds as well in making reports with which no other officer can hope to compete. " Every report, to be a report, should, I suppose, have some figures in it. Here are a few. The Ohio Society now numbers 4 honorary members, 253 resident members, 69 non-resident members ; total, 326. We have represented fifty-five counties, Hamilton county furnishing the largest delegation, with sixty-one members, and Cuyahoga county the next, with fifty-one members. There are thirty-three counties in Ohio wliich are not, but ought to be, repre- sented in this Society. 192 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK " I remember a gentleman reading a paper before this Society, some years ago, in which he several times made the suggestive and pointed asser- tion, ' We need more members and we need more money.' That assertion seems to be quite as pertinent now as it was then ; for the question still remains, how are we to get more members, and how are v/e to keep them? " I conceive that the two amendments proposed to our constitution at the last meeting of the Society would to some extent answer this question. The amendment by which a reduction would be made in the dues of non- resident members ought to result in diminishing the number of resignations from the roll of such members and in adding to it many new names. There is another amendment providing for a special class of non-resident members, composed of gentlemen of the Oliio press, who shall furnish us with their papers or periodicals, this class of members being excused from dues. Such a measure would, if I am not mistaken, add greatly to the influence and repu- tation of the Society in Ohio and to its strength and interest here. The ex- pense would practically amount to nothing more than that incurred for the extra number of notices and year books which would be required and the post- age upon the same. " I found in my last visit to Ohio, and have ascertained from Ohio men here with whom I have talked, that the Society is quite widely and favorably known in our mother state. We can say, without boasting, that the past of the Society is at least secure. For the good of our future, it is important that the favorable reputation of the Ohio Society of New York should be spread, and it should be spread on the soil where Buckeyes are planted and grow and from whence we must transplant them here and in years to come get that tim- ber which has become so highly prized in the interior adornment of municipal and federal buildings in the East. " Many of the friends of the Society beheve that it would gain in each Ohio editor who would accept the terms of membership an earnest advocate of its aim and success. Receiving notices of the meetings from month to month, and having his name enrolled in the year book as one of its members, he would give the Society frequent and favorable mention in his journal and so bring it prominently before his readers. Being an editor, and acquainted with all the news of his locality, he would know the men in his community who, in Major McKinley's felicitous phrase, propose to ' hustle down East,' and he would certainly counsel such men, when they get to New York to join his Society, if they get an opportunity. The amendment proposed off'ers other advantages to the Society. " I am told that there are some of our members who call regularly at these rooms to look at the Ohio papers, which have been sent to us so gener- ously by our loyal newspaper friends in Ohio. I am sure additional files would 193 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK attract other members here and would afford frequent occasion for bringing some of the members together here and for promoting more active interest in the Society. The country editor we all know is in a sense the historian of his village and county. An Ohio editor, in the course of an exchange of letters with me recently, incidentally mentioned the fact that he was the secretary of an historical society which is one of the oldest in Ohio, and he offered to get and send to me such interesting historical matter as he could relating to his locality and his society. I dare say there are other journalists who, if they were members and advised of the historical objects of this Society, would put themselves in the way of getting for us interesting historical and descriptive literature and relics to place upon the shelves of our library and to hang upon our walls. " The progress of the Society, in general as well as in detail, having been faithfully narrated in the reports presented by the other officers and committees, the secretary asks the Society to exercise toward him some degree of leniency for having consumed its time in a report which seems to be of things he has conceived might be rather than of things pertaining to his office, which he has done or left undone, and he respectfully submits the same for their merciful consideration. " EvARTS L. Prentiss, Secretary** The banquet given by the Society at Delmonico's to the Hon. William L. Strong, mayor-elect of the city of New York, occurred on December 4, 1894. The gentlemen already named had the matter in charge, and were assisted by a reception committee constituted as follows : David Homer Bates, H. B. Brundrett, H. A. Glassford, H. H. Hobbs, H. H. Brockway, Fulton McMahon, C. C. Shayne, W. H. Caldwell, F. H. Kingsbury, F. C. Train, A. W. Follett, Frank M. Foye. There were six tables in addition to that devoted to the distinguished guests. At table A, George E. Armstrong sat at the head and William L. Brown at the foot; at table B, Andrew J. C. Foye and Leander H. Crall; at C, S. S. Packard and William S. Hawk; at D, Milton I. Southard and Homer Lee; at E, E. C. Bodman and Warren Higley ; at F, D. H. Bates and L. C. Hopkins. Gen. Henry L. Burnett, president and toastmaster, was flanked on the right by the following gentlemen: Hon. William L. Strong, Hon. Seth Low, Gen. Nelson A. Miles, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, Hon. William J. Wallace, Hon. Clarence Lexow, Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, Gen. Thomas Ewing. On the left by Hon. William McKinley, Hon. John W. GofF, Hon. William R. Merriam, Hon. Calvin S. Brice, St. Clair McKelway, Joseph Larocque, Rev. Dr. Charles H. Babcock, Gen. Wager Swayne. This notable gathering of friends to do honor to one of their number 194 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK who had been elevated to high office after a campaign of great excitement can best be introduced by the following from the New York Tribune of the fol- lowing day: " In periods of political excitement the sonorous and good old Indian name of the Buckeye state, Ohio, is greatly liked by Republicans, and the Democrats do not like it at all. But when the Ohio men in this city come to- gether at dinner, as they do generally once a year in February, political differ- ences are not much thought of, and Democrats and Republicans alike cheer each other. The members of the Ohio Society this year forestalled their an- nual banquet by at least two months, and had a big complimentary dinner last evening in honor of Mayor-elect Strong. About two hundred of the sons of Ohio, the great majority of whom do not and never did hold an office, gath- ered in Delmonico's and cheered with enthusiasm whenever Colonel Strong's name was mentioned by any of the speakers. At a certain period of the evening, a little before the speaking began, some ladies came in, among them Mrs. Strong, and seats were found for them in the orchestra. Their handsome appearance formed an attractive background to the nicely arranged display of flags and bunting behind which they sat. S. S. Packard, who presided at one of the tables, jumped to his feet and waved his handkerchief, which was a signal for everybody else to do likewise, and this demonstration of welcome was supplemented by a hearty outburst of cheering. " The tables were arranged at right angles to the long one, at which the chairman sat, and at the head of each one of these tables sat one of the vice-presidents of the Society, and at the other end one of the members of the dinner committee. Buckeye brown ribbons across the shirt front were worn by the members of the dinner committee, and a handsome souvenir, to which was glued an imitation buckeye, was carefully put away by each one as a memento of the occasion." The announced list of speakers and toasts was as follows: President Henry L. Burnett, Toastmaster. Mayor-elect William L. Strong, Guest. 1. President Seth Low, of Columbia College. " Can a City be Governed on Business Principles.'"' 2. Rev. Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst. " Eternal Vigilance, the Price of Purity." 3. St. Clair McKelway, of the Brooklyn Eagle. " The Greater New York." 4. Hon. John W. Goff. " Let There Be Light." 5. Joseph Larocque, Esq. " The Committee of Seventy." 195 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The proceedings in full were as follows : President Burnett : " Fellow Members of the Ohio Society and Guests : " At the close of Colonel Strong's presidency of our Society, and as he was about to enter upon his duties as mayor of this great city, a universal desire was expressed that an opportunity should be given for all the members to meet him and take him by the hand; to express to him their gratitude for his long and manifold services to the Society, their esteem and affection for him as a man, and to declare their faith to the people of this city from their intimate knowledge of the man, that he wiU resolutely, cleanly and wisely dis- charge the duties of the important office to which he has been called. " And our Society feels that under the circumstances it has a peculiar and special interest in this job — ^this cleaning of the Tanmiany augean stable, and a good honest business government for our city. " Coming here from our native state of Ohio, becoming citizens of this great city and state, rearing and educating our children under the city's government, its laws and influences, intending to live out our lives and work out our fortunes in your midst, we feel that we have as deep and abiding an interest in the prosperity, the good name, and honor of this great imperial city as any one bom within her walls ; and is it presumption in us to say that the descendants of the Revolutionary heroes and soldiers who in old Massa- chusetts formed the first Ohio Society and emigrated to and took up their homes on the banks of the beautiful river, and carved out their fortunes and a great empire there ; is it ' cheek ' in us, as our friend Mr. Depew or Mr. Choate might say, that we now, having returned and taken up our homes among you, have taken and propose to continue to take actively and earnestly a hand in the job of securing good government for the city of our adoption? But taking a hand may mean one thing to the average New York politician and a very different thing to a member of the Ohio Society. Touching Colonel Strong's election, one of the first acts of the Society, feeling that we were all warm personal friends of his, was to pass a resolution unanimously that no personal appeals should be made to him for office or favor by any member; that he should not be burdened or annoyed by applications or im- portunities by any of his friends of his old Society; that our duty and our work, yea, our pleasure, lay in uniting with all the good citizens in moral sup- port of his administration, in aiding him to begin and carry through all genuine reforms, to enforce the law, to strengthen and support his arms in bearing high the banner of non-partisan and pure municipal government. We seek no offices, nor solicit them for our friends. Of course, even an Ohio man cannot help taking an office now and then if it is thrust upon him. " But, turning from the Society to our guest. Colonel Strong. He is known well by every member of the Society, and in its nine years of existence 196 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK no man has been more active or liberal in advancing its welfare, no member so well known and loved by all the ' boys.' We are all his warm friends, not only now that high office has been thrust upon him, but during all the time he has been with us and one of us. " Some of our members have known him intimately since his boyhood out in Ohio, some associated with him for years in business. Those who have known him longest love him best. He has in the Society not one enemy, nor a lukewarm friend. " Colonel Strong has in him good stuff for mayor. The committee of seventy builded wiser than it knew, Mr. Larocque, when it selected him as the standard-bearer of the great army of the people in their attack upon Tam- many and storming of their entrenched positions in the offices of this city. " We who know him well know that he is strong and resolute of will and tenacious of purpose. He is essentially honest-minded, honest in thought and action; honest with others, honest with himself; slow and deliberate in his mental operations; a judgment that waits on information, and yet at times astonishing his friends by the quickness and accuracy of his intuitions. " If a question of policy or administration new to him were to be pre- sented, he would probably be slow to answer. He would hear and like to hear from men whose intelligence and character he respected all they had to say upon the subject; and then, well, he'd think it over. " While in quite a large measure he has something of that equable temper and stolid sturdy nature of Grant, he can and will at times be impatient and say ' no ' with vehemence. This will occur when suggestions are made to him of action or administration that violate or run counter to his conviction of right; and on questions of right he will not always agree with the theorists. Like Lincoln, he is no idealist. ' The right which he sees will be a practical right, a right which can be compassed.' " He is sturdy, inflexible, honest always. " His active business life of forty years in this great city has made him a good judge of men — of character. A busy, active, hard-working merchant for many years, president of a large bank, director of one of the most im- portant life insurance companies of this country, and director of one of the great trunk line railroads, he has been thoroughly schooled in the city's com- merce, its property interests, its finances, and its transportation. He knows, as few men know, the city's needs and its resources. He is well equipped for the work before him. " Finally, 3'ou will find him warm of heart, a ' kindly man among his kind,' in close touch and sympathy with the plain people and all who toil ; and also you will find that in digging out corruption, the vile and vicious from their lurking places, he will have long and sharp nails, but clean hands. And he 197 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK has that rare quality most valuable in places of power in public or private life — uncommon common sense. I introduce Col. Strong." Mayor Strong said : " About forty years ago, in Ohio, Mr. President and brother Buckeyes, I attended a little dinner, I think of about twenty-five or thirty people, and we had nothing to eat but bear meat (laughter), and that is why the dinner was given. We had got a bear. Now, gentlemen, from the looks of these tables and the absence of provisions, you have changed the order — have taken the meat away and left the dishes bare. This is a distinction with a difference. (Laughter and applause.) " Gentlemen, I am quite at a loss to know just how to handle myself on this occasion. You ' boys ' have got the advantage of me. In the first place, I don't think that I feel in the best humor. I suppose I understand the reason. As soon as m}'^ nomination was made for mayor, this Ohio Society had a meet- ing and elected a nominating committee to name a new president, and no sooner was I elected mayor than they kicked me out. " I was one of the charter members of this Society, and, strange as it may seem, I have been an officer ever since it was formed, until last Friday night, when, on account of having been elected mayor, I was reduced to the ranks. I did not know before that an Ohio man is never allowed to take office without being kicked out of all the societies of which he is a member. I have already left two, I believe — not left, but quietly been shuffled out just as I have been out of the presidency of this Society. I never did quite know why this dinner was gotten up, unless it was to buy me off ! I suspect that one or two of my friends sitting here on my right said, ' We will give the Colonel a nice Del- monico banquet, and that will make it all right.' " But, gentlemen, the tender recollections that will hover around the Ohio Society while I am in the ranks will not make me any the less zealous for its success. I shall be delighted always to have the pleasure of being with you at your meetings, for I know of no place where a real genuine Buckeye can have quite so good a time as he can at 236 Fifth avenue. " I am rather inclined to think that after the fulsome discourse of your president, my mouth is pretty well sealed. I cannot afford to say much. My own impression is that in about three years from now you gentlemen will be mighty sorry that you gave me this dinner. (Laughter.) In olden times, as you remember, they put laurel wreaths on the brows of their heroes when they returned from battle; and when the statesman had accomplished some great good for the state he was similarly honored. But you have reversed the order. And more than this, you seem determined to dine and wine me until you make me entirely unfit to take the position to which you have elected me. I say ' you,' for I have not seen a man in the Ohio Society who did not vote for me. In fact, I have seen but two men in the city of New York who said they didn't ! 198 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Now, 3^our president referred to a resolution gotten up by my friend, Mr. Packard, and unanimously adopted for the purpose of not embarrassing me after I got into the office, saying in substance that no member of the Ohio Society should ask for an appointment either for himself or for another. Well, you will remember there was one gentleman who hurried out before that resolu- tion was read, and came back and voted for it. He had seen me; but as all applications that have been made to me have been made under the sacred seal of confidence, I shall call no names. " During the campaign there was a little thing occurred that I will relate here. I may have mentioned it to some of my friends of the Ohio Society ; and I am sorry our friend is not here to testify to its truth. He was making a speech at Cooper Institute, and was describing the immense hospitality of his candidate for mayor, as he had enjoyed it down at the seashore. He said we sat on the piazza with the broad ocean before us and about two fingers of sarsaparilla in our glasses. Well, the next morning, there were four or five gentlemen from the East Side who came to the bank, and one of them said, ' Now, look here, Mr. Strong, you must call that man off.' ' That man ' was Mr. Fred. Taylor. ' You must call him right off. No more sarsaparilla in this campaign. It may do well enough to run a bank, or a dry goods business, but when you get into the mayor's chair, you must have something a little more tony than sarsaparilla.' (Laughter.) " Gentlemen, it is useless for me to try to express my feelings on this occa- sion. I could not do it. The compliment you have paid me is more than I can stand." (Cheers and much applause.) President Burnett: "In the early days of Louis XLV., to those who doubted his future Cardinal Mazarin declared ' that they did not know him, and that there was stuff enough in him to make four kings and an honest man.' I think we may say of Colonel Strong that he has in him the stuff for four ordinary mayors and always an honest man left over. " In the experiment of the government of cities upon business principles, there has been one eminent example in this country. That was Brooklyn, under the administration of a gentleman present with us to-night, and to all students of municipal administration that example has been pointed out as one conspicuous in its success — as successful as was possible under the great body of law under which that municipality had to be administered, a body of law not formed for independent or business government, but passed by each party when in power more or less in its own interests. Of that administration and the ex- perience of that gentleman, we shall hear to-night. There has been added to the wealth of our hoardings his citizenship — he has become a part of New York, thank God ! (Applause.) He is now at the head of our great institution of learning, Columbia College, and he gives to it the wealth of his knowledge 199 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and experience — not only that, but is training up our young Americans, the heirs presumptive and the heirs apparent of this great repubhc, who are so soon to enter into their royal inheritance, and teaching them high standards of civic duty. " I have the honor to introduce President Low." Seth Low said : " Mr. President and Glentlemen of the Ohio Society : It is very good of you to permit a mere New Yorker to be present on this occasion of your rejoicing, and yet I must remind you that New York, cosmopolitan New York, was true to her best self when she followed the leadership of Colonel Strong to victory a week or two ago. It is at once the strength and the glory of this city that she takes that which is good from all other parts of this Union and makes it a part of her own life and her own power. " I confess, gentlemen, to being surprised at one thing that I have heard since being here. I do not know how it may be with college students, but college presidents who are worth anytliing are always ready to learn. And I have learned with amazement that the Ohio Society has determined that no other Ohio man shall hold office in the city of New York. I had supposed that the Ohio man went into his back-j^ard every day and put his ear to the ground to see if he could not hear his country calhng him. (Great laughter and applause.) But it is evident that we of New York only partially under- stand the Ohio man, even now. Nevertheless, I knew him well enough, Mr. President, to be confident, when I learned that Colonel Strong was an Ohio man, that he would be elected. A long and careful watchfulness of political events in this country had led me to believe that the ordinary man who faces a man from Ohio, either in battle or in a pohtical contest, deserves the comment of the locomotive engineer who observed a bull charging his engine. He said, ' I admire your pluck, but I must condemn your judgment.' " But, gentlemen, I have been asked whether it is possible to conduct a city upon business principles. If I shall not discourage the mayor-elect, I should say in some senses j^es, and in some senses no. To try to make clear the sense in which other elements come into such a task than those which a man is accustomed to in business, I must recall a conversation that I had with Mr. Beecher after I had sat in the mayor's office of Brooklyn for two or three years. He said, ' Well, Mr. Mayor, how are the politicians feeling.'' ' ' Well,' I said, ' Mr. Beecher, I do not know that I am very good authority on that point. If I were to make a guess, I should say that those who are in office feel all right, and those who are out are a little discontented.' (Laughter.) Well, he laughed, and said it reminded him of what he used to see in Indiana when he was located there. In those days large droves of hogs wandered around, and in winter-time ate the mast, the acorns that fell from the trees ; and when cold weather came they all gathered up into a bunch. ' Now,' he said, ' Mr. 200 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Low, it is most singular, but I never saw such a bunch of those interesting ani- mals where the inside hog did not appear to be perfectly quiescent and satisfied, while the whole outer ring was in a state of discontent.' Of course, if I had not heard of the resolution passed by the Ohio Society, I should not have ventured to tell the anecdote in this presence. (Renewed laughter.) That is to say, gentlemen, that in the government of a city elements do enter — whether they should or not, they do enter — into the problem that do not attach themselves to the conduct of a private business. What seems to me to differentiate public life from private in any capacity is this, that in public life there exists an organized opposition that tries to make you fail just as much when you ought to succeed as when you deserve to fail. It does not want you to succeed, because if you succeed you gather prestige and power that may be dangerous to the opposition. Now a business man has competition to face, but he does not have that ; and it is an influence that necessarily affects public life and differentiates it in some respects from any private occupation. I found that public life was a life of Rembrandt effects. The lights are very strong and bright. What can be more stirring to the heart of a man competent to feel it than the applause of a great metropolis like this.'' On the other hand, what is more trying than the criticism of your neighbors ; the falsehoods that often circulate about men charged with difficult and responsible duties.'' One has to steel himself against it, to bear himself as though he were absolutely unconscious of all these false things that are being said, and that is why I say that it is a life of Rembrandt effects. The shadows are dark because the light that casts them is very bright. But there is a sense, gentlemen, in which a city can be administered on business principles, I am sure. But before I approach that let me try to make clear to you by a historical survey what I conceive to be the overwhelming signifi- cance of the election of our friend. In 1814 the mayor of the city of New York was not an elective officer. He was appointed by the State Council of Appointment, a body that consisted of the governor of the state and of four senators chosen by the lower house of the legislature. A body so composed re- moved from the mayor's office of New York city in 1814 so considerable a man as De Witt Clinton, who a few years later constructed the Erie Canal. They put into his place the then president of the Tammany Society, under an ar- rangement by which that gentleman was to receive in a few weeks from the national government the appointment of surveyor of the port of New York, when he was to be succeeded by still a different man. The bargain was carried out to the letter. In other words, away back there in 1814 the city was used as a pawn in the game of national politics. That was at a time when the mayor was not elected, therefore it did not involve universal suffrage ; it was at a time when there had not been any very great and marked immigration, therefore it did not involve the question of the foreign vote. It simply illustrates how deep- 201 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK seated among Americans is the habit of allowing their cities to be second in their thoughts — or rather it showed the habit of that day, of using the city, as I said, as a pawn in the game of national politics. Now what followed? That incident and others like it led men to say, ' Well, this State Council of Appoint- ment will do such a thing because it is not local to the city, but if the city could select its own mayor, then the interests of the city would be paramount.' So in 1821, when the constitution of the state was revised, they gave the election of mayor to the common council. But lo ! when the mayor was chosen in that way the common council did the same thing — the city was second. It was always an influence, a ' make-weight ' in some national or state enterprise, and so men said, ' Well, if the people of the city were to choose their own mayor, then the interests of the city would be paramount indeed,' and so in 1835 the mayor of the city of New York was elected by the people for the first time. Then what happened.'' Why, precisely the same thing went on, and from that day until the last election the people of the city of New York have subordi- nated the welfare of the city to their interest in state or national politics ; and therefore the great significance of our victory on election day, it seems to me, is this, that for the first time in the history of this city large numbers of the majority party have said, ' We are going to stand for the welfare of New York city if it wrecks our party in the state and nation forever.' ( Applause. ) Just think of it! Two years ago the Democratic party gave their candidate for mayor a majority of over 70,000, and Colonel Strong is elected by 45,000. (Cries of ' Good! ') I want to say, gentlemen, that that gives the new mayor a great opportunity and lays upon him an equal obligation. For the first time the people of New York at the ballot-box have said to their mayor, ' You must be mayor of New York before you are a partisan.' (Applause.) It is the very first time that this great city in all its history has delivered that message to its chief magistrate. " I hope that in this presence and on this occasion I may venture to illus- trate the rest of my theme out of my own experience. I think I knew the busi- ness of Brooklyn during the period of my mayoralty as well as A. T. Stewart knew his business. The foundation of that knowledge was this device to which I resorted. I opened a complaint-book in my office. Whenever I received a complaint from any citizen, high or low, it was acknowledged by a postal-card saying that the complaint had been received and had been refen*ed to the proper department for investigation. The complaint was then forwarded to the department with a request that they would examine and report. If the answer stated that the complaint was either not well founded or admitted of no remedy, the citizen who made it was given that information, with the oppor- tunity to point out to me, if he pleased, in a conference whether the department was right or wrong in its judgment. If the department said that the complaint OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK would be attended to, the citizen who made it received a postal-card saying that such and such a department had said his complaint would be attended to and the trouble remedied in a few days ; would he be kind enough to report to the mayor's office whether it was done or not? Now under that system I knew whether the street-cleaning was well done, just as the barometer shows the pressure of the air. The whole population of the city was on watch. I am sorry to say that the street-cleaning was not always well done, but, neverthe- less, the complaints varied, and they varied as to tlie section of the city they came from just in proportion to the thoroughness and effectiveness of the work that was being done at that time by the department. It gave me the judgment of the city, the current judgment of the people, as to the actual working and efficiency of the department. That is something that can be done by any man. But I had one advantage which Colonel Strong has not yet, by law, but which he will have, I am sure, if the will of the people is carried out. I had the oppor- tunity to appoint every head of department, and therefore I was able to make an administration which I was not only willing to be responsible for, but for which I was obliged to be responsible. The heads of departments met in my office every Wednesday to go over the minutes of the common council. Not a resolution was passed by that body during all my term that was not subjected to the criticism of the entire city government, and it was not an infrequent thing that one department would throw a side-light on a matter touching an- other. This charter brought about unity in the city government. It made it work as one, instead of expecting efficiency from a machine that consisted of so many separate departments. Now let me point out to you that under such a charter as New York has at this moment the Tammany Society, wuth its control of all the departments, has been the only force making for unity and efficiency in the city government. How could you conduct a great mill, how could you conduct a great business, if the head of every department w^as free to, do his will without any reference to the next man, perhaps engaged in an amiable effort to thwart him just when he ought to succeed? I have known departments to be attacking each other in the public press because each commissioner felt himself supreme in his owm sphere. I have sometimes thought that the so- called boss justified his existence more in that direction than in any other, in that by his common control over all the officials he has brought unity to the administration of the system. But it is a far better way to get your unity hand in hand with responsibility, and not put it into the pocket of an irrespon- sible party chieftain. (Applause.) That is why the mayor of a city ought to have the power to appoint his heads of departments and the power to remove them; because, just as soon as you put a department into the hands of a man out of sympathy with the chief executive, your machine begins to inin like a stage-coach with a shoe on the wheel. You might as well expect the heavenly 203 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK bodies to keep out of collision without the law of gravity as to expect unity and efficiency in administration' from a charter that divides up administration into a lot of departments, the head of everyone of which feels independent of the mayor and of everybody else. Just look at the situation as it exists. Assuming that no such law is possible, how can Colonel Strong carry on the city government with every department in the hands of men attempting to thwart him at every step.'' Therefore, it seems to me that if you are to have business principles in the conduct of the mayor's office, you have got to organize your city government on business principles. Those principles are very simple as they apply to this case. Wherever executive work is to be done, put it in the hands of one man. Our forefathers did not make a non-partisan commission to administer the war department ; they did not do it to administer the post-office department ; they did not do it to administer the treasury depart- ment. They acted in accordance with that principle which the experience of mankind has universally sustained. Why, the Romans had eleven aqueducts to supply their city with water, and all of those aqueducts were under the charge of a single man. No people have ever illustrated magnificent adminis- tration in affairs of government better than they. There is another principle as simple as that: that in a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom. Wherever the work is discretionary rather than executive, have a board ; but where it is executive in the main, have one man. I see it stated that we cannot have a single head for the police department, because they have charge of the elec- tions. Don't let them have charge of the elections, then, and appoint a board for that purpose, and let it be a board that has no other business ; then it can be watched effectively; and let the pohce commissioner run the poHce. The two things do not necessaril}'^ go together. They do not go together as matter of fact in Brooklyn ; and they need not go together in New York. Now, gen- tlemen, if we expect a successful administration from our new mayor — and we do expect it and pray for it, and we will help you to effect it. Colonel Strong — if we are to take that attitude, let us see to it that the mayor has a business charter to administer, and give him conditions under which business principles can be expected to work out good results." (Much applause.) President Burnett: " Our banquet committee knew who were our friends and friends of the people. Mr. Packard, Mr. Foye, Mr. Crall and Mr. Lee exercised a very wise discretion when they said to themselves, * There are many men in this city who at this time will have a message to dehver to the people, and this will be a fitting occasion for that message to be delivered.' And we thank President Low for that message which he has delivered to the people of New York and this state. " I am sorry to find that President Low, like many Eastern people, has not yet quite comprehended an Ohio man. While it is true we have passed a 204 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK resolution that we will neither for ourselves nor our friends add to the burden of our friend and late president by soliciting favors from him, we have not passed on to that point where we have said that when the good people of New York come in a body and ' snatch an Ohio man by the scruff of his neck ' as it were from his retirement, and say, ' You must serve us,' that he will refuse. Oh, no, that's not the kind of patriots we are. " In the great powers of government the second, if not the first, power in the state is the press. We little, perhaps, comprehend how much our daily action is governed by what we read in our daily papers, how much our actions ai'e based and our ideas formed upon what we there read, and I am sorry to say that the editors of papers — papers are not turned out merely by machinery, but with some great informing mind behind each sheet — do not comprehend the power they wield or the duty that rests upon their shoulders. In modem days, I am glad to say, many of the great papers of the country are rising to the occasion and are independently and honestly trying to lead and inform the people. Conspicuous among those editors, it is honor due to state, there has been one independent editor in Brooklyn who has independently voiced the de- mands of the people. That editor is with us to-night, and from him we would like to hear upon one special subject, and a Httle upon the subject I have just spoken of. We have thought here in New York that New York ought to be before the world as great as she is in fact, one of the great imperial cities of the world. We have held out the hand to Brooklyn to come in and be a part of the Greater New York. Brooklyn, for some reason which we have not quite com- prehended, has been coy in this mating. Why this has been so we do not quite understand, and our friend and great editor, St. Clair McKelway, will tell us something about it." (Much applause.) Mr. McKelway said : " Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : " When Mr. Packard, the man with the marble brow and the glad hand, summoned me to this duty, and when I read that General Burnett was to pre- side on this occasion, I said, ' I have always been able to deal with my tra- ducers, but for once I will be at the mercy of my introducers.' The tribute which the General pays to the editor of the morning newspaper can be endorsed by me because I am the editor of an evening newspaper. He says very truly that the newspapers are not brought out merely by machinery. In truth, if machines had their way newspapers would not be brought out at all. (Laugh- ter.) A citizen of Brooklyn — a citizen, as I may say, of East New York — addressing the Ohio Society in West Brooklyn, feels that sense of geographical derangement which an applicant for the far too hasty naturalization until lately disbursed at the City Hall felt when he unhesitatingly swore without the fear of the Lexow committee or its counsel before his eyes, that he was the £05 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK son of an Irish mother and a French father, who was born on a Dutch sloop under the Spanish flag in Chinese waters. (Laughter.) Such a juxtaposition of ethnological circumstances is like the Ohio idea in New York. Now, if that great state is not satisfied, what in the world does it want.'' It has the mayor- alty of the metropolis ; it has the third senator from this commonwealth (laughter), and when Colonel Strong pathetically spoke about the election of a new president. Governor McKinley loudly applauded. With such a cinch as this in possession and in perpetuity, all the real estate should belong to the Buckeye commonwealth, because the meek shall inherit the earth. " I remember, gentlemen, the first output of the Ohio idea in this city. It was on the morning of the l-ith of April, 1865. I then, as a law student in the office of Samuel Blatchford, mingled with the thousands — I might say with the millions — that crowded these streets, heart beating against heart, eye inters rogating eye, because of a calamity that had fallen on our nation. No longer was a President going to power amid the falling pillars of a dissolving Union. The Union had been saved, but the magnitude of the achievement, in the death of a great President, had been forgotten. Many were the words that were spoken in front of the custom-house that day, whose pillars patriotic hands had before covered with emblems of mourning. Some of them were words that lashed the heart to fury, but the words that were most appropriate were those words spoken and to be recalled now of one man, himself so little known that his name had to be told by Mr. Wadsworth, the chairman, to the throng, and as he stood there, master of his mind and, therefore, master of men's souls that day, he said that the act of a bravo was not the crime of a section, that although the President was dead, God reigned and the government at Washington still lived. And from the pronunciation of that Ohio idea, men went away heavy of heart, but with reason redominating them at that time. Some years after- ward, that very man, for the offence of desiring to place an agent of his own choice in that building from whose steps he had stilled the wrath of men, was himself violently assassinated. That was the chmax of the spoils system in America. Last November was the climax of the anti-spoils system in the city of New York. Will the people of New York resent dictation to their mayor- elect from political bosses, as they were prepared to resent dictation to the President, had not death sealed his efforts on the threshold of his office.'' I be- lieve that with Colonel Strong's motto of bear and forbear his administration will be a success, especially if in sarsaparilla only he keeps loaded for bear during the three years of his office. " I was surprised at your chairman declaring that the function of a col- lege president was to teach young ideas how to shoot. Manifestly it is to teach them how to kick. But I was not surprised when President Low solemnly warned the mayor-elect not to look for any office. The next governorship is OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK reserved for the other side of the river. Thus, by easy stages, I approach my text. " I have been asked to talk about Greater New York. New York is al- ready great. The achievements of New York energy almost equal Brooklyn Heights. New York can be made and kept greater, can remain and become Greater New York. This project and this duty have nothing whatever to do with consolidation. Great is a word of moral, and not of material import. It has become associated with consolidation by a lust for largeness, by a beatifica- tion of bigness, by a sometimes maudlin and a sometimes morbid mouthing of the meritoriouness of mere magnitude. It may or it may not bring about consolidation, but whether or not it does on that ground, it will not bring it about with the most commendable motive. There may be moral reform and economic arguments for consolidation that I shall here neither affirm nor deny, but I have to say that this lust for mere largeness which I have spoken of is not sentimental, but sordid. It is characteristic more of speculators than of statesmen, more of demagogues than of wise politicians. The populous cities of this world have been inland cities — ^London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Old Rome, of the magnitude of which, and of the home-rule principle of one-man- power in which, President Low has spoken; earlier than that, Babylon and Nineveh — perhaps earlier than that Jerusalem and the other cities in the Holy Land. This may or may not be a law. If it is a law, a temporary spurt against it will not permanently avail. My own duty toward consolidation I shall consider where it meets me, where I live. My object in addressing you to-night is to show that great New York can become Greater New York mainly if not only by what New Yorkers do in New York and for New York. That may he retarded or opposed at Alban}^ It cannot be long defeated there. It may be retarded or interfered with by politicians. They cannot long stand in the way of it. There is only one thing additional to what you have now that you really need in the way of laws, and that is a home-rule charter, giving your mayor the power to appoint all heads of departments as we have in Brooklyn ; giving your mayor, as we have not in Brooklyn, the power, for cause and on hearing, himself to remove all heads of departments, with no appeal from his act except to the people who made him. There is a duty that you owe to this man, and that is the duty of organization, of continued organization, of moral and sympathetic support. Your enemies will teach you a lesson in that respect. They are as well organized now for the next fight as they were for the last fight. The devil always sleeps, if at all, with one eye open. The spoilsmen are alwaj's ready and always organized. Good men generally dream or snore between elections. If you will systematize, organize, perpetuate, and in all moral and earnest ways keep alive the enthusiasm and the energy which you displayed in November, the future of New York beyond the three years of the 207 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK term of this man will be as secure as during the three years you have elected him to large duties, to great opportunities, to corresponding obligations, and to immense responsibilities. You can fritter away your triumph. One way will be a dispute between the Seventy and the Good Government Clubs as to which did the more to gain the victory. It was gained by both ; it was gained for neither. ( Cries of ' Good !' ) It was gained for all the people. It was gained as truly for those who opposed it and whom it delivered as it was for those who won it and who thereby dehvered themselves. Now they say you are going to have opposition at Albany. You probably wiU. A Brooklyn man speaking to an audience hke this feels like a member of the church trium- phant addressing the members of the church militant, and thus addressing your militant spirit let me teU you only to want what is right in Albany, and then if you apparently are not to get it there, don't waste much time there. Come down to New York, call mass-meetings in Cooper Union and Chickering Hall. Put your best speakers to the front and demand the reason why the best thought, the best character, the best capacity of this delivered city cannot have its way through the law-making power of the state. Make the political exist- ence of the leaders dependent upon their right doing, and you will find that they will prefer submission to suicide. Another way by which you may weaken your victory will be prematurely to strive for the eviction of pubhc trans- gressors — ^to do so too soon, by getting the wrong man to bring the wrong charges before the wrong functionaries for the eviction of their fellows or of other fellows from place. The theory that the clown of the menagerie can in- duce the tiger to change some of his stripes is of all delusions the extreme. He doesn't gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles, nor reform grapes from Tammany roots. This mistake, but for the Providential brevity of the time between sentence and its execution, would be serious. The inrush at Al- bany of fresh air on the 1st of January will dispel divided purpose and bring the sunlight of united action. Old things will have passed away, and all things wiU have become new. The mere existence of good government as a fact will be an advantage you can hardly exaggerate. The force of that fact will be Strong. The influence of that fact will constantly augment. Now there is one thing that you must have, and that is you must have a backbone govern- ment. I trust and believe that this man of your choice has a backbone. (Cries of ' You are right ! ') If he hasn't, let him advertise for one. And talking of advertisements, I am here for business. He owes everything to all the people and nothing to any one of them. [Cries of ' Good ! '] He helps them all when he best satisfies his own consciousness and his own judgment. [Cries of ' Good!'] He is iinder obligation to all and under dictation to none. Now when you have cleaned house, when you have swept and garnished your apart- ments, when you have permanently prevented the return of the more than ^08 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK seven evil spirits that would make your last estate worse than the first, when you have appreciated what must be done to keep New York great, and to make your city Greater New York, consolidation will not be out of order, and may I be there to see ! " [Applause and cheers.] President Burnett : " You see now the power that is in the press and how important it is to the people that a clear and clean intellect should inspire and inform its pages. " For the great achievement and victory that has come to the people of New York there have been many agencies at work. The representatives of the press and the pulpit were almost unanimous in their efforts in behalf of the right as against the wrong. The committee of seventy did a great work, but perhaps there was no single agency more potent than that power of the state, the legislative committee sent to this city to investigate and place before the people of the city the facts, which they would not otherwise have believed to exist, although they passed by and touched them each day of their lives. The}' could hardly understand and little believed in the existence of vice and corrup- tion that had crept into our public life, and would not have believed it had it not been established by overwhelming evidence. For that work the people of this city owe a debt of gratitude beyond aU measure and all measurement to one man, and that man is with us to-night. He brought before that com- mittee the witnesses who, by their testimony, lifted up the eyes of the people to the malefactors — and, fellow-citizens, to that instrument of our enfranchise- ment, who has done this good and great work, the people have said, ' Go up higher.' I need not introduce to either Ohio boys in New York, or to New York citizens, John W. GofF." [Cheers.] Mr. Goff said : " Mr. President and Gentlemen : " I also received a note from Mr. Packard, he of the ' marble brow ' — though until now I did not know that the gentle accent, speaking through the typewriter, was the voice of the man I have heard speak facetiously on several occasions — and he warned me that if I was not here at a certain hour to-night I would miss my dinner. It was the most inhospitable warning I ever received coming to a banquet ; and I did miss my dinner, and I have not had my dinner, Mr. Chairman. I was detained in court until nearly seven o'clock to-night, and I have to apologize to the committee for my failure to be here at the time men- tioned in the note. But I was detained, gentlemen, in a meritorious work, in my opinion. I was making my best endeavors to help a Tammany commis- sioner to vindicate himself. And indeed I had some feeling of compassion for that gentleman when I left the room to-night; but it does not equal my com- passion for the unfortunate city of New York, since I have heard her so calmly dissected, her wounds bound up, plaster administered, and the last but not least, my friend McKelway's spoonful of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. Pity 209 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK New York! Between Brooklyn on the east and Ohio on the west, where is she? " We have heard from our eloquent college president, INlr. Low, and as our president of the evening said New York tries to get everything that is good, we have tried to get the able Mr. Low. We have succeeded in doing that, and I think that the time is not very far distant when we will follow up that advantage by getting over Mr. McKelway. Mr. Low gave us some leaves out of the book of his experience, meant as an aid to our distinguished guest. Why, he said, ' Mr. Strong, I wish you to remember this,' in effect. ' I kept a com- plaint-book, and in that complaint-book were registered the letters and com- plaints of our citizens upon every conceivable topic of municipal administra- tion. I could tell how my streets were being cleaned and how our other depart- ments were being administered just as truly as I could tell the weather by the rise and fall of the barometer.' I sincerely hope to-night, and I say it with all sincerity and earnestness, that Mayor Strong will not open a complaint-book on the Brooklyn principle, because our distinguished President Low failed to remember this fact, that one of the very best and energetic mayors that New York has ever had, Mr. Hewitt, opened a very large-sized com plaint -book, and he was in more hot water than any man has ever been since, or before. And further, the simile does not follow — New York is not Brooklyn. Why, of course that complaint-book was well attended to. There could not be many complaints, however, in the Brooklyn complaint-book, for we all know that our Brooklyn friends come over to New York to kick, and then go to Brooklyn to sleep, and even when our junior friends wish to select a stamping ground after business hours they come over to New York, and it is from there all the complaints arise. Why, one speaker has said to-night that Brooklyn was coy in joining her municipal destinies with New York. Did any of you gentlemen ever notice one of the charming, handsome women of Brooklyn when they arrive at Fulton Ferry or at the Bridge? They invariably gather their skirts about them, fearing to be touched by New York mud. Of course Brook- lyn is coy ! And all the married men of Brooklyn want her to remain coy, be- cause if there was consolidation, what in God's name could the married men of Brooklyn give as an excuse to their wives for remaining out late? I noticed that our friend, Mr. McKelway, when he came to that point, was exceedingly non-committal. He said : ' I will meet the question of consolidation in the proper place ! ' [Laughter.] And mark you that in the same breath with that he said : ' If there are any advertisements lying around loose I am here for business ! ' What a beautiful and unconscious illustration of that which we have often heard in the criticisms of the public press, that the editorial end of the concern was largely influenced by the business end. " I remember just now a sentence of Mr. Low, in his classic speech, where he made an allusion to ancient Rome. He said, ' Why, Rome had its eleven 210 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK aqueducts.' I presume some of you gentlemen have heard — I know Mr. Pack- ard has — that story of the speech of Daniel Webster, delivered at a dinner given to him in Rochester at the Falls of the Genesee? I dare not repeat it here. But you will remember that, with all those eleven aqueducts, Rome had never its aqueduct commission ! And then, Mr. Low, in his speech, rather favored bossism in certain aspects — rather inclined to the view that the boss was a beneficent being. Students and philosophers lean to the theory, many of them, and the contention seems to have a great deal of strength to support it, that the best government on the face of the earth is that of the paternal and benefi- cent despot. Possibly Mr. Low had that in his mind ; but we cannot have that government now in New York, not at least for the next three years, because the government of the most despotic autocrat that ever existed in any city in any civilized country could not have surpassed the government that we have passed through in New York for the past two or four years. IVIr. Strong can never be enthroned as a boss in New York. Bossism has been broken, and let every true friend of honest municipal government send up a hearty prayer that its death-knell for eternity in our country has been sounded. " Coming in the door I caught a few sentences of Mr. Strong's address. I am becoming very much interested in Mr. Strong's speeches, or rather talks — they are not speeches, they are talks, delightful, social, confidential talks ; and he seems to take his hearers into his confidence — and from the first time I heard him in the campaign, up to this very night, inclusive, he has been improving, and if he continues he will blossom out into one of the best after-dinner orators in New York. A delightful little speech I heard him make last Saturday night, in the presence of an assemblage in which were contained gentlemen of political power and influence in our city and state. He said with delightful simplicity, after reciting that the Committee of Seventy laid claim to him, that the Com- mittee of Thirty of the Republican party laid claim to him; that the Mil- hollandites laid claim to him; that the O'Brienites told him he belonged to them ; that the Stecklerites said, ' We own you, body and soul ;' Mr. Piatt said, ' I have got a great big mortgage upon you ;' the Grace Democracy said, * We own you completely.' ' Gentlemen, I will be perfectly willing to let you and each one of you do as you please, provided you let me do as I please.' I thought that was a pretty good indication of the man. What a delightful condition that will be ! We all may do as we please, and Mayor Strong will do as he pleases; and if he does as he pleases I am satisfied that the fear he expressed to-night, that at the end of his administration you would not give him a dinner, will not be realized. He said to-night with some feeling, * Pos- sibly at the end of my administration you may not wish to banquet me.' True it is we have had in this city mayors who have gone In with great eclat, their praise sounded, their biographies written, their grandmothers described as the 211 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK handsomest women that ever trod God's footstool, their small vices magnified into great virtues, and yet at the expiration of their terms they have left the chair with the malediction of every politician in the city of New York. But Mayor Strong says, ' If I can do as I please I will let you da as you please,* and when he said to-night with that sense of feeling, ' I fear you will not give me a dinner when I get through,' it was a passing sentence at a banquet where good cheer pervades, but there was pathos in it, because the people, after all, are frequently fickle. They raise up a god upon a pedestal to-day, and crash it to the floor to-morrow. Charles I. had a triumphant entry into London, when several deaths are reported to have taken place owing to the pressure of the crowd to kiss the hem of his garment; and exactly one year after that terrible crush deaths also occurred from the terrible pressure of the crowd to get near him and spear him. " Popular idols are dangerous things. Popular devotion frequently turns into popular unrestraint. During these weeks preceding Mayor Strong's ad- ministration, we are all disposed to join in the acclaim of praise following vic- tory, but let us resolve ourselves into a committee of the whole, not only to give praise to Mayor Strong, but to unite with him and hold up his arms through- out the whole of his term, if he carries out his expressed determination to do what is right. Aye, even though the Ohio man has to suppress his native-bom instincts, referred to by Mr. Low, let him do it. I never thought Mr. Low such a sly joker. I remarked, when he said he never knew an Ohio man but went out into his back-yard and put his ear to the ground to listen for the voice of a nation calling upon him, that he gave a sly glance at Governor Mc- Kinley. Well, if Mayor Strong had his ear to the ground to listen to the voice of the people of New York calling him, he heard the call, and as has been well said to-night, for the first time in the history of our city the people called. One hundred and fifty thousand of the best men in our city, the flower of our municipal life, a magnificent army, marched to the polls on election day and gave Mayor Strong a commission such as no mayor has ever had in this city of New York. Every earnest friend of good government will aid him in the enforcement of that commission. Even I myself will aid him to the best of my ability, though at the commencement I had a slight grievance against Mayor Strong — not personally, but partially of a national character, because I have heard in this hall eloquent and witty after-dinner speakers on St. Pat- rick's night say that the Irish had captured New York, and in fact that New York's name should be changed by the transposition of the letter ' Y.' Put ' C ' in its place and it could be called New Cork. Well, for some years we have had in our chief magistrate's chair a distinguished representative of my nationality, of which I am proud — of my nationality, I mean. And in the early days of the campaign your humble servant's name was mentioned as a 212 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK candidate for the mayoralty. It looked to me that the old saying that ' God is good to the Irish ' was yet to be verified. I was suddenly lifted into the realm of greatness. I began to think that it would be necessary to hunt up my genealogy and to get out the tree of my pedigree in illustrated magazines, when all at once and without the slightest indication of his coming, an Ohio man crossed my horizon, and Ireland was not in it. Will it come to the mouths of some brilUant after-dinner speakers to say at your next anniversary dinner that Ohio to come extent has been depopulated by the exodus of its citizens to New York because one of its sons occupies our chair.? I welcome Ohioans to New York if we can get them all like Colonel Strong. Let them come, and, particularly, I open the gate for them as candidates for enlistment in our reorganized police department ! " If you forget it, gentlemen, I do not — I have not had my dinner yet, and therefore I must, in justice to my dinner, abbreviate. Let me say here one or two words touching upon the subject so well set forth by Mr. McKel- way. While it is true that Mayor Strong does not belong to any faction, yet it is well that those elements that so nobly and generously fought for his election shall have their say. I do not believe in men being smothered. It is because we in New York for several years have been smothered that the boss has flourished and that the people have been degraded. Let us have good, healthy sentiment. Let us have the good American rule of men speaking out in meeting. Is is healthy, it is productive of the expansion of lung-power, and wherever lung-power has had full expansion, revolutions and cut-throat plots have never prospered. Secret political societies can never exist where men have the right to speak out. So long as the men of New York, Republicans, Demo- crats, Good Government men, citizens of no particular party, but all men join- ing shoulder to shoulder and going in that grand procession, in that grand army, to the polls on election day, so long as those men can continue to march we are safe. I think that the overwhelming sentiment in New York to-day among Republicans, Independent Democrats, all except those who expect to go — I think the ovei-whelming sentiment is that Mayor Strong's arms must be upheld and adequate power given to those arms to carry out the mandate of the people given at the last election. " I trust, gentlemen, that if the Ohio Society in honoring the man from your state — the first from the state that has ever, I believe, occupied our chief magistrate's chair — that if the men from Ohio wish to determine to aid their kinsman, if I might so call him, let them join together in the movement to sus- tain his administration. But we must necessarily have some disputes. We might as well expect in a Presidential convention the Buckeyes and the Hoo- siers to agree what state shall name the Presidential candidate as to expect that we in New York shall keep quiet from discussing the ways and means to 213 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK obtain the desired end. Let us discuss them, let us talk of them, but let us keep one thing in view — let it be our guiding star, as fixed in its determination as the star of the north is to the pole, that so far as we can, irrespective of party, the degrading, debasing rule of Tammany Hall or its minions will never again triumph in this city in our generation." [Applause.] President Burnett : " Associated in the minds of the people in the great work of arousing public sentiment to the duty of cleaning this Augean stable is one man who blazed the way and led in the fight. I speak of Dr. Parkhurst. [Applause.] He expected to have been with us to-night and to have ad- dressed you, but owing to a death in his family he could not come. We have from him a letter, addressed to the chairman of the banquet committee, Mr. Packard, and that letter I will ask him to read." Mr. Packard : " Mr. President, I am aware that I am asked to read Dr. Parkhurst's letter, and I propose to do it before I take my seat. Nevertheless, there is such a thing as a question of privilege, and I avail myself of it. " Allusions have been made to a resolution offered by me at a meeting of the Ohio Society, which committed the members of that Society to a certain course of action, or rather of inaction. The resolution is no longer mine, as it was passed unanimously, and has become one of our laws. I fear, however, that its purport may not be quite understood — that even the mayor may get a wrong impression concerning it. The resolution did not declare that no member of the Society would accept an office that was properly pressed upon him ; but that we would not annoy or embarrass the mayor by signing petitions or writing letters advocating the claims of other people. President Low is right in assuming that the Ohio man does not stuffs cotton in his ears so that he may not hear his country's call, and Mayor Strong will do well to bear this in mind. What we of the Ohio Society most desire is to have a valid excuse for refusing to advocate the claims of the ordinary office-seeker. And now I will read the letter: " 183 East Thirty-fifth Street, " New York, December 4, 1894. "S. S. Packard, Esq., 101 East TS^-enty-third Street, City. " My Dear Sir : Only circumstances that are beyond my control could have prevented my acceptance of your invitation to the banquet to be given this evening in honor of the mayor-elect. " The days through which we are passing are full of pleasant realization and of large hopes. In pursuance of a special purpose I have been devoting considerable of my time during the two weeks past to studying the history of the warfare which our citizens have been waging, and which culminated just four weeks ago in the election of Colonel Strong as mayor, and there has been 214 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK steadily growing within me the clearer appreciation of what that glorious vic- tory means. That which has been gained wins significance and lustre from the very coarseness and repulsiveness of that from which we have been de- livered. It seems almost too good to be true. Long lines of meaning run out from that victory in every direction. " First and foremost, we have not elected a compromise, but we have elected a man. We believe in Mr. Strong and we trust him. Our fear had been that rival elements would not be able to be brought together except at the expense of putting fonvard as candidate for mayor some equivocal make- shift, almost too good to be condemned, and a good deal too dubious to be safe to tie to. The disheartenment and mortification of such a condition we have been spared. We have won a fusion mayor without any confusion of principle or sacrifice of self-respect, which is a splendid tribute to the tone of the citizens and the quality of the candidate. " I am also confident for the future, because I believe that the forthcoming mayor will enter upon the discharge of his high duties unmortgaged. He is nobody's man because he is everybody's man. He was elected to be the servant of the city, and the platform he was elected on is the platform he will adminis- ter on. He will not be unsusceptible to influence, of course, but nobody will own him. The official whom anybody owns is the official that all patriotic and self-respecting citizens ought to be quick to disown. " I want, therefore, personally, to pledge to Mayor Strong my loyalty ; we would like to be of service to him, but shall seek first of all to ser\'e him by taking pains not to get in his way. There seems to be no necessary obstacle in the way of our having here in New York three years of quiet, honest, and har- monious city government that shall be productive of industries and educative of the higher temper and instincts of our citizenship, thereby laying the foundation of municipal prosperity and dignity upon which we may expect an enlightened and contented city to go on building in administrations to come. " Yours very sincerely, "C. H. Parkhuest." President Burnett : " In many feasts the best course is left until the last. We have fashioned our banquet a little on that plan. Among all the agencies and forces leading to our victory, there is none that is entitled to more credit for wisdom of action, for thoughtful planning, than the Committee of Seventy. That committee selected Colonel Strong as the standard-bearer in the fight against corruption and to oust Tammany. Its work was efficient. It has made from the beginning no mistakes. When it selected Colonel Strong to lead in the fight it followed that up by giving to him its active support, and by its voice and work did grand service in tlie great struggle. Its work is not 215 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK yet done. It has been alluded to by Mr. McKelway and by other speakers. You have heard from Brother Packard, and it is true, that Colonel Strong, as the law now stands, has the appointment, out of the innumerable offices of this city, of but ten places. The offices are now filled with the servants, the agents of that vile body we have tried to destroy. They represent this system of gov- erning a city by terror and by spoils. That system must be rooted out from the bottom — its very roots dug out and burned up ; and until you have accom- plished that you have not regenerated New York. Until you have taken from every office its Tammany head and Tammany sinecures now fattening on that office, you have not destroyed the system; and until you plough it up, dig it up, and cast it onto the offal heap, the garbage of this city, and dump it into the sea, or take the new methods now of destroying offal, by cremating it, you have not ended Tammany. [Applause.] " You remember the story of the old darkey and his pickaninny who were sitting on the pier fishing, and the little nigger fell into the sea. The old darkey promptly jumped in and rescued him, and after he had brought him to land the policeman congratulated him upon his courage and heroism. The old darkey replied : ' Oh, da's all right ; had to sabe dat nigger ; dat boy got all de bait! ' [Laughter.] Now the effort of Tammany will be to preserve their big and little niggers, because they have got the bait, and without bait as a reward for votes, and without a corrupt police to terrorize and tyrannize over the people, Tammany would be powerless in your city. " In the work of reforming the law so as to give Colonel Strong the power of appointment, making these places vacant, and (like Sheridan in the great Union Army) bring his eyes and his hands to seek out and grapple with the enemy, to find the places where they lurk and are entrenched, that Com- mittee of Seventy can do a great work, and to its efficient and clear-headed and clear-sighted head, Mr. Larocque, we appeal to form and help carry through such remedial legislation and to go forward with such departmental investiga- tions and reformations as shall remedy the ills under which we suffer. I pre- sent Mr. Larocque." [Applause.] Mr. Larocque said: "Mr. President, Colonel Strong, and Gentlemen of the Ohio Society: " It gives me great pleasure to be with you to-night to join with you in the tribute of respect to the guest of the evening, and to rejoice with you in the change which has come over the condition of our city. The morning of the 6th of November found the city of New York bound hand and foot — every office in the hands of the adherents of a political organization that had fastened upon its vitals and controlled every motion of its system. Abuses had grown to such an extent that when the city of New York was mentioned in the pres- ence of one of its citizens, he involuntarily hung his head with shame, and so 216 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK great and so widespread had become this power that the courage to resist seemed to have departed from our people. The evening of the 6th of Novem- ber saw this condition, if not reversed, in the way of reversal, and to-day, for the first time in years, the citizen of New York, whether born in Ohio or in the state itself, can, as I say, raise his head when the city is spoken of, look frankly into the face of his interlocutor, and say : ' Yes, I am a citizen of New York, and the citizens of the city of New York, as shown by this vote at the polls of the majority of its people, have arisen to a sense of their op- portunities, and have overthrown by their votes the power that has so long dis- graced them.' " The speaker followed with an extended and eloquent elaboration of the thought outlined in the above. President Burnett: "Fellow-members of the Ohio Society, I am under a promise not to call Governor McKinley to make a speech. [Cries for Mc- Kinley.] I was about to add that, although I am under that pledge, I am your servant. [Laughter.] Your orders I will obey. Wherever Ohio boys are gathered together, and Mr. McKinley, Governor McKinley, of Ohio, is in their presence, they would not go home and sleep well could they not hear his voice." [Cries of "Good!"] Governor McKinley said: "Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Ohio Society : " I have no purpose to interfere with the programme of the evening, or with the order of speaking as it has been arranged by the president of the So- ciety. I counted myself fortunate to be in the city on this occasion when my kinsmen from the state of Ohio, represented in this association, were assembled to do honor to their old president and to the mayor-elect of the city of New York. I come to join with them my tribute of respect to one whom I have known long, have long honored and esteemed as one of my old and time- honored and much-beloved friends. You have selected him as the mayor of this great city, not because he is from the state of Ohio ; you have selected liim for what he is, for what he represents, for what he stands for. He represents in a long business life honest, clean, manly methods, and I am quite sure to the administration of the great office to which he has so recently been chosen he will bring the same clean, business, manly methods that have characterized every business connection of his life. [Applause.] I want to assure my asso- ciates of the Ohio Society that Ohio is justly proud of the distinction which has been given to one of her early citizens. Colonel Strong. And I wish for him, as every Ohioan does, no matter what his political associations may be, a successful administration of the municipal government of the greatest city of the greatest state and the greatest nation under the sun." [Applause.] 217 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK President Burnett : " Fellow-members of the Ohio Society, these thought- ful words of thoughtf\il men should sink deep into your hearts. " There is one great force and factor in the victory that has not been mentioned to-night. Emotion and sentiment, it is said, play always a very important part in every great revolution. In that part of our revolution there was an element that has not been brought to your attention — the ladies of New York. [Applause.] When they threw themselves on the side of truth and purity, the chivalry of native-bom Americans was aroused, and they poised their lances for the fray. I propose the toast of the evening, ' The Ladies of New York.' To the Ladies, God bless them. And God bless all of you, and good-night." David Homer Bates was re-elected chairman of the governing committee in December. At the meeting of December 10, 1894, President Burnett re- ported the appointment of the following committees : Literature and art. Ho- mer Lee, chairman ; J. F. Holloway, L. C. Hopkins, Franklin Tuttle, J. Q. A. Ward. Entertainment, Warren Higley, chairman ; Thomas Ewing, Jr., An- drew J, C. Foye, Ctirtis G. Harraman, Homer Lee. Library, David H. Bates, chairman ; W. S. Hawk, C. C. Shayne. Auditing, Frank C. Loveland, chair- man; W. C. Andrews, John D. Archbold, P. B. Armstrong, Theo. S. Nye; Membership, L. C. Hopkins, chairman ; John D. Archbold, Geo. E. Armstrong, Jas. M. Ashley, Jr., S. D. Brewster, Henry A. Glassford, Wm. S. Hawk, John Q. Mitchell, Edgar A. Follett, Andrew J. C. Foye, David F. Harbaugh, Chas. B. Peet, C. C. Shayne, Wm. L. Brown, De Frees Critten, E. S. Wallace, Wm. H. Eckert, Fulton McMahon, Otis Wilkinson, Peter Zucker. The president followed this announcement with a few practical remarks suggesting a plan of campaign in securing new members. He broached the question of a ladies' reception to be given by the Society during the season, suggesting that a combination of dinner, entertainment and dance might cause it to be a novel and notable affair. The members dined together at Morelli's on January 14, 1895. Mr. Crall, the treasurer, reported that the balance of the banquet finances amounted to $404, part of which would be expended in the issuing of a year book of the Society containing its constitution, by-laws, roster, etc., as well as the proceed- ings and addresses of the banquet in honor of Mayor-elect William L. Strong. The preparation of this book had been placed in the hands of S. S. Packard, chairman of the banquet committee. The meeting of March 11th was held at the same place. At the end of the courses President Burnett introduced, in a few happy remarks, William L. Strong, his predecessor, to the assembly. Colonel Strong reported as a committee of one upon the " pleasures and pains of city government." No doubt the fact that the banquet in the December preceding, in honor 218 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK of Mayor Strong, was so large and so important an affair, had much to do with the omission of the usual festal event in 1895 and the substitution of a ladies' reception and dinner in its stead. This was given on Tuesday evening, April 30th, at Delmonico's. The following gentlemen had the arrangements in charge : Warren Higley, chair- man; Andrew J. C. Foye, C. C. Shayne, L. C. Hopkins, Leander H. Crall, Homer Lee, Curtis G. Harraman, Thomas Ewing, Jr. The fact that this form of an entertainment was an innovation, in that ladies were included, and the further fact that the time of giving it was very late in the season, caused some anxiety and spurred the committee to unusual activity in their preparations. But the ladies responded generously to the invitation of the committee to assist in the work, and the following kindly con- sented to serve on the reception committee, viz. : Mrs. Henry L. Burnett, Mrs. William L. Strong, Mrs. Thomas Ewing, Mrs. Milton I. Southard, Mrs. L. H. Crall, Mrs. A. J. C. Foye, Mrs. Warren Higley, Mrs. W. C. Andrews, ]\frs. S. S. Packard, Mrs. Homer Lee, Mrs. David H. Bates, Mrs. Murat Halstead, Mrs. C. C. Shayne, Mrs. Geo. E. Armstrong, Mrs. L. C. Weir, Mrs. Thomas Ewing, Jr., and Mrs. Allison R. Hopkins. The dining room was arranged with small tables, at each of which one of the above named committee of ladies presided, and the guests were so ar- ranged as to bring relatives and friends together at the same table. This made the banquet a very delightful and charming occasion. After dinner the large hall was cleared and the dance commenced, and this was enjoyed by all. The committee in reporting the event to the society made use of the following com- mendatory language : " We are pleased to report that this reception and banquet was a great success ; that it was pronounced by those in attendance as a very joyful and happy occasion, and the committee are of the opinion that the Society will do well to consider the giving of a similar banquet annually hereafter." At the May meeting President Burnett read a letter from Senator Calvin S. Brice, giving an account of a plan proposed for the preservation, in the hands of his daughter Katharine, of the estate of the late Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase. A committee consisting of A. D. Juilliard, chairman; Wager Swa3'ne, Thomas T. Eckert and Calvin S. Brice were appointed to co-operate with the president in the presentation of the plan to the members of the So- ciety and the solicitation of individual subscriptions. A letter was also read from Senator George F. Hoar, of ^Massachusetts, appealing to the sons of Ohio and of New York to contribute to the preservation and care of the house of Gen. Rufus Putnam in Rutland, Mass., where the scheme of the Ohio Com- pany was evolved. The matter was referred to a committee to be appointed by the chair. In the June meeting it was ordered that the rooms of the Society 219 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK be opened to the families of members and ladies introduced by them, from 10 A. M. to 7 P. M. The following nominating committees were chosen at the meeting of Oc- tober 14, 1895: Frankhn Tuttle, F. H. Kingsbury, Dr. S. J. Converse, W. H. Eckert, E. A. Follett, J. F. Holloway, David H. Bates, Jr. The meeting of November 11th took the form of a dinner at Morelli's, and the main busi- ness transacted was the presentation of the following ticket : President, Henry L. Burnett; vice-presidents, S. S. Packard, Milton I. Southard, Andrew J. C. Foye, George E. Armstrong, A. D. Juilliard; secretary, Evarts L. Prentiss; recording secretary, Noah H. Swayne 2d; treasurer, Leander H. Crall; trustees, to serve for three years, Henry B. Wilson, Warren Higley, T. H. Wheeler. After the regular business had been transacted, the president, after some happy remarks, called upon a guest of the Society, Mr. Haskell, of Ohio, who responded with the praise of the Buckeye state, especially that portion known as the " Black Swamp." Mr. McMillan, the newly appointed park commis- sioner, gave reminiscences of his early life in the Mahoning valley. The de- scription of this region was supplemented by W. C. Andrews' account of the iron industries. Messrs. Southard, Packard and Chance made running re- marks appropriate of the reminiscences suggested by previous speakers, Mr. Chance ending with an eloquent eulogy of the " Old Roman," Senator Allen G. Thurman, prostrated by illness. In accordance with this feeling Judge John M. Guiteau presented the following resolution : " Resolved, That the Ohio Society tenders its sympathy to Mrs. Thurman and his relatives during the illness of the ' Old Roman.' " The motion was carried. At the annual meeting held on November 29th the gentlemen above named were elected. It was ordered that the banquet be held on January 11, 1896. David Homer Bates, chairman of the governing committee, reported upon a number of matters, and, continuing, said : " The treasurer is the only officer of the Society who can furnish data concerning resignations. In fact, the un- written law which governs that subject is just the reverse of that which applied in the case of the Irishman's wife who had died. The question was put to him, * Was she resigned? ' ' Bedad,' says Pat, ' she had to be! ' Brother Crall, however, considers that as long as there's life there's hope of getting him to pay his dues, and thus it is we seldom or ever hear of a resigned Ohio man. The particular attention of the members of the Society is called to the fact that our membership is not increasing as rapidly as should be the case, to com- pensate for inevitable losses. Let each one of those present to-night resolve that he will bring in at least one new member before the annual banquet, or say before February 1, 1896. This would insure real growth. Some of us have sons, brothers or other relations or near acquaintances, who would probably 220 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK join our ranks for the asking. During the year we held two general meetings, first the banquet to Mayor-elect Strong on December 4, 1894, and the ladies' reception on April 30, 1895. Both were eminently successful, as those who had the pleasure of attending can testify, and we are now eagerly craning our necks to see when our next banquet will occur and what will be its peculiar character. We can, however, depend on the committee having that matter in charge giving us something that we shall all be proud of, particularly in view of the fresh high record made by Ohio in the person of our worthy past president. Mayor Strong, in his most excellent speech at the Atlanta Exposition." The report of the secretary was as follows : " It seems proper that the Society should require each active officer to annually render an account of his stewardship and of the various talents in- trusted by it to his care. " The duties assigned to the secretary by the by-laws are of five sorts. In the first place, he is to conduct the correspondence of the Society. During the past year such correspondence has been very limited in volume and has con- sisted chiefly of answers to inquiries by members, of the announcements of changes of residence or of the resignation or death of members. The matters contained in these communications which seemed to be of common concern have been from time to time laid before the Society. The notices of all meetings, required by the by-laws to be issued by the secretary, have been so issued and mailed to all the members at the addresses supplied by them. The roll of members has likewise been kept and that has been an easier clerical task than the secretary would wish it to be, for the roll, while of goodly proportions, is not so long as it ought to be. With all the changes it undergoes by resigna- tion, death or by accession, it continues constantly near the 300 mark, the total present membership being 332, divided into : resident, 257 ; non-resident, 71 ; honorary, 4. In looking over that roll, from time to time, the secretary cannot but be more and more sensibly impressed with satisfaction that so hon- orable a duty has been his, and he can but wonder whether any other society in this city can boast a roster so brilliant or one upon which the names stand for so much in all that constitutes success. " The most comprehensive duty required of the secretary under our by- laws is the one which provides that he shall ' furnish information on call of any of the committees and discharge such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Society or the president.' While the secretary has been at all times ready and willing to furnish on call such information as his limited capacity would supply, he is gratified to report that the call upon him during the past year has been fittingly moderated to the supply. He may also report that the other 221 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK duties assigned to him by the Society and the president have been assigned with signal forbearance, but such duties as have been so assigned he has endeavored to perform. " Respectfully submitted. " EvAUTS L. Prentiss, Secretary." On December 8th the president appointed the following committees for the ensuing year: Art and literature, Homer Lee, J. Q. A. Ward, Daniel C. Beard, J. Stedman Converse, Franklin Tuttle. Entertainment, S. S. Packard, S. R. Beckwith, D. H. Bates, Jr., Samuel McMillan, C. Q. Harraman. Au- diting, L. C. Hopkins, H. A. Glassford, C. W. Moore, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Warner Ells. Library, C. C. Shayne, Thos. S. Nye, Mahlon Chance, H. F. Waltman. Membership, Edward S. Wallace, H. H. Brockway, Theo. Rick- secker, J. Q. Mitchell, R. J. Cliard, T. C. Campbell, Daniel Pritchard, C. C. Shayne, Frank C. Loveland, Nathan Guilford, Quinton Corwine, Henry De Mult, Otis Wilkinson, John F. Rodamor. Banquet, W. L. Strong, Wager Swayne, L. H. Crall, A. G. McCook, Wm. L. Brown, F. H. Kingsbury, Wm. S. Hawk, John D. Archbold, Mahlon Chance, Homer Lee, Thomas Ewing, Samuel Thomas, J. J. McCook, Calvin S. Brice, Warren Higley, Milton I. Southard, S. S. Packard, A. J. C. Foye, George Milmine, E, B. Thomas. On December 7, 1895, D. H. Bates was re-elected chairman of the gov- erning committee, and Messrs. Foye, Follett and Peet were again chosen mem- bers of the house committee. The first gathering of 1896 was at the Windsor hotel, on January 13th, a dinner being served and a number of ladies being present. Speeches were made by President Burnett, Mayor Strong, General Swayne, Mr. Packard and others. A sad and memorable gathering was the special meeting called for Jan- uary 22, 1896, to take action upon the death of Gen. Thomas Ewing, the first president of the Society, one of its most energetic friends and supporters in the formative period; a man who had won fame as a soldier in the Civil War and as a statesman in civic affairs. A sad accident had cut him off in his days of greatest usefulness ; and while the Society mourned the loss of its first pres- ident, each individual member felt that he had lost a personal friend. President Burnett called the meeting to order and in a few heartfelt and eloquent words referred to the loss that had befallen them. A. J. C. Foye moved that a committee be appointed to draft suitable resolutions and report to the meeting before adjournment. The following gentlemen were named as that committee: Wager Swayne, chairman; William L. Strong, Milton I. Southard, S. S. Packard and Andrew J. C. Foye. The committee retired, and after a time returned with a series of resolutions that were unanimously adopted. It was also resolved that the members of the Society attend the funeral as a body. Eulogistic speeches were made by Colonel Strong, Dr. Beckwith, General Swayne and others. The resolutions follow: 222 At -k g,l>ECIAL MEETING OF TH iC ^ OK '^^ — ,„ 4^ ^^^ HON.T^IOMAS BWING First President Tl), That THE ACCIDENT WHICH HA5 RE- SULTED IN THE DEATH OF Hon. Thomas Ewing HAS CLOSED SUDDENLY A LIFE OF USEFULNESS AND HONOR, TO THE DEEP REGRET OF A MOST OF FRIENDS TO THI5 SOCIETyiS DETRIMENT AND SORROW, AND TO ni5 FAMIL.Y.5 IRREPARABLE LOSS. / ///////. ~ Jr- ////"///// ^y^/'/>v^->> f"//^r/^/'J zAj,/zzy/y/zr/ /Ay'//zJy//y.y /z /r // //z/, //yj / y:////y ^ A^y. yy y/yyy- y/yy'/y yy//yy'// j/zzyy/y/ ./yyy/'yy /v- y //y y/ //yy y///y/yy/. //yy/yj. yyy/y/yj /Ayy/- //yy/y yy/yyJy //yj/y/// yyy/y/ yjjyyyyy'/zy// /Ay J ./yyyy/// yyy/J y/y/yy//y/yy/ / /■/' ^- ^ ■/y^ y/yy yyj/y . 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' ^ yr yrj ^ //Y y.jy //^y/ ^y^ /yy//^ // y y' / /y ///// .// /y / /^ ■ yjy^yy^/.^/// y y///y/ ^// /^ /y/ ^////^Z /'//"/ /y/ /// ^y///// //'y/y r///^y y v yyy //// yy/y y /" yy J . ■ 'yy/yyyyy//// yy //y/ /y /-y/yyy/// / y/ /^ /y.//y y/ yy/ ///y /y yyy/yy /yyy/ <,/ ///yj ■ yy yyy //y , //^ y/ ^y j ///yyi^/r y // y^y yy yy/ yy/^ y/ y yyy//yy /yy y/ yy.j yy ■ yy y /y/ ///yy/zAy // //// /y //yy y // yy/y yyyy /y/ y//y/ /yyj /yyyjy yyyy yy///yyyy/ yyj /yy.y /yy/y yyy /yy /y/y // //^/ /yy y /yy yyyy /yy yyy//yyy/yy/ HTS MEMORY y///y /y yyyy/y/'//y y/ y yy/y y/y/ /yy/ //yy /yy-j/yy/ y/ //yy-y ./yyyy/y/. f-yy/y/y/y yy/y yyy /yy/ yyyyy/y yy yr/yyy//yyy y y/ //yy J //y/yy/y /y // / y yyyy'///. yy /yyyy y., - J3i»^allTi»A y y //y/y / ^y y/ y///y/ //y///.j///////^/^/ //^ /y//y// y/ yyy/ ^ y /////yy///// yy //y/ yy/ /y y /yy/zyy// y /yy/yy/y* The Ohio Society of Nf:\v' \ or h AT-r Con; .\iiTTES OM Resolutions -^//'/■yy/. //'/y/'////^ y/////y////./.. ///y//y/_ //y//y// . / . yy//'//y/'yyY/ . ■ ///yyj ./ ■ /yy^/y/yy/. ■ ' yy/^/y / •yyy / /> . . //- /yy CHAPTER XII 1896—1897 THE tenth annual banquet* of the Ohio Society was given at Delmonico's on the evening of February 8, 1896. It was in charge of the gentlemen who have been already named as a committee for this occasion. At the centre of the speaker's table, just beneath the shield of Ohio, draped with the flag of the Union, sat Gen. Henry L. Burnett, the president of the Society. Bishop Henry C. Potter sat at his right, while Gov. Asa S. Bushnell, of Ohio, occupied the seat at his left. Four members of the governor's staff, Adjutant- General H. H. Axhne, Col. Henry H. Prettyman, Col. C. B. Wing and Col. C. E. Burke, occupied seats at the head table, together with Joseph H. Choate, Judge A. C. Coxe, J. M. Richardson, ex-Secretary of the Treasury Charles Foster, Robert E. McKisson, mayor of Cleveland; P. Tecumseh Sherman, Gen. Wager Swayne, Wilson M. Day and Hon. James H. Hoyt. At six long tables sat more than two hundred members of the Society, presided over by G. E. Armstrong and Mahlon Chance at table A; A. J. C. Foye and Col. W. L. Brown at table B ; A, D. Juilliard and L. H. Crall at table C; Mayor Strong and Homer Lee at table D ; S. S. Packard and E. B. Thomas at table E; and Hon. Milton I. Southard and Geo. W. Perkins at table F. Letters of regret were received from a number of prominent persons. Ex- President Harrison wrote: " Hon. W. L. Strong, New York City. " My Dear Mr. Mayor : I have your invitation to attend the annual ban- quet of the Ohio Society of the State of New York and to make an address. I regret to say that it will not be possible to accept this kind invitation. Sin- cerely yours, " Benjamin Harrison.'* From ex-Gov. William McKinley came the following telegram: "Hon. W. L. Strong, New York city. " My Dear Mr. Mayor : I would be delighted to be with the members of the Ohio Society on the evening of the 8th inst., but it is impossible for me to * It will be noted that the dinner and reception in honor of the ladies in 1895 was not counted among the annual banquets. 231 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK do so. I beg that you extend my grateful acknowledgments to the officers of the Society for their invitation, and I trust that the anniversary will be the most successful in the history of the Society. Very sincerely, " William McKinley." Ex-Gov. J. B. Foraker expressed his regrets thus : " Hon. W. L. Strong, New York city. " My Dear Sir : My other engagements are so numerous and so exacting that I find it impossible for me to go to New York on the 8th inst., and for that reason I regretfully conclude that I must forego the pleasure of meeting with the Ohio Society until some future occasion. Sincerely wishing you a successful and enjoyable time, I remain, very truly yours, etc., " J. B. Foraker." United States Senator William B. Allison, of Iowa, wrote as follows : " Washington, D. C, Feb. T, 1896. "Hon. W. L. Strong, New York. " Thanks for your friendly letter. I wish I could meet and greet you and other friends at the banquet to-morrow night. An important engagement makes it impossible for me to have the pleasure. W. B. Allison. " Letters of congratulations were also received from ex-Gov. James E. Campbell, Attorney-General Judson Harmon, United States Senator G'corge F. Hoar, George C. Tichenor, and others. Each member of the banquet committee wore the colors of the buckeye. Each member of the city government present received a present of a fancy napkin inscribed with some appropriate sentiment. The author of these " poems " was unduly modest and insisted upon remaining anonymous. One of the ditties referred to Theodore Roosevelt, police commissioner, and the first four lines of it ran thus : " Hist ! Hist ! Hist ! Here is the bogy man. Be careful how you drink with him ; he'll catch you if he can. His smile is frank and open as the side doors used to be ; He wears plain clothes on duty — ^he's on it now, you see." All the sentiments were in the same playful vein, evidently intended to help " digestion wait on appetite." The president, in rising to offer the usual words of welcome to the mem- bers and guests, was received with applause. Regarding the Ohio Society of New York, the president was glad to tell them, he said, that the association 232 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK financially and in members was sound and strong. Whether or not General Burnett in thus emphasizing the state of the society as strong meant any allusion to the mayor was not apparent, but whatever his intention, the members of the Society alighted on the word instantly, and finding a refer- ence in it to Mayor Strong, rose in a body and chorused three cheers for the mayor, wliich the latter was forced to acknowledge. Proceeding, General Burnett said that every man of Ohio was imbued deeply with love of his state and love of his nation, and filled with honest fellowship of man to man. He believed that the Society and its sentiments would continue to grow. Con- tinuing, he said : " This banquet of to-night, held on the 8th day of February, is the seventy-sixth anniversary of the day of the birth of one of Ohio's greatest sons. General Sherman, and it is only right that we, the children of Ohio, should do honor to him because no American has done greater service for his country than General Sherman. Of all the great heroes of the civil war he was second to none in strategic ability, in fighting qualities and in victorious achievement. (Renewed applause.) In individual character of life he was pure and noble, and as was said of an exalted one of the older time, he was of ' passing stout courage and of invincible fortitude.' " General Burnett then proposed the toast of General Sherman, which was drunk by all present standing and in respectful silence. Governor Bushnell, who was introduced with graceful words by the president, spoke next. After the applause, which had greeted the mention of his name, had subsided, he opened with a sly allusion to the necessity of cur- taihng his remarks, because of the strictness with which the 12 o'clock closing rule was enforced, and then proceeded to instance the phenomenal growth of the state of Ohio in ninety-three years, from a small colony of only forty- eight people to a vast, populated state of no fewer than four millions of people. Its influence, and its people, as well, were, moreover, not confined to the state of Ohio, as was evidenced by the fact that in almost every large city of the Union were to be found enough sons of the state to form a sub- stantial and numerically large Ohio Society. Speaking of the achievements of his state. Governor Bushnell said that when a call was made for soldiers to defend the honor of the flag, Ohio gave to the service of the country 310,000 men, and although New York, in proportion to population, gave as large a contribution, he trusted his hearers would agree with him when he maintained that the loyalty of Ohio gained the admiration of the whole people of the United States. It is needless to state that this contention was received with unbounded enthusiasm, which burst forth again and again as Ohio's gov- ernor, in enumerating the celebrated soldiers and statesmen of Ohio birth, mentioned the names of Hayes, Garfield, Waite, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. 233 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Nor was the volume of enthusiasm diminished when the governor came by easy stages to describe the quahties of the living lights of his state. In rapid sequence he cited name after name of well-known public men from Ohio, and came eventually to the name of McKinley. For a few moments fol- lowing the sons of Ohio, not content with giving full vent to lung power, jumped on their chairs, waved their handkerchiefs, and in many other ways vented their feelings, until a climax was reached by Col. Charles B. Wing, of the governor's staif, who sat at the end of the platform, precipitating him- self and his chair from the raised dais to the floor of the dining-hall, two or three feet below. Many friends rushed to the assistance of the embarrassed colonel, whose enthusiasm succumbed to the force of gravity, and in the general laughter that ensued the McKinley cheers were allowed to die away. The governor had little to add to the words which led up to so great an ex- uberance of the feelings of the sons of Ohio, but he continued long enough to pay an earnest rebuke to the man in the senate who recently spoke in such dis- respectful terms of the highest officers in the nation. " If such a man," he said, " has no respect for the chief magistrate, let him at least have some re- spect for the highest office of the land." In terms of high tribute the president next introduced Hon. Joseph H. Choate. The cordial reception which was accorded to Mr. Choate was fully as unanimous as in the case of the previous speakers. At the outset he hastened to inform the Society that he was not familiar with the sons of Ohio, and he felt himself obliged to confess that there was only one of this band whose course he had watched with anything approaching earnest solicitude and anxious prayer. It was unnecessary for Mr. Choate to tell his hearers that Mayor Strong was the object of his remark. The laughter of the members forestalled him. " I never understood," said Mr. Choate, " how in the face of adverse circumstances our mayor always sustained undoubted courage. No matter what happens nothing can disturb his serenity. And no matter how his chosen servants may fail to achieve success and triumph in the popular mind. Mayor Strong continues unmoved. But when I look at the motto upon this menu, which is signed by George Washington, and also, I notice. Mayor Strong, I am shown why he always keeps up such an undoubted courage. The motto says, ' If we are overpowered we will retire to the fold of Ohio, and there we will be free.' So, gentlemen, we see by the direct application of the motto the reason for his display of such continuous courage." This sally was received with unbounded laughter, in which the mayor himself joined. Leaving the facetious strain, Mr. Choate proceeded to speak of the advance of Ohio in the last few years, and said it could no longer be looked upon as a Western state, but must be identified with New York and 234 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK New England. In the near future, he said, the great Eastern states would not be able to command the influence they had hitherto exerted by force of numbers. Whatever influence it would be left to their province to put for- ward, he premised, would be that of force of character alone. From this senti- ment Mr. Choate went on to draw deductions from the lives of Sherman and Grant, and, speaking of the direction in which the personal feelings of these two men tended, he said they were ever advocates of peace. He closed as follows : " They sleep in their last resting places, one on the banks of the Hudson and the other on the banks of the Mississippi, and knowing, as I am persuaded they do, that, as they look down upon us to-day, there is nothing that could excite more opposition or more condemnation on their part than the attempt of any party or of any men to excite an unjust and unnecessary quarrel with our sister-nation of England." Mayor Strong, James H. Hoyt and other guests also spoke. At a meeting held at about this time Hon. Asa L. Bushnell, governor of Ohio, was elected an honorary member, and acknowledged the honor in the following words: " Office of the Governor, Columbus, O., May 29, 1896. " Noah H. Swayne, Recording Secretary, Ohio Society of New York. " My Dear Mr. Swayne : It gives me the greatest pleasure to acknowl- edge receipt of your valued communication of May 27th, informing me that at the last meeting of the governing committee of the Ohio Society of New York I was accorded the distinguished honor of being elected an honorary member of the Society. " You are probably aware of how greatly I appreciate the action of the committee. The Ohio Society of New York has always commanded my entire admiration and respect, and since the meeting in February, at which I had the privilege of being a guest, it has enlisted my love. I shall never forget the pleasant greeting then accorded me, and I can assure you that the re- newed honor you have paid me will always be most higlily esteemed. Will you please advise me whether there are any formalities with which I have to comply.? It will give me sincere pleasure to qualify in any way that you may suggest, and I beg that you will notify me, so that I will not appear un- mindful of my duty. Hoping that you are very well and asking you to con- vey my respects to your associates of the Society, I am " Very cordially yours, " Asa S. Bushnell." 235 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The following gentlemen were named, on October 12th, as a committee to present nominations for officers for the ensuing year : W. H. Eckert, Ralph W. Carroll, George B. Hibbard, R. J. Chard, D. H. Bates, Franklin Tuttle and Charles W. Morris. This committee, at the informal meeting held at Morelli's on November 9th, reported through Mr. Chard the following nomi- nations : President, Henry L. Burnett ; vice-presidents, S. S. Packard, Andrew J. C. Fbye, Milton I. Southard, George E. Armstrong, A. D. Juilliard ; sec- retary, Evarts L. Prentiss; recording secretary, Noah H. Swayne, 2d; treas- urer, Leander H. Crall; trustees, F. H. Kingsbury, Colgate Hoyt, Anson G. McCook. Henry B. Wilson announced a gift from the Hon. Whitelaw Reid of handsomely bound volumes of the donor's interesting work, " Ohio in the War." Resolutions of thanks were adopted as follows: " Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the Hon. Whitelaw Reid with the compliments of the Ohio Society, and its best wishes for the long continuance of a life uniformly devoted to the best interests of our com- mon country, so illustriously exemplified in the fields of journalism and na- tional diplomacy." General Wager Swayne announced that he would speak at length to the Society in regard to several matters. He voiced the affection of the members of the Society for Mr. Crall, its treasurer, and their sympathy toward him in his recent affliction, and, at the speaker's suggestion, silent expression of that sympathy was given by those present rising in their places. General Swayne paid appropriate tribute to the memory of the late ex- Governor James M. Ashley, calling especial attention to his labors in the passage of the constitutional amendment, which forever excluded slavery from the United States, and to the very able address by the governor before the Society upon the history of that amendment. At the conclusion of Gen- eral Swayne's address a series of resolutions in honor of the memory of Gov- ernor Ashley were adopted. General Swayne, continuing, spoke of the recent honor that the Ohio Society had received in the election of Major William McKinley to the presi- dency, and proposed the following resolution as expressing the unpartisan sentiments of an unpartisan Society. It was received with emphatic applause, and seconded with generous approval by Mr. Foye: " The Ohio Society of New York, existing for the purpose of maintain- ing kindly memories of its members, individual relations to the state, and cher- ishing a fellowship inspired by those relations, enjoys the fact that once more the state has contributed to the well-being of the country in the person of William McKinley, a citizen to whose past career and present attitude the people of the United States have given their own majestic verdict of approval. 236 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK As an expression of this feeling, the Society extends to the president-elect its sincere and respectful congratulations, earnestly wishing him great success in commanding the respect and admiration of the country in the discharge of the great trust to which he has been called. " Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to the presi- dent-elect." While the question was before the Society, General Swayne took occa- sion to define the present political situation in the United States. He charac- terized the socialistic features developed in the recent campaign as one phase of an important movement in society all over the world, having for its ulti- mate end a contraction of individual liberty, and the establishment of a form of goverament in which the powers now in the beneficiaries of government, that is, the people, were to be turned over to the trustees, that is, the sovereign. In closing, he pointed out as the true remedy for such conditions the im- provement of the trustee. He suggested that in the Ohio Society existed a nu- cleus for effective action in the application of such remedy, and maintained that it behooves us to exercise our powers to that end. The president called attention to the necessity for prompt action in rela- tion to the next annual banquet, and urged that definite plans be made at the next meeting, November 30th. Professor Roberts gave two recitations for the entertainment of those present. Mahlon Chance, C. C. Shayne and President Burnett recalled some interesting experiences and anecdotes of the recent political campaign. The annual meeting was held at the rooms of the Society on November 30th, 1896, the president in the chair. Mr. Bates, as chairman of the govern- ing committee, reported that monthly meetings had been held throughout the year, with the exception of the summer months ; that the attendance at the meetings had been regular, and that the members had acted throughout the year in perfect harmony and accord. Mr. Bates also called attention to the fact that the number of deaths of members during the past year had been eighteen, as against forty-two for the previous nine years of the Society's ex- istence, which was a very marked increase in the death rate. He read the list of those who had died, and called attention to the fact that there were among the number United States senators, congressmen and state governors. He stated that as an offset to the large number of deaths the Society had been in- creased by the election of thirty-eight new members during the year. Mr. Prentiss, the secretary, reported as follows : " It is one of the duties of the office with which the Society has honored me to keep the roll of its membership. That roll must be returned at the end of this year, bearing the erasure of many names. Some of them, names which have been identified with the foundation and success of our Society; some of 237 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK them, names which will remain always impressed upon the history of our na- tive state, as well as upon the history of our country. Scarcely a meeting has been held since the new year at which the death of one or more of our mem- bers has not been announced. The records of the Society, while they bear tribute, in graceful phrases, to our formal appreciation of their friendship and worth, must also emphasize in our hearts the regret that more of our words of praise had not been said to our friends while they were living rather than in their memory. " Our Society has been characterized as an organization having for its purpose the praising of Ohio men and their deeds. If that is true, I believe we make no mistake. The fulfillment of such a purpose may make Ohio men more happy, it cannot make them less worthy or less loyal. " The report of the chairman of the governing committee presents one view of our membership roll which is most hopeful. The fact that thirty- eight new names have been proposed for enrollment and that twenty-five dif- ferent members appear responsible for their proposal speaks well for the efforts of those members and for the future of the Society. These additions to our membership suggest, too, the inquiry whether we do not owe it to those who are coming in with us, as well as to those who have long been members, that we make more vigorous efforts toward fulfilling the first object of the Society as stated in its constitution, * the cultivation of social intercourse among its members.' " The Society not being conducted as a club, its benefits and advantages are comprised for the most part in its meetings and social functions. It is true that we can, and do, maintain most friendly and cordial good feeling when we assemble merely for the purposes of business, but a considerable number of our members will not attend a simple business meeting. In order, then, to cultivate social intercourse effectively and generally, I believe we ought to come together more frequently for that purpose. The surplus in our treasury shows the result of skilful and prudent management. It also indicates that we might perhaps, safely and wisely, expend a larger sum each year in promoting the objects of the Society, and for the benefit and pleasure of those who maintain it. I believe that if we had more frequent gatherings of a social nature, we would add attractions to membership and unity and strength to the Society. " Respectfully submitted, " EvARTS L. Prentiss, Secretary." The treasurer, L. H. Crall, rendered his annual report, showing the bal- ance in the treasury. C. C. Shayne, chairman of the library committee, re- ported the addition of forty volumes during the year. He mentioned as con- 238 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tributions of special importance certain books from Senator Harper, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio ; " Men of Columbus and Familiar Faces of Ohio," from Governor Asa L. Bushnell; twelve volumes of the work of Thomas Hardy, from the publisher, Peter F. Collier ; " Ohio in the War," from the author, Hon. White- law Reid, and several volumes on various subjects from Dr. E. B. Foote. Under the head of miscellaneous business. General Swayne called par- ticular attention to that part of the report of the secretary which recom- mended more earnest cultivation of social intercourse among its members, and moved that $25, in addition to the usual sum, be placed at the disposal of the entertainment committee for use at future meetings of the Society. Carried. The election of officers being next in order, General Burnett called upon General Swayne to take the chair. In taking the chair. General Swayne re- marked that General Burnett's unwillingness to preside over an election in which he was a candidate was another of the frequent instances of " the in- ordinate modesty of the Ohio man," C. C. Shayne moved that the recording secretary cast the ballot of the Society for the candidates presented by the nominating committee. Carried. The secretary reported the unanimous elec- tion of the gentlemen who had been named. The chairman said that the scarcity of candidates must be regarded as still another instance of the mod- esty of the Ohio man. General Burnett was recalled to the chair. He called upon the mayor for a report as to the condition of the city of New York. Colonel Strong reported that since the Ohio Society had assumed the government of the city the laws on the statute books had been rigidly en- forced ; that the streets had been kept thoroughly clean, and that the city was in a better sanitary condition than ever before; that during the life of the Society the death rate had been reduced one-half, and that since the election of an Ohio man to the presidency of the United States, the death rate of this city had been reduced to the lowest figure in its history. The mayor reported further that during the life of the Ohio Society the number of arrests had been reduced forty-six per cent., and that the decorum of the city had materially improved during the last year. He stated that although there had been a nominal increase of drinking places under the Raines law, nevertheless, it was one of the best laws ever passed, although it needed certain amendments. He expressed his firm conviction that all of the city departments were doing their best to get one hundred cents in value for the city for every dollar ex- pended. He closed by expressing his intention to be present at every meeting of the Society which it was possible for him to attend. The president stated that he felt it his duty to say to the mayor that the people of the city of New York felt for the first time that they had a clean, honest and efficient govern- ment. He congratulated the city and country in having Ohio men as chief magistrates. 239 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK When the new governing committee convened, Lowell M. Palmer was elected chairman and Messrs. Foye chairman and B. H. Wilson and Franklin Tuttle members of the house committee. Some days later Mr. Palmer notified the committee of his inability to serve as chairman, and Richard J. Chard was unanimously chosen in his stead. At the meeting of December 14th the president announced the following committees: Entertainment, Warren Hig- ley, chairman; Colgate Hoyt, Mahlon Chance, Putnam Bradlee Strong, D. H. Bates, Jr. ; library, Henry H. Vail, chairman; Rush Taggart, S. S. Pack- ard, William Collett Carr, D. F. Harbaugh; art and literature. Homer Lee, chairman; J. Q. A. Ward, D. C. Beard, Franklin Tuttle, H. F. Waltman; auditing, H. A. Glassford, chairman ; F. C. Loveland, Cary W. Moore, J. Q. Mitchell, E. A. Follett; banquet, Anson G. McCook, chairman; Henry L. Burnett, Calvin S. Brice, William L. Strong, Wager Swayne, Samuel Thomas, John D. Rockefeller, Murat Halstead, A. D. Juilliard, Colgate Hoyt, E. B. Thomas, Samuel McMillan, J. Q. A. Ward, Peter F. Collier, Mil- ton I. Southard, Thomas Ewing, Jr., T. H. Wheeler, William L. Brown, Homer Lee, Andrew J. C. Foye. The president read a letter from President-elect McKinley in acknowl- edgment of the congratulatory resolutions passed by the members of the Society. The Society was entertained, on January 11, 1897, with singing and recitations by Miss Clara A. Stutsman and ^Irs. Harriet Webb. General Swayne and General Burnett spoke upon topics of general interest, and a collation was served. The eleventh annual banquet was given at Delmonico's on Saturday evening, January 16, 1897. As there had been some changes in the com- mittee responsible for the event from that announced above, the names of those who ser\'ed in that capacity are here given: Anson G. McCook, chairman; Henry L. Burnett, William L. Strong, Wager Swayne, Calvin S. Brice, Samuel Thomas, S. S. Packard, Colgate Hoji:, Milton I. Southard, Peter F. Collier, T. H. Wheeler, William L. Brown, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Murat Hal- stead. Andrew J. C. Foye, Homer Lee, secretary. The reception committee: Warren Higley, George P. Tangeman, W. H. Caldwell, Quinton Coi-wine, H. T. Ambrose, P. S. Jennings, D. H. Bates, Samuel McMillan, Rush W. Tag- gart, John A. Fordyce, Charles A. Clegg, Frank C. Loveland. The members of the banquet committee wore a buckej'^e brown badge, and those of the recep- tion committeee a blue badge. It was an occasion of rare interest. Said the New York Tribune on the morning following : " The annual dinner of the Ohio Society of New York has ever been a joyous occasion since the first one was held ten years ago. Since then the Society has added greatly to its strength and numbers, but its charac- 240 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ter remains unchanged. Now as then, the annual dinner is a jovial and cheery gathering of the New York men who were once Ohio boys. Now, as then, the chief employment of the diners is to sound the praises and compare the rela- tive merits of the only two states on earth. Delmonico's could not comfortably have held more of the children of Ohio than were gathered there last evening ; nor could it have sheltered a more congenial company. Men of all political stripes discarded their political animosities and the lion and the lamb sat down together." The president of the Society, Gen. Henry L. Burnett, sat beneath the shield of Ohio and presided over this love feast. Upon his right sat the gov- ernor of Ohio, Asa S. Bushnell, who had come with his staff in order to be present, and who announced that he would travel a thousand miles any time to repeat the performance. United States Senator Joseph R. Hawley sat upon the president's left, and his remarks gave rise to the most interesting demon- stration of the evening. The Senator had just finished begging his hearers to give Congress more credit for disinterested motives, when he added that his heart was full just then of other national matters that he would love to talk about. This assurance evoked plenty of enthusiastic requests that the senator should unburden his mind, and this he proceeded to do. He mentioned the arbitration treaty just signed by Secretary Olney and the British ambassador, and added that he had about made up his mind to vote for it. This statement brought out such a roar of cheers as left no doubt of what the Ohio Society thought of the matter. " I'm naturally glad you approve of my intentions," said the senator, " but I should hate to put it to a vote." " Vote ! vote ! " cried half a hundred voices at once. " All those who favor the treaty," said the senator, " will please rise." Not more than a dozen men kept their seats, and there was another storm of cheers. " Those who are opposed," went on Senator Hawley, " or who do not want to rise can keep their seats." General Horace Porter sat by Senator Hawley, and there were also at the guest table Senator Calvin S. Brice, Congressman Charles H. Grosvenor, James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland; George R. Blanchard, John W. Vrooman, rep- resenting the Holland Society; the Rev. Dr. Samuel A. Eliot, Hon. R. W. Tayler, and eight members of Governor Bushnell's staff, namely, General H. H. Axline, General W. P. Orr, Col. H. H. Prettyman, Col. C. E. Burke, Col. H. L. Kingsley, Col. R. C. McKinney, Col. Alexander Gordon and Captain R. E. Burdick. The members who sat at the head and foot of each of the other tables were as follows; A, A. D. Juilliard and George Milmine; B, Andrew J. C. 241 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Foye and William L. Brown; C, S. S. Packard and Homer Lee; D, W. L. Strong and Anson G. McCook ; E, Milton I. Southard and Samuel Thomas ; F, George E. Armstrong and C. N. Hoagland. The menu made a charming souvenir of the occasion, faced as it was with the brown of Ohio and the seal of the state pictured at the top. The bal- cony sent down sweet sounds of instrumental harmony during the progress of the dinner, and afterward it contained a number of the wives of the diners. Among them were Mrs. W. L. Strong, Mrs. Henry L. Burnett, Mrs. Homer Lee, Mrs. S. S. Packard, Mrs. A. J. C. Foye, Mrs. Colgate Hoyt, Mrs. James H. Hoyt, Mrs. Anson G. McCook and Mrs. Sanford. The Rev. Dr. Eliot said grace before the guests sat down and the brevity of his prayer was startling in the extreme. " As God was with the fathers, so may He be with the sons. Amen," said he. In astonishment the company broke into applause. General Burnett, in calling the guests to order, referred to the gathering as an expression of love toward their native state. " But the love of our native state," he said, " does not lessen our loyalty to the state of our adoption. We are proud of her greatness and her imperial position among the states of the land." General Burnett then called for the company to drink to the president of the United States and to the flag. The toast was drunk standing. At once the band began to play " The Star-Spangled Banner," and all of the two hun- dred and fifty guests took up the song, accompanying their vocal efforts with the waving of handkerchiefs and napkins. In introducing Governor Bushnell, General Burnett referred to him as an anomaly in that, although he was a native of New York, he was governor of Ohio. The governor of Ohio got an extremely hearty reception as he rose to speak. " From the cordiality of my reception," said he, " I can see that we are all friends. You see I take you into partnership and say ' we.' Sometimes it is more difficult to form partnerships. There was once a young fellow who worked in a country clothing store. One morning he got to the store early and as he was washing the windows his employer came up. ' I guess we shall have rain to-day,' said the boy. His employer looked at him with a scowl. * Since when did you get into the firm.'' ' said he. New York and Ohio are still neck and neck, for while you have given the country a president for four years, we shall give it one for the four years to come. (Applause.) In still another thing honors are even. The chief executive of Ohio is a New Yorker, but the chief executive of New York is an Ohioan." (Here Mayor Strong tried to look as if he were deaf.) Governor Bushnell went on to name some of the great men of Ohio and New York and to glorify them in the true spirit. He finished by saying that OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the Oliio Society could have him at its dinner any time it would let him know when the dinner was to take place. Senator Hawley, who was well received, after referring to the names of many prominent men of Connecticut who had served their country well in the national legislature, went on to ask that a more charitable spirit should be ob- served by the American people toward Congress and the government. For twenty-two years, he said, he had been in the halls of legislation, and he could bear testimony that not in the world was there a more faithful, steady or honest body of legislators than the men who composed the Congress of the United States. He challenged his hearers also to point out any instance during the last hundred years where any foreign rulers had shown more honor, patriotism and efficient administration than the presidents of the United States. By gradual stages Senator Hawley found his way to the subj ect of the arbi- tration treaty. Its first mention was greeted with loud cheers, which drew from the senator this remark : " I think I could get a vote here on this question, but I doubt if two-thirds would vote " The remainder of Senator Hawley's sentence was lost in cries of " Vote, vote ! " which was so prolonged that at last he shouted : " Well, I will take a vote : those in favor of arbitration will please stand up." Then occurred the incident already described. " I should vote for the ratification of the treaty," continued Mr. Hawley, " largely because I don't think there can be any harm in it. But I am free to confess that I should like to have precede it a declaration on the part of Great Britain that she will cease that doctrine of extension, seizure of land and rob- bery of territory that she has avowedly pursued for many generations. If you read Prof. Seely's work on the expansion" — Senator Hawley got no further with his sentence. His mention of a name that has been on the lips of New Yorkers for the last two or three weeks (the Seeley dinner of not pleasant fame) seemed to strike his auditors with a particularly humorous force. And when he described the guests as " irreverent and unappreciative of the subject at issue," the laughter broke out afresh. Continuing at length, he said: " Arbitration! Why is it ever necessary to coax the United States to arbitration? We are always ready for arbitration. But I would ask you to pause and consider those words of Lord Chief Justice Russell, who, when speaking during his recent visit at Saratoga, stated there were questions that no self-respecting nation could arbitrate. It is almost comical that in this very treaty there is left out one of the most serious questions that should claim our attention, and that is the boundary of Alaska. After all, this treaty is only for five years, but I warn you that if any wrong arises, or if any serious insult is given to the American people, they will fight to the death." The Rev. Dr. Samuel A. Eliot spoke next, and in part he said : " Ere yet the Empire state yields the sceptre to her Western sister, let this OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK be said, that if the new administration finds the country at peace with foreign nations ; with a substantial gold reserve in the treasury, and a reformed civil service, it will owe that advantage chiefly to the steady will and sound sense of a son of New York. If the incoming president finds the executive chair securely based, it will be because it has been held down by an outgoing president whose moral courage and imperturbable Americanism have stood the test of hostile abuse and partisan spite. If William McKinley finds us a state worth govern- ing it is chiefly due to the downright honesty of purpose, the clear grit of Grover Cleveland. He has enjoyed the beatitude of malediction — an honor gained only by men who refuse to answer the multitude according to their idols. Let it not be said that American citizens, of whatever party allegiance, fail to do justice to the immovable purpose and the iron nerve that have preserved our financial integrity and maintained the true dignity of our national honor. " Gentlemen, the incoming president will need, as seldom man has done, the hearty support of all intelligent and well-disposed citizens. The new admin- istration will, in deed, be confronted by momentous problems. In the support of the great principle of business integrity in the financial operations of the government, we are all one. Against the extravagant wastefulness of our con- gressional log-rolling, and all demoralizing jobbery, let us oppose a protest of simple lives and thrifty habits. Against the greed of selfish monopolies, seek- ing to fatten on the unnecessary taxation of the many for the benefit of the few, to enrich one producer at the expense of a thousand consumers, let us op- pose the irrefutable logic not only of justice, but of clear political expediency." When Dr. Eliot resumed his seat. Senator Hawley arose, and, alluding to that part of the former's remarks about opposition to the arbitration treaty as being due to personal spite on the part of some senators, protested against the use of the term. " I represent here to-night," Senator Hawley said, " the sen- ate and my brother senators, and can say that no question of spite enters into our deliberations. I hope our friend. Dr. Ehot, does not attribute spite either to myself or other senators. We are sent there for the express purpose of keep- ing cool, weighing everything calmly, and to wait to see what the other side does." Hon. James H. Hoyt was introduced with encomiums by the president, and he was warmly received. In the course of his address he said: " Our next President, with all the power of his office, and with all his shining qualifications of mind and heart, cannot accomplish much without the support of the people of the United States. This is a critical period in American history. Sometimes we may well doubt whether our government has passed beyond the experimental stage. Free institutions are on trial. The next four years must necessarily be eventful, history-making years. I do not speak of causes, but of facts. Our revenues are insufficient ; our monetary sys- m4i OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK tern is defective; our poor are too envious of the rich, and our rich are too unmindful of the poor. Combinations, both of labor and of capital, threaten the peace of the republic. Our civilization is splendid, but it is selfish. Our business interests langush; our laborers are unemployed; we are threatened with serious complications not only at home, but abroad. Our people are dis- contented and unhappy. Our next President is confronted with towering dif- ficulties. It remains to be seen whether, in this crisis of the republic, the American people, as they have been in other crises, will be unselfishly patriotic. If they are, our next President can accomplish much ; if they are not, he can do nothing. We need his leadership, but, above all, he needs our help. Let us forget private interest and think only of public interests. Let us forget self and remember the State." Among the other speakers were Gen. Horace Porter, Hon. Charles H. Grosvenor, Judge Charles H. Truax and Hon. R. W. Tayler. Before the governing committee, on February 8th, Homer Lee, on behalf of the art committee, suggested that the rooms of the Society be fitted up for an art exhibition. After some discussion Gen. Burnett moved that the art committee be empowered to prepare the rooms as desired, provided that the money therefor be raised by private subscription, and that the Society be not called upon to bear any share of the expense ; and, further, that the art com- mittee be authorized to anange for three evening entertainments, to be held under the management and direction of the entertainment committee ; the sole expense to be not more than fifty dollars for each of these evening entertain- ments. The motion was carried. Mr. Lee, at the meeting of the Society on the same night, reported this action and explained that it was proposed to have one smoker and two nights of receptions to the ladies. The exhibition was held in acordance with these arrangements. The meeting of April 12th took the form of a dinner at Morelli's. Judge Higley reported for the entertainment committee that a ladies' recep- tion and dance would be held at the Waldorf on the evening of April 22d. The price of tickets for members and their guests was fixed at $2.50, which would cover the charges of the Hotel Waldorf, and that the Society would bear the expense of music and printing. After business was over the president called upon ex-Mayor Otis, of Cleveland, for a speech. Mr. Otis delegated that duty to Col. William L. Brown, who responded in a very happy speech, the burden of which was that he owed no man anything except good will. General Swayne was called upon and dwelt with emphasis upon the duty of the members of the Society to participate in the movement looking to the purchase of the house of Rufus Putnam, and setting it apart as a memorial of the Ohio Company, which started from the house to found the new state in 1788. 245 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The ladles' reception was pronounced a success, in the report made by the entertainment committee to the Society on May 10th, here quoted: "Gentlemen : Your entertainment committee, by direction of the Society, and under the approval of the governing committee, made all the necessary arrangements for the ladies' reception and dance, given at the Waldorf on Thursday evening of Easter week, April 22, 1897. " This form of entertainment was decided upon after careful inquiry and due deliberation, and the Waldorf was selected as being the most desirable place for the entertainment to be given. Arrangements were made with the Waldorf for the use of the large ballroom and the smaller ballroom for that evening, and an extensive collation to be served at small tables, beginning at 11 o'clock and continuing through the dance, for $2.50 for each person, un- der a general guarantee that there should not be less than 150 attending. " To the entertainment committee were added the reception and the floor committees, and to these two committees we are greatly indebted for the pleas- ures of the evening. The floor committee did admirable service in arranging the most excellent and attractive order of dances, giving the music for each and in managing the dances to the delight of all who took part. " The reception was held in the large ballroom from 9 to 10 :30, where members of the Society and their guests were cordially received by the host- esses of the evening — Mrs. Henry L. Burnett and Mrs. William L. Strong. Mrs. Calvin S. Brice was expecting to be present and assist, but owing to sudden illness was prevented from doing so, I may be permitted to say that the active interest manifested by Mrs. Burnett and Mrs. Strong contributed largely to the success of this entertainment, and the thanks of the Society are due to them for their good offices in this behalf. " There were something over 200 who attended this reception and dance. I think the facts will bear out the assertion that the entertainment was from every standpoint an eminent success. " The lateness of the season militated against a larger attendance. Some of the members had already gone to Europe who would otherwise have been present; others had gone to the country, and then the winter had been filled with various entertainments until the people had in many instances become satiated. Still the attendance was good, being over 200, and the entertain- ment was up to the Ohio standard. " Should the Society decide to give similar entertainments in the future, the committee strongly recommends that they be given before the Lenten sea- son, when, with the same preparations and eff'oi'ts made and put forth in this last entertainment, we could well look for the number of 500. The Society has never made a mistake in the ladies' receptions and entertainments it has 246 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK thus far given. They have always been dehghtful to the ladies and the gentlemen alike. " Respectfully submitted, " Warren Higley, Chairman Ent. Com." The committee referred to in this report were constituted as follows: Entertainment committee, Warren Higley, chairman ; Colgate Hoyt, P. Brad- lee Strong, Mahlon Chance, David Homer Bates, Jr. Reception committee, William L. Strong, chairman ; Wager Swayne, Calvin S. Brice, Wallace C. Andrews, William L. Brown, Samuel Thomas, John D. Archbold, Frank C. Loveland, Wan-en F. Leland, David H. Bates, Henry Hobart Vail, George P. Tangeman, Emerson McMillan, L. C. Hopkins, Frederick C. Train, D. F. Harbaugh, Wilham S. Hawk, with the officers and governing committee. Floor committee, David Homer Bates, Jr., chairman ; Andrew Ernest Foye, P. Bradlee Strong, James Alfred Chard, Charles F. Bostwick, Allison R. Hopkins, Emmet B. Wheeler, William H. Caldwell, Henry B. C. Plimpton, Peter H. Burnett. The following was the concert program: Overture — ^Lustspiel, Kela Bela. Selection — ^Wizard of the Nile, Herbert. Concert Gavotte — Hearts and Flowers, Tobani. Selection — Rob Roy, De Koven. Cavalleria Rusticana — Intennezzo, Mascagni. Selection — ^Lady Slavey, Kerker. Steps were taken in the early summer of this year (1897) by the gov- erning committee looking to a more desirable home for the Society. On June 23d it was ordered that a committee to consist of Henry B. Wilson, T. H, Wheeler and Andrew J. C. Foye be appointed to examine rooms at the new Astoria Hotel* for the use of the Ohio Society, and report to the governing committee. At the meeting of October 11th Mr. Foye made a preliminary report for the committee, and stated that they had negotiated a lease for a suite on the fourteenth floor of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, with service, light and heat, and with the privileges of the hotel generally ; and, particularly of the billiard room, restaurant and roof garden, with easy access to the rooms, at an annual rental of $2,600. He stated that the lease would begin May 1, 1898. Tlie report was approved, and the president was authorized and in- structed to sign the lease. Judge Higley presented a photograph of Gov. Asa L. Bushnell and his staff, and offered the following resolution: *Tr wall be recalled that the Hotel Waldorf was first constructed and opened, and that the "Astoria" end of the house was an after consideration. 247 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Resolved, That the Ohio Society of New York accept with thanks the large and beautiful photograph of Gov. Asa L. Bushnell and his staff, with the assurance that it will ever after hang upon our walls as a pleasant re- minder of our noted banquets of the years of 1896 and 1897, and of the distinguished honor they conferred on us by coming all the way from Ohio to be our guests and to enjoy with us those happy occasions. " Resolved, That the recording secretary be instructed to forward a copy of this resolution to Gov. Asa L. Bushnell and to Colonel Burke of his staff." The following response was received from Governor Bushnell: " Office of the Governor, Columbus, O., Nov. 12, 1897. " Noah H. Swayne, Recording Secretary Ohio Society of New York. " Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your esteemed favor of November 8th, in which you communicate the resolution adopted by the Ohio Society of New York, relating to the photograph of the staff and my- self. Permit me to offer my thanks to the Society and yourself for the honor thus accorded and to say that we retain the most pleasant recollections of the hospitality shown us by the Ohio Society of New York. Trusting that at some time in the future I may have the pleasure of meeting yourself and your associates, I am, " Very cordially yours, " Asa S. Bushnell." The following gentlemen served as the nominating committee selected this year: F. H. Kingsbury, R. J. Chard, E. A. Follett, W. H. Eckert, D. H. Bates, A. D. Houston, Ralph W. Carroll. At the meeting of November 8th Mr. Chard reported that they had prepared the following ticket: President, Henry L. Burnett; vice-presidents, S. S. Packard, Milton I. Southard, An- drew J. C. Foye, George E. Armstrong, A. D. Juilliard ; secretary, Evarts L. Prentiss ; recording secretary, Noah H. Swayne 2d ; for treasurer, Leander H. Crall; trustees, Thomas Ewing, Samuel McMillan, J. C. Hoagland. The president announced that the annual meeting would be held at Mo- relli's on November 29th, and that a dinner complimentary to the members would be furnished at that time. The president then called upon Prof. Packard to take the chair, and then referred to Mayor Strong's remarks at the dinner given in his honor three years ago, to the effect that " My own impression is that in about three years from now you gentlemen will be mighty sorry that you gave me this dinner," and proposed that the next annual dinner be a testimonial for Colonel Strong. This proposition was enthusiastically received, and the president announced that he would advise that the dinner be held as soon after January 1st as possible. At the annual meeting, held on the date above named, Mr. Chard, as OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK chairman of the governing committee, presented the annual report to the ef- fect that twenty-five resident and ten non-resident members had been elected and had qualified during tlie year. Mr. Crall presented his annual report as treasurer. The report of the secretary was as follows : " To the president and members of the Oliio Society of New York, the secretary has the honor to submit the following report: The by-laws pre- scribe that the secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Society, issue notices of all meetings, keep the roll of members, furnish information on call of any of the committees, and discharge such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Society or the president. Pursuant to such regulations, notices have been issued announcing eleven meetings or entertainments since the last annual election. It may not be out of place to recite rapidly the occasions of our coming together. The first meeting was held at the rooms of the Society on December 14, 1896, when the committees were announced and arrange- ments made for the annual banquet. This meeting was followed by a ladies' night on January 11th. On the 16th of the same month the members of the Society and their guests gathered about Delmonico's tables at the eleventh annual banquet and our last feast in that old place of entertainment. A musicale given by the College Alumni Quartette at the Society's quarters dis- tinguished our gathering on the second Monday of February. From the 26th of February to the 8th of March a notable collection of pictures by American artists was on exhibition at our rooms and was viewed by a large number of members and their friends. We assembled for an informal dinner at this place (Morelli's) on the 12th of April, and on April 22d the entertainment season of the Society ended with a reception and dance at the Waldorf. We last convened before the summer on the 10th of May at our rooms. The first meetings of the present season were held at 236 Fifth avenue on the second Mondays of October and November. The entertainments of the Society dur- ing the past season, by reason of their variety and character, gave unusual pleasure to all who participated in them and were creditable to the organiza- tion and to the committees having them in charge. " Announcements of the meetings and entertainments enumerated have been given through the mails to the members at the addresses furnished by them. The practice has been to post the notices so that a member living so far distant as Chicago might receive word in season to attend the meeting which they announced. Observation of the workings of the city mail ser\'ice has discovered the fact that we erred in our calculations. A notice mailed at the Madison Square branch on the 4th of October arrived at its destination in Wall street on the morning of the fourth day afterward, about the time required to travel leisurely from New York to Chicago and back again. A notice mailed November 1, 1897, arrived at the same destination on the 4th 249 . OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK of November. After further observation and experiment the facts were called to the attention of the postmaster, who has investigated the matter, and we are promised more satisfactory service in the future. " The membership roll has shown a steady and encouraging growth in the past two years. Thirty-eight candidates were proposed for membership during the year ending November 29, 1896, and 41 proposals were received during the year just past. The proposals during 1897 were made by 19 different members. Since the last annual meeting three of our number have been called away. We have on our membership roll at the present time 278 resident members, 88 non-resident and 4 honorary members, making in all 370 against 337 in 1895. " It is worthy of note that through the efficient management of the house committee and of our custodian, the rooms of the Society and the collections they contain have presented always a most pleasing and orderly appearance. Thirty-five portraits of members and of distinguished Ohioans have been obtained during the year through the efforts of the custodian and added to the large number already collected by him and arranged upon the walls. Through Judge Higley a finely executed photograph of Gov. Asa S. Bushnell and his staff was presented to the Society. " The record of visitors has been carefully kept by the custodian and shows that during the year over eighteen hundred visits have been paid at the rooms by members, their friends and Ohioans sojourning in the city. This is about four times the number received during the year preceding. In addition to this number eight hundred and more persons were received during the art exhibition. These figures and facts seem to show a wider interest in the So- ciety and greater attractions in its abiding place. " The outlook seems auspicious. Probably before the next annual meet- ing the Society will be situated in its new home at the Waldorf-Astoria. More pretentious quarters and an environment most convenient and superb can scarcely fail to invite a better and more regular attendance of members to our rooms and make membership in the Ohio Society of larger advantage and value than it has ever been. " Respectfully submitted, " EvARTS L. Prentiss, Secretary." The election of officers being called for, the secretary was unanimously instructed to cast one ballot for the gentlemen proposed by the nominating committee. The Society was entertained by remarks by Gren. J. Warren Keifer, ex-speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and by Mr. Chance and Mr. Southard. Mr. Crall moved that the secretary be instructed to send the cordial greetings of this Society to the Ohio Society of California 250 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and the Ohio Society of St. Louis. Carried. The president announced the following banquet committee, with the statement that he had not included in it any of the beneficiaries of the mayor: Calvin S. Brice, Whitelaw Reid, George Hoadly, Jno. J. JMcCook, Wager Swayne, Abner McKinley, J. Q. A. Ward, E. B. Thomas, Leander H. Crall, Andrew J. C. Foye, Geo. E. Arm- strong, A. D. Juilliard, Colgate Hoyt, S. S. Packard, Milton I. Southard, Wm. L. Brown, Warren Higley, D. H. Bates, Mahlon Chance, Emerson Mc- Millan, P. F. Collier, W. S. Hawk. Mr. Hawk resigned later, and Mr. Pren- tiss was selected by the committee to fill the vacancy. At the meeting of December 13th Mr. Chard moved that a resolution of condolence to the President of the United States, upon the death of his mother be adopted by the Society. The chair appointed Messrs. Chard, Higley and Wilson, who later in the evening presented the following: ^^ Whereas, The Ohio Society of New York has learned with the deepest regret of the passing away of the aged and revered mother of an honored member of our Society, the President of the United States ; therefore, ^^Resolved, That this Society extends to President McKinley the expres- sion of its sincerest sympathy and condolence in this hour of his great be- reavement." The report was adopted, and the secretary was instructed to forward a copy of the resolutions to the President. The president announced the stand- ing committees as follows: Literature and art. Homer Lee, H. T. Waltman, J. Q. A. Ward, Wm. S. Hawk, Geo. W. Perkins. Entertainment, Warren Higley, P. Bradlee Strong, David H. Bates, Jr., Noah H. Swayne 2d, Wm. H. Caldwell. Library, P. F. Collier, C. C. Shayne, Abner McKinley, Daniel Pritchard, Jno. D. Archbold. Auditing, Henry A. Glassford, L. C. Hopkins, F. C. Loveland, H. H. Brockway, J. Stedman Converse. The following acknowledgment of the above resolutions of sympathy was received at a later date : " Executive Mansion, Washington, Dec. 28, 1897. " My Dear Sir: At the request of the President and in his behalf I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 21st instant, transmitting a copy of the preamble and resolutions of the Ohio Society of New York in regard to the death of the President's mother. The President wishes me to assure you, and through you the Society, that the words of tender sympathy contained in these resolutions are gratefully appreciated by him and will be lastingly remembered. " Very sincerely yours, " John Addison Porter, Secretary to the President. " Mr. Evarts L. Prentiss, Secretary Ohio Society of New York." 251 CHAPTER XIII 1898 THE twelfth annual banquet of the Ohio Society was given, as has been already indicated, in honor of Hon. Wm. L. Strong, who had recently retired from the office of mayor of New York. It was the first one given by the Society at the Waldorf-Astoria. The date was Saturday, January 8, 1898. The dinner was held in the beautiful Astor Gallery, one of the show rooms of the big hotel, and was attended by about two hundred members of the Society and a number of their guests. The numerous small tables at which the guests sat were luxuriantly decorated with roses and green things of various sorts, most of which eventually found their way into the galleries where sat many of the wives and sisters of the Ohioans, to view the festivities below. ' Gen. Henry L. Burnett, president of the Society, sat in the centre of the guests' table, and at his right sat Colonel Strong, the guest of honor. At his left sat Bishop Potter. Others at the table were ex- Attorney-General Jud- son Harmon ; James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland ; ex-Senator Calvin S. Brice, John W. Vrooman, E. M. Harmon, Charles W. Mackey, Edward S. Wilson, Wil- liam Lyall, General Wager Swayne and Chancellor MacCracken. Among those present in the gallery were Mrs. W. L. Strong, Mrs. Henry L. Burnett, Mrs. Homer Lee, Mrs. S. S. Packard, Miss Packard, Mrs. A. D. Shattuck, Miss Abom, Mrs. E. S. Wallace, Mrs. T. H. Wheeler, Mrs. Bealle, Mrs. An- drew J. C. Foye, Mrs. Southard, Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Freeman Ward, Mrs. Pen- field and Mrs. McMillan. The menu cards were singularly artistic and appropriate. Upon the face of the document was the buckeye in fac-simile, and beneath it were the lines: The friendly buckeye leaves expand, Five-fingered, like an open hand Of trust and brotherhood the sign — Be welcome! What is mine is thine. Inside the leaves was an excellent portrait of Colonel Strong done in half-tone. The menu card was so popular that the supply was not equal to the demand. 252 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The members of the Society and their guests began to find their way to the Astor Gallery at 6.30 o'clock. They were greeted by the reception com- mittee, which consisted of the following gentlemen: William Ford Upson, chairman ; George P. Tangeman, Edward S. Wallace, H. H. Waltman, Quin- ton Corwine, W. H. Caldwell, H. R. De Milt, Homer Lee, Paul D. Cravath, Charles F. Dean, James G. Newcomb, Samuel McMillan, Edgar A. Follett, Henry B. Wilson, Frank Brainerd. An inforaial reception was held in the spacious ante-chamber, and soon after 7 o'clock the guests sat down to dinner. From that time on the succes- sion of good things was incessant and jollity and good feeling ran high. The band in the gallery varied its " all the popular tunes of the day" with an oc- casional old-fashioned or patriotic song, in which the guests joined heartily, being assisted oftentimes by the soprano voices in the gallery. The ladies, while spectators, were by no means neglected, and there was an almost con- stant procession of the diners from the floor to the galleries, where a second informal reception was in progress. The Ohioans never do things in a half-hearted fashion, and, having de- termined to show their appreciation of the manner in which their fellow- member, Colonel Strong, guarded the tremendous trust imposed upon him by the citizens of the city of New York, they did it in their characteristically thorough fashion. Colonel Strong was besieged during the course of the dinner by friends, who wished to grasp his hand, and all the speakers, higlily eulogistic as they were, only voiced the sentiments of the guests who loudly applauded their words. G^eneral Burnett set the keynote of the dinner when he said, in calling the guests to order : " We come here to-night to say to our comrade and com- panion who has served for three years as mayor of New York: 'You have done well, you have faithfully discharged your duties and you have laid aside the robes of office upon which there is neither spot nor soil.' " Secretary Sherman, Senator Allison and Abram S. Hewitt were at first expected to be present, but were unavoidably detained. The speakers who were present, however, including Bishop Potter, James H. Hoyt, ex- Attorney- General Harmon, General Burnett and others, expressed the esteem in which the Society held its guests in graceful and clever after-dinner fashion. Gen. Henry L. Burnett called the guests to order at 9.30 o'clock, and in opening the after-dinner exercises spoke as follows : " Fellow members of the Ohio Society and their guests : To the guests we give greeting and welcome, and we will not forget the ladies. We welcome you to this, our twelfth annual banquet, and permit me to say to the mem- 253 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK bers of the Ohio Society that the last year has been the most prosperous finan- cially and in increase of numbers of any year of our existence. " We are strong, loyal to each other, prosperous in all material respects and look forward to a prosperous, happy and loving future. We found our quarters on Fifth Avenue small for our numbers, and as you see we had these buildings erected for us. (Laughter and applause.) We had them reason- ably and artistically decorated and furnished. These are now our headquar- ters, where we receive and welcome all of our Ohio friends without money and without price. Others may come who are not so fortunate as to be members or bom in Ohio and pay the price. " Our friend and manager, our steward, Mr. Boldt, takes charge of these quarters for us and we are reasonably well satisfied with his management. Mr. Boldt intended to be bom in Ohio. He started from Belgium or Germany, his parents did, but by some little mistake in the date he was born in Pennsyl- vania and did not reach Ohio. He has spread, as you see, throughout the various rooms some plants that he thought were buckeyes. They are not; they are palms. But when you assemble here again all these rooms now called palm rooms will be filled with buckeye trees and you will feel quite at home. " Now, my friends, in assembling here to-night, at this, our twelfth an- nual banquet, let us commence our exercises seriously by sending to our com- rade, companion in this order, the man, William McKinley, our sympathy and greeting over his late bereavement. Our hearts go out to him in deep love and sympathy in that greatest trial any human soul ever knows, the sev- erence of that tenderest and purest relation that exists on earth, the love of mother and son. To him we send our love and sympathy. *' And now, friends, to your feet, and to the President of the United States, and to the flag of our country we give our first toast. (Cheers and ap- plause; "America" sung.) " Before passing from the question of our Society I desire to say that our example here, to our comrades, has been followed by sister societies having been formed in Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco. The youngest of the sisterhood is the San Francisco Society, and from them I have a little mes- sage that I desire to read : ' On behalf of the Ohio Society of Cahf omia I acknowledge the receipt of your cordial greetings and thank you. We know of no way to give expression of our good will better than to wish you the perpetuation of your past. The advice of Emerson to hitch your wagon to a star we have adopted. Our star is your Society.' (Cries of "Good" and applause. ) " Three years ago and a little more, when our president was about laying down or ending his term of office, Colonel Strong (much applause), there was a general expression on the part of the members to have an opportunity to 254 { \ OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK meet him and to express to him their esteem and their love for him as a man, to take him by the hand as he was about to enter upon the new office to which he had just been elected, mayor of the city of New York, and to say to him, * Godspeed,' ' God be with you,' and to express to the people of New York our confidence that they had elected a man who would honestly, fearlessly, cleanly administer the affairs of this great city; that he was of that stuff of which good officers are made, and therefore and then we gave him a banquet and sent him on his new way with our blessing and with expressions of our con- fidence. On that occasion Colonel Strong took occasion to say, ' This banquet is well enough, but perhaps at the end of my official career you will not be quite so free and willing to give me a banquet.' To that doubt of his this night is the response. (Applause.) " We come here to-night to say to our companion and comrade of this order, to the man who has sei-ved three years as mayor of New York, elected by its people, ' You have done well,' ' You have faithfully discharged your duties,' ' You have laid off the robes of office upon which there is neither spot nor soilure.' ' You have administered your trust faithfully in the interests of the people, the citizenship of New York, and we welcome you back into our ranks with outstretched hands and with warm hearts.' " I cannot detain you because it is not the province of the toastmaister to take the time of the guests and of the members. Colonel Strong, perhaps by reason of his native modesty and his not being used to much public speak- ing, would not like to immediately respond to this toast, and therefore to Mayor Strong's administration and Mayor Strong as our guest to-night I bid you all rise and drink. (Much applause. All present arose and drank.) " Now, I do not propose to ask Colonel Strong immediately while the blushes are still suffusing his face, to respond to this toast, and in place of Colonel Strong I call upon one whom I fancy there is no man who observes the physical life of New York, its material prosperity with closer, keener eye, and no man who has in his heart the welfare, spiritual and moral, the uplifting of the better part of all the life of New York, than the man whom I now pre- sent, Bishop Potter of New York." Bishop Potter said : " According to the instructions, gentlemen, which I have received from the chairman I am to make Colonel Strong's speech. There are difficulties in the way of the discharge of that task, for the Colonel has a facility in the use of emphatic language (laughter), which if I were to indulge would hardly be regarded as canonical. When he began his task, knowing his characteristics in that direction, I assured him privately that I would issue to him a license for what was called the power of anathema within discreet limits. I am not sure that he has always confined himself to these limits, and I am quite free to say, now that I am permitted to address him 255 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK unofficially, that I am not at all sure that if I had been in his place I should have done any better. " On one occasion, in the house of bishops of which I am a member, a very brilliant man, known, I fancy, to a good many in this room should I mention his name, and who has now gone to his rest, had the misfortune, which is quite possible, let me say, to bishops as well as other men, to lose his temper and indulge in language which was not altogether parliamentary, and for which the next morning he felt constrained, when the house of bishops as- sembled, to apologize. He did so in a most noble and manly way. But then he added : ' I feel constrained to say that in view of the irritations to which one is subjected who has a seat in this body, that I think that this Right Rev- erend House should set forth a form of words to be used by a Christian man under circumstances of great provocation.' It was in accordance with the spirit of that protest and entreaty that I gave to my friend the Colonel the license to which I have referred. " I am extremely glad to be permitted in any sense to reply for him to-day. I have a relation to Ohio, though I was not born in it, or, as some- body who has spelled the word ' bom ' with the addition of a letter ' e,' borne from it, for in my early ministry I was honored with an invitation to become the president of Kenyon College. I was not able to accept it, but somebody said to me many years afterward : ' What is the reason that you always speak of Kenyon College in such an extremely tender manner?' 'Well,' I said, ' I suppose my attitude toward Kenyon College and Ohio is very much that of the young woman who has received an offer of marriage. She may have felt constrained to decline it, but she always entertains a great admira- tion of the good taste of the man who made it.' I think you will see, gentle- men, that I have ^ very personal reason for loving Ohio, and if I had not I confess I love it for what Ohio has given to New York. As one looks over this room to-night he must be impressed as I have been, and as I said to my friend on the left, with the physical qualities of the men who are made in Oliio. They build you large there, gentlemen. I do not mean Hoyt par- ticularly, except at this end (pointing to the head) ; it is as Mr. Hoyt said, the contrast between the physical aspect of a body of men at the New Eng- land dinner and at this dinner is significant, and that Mr. Boldt under these conditions should have met your expectations, gentlemen, does him great honor. " But there is still another reason why I am glad to come here to-night and express my gratitude to Ohio. Ohio gave us, gentlemen, our most dis- tinguished guest of this evening, and in his lineage there has been mixed two strains which I think have had a pre-eminent value in the building of the civilization of the land of which you and I are citizens. I have been cate- 256 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK chising the Colonel as to his ancestry to-night, for he is under my spiritual jurisdiction, and he tells me that his father was bom in Connecticut, and that the mother was born in Pennsylvania, but was Holland Dutch. There are two of the three strains that have made our civilization from its early history. They were Huguenot, they were Dutch, they were Enghsh. The land that gave us our language, the people who settled in Connecticut, and the land that gave to Colonal Strong his mother gave to us the men who have laid the foundation of New Amsterdam, and out of these two strains, pre-eminently, I venture to say, have come a great deal that is best and noblest in our American civilization. We are glad that it has given us the man who sits here to-night, who, I think, illustrates some of the best and finest qualities of that civilization. " Mayor Strong has his infirmities. One of them I have already alluded to. (Laughter.) The other I should be disposed to say was his weakness for tea (laughter), but if you will observe closely, gentlemen, in the immediate neighborhood of the place at which he sits to-night there is no tea there. When it comes to dining with a body of Ohio men he don't want it. On the con- trary, we remember to-night, and I venture to say that I speak for the intel- ligence and character and substance of the city of which I am proud to be a citizen to-night, we remember those distinguished virtues which have adorned his official career, and which, I think, crown it with a distinct and exceptional lustre. " A Celtic gentleman speaking of a fellow countryman who had been an alderman in the town in which they both lived, said of his predatory habits : ' Bedad, sor, if he should land on an uninhabited island and be met on landing by a tribe of naked savages, he would have his hand in the pocket of every one of them before sundown.' (Laughter.) " I wonder if it has ever struck you as it has struck me that from the beginning to the close of his stainless administration, nobody has ever dared to insinuate that the man who has held for the last three years the office of the mayor of the city of New York was going out one single copper richer for it. (Great applause.) No most audacious or unscrupulous foe has ever for one instant ventured to suggest it. What a tribute to the quality of the man ! To his absolute singleness of purpose, to his entire consecration of himself and his best gifts to a great public. With what patience he has administered that office, with what singular and scrupulous courtesy he has received everybody who has come to him — I hope tradition and courtesy will not vanish from that office — ^with what invariable gentleness he has listened to every one! " My wife said to me once : ' How much happier we would all be if you had a temper like Colonel Strong.' (Laughter.) I have no doubt that Mrs. Strong knows the difference. We cannot all have tempers like Colonel Strong, but I venture to think that we may aspire to have an integrity as fine and 257 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK as high as his is, to give to a great office our best gifts with constant unfal- tering devotion ; to let no gout — I wonder where he got it with that ancestry ? — to let no twinge of the gout ruffle liis temper or impede his faithfulness to public duty, and to sit here as he has done to-night with the consciousness of whatever may be the future of New York. God bless it, say we all; he has given the service of a clear, vigorous mind and of trained powers, and of a high order of intelligence to advancing its best interests, and absolute and utter unselfishness. Now what is the one conviction which the experience of such an office has taught him? I confess for myself that among the things I admire and love there are few that I admire more than the quality in him of being taught by great place and recognizing the significance in its highest aspects of the responsibilities of public office. I do not forget that he is a Republican. So am I, my dear mayor. I do not think you have always beheved it. I do not forget that he has striven to be loyal to the party of which he has always been an honored member. But I was profoundly impressed the other day in reading an interview in which he said that the conviction with which he was going out of office, as to that office itself, was that it was a position which required business ability and that the business of being a good mayor was substantially the business quality of being a good man of business anywhere. In other words, that the public had a right to look for honesty, fidelity, capacity in great public officers. When you have said these three things, you have stated the qualities of a gi'eat public officer, and when the city and state and the nation have gotten hold of those three principles they are precisely the same qualities that we have come here to-night to honor and rejoice in. " I notice, gentlemen, and I call the attention of the angels who grace the upper airs (laughter and applause at the reference to the ladies in the balcony), who have been looking down upon us to-night, to the fact that a few moments ago they apparently have removed them largely, the tables other than this one were adorned with red roses, but when it came to the table at which our guest was seated, my dear and honored friend on the right, the rose which was placed at his plate and which appropriately he wears at this moment upon his breast, was a white rose, true symbol of his stainless integ- rity and his pure and noble record." President Burnett said : " At our former banquet, to which I alluded, we had present with us the governor of the state of Ohio, who had known Colo- nel Strong long and well, and he had this to say in a brief speech which he gave us that evening. The words seem to me especially fitting to what Bishop Potter has just said: ' I counted myself fortunate to be in the city on this occasion when my kinsmen from the state of Ohio, represented in this asso- ciation were assembled to do honor to their old president and to the mayor- 258 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK elect of the city of New York. I come to join with them my tribute and respect to one whom I have known long and have long honored and esteemed as one of my old and time-honored and much beloved friends. You have selected him as the mayor of this great city, not because he is from the state of Ohio ; you have selected him for what he is, for what he represents, for what he stands for. He represents in a long business life honest, clean, manly methods, and I am quite sure to the administration of the great office to which he has been so recently chosen he will bring the same clean business, manly methods that have characterized every business connection of his life. I want to assure my associates of the Ohio Society that Ohio is justly proud of the distinction which has been given to one of her early citizens. Colonel Strong, and I wish for him as every Ohioan does, no matter what his political asso- ciations may be, a successful administration of the municipal government of the greatest city of the greatest state of the greatest nation under the sun.* Those were the words of the then governor, now our great President, William McKinley. (Applause.) I think the spiritual strength which Colonel Strong has now received both from the bishop and otherwise will enable to respond to the toast of our guest of the evening. Colonel Strong." (Cheers and ap- plause as Colonel Strong arose.) Colonel Strong said: "Mr. President, our guests, ladies and fellow- members of the Ohio Society: I think I ought not to say anything to you boys to-night. The bishop has given me all the absolution necessary for one evening, and it does not seem fitting hardly for me to make any comment further, but I want to say one thing to the boys here, that I was quite sur- prised when I was informed by the president of your Society that they in- tended to pay me this compliment. They came to see me some five or six weeks ago, and I felt then singularly queer that the Ohio Society should think of paying this compliment to me. Three years ago, on a similar occasion, if the banquet given then to me had been at the close of my official career, I should have felt that what I had done in the city of New York would have been endorsed thoroughly by this Society, and I would have then rejoiced that you intended to give me this banquet. Now that I have become a private citi- zen, and this Society asks me for the second time to be its guest, fills my heart and soul with that thankfulness that words cannot express — a deep feehng of gratitude that I shall always feel towards each member of this Society. There are occasions when the heart is too full for utterance, and this is one of them, notwithstanding the suiToundings are so delightful. There are friends to the right of me, friends to the left of me, and hosts of them in front of me, all joyous and happy in the enjoyment of this delicious dinner, served so bountifully by this, the grandest hostelry in the world, the pride of the city of New York, which is to-day the second city in population on the globe, and the 259 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK peer of London in Its educational advantages, and general care of its citizens, whether rich or poor. The position which I have held for three years has brought me in close touch with the great charitable institutions in the city, as well as the city's care of its own poor, and, notwithstanding the large num- ber of people that have been out of employment during the last three or four years in this city, necessitating additional expenditures of money by the au- thorities, as well as additional drafts on the open-handed charities of this city, yet when we compare the results with London and other large cities of the world, there is no citizen of New York but who can feel proud of the work done. ( Applause. ) " The distribution of money by the different departments of the city of New York to the public contractors and for their own work during the last year has averaged about $50,000 per working day, and that has all gone to the laboring classes of the city of New York, and it will ever be a living monu- ment to the different departments of the city government, in my opinion. My own duties in the mayor's office I shall not speak of, only to call your attention to the good work done by the heads of departments in reducing the death rate in the last four years a little over five points. To the improvements in the Correction Department, particularly in tearing down the old Tombs, which has been a menace to the city of New York for the last ten or twelve years, and which has been presented by every grand jury that has met once a year in the last ten or twelve years. To the changes in the Charities De- partment, making changes in all the buildings on the island used for charita- ble purposes, and re-creating, nominally, Bellevue Hospital. To the Park Department, for the increase in the number of parks in the congested parts of the city, both on the East and West sides, and the great increase in the public school buildings, sufficient to give every child in the boroughs of Man- hattan and the Bronx a seat. To the Public Works Department, for the additional asphalt pavement in the avenues and side streets, and especially for laying two forty-eight-inch water mains from the Central Park reservoir to the lower end of the city, which will ever be a crowning work of this adminis- tration, furnishing from ten to fifteen millions of gallons of water per day below Canal street. To the Dock Department, for the magnificent work started in building piers sufficiently large to take in the largest steamships that float on the Atlantic, and giving us four or five recreation piers on the water fronts, which will be one of the greatest boons to those who are com- pelled to reside in this city during the hot months of summer. To the good work of the Fire Department, and last, but not least, for the condition of our streets on the 1st of January, 1898, as compared with their condition on the 1st of January, 1895 (applause), and many other extensive enterprises that have been started, such as the new East River bridge and the location of the public library on Reservoir square. 260 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " I am not going to say anything about the Pohce Department, because that speaks for itself, and has been speaking for the last three years. We have had a jolly time with them, and for the first time I beheve in the history of New York city you have had a quiet time for the last three or four months. You have had a chief that even the present administration has selected to con- tinue as chief, and with five thousand pohce officers belonging to the borough of Manhattan and the Bronx, and two thousand in the other boroughs, a force of seven thousand men, I believe there is no such pohce force on the face of the earth. All of these different enterprises must be criticised by others. There are some pleasant duties, however, that I have been called upon to in- dulge in, the visiting of our public schools in their hours of study, and to see the interest the principals and their lady teachers take in their work, interest- ing each scholar in his or her duty to the city, state and nation, and engender- ing a spirit of patriotism in the young minds which will probably continue with them through their lives, and I fully believe that the condition of our public schools to-day in the city of New York has no superior in any city of the world. A visit to our many charitable institutions will amply repay any of you who has not had that pleasure, and see for yourselves the manner in which the money that is appropriated to these different institutions is ac- counted for by them, and among the regrets that I shall carry with me into my private life was the inability to satisfy all the demands made upon me by those who had seen better times and had become impoverished by misfortune and nominally without friends to help them. " Then again the dark clouds would roll away, and a gallant young couple appear at the desk, anxious to have the marriage ceremony per- formed, and that, the bishop has said to me, was where I interfered with him, and my reward for the service would be a sweet kiss from the bride. (I.augh- ter.) And then quite often a few of the good ladies of New York would honor me with a visit about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, or half-past 4, when we would take a cup of tea. Some of these young ladies would look up with their bright and smiling faces and say, ' Mr. Mayor, this is really tea and nothing else.' (Great laughter.) " Now, one word about the election of 1894. The platform was busi- ness, not politics. I have endeavored to adhere to that pledge. I have not injected politics into any act of mine. I selected gentlemen from all avoca- tions and parties that were in favor of a business administration, and in doing so was quite sure that the real politicians would be dissatisfied with that course, but to me it seemed that I was pledged to just that very thing, and it was a pleasure to me to carry out that pledge. The result of the work is before you, and having retired from the office, and commenced picking up the threads of business again, I take additional pleasure in joining my old friends in the 261 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Ohio Society in promoting its interests and its pleasures." (Great applause.) President Burnett said : " I do not know that there can be better testi- mony given to the administration of Mayor Strong than that of his predeces- sor in that office — a very able man and a Democrat — ^Abram S. Hewitt. We expected him to be with us to-night and he confidently counted on being here, but his health did not permit, and he sends this message : ' I can assure you that I am very grateful to the Ohio Society for the privilege of testifying my respect to my friend, ex-Mayor Strong, whose administration will always be regarded, I think, as the culmination of the effort of many men to introduce better methods into the municipal government of this city. The work actually accomplished is stupendous. The mayor was fortunate in having not only the opportunity but the power to carry his ideas into effect, and his memory will always be identified with the improvements in the streets, the docks, the schools and the charities for which good citizens had long prayed in vain.' " Companions, we have with us to-night one of Ohio's greatest living sons, the recent attorney-general, Mr. Harmon, and its gives me peculiar pleasure to present him to you." Judge Harmon said : " Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen : When a Buckeye from home is invited to address Buckeyes who have been trans- planted — Buckeyes abroad, as it were — he is usually expected, I suppose, to talk about Ohio. Her origin and history do afford many tempting themes. So do the union in her people of the best strains of the human race and her position at the centre of this great commonwealth of states, allied by blood and interest with all sections, but belonging to none. But I have noticed that those are most given to talking about themselves who feel more certain about the past and the future than they do about the present. We can afford to be silent about Ohio. Besides, when fitness compels us to break this silence now and then, though we merely mention a few well-known facts, we are ac- cused of boasting. I have, therefore, chosen another subject. It is historic, but it is not confined between the river and the lake. It may be called pre- historic as to Ohio." Judge Harmon's address was replete with historic information, regard- ing the growth of Ohio and the nation, and of the ideas out of which they grew. President Burnett said : " There is a message and a thought for the sons of Ohio in New York that they may well ponder and patriotically work out. It seems to me a great thought. At our former banquets there appeared from Ohio one who gave us peculiar pleasure, and when this banquet was first sug- gested, almost unanimously you petitioned your president and the chairman of your banquet committee. Senator Brice, that he should not be omitted. He had touched our hearts ; had aroused our enthusiasm to a pitch seldom reached 262 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK bj any speaker. Tliat man is with us again to-night out of his grace and mag- nanimity, and I present to you one of Ohio's most briUiant sons in that of James H. Hoyt." Mr. Hoyt said: " Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: I confess my sur- prise when Hstening to the very eloquent address of the bishop of this diocese, who is admired for his eloquence, beloved for his tolerance, and also very highly esteemed because he is able to keep up with the times, that when he was dis- charging his vicarious functions so gracefully and beautifully he expressed himself as unable to discover where it was that our very esteemed friend, Mr. Strong, got the germs from which the bodily ailment to which he referred came. (Laughter.) I am surprised at this statement on the part of the bishop, and regret that he should have so publicly admitted that he is not quite abreast with the science of the day because, having known that Mr. Strong was interfering with him in his matrimonial business, and competing with him, as he has publicly announced to-night, by simply kissing the bride, the bishop should have known that science tells us that there is very great danger of the worst germs being transmitted to us by the most platonic osculations. " I sympathize greatly with Mayor Strong to-night. The bishop, when he referred to his vivid English and picturesque vocabulary, put him under a disadvantage. He is on his good behavior to-night. He is somewhat in the situation of the Irish lady who went to the confessional. She went on a Satur- day, and having told the father confessor of some few things that she was ready to admit, and concealed from him others which it was perhaps better that she should confine to herself, and having been put to a state of grace by the confessor until the following Tuesday, who informed her that any dereliction from duty would make his absolution, for which she had paid a handsome price, worthless. As she came out of the box she was met by Bridget, with whom she had had considerable trouble in the past. She said to her : ' Mary Maloney, if I had known it was you there, being a hard working girl, I would have brought my work, because I cannot waste the whole day sitting around here while you are concealing from the father what you have done and confessing only a por- tion of your crimes.' Mary was completely overcome, and replied : ' Bridget, you know I can't talk back to you, for I am in a state of grace, but d you, wait till Tuesday next and then I will talk to you.' (Much laughter.) " If I may be permitted a paradox, there are present here to-night some sturdy Buckeyes whose roots are still firmly embedded in the fertile soil of that favored region in which a bountiful and all-wise Providence first planted the fruitful seed from which we have sprung. We have hitherto resisted all at- tempts to transplant us. Those of you who at one time grew alongside us and mingled your brilliant foliage with our own, but are now, moved by philan- thropic motives, of course, affording grateful shade in other sections, or orna- S63 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK meriting other landscapes, know how eager and insistent the efforts to uproot us must have been and are ; for the Msculus glabra, that is, the fetid, or Ohio, buckeye, is a tree which no community seems well able to get along without. But we have loyally remained where God in his infinite wisdom originally planted us, and where, it is safe to assume, he intended us to stay, since he made us indigenous to the soil. Our tap-roots still suck refreshment from the sleep- ing waters of the great lake, and of the rolling Ohio, and of the beautiful Muskingum, to say nothing of the rich and varied nutriment they derive from the glacier-like Cuyahoga. To such Buckeyes the occasion we are here cele- brating is not one of unmixed joy. To adapt the words of the old song, our spirits have only been kept up by pouring spirits down. Your applause and laughter seem to us somewhat incongruous, if not wholly out of place. " There are two reasons for our melancholy. In the first place, you may have heard that there is a very high wind prevailing in Ohio just now, and we much fear that some of our most imposing Buckeyes will be uprooted and others somewhat disfigured by it. We have withstood stiff gales before, but this is assuming cyclonic proportions, and I regret very much to say that there are no present signs of its decreasing in violence, either. We are told that cyclones clear the atmosphere and blow away mists ; but, unfortunately, they clear the earth also, and blow away more substantial things quite as completely. It is not much consolation to a man who stands among the ruins of his home, with crops destroyed, and buildings demolished, and with fences blown down and John Sherman not by to fix them, to find the sky clear above his head. (Ap- plause. ) He would naturally prefer to be covered by his roof, however humble, rather than by the vaulted heavens, however cerulean. He cannot help regret- ting that his habitation was in the track of the storm at all. He cannot help wishing that the cyclone had stayed out in Kansas, or Illinois, or in Missouri, where they have cyclone cellars and hardier stock, and are better prepared to endure such violent atmospheric disturbances. " You perhaps remember the story of the Missouri mule, which was bodily carried by a cyclone from one county to another. When the storm struck him he was quietly grazing in one river bottom, and when he was found he was quietly grazing in another. It turned out that he had been carried sidewise ; and the editor of the local paper triumphantly announced that ' Even a cyclone knew better than to fool around the hind legs of a Missouri mule.' (Laughter. ) • We are very much afraid that Ohio will not be quite as desirable a place of resi- dence in the immediate future as it has been in the past, for cyclones have an uncomfortable habit of sometimes recurring, and, besides, Ohio is so important a part of the United States, and her interests are so interwoven with the inter- ests of other localities, that it makes all apprehensive that the catastrophe which has smitten us may result in damage to other portions of the country. There is 264 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK a force or influence, derived from prior character or deeds and an expectation of future accomplishments, based on past achievements, and they both make up a definition of what men call prestige. We are not carrying about as much pres- tige with us this year as we did last. We are just a little shy of it. Our prior deeds are all right; but our expectations of what our future accomplishments will be are not quite as dazzling as they have been, and so to-night it is a Httle difficult for us to " 'Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth.' " But that is not all that troubles us to-night. To put it mildly, we are regretfully sui-prised that the citizens of this metropolis, rich in art, in accumu- lated capital, in tall buildings, in refinement and in intercepted, not intercept- ing, sewers, are apparently utterly unable to appreciate and hold on to a really good thing when they have once grasped it. When you have had for your chief executive an Ohioan, and especially such an able, broad-minded, patriotic, ob- stinate, or, rather, I should say, determined, and non-partisan an Ohioan as the appropriately named Mr. Strong, the fact that you have not seen fit to continue to avail yourselves of his conspicuous services, when you could have retained them, undoubtedly for a very inadequate sum, fills us with a sorrowful chagrin. (Great applause.) Your substitution of the Tulip for the Buckeye startles us. " As I have said, under all circumstances, this occasion is not one of un- mixed joy to us Ohioans, and it reminds me of a story of a German gentleman who had the good sense to leave his native Hanover and settle, not only in Ohio, but in the northern part of it. He did this some years ago, however. A few months ago his first wife died, and within three days from the time when he had planted her remains with appropriate ceremonies, and had thus tearfully and sorrowfully done his best to put her in the way of a glorified resurrection, he married again. His friends and neighbors, in order delicately, but unequiv- ocally, to convey to him a distinct impression that his second plunge into the troubled waters of matrimony had been, in their judgment, a trifle premature, surrounded his dwelling on the evening of his wedding day and made the cir- cumambient ether eloquent with emphatic but rather unmusical sounds. The widowed bridegroom, not panoplied for war, rushed from the nuptial chamber out upon the porch and thus addressed them : ' These noises is shame- ful. You don't got any manners at all. You forgot gombletely that it ain't a week since in this house some one has already died! ' (Laughter.) " Up to three years ago I spent the major portion of my leisure time in a diligent but ineff'ectual search of historic records in order to discover the pre- cise language which General Washington used when he rebuked Lee on the battlefield of Monmouth. There had been sudden and critical emergencies in my experience when I sadly felt the need of a richer, more vigorous and more 265 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK sonorous vocabulary than a Christian training had permitted me to acquire. I had often found myself in the condition of the Maine farmer, the tailboard of whose cart had been pushed upward by a bad boy at the bottom of a long hill, and who found, when he an'ived at the top, that although he still had his wagon with him, his load of potatoes had not accompanied him up the incline. When asked by a friend who happened to come along that way why he did not relieve his pent-up feelings by profanity, he replied, ' My eddication's been so durned limited that I don't know a single cuss word that'll do this here land- slide justice.' (Laughter.) I therefore endeavored to find out the exact phraseology which Washington used on that historic occasion, so that I should not in future be hampered by the lack of expressions sufficiently lurid to ade- quately express my meaning and relieve my feelings when occasion arose, and yet, at the same time, silence the reproaches of those near and dear to me by being able to assure them that I was exactly, not only in spirit, but in word, following the illustrious example of the Father of my Country. All my efforts to thus improve myself were, however, unavailing. But, thanks to the honored guest of this evening, this limitation has been entirely removed during the last three years, for whenever I found it needful or soothing to ornament my speech by the use of virile adjectives I have been able to do so with perfect impunity and satisfaction, and have at once disarmed all hostile criticism by the mere statement, when I have been brought to book, that I was only quoting the words of so eminent and worthy an authority as the great and good Mayor Strong. I feel sure that Mr. Horr had his honor in mind when he said that ' swearing is the unnecessary use of profanity.' I am sure, at any rate, that if his honor, worn out by the importunity of some unworthy office-seeker, or ex- asperated by the incompetence of some public official, has ever, as has been re- ported, let fall a good mouth-filling oath, in his case, as in the case of Uncle Toby, ' The accusing angel, which flew up to heaven's chancery with tlie oath, blushed as he gave it in ; and the recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear on the word and blotted it out forever.' Mr. Strong no longer occupies his official position, but he will nevertheless not only be still addressed, but al- ways considered by good citizens everywhere, as 'His Honor.' (Cries of "Good.") His administration in one sense is over, but in another very real sense he will still continue to execute the will of the patriotic people of New York. The appointments not only of his immediate but of his remote successors will be better because his in the main have been so good. They will be more effi- cient in the public service because he was so zealous and earnest. His example will be not only a stimulus but a goad. The fumes of his historic teapot no longer cut the close atmosphere of the mayor's office with their pungent fra- grance (laughter), but the simple hospitality he so graciousl}^ dispensed, which strengthened his supporters and revived even the di'ooping spirits of unsuc- 266 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ccssful applicants for his favor, will not soon be forgotten. The curtain has indeed been rung down on the drama, but the recollection of how well the lead- ing actor did his part will be long fresh in the minds of his audience. He has stood for that which is best in American citizenship, for firmness, not for arro- gance ; for good business, not for mere partisanship ; for an energetic and prac- tical honest}', not for sanctimonious pretence ; for efficiency, not for glitter, and for the people, not for himself. He has dropped a very large pebble into the ocean of public opinion, and the wave it has made will beat upon far-distant shores." (Great applause.) President Burnett said : " We who live in New York feel the force of what has just been said. Colonel Strong has ' paced ' the machine that is to follow, and the speed must be kept up or that machine will fall out of the race. Those we have known best, the citizens of New York, will not be content with what is less, that which is not so good, and if that high administration, that pure and just government he has given us, is not still with us, then will be aroused* in this city and throughout the land a public opinion that will sweep any administra- tion that undertakes to administer the laws of this great city out of power. Tallyrand once said to Napoleon when boasting how strongly he was enthroned, ' There is a power in France more omnipotent than you and all your soldiers, and that is the power of public opinion.' That power is always at work, always thinking, always testing, and unless the measure that Colonel Strong gave us of good government is not maintained, that omnipotent power will sweep any administration into oblivion. In our Ohio Society we have had a teacher. He has undertaken to teach Ohio's sons how to make speeches. He has been at Avork on our Brother Foye for a year or two, and he has brought him up to a facility where Bourke Cockran and others of our eloquent speakers grow pale with envy when they hear him. Now he has also been training others, and I want him to tell our friends here, especially the members of the Ohio Society, how he has done it. We want to hear a word from Brother Packard." Mr. S. S. Packard said : " Mr. President, do I understand that you wish me to claim the credit of our friend's great achievements as a public speaker? I would dislike to do it before this audience. I am a modest man, and while I confess to have had something to do in the matter, I think it would be better to make my claim in private. One thing we will all assent to, viz. : that while our friend was simply President of the Ohio Society we did not know the ex- tent of his oratorical gift. We simply had not drawn it out. But no sooner had he become mayor than we began to know him better ; and I state no secret when I say that during the past three years he has attained to great dis- tinction, and is now reckoned among the great orators of the country. So far as my own connection with the matter is concerned I will only say that directly after his nomination I took him in hand. I gave him his first hearing before 267 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK a West Side Club, and in a year thereafter he appeared before the same club. On the first occasion he foreshadowed his administration, and on the second he gave a wonderfully concise and comprehensive account of his stewardship. Meantime he lost no opportunity to practice his growing gift, at dinners and on public occasions." Mr. Packard followed at some length, in his usual happy vein. President Burnett said : " Now that our banquet may be brought to a fit- ting close, we of this Society and our friends will be glad to hear a word from an old president, whose public spirit has made him in quick sympathy with all things that make for the better order and higher civilization of our city, and that is our former president. General Swayne." (Applause.) General Swayne said: "Mr. President and Gentlemen: I am reminded by this occasion of a very great service which your now president rendered to the Ohio Society. On the first occasion when it was my duty to preside over one of 'your annual banquets, when the hour of eleven came and we were hav- ing such a good time that we were insensible of the flight of time, a little note from Gen. Burnett was laid at my plate, saying, ' Now is the time to close.' One good turn deserves another, and he will permit me now at this time and on this occasion to return the compliment in the same words. (Laughter.) " The only thing with which I will detain you with reference to the hon- ored guest whom it is our privilege this night to cherish, is to recall to mind what has occurred to me as I sat at that table and looked into your faces, and as I stand now and contemplate you individually, and that is, what does it mean that this company of old friends and neighbors, this company of men who are assembled here to keep alive not simply the memory of the State of Ohio, but to keep alive in our hearts and in our lives and in this community, the place which the state ought to have; any state in which a man lives and the state in wliich any man was bom ought to have a place in every man's heart, if he is to render back any adequate return in his own life for the bless- ings which the state has showered upon him. " This gentlemen, has always been the underlying idea of this Ohio So- ciety. We have been chaffed a good deal for the pleasant things we have said here in these meetings about our state. They have seemed to other people sometimes boastful, even windy, but these people have forgotten that we have not meant to institute a comparison. A man does not need to challenge a comparison between his own mother and the mother of another man, because whatever his own mother may be or may have been, beyond all peradventure, she has been to him the best mother in the world. Now we are gathered here to-night to celebrate the services rendered to this state in its chief city by a na- tive of our state, and they who think that meaning inconsiderable had better follow that excellent custom of sometimes bringing one's own mind up to the 268 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK discipline of finding out what words mean, by going back to find out what was in the minds of those men, what those men were trying to express who first brought into use the words, ' Our native state.' Think of nature ! Think of nativity! Think of nations! Think of all those things and the difference they make in the lives of men. I think it is appropriately laid down in the Scriptures that the Lord shall judge the nations and govern the peoples of the earth. "Now we are here a Society, organized to keep alive in our own hearts and in our minds the meaning and the blessing of statehood, the fellowship which is due from one to another by reason of that idea, and to celebrate in the person of our own ex-president the blessings which his own administration has met with upon the state. In the exercise of that duty, in the enjoyment of that pleasure, in the halo of that honor, we have gathered to cherish and to honor him, and now this night, in the fullness of all that has been done, celebrating the career that he has closed and welcoming him back to private life, and as you and I trust for many and many a year of increasing honor and enjoyment, we say to him literally and from our hearts, ' Godspeed.' " (Applause.) The entertainment committee in reporting, at a later date, upon this ban- quet to the Society, said: " Gentlemen: It was a fortunate circumstance for the Society (although a great misfortune to Greater New York) that we were enabled this year to make our annual banquet complimentary to our honored fellow-member, ex- Mayor Strong, When the city of New York, three years ago, honored him with an election to its mayoralty, the Society bade him godspeed in a most enthusiastic banquet; and having discharged the duties of his great office with that ability, integrity and fidelity, which command the respect of every good citizen, our Society honored itself by honoring him, at the close of his majority, as at its beginning. " This banquet was an eminent success from every point of view. Tlie Ajstor Gallery was never more beautiful or artistic in the arrangement of its tables, in its floral decorations, and the picture here made complete when the sons of Ohio and their guests were seated at small tables to the number of about 225. The souvenir especially designed and gotten up for this occasion is a work of high art and justly called forth enthusiastic commendation. Tlic tinted cover embossed with a branch of the buckeye tree showing the ripened nut in natural colors; the frontispiece with buckeye branches showing leaf, and flower, and fruit so arranged as to enwreath the centre of our beautiful state seal; the full page, half-tone portrait of our honored guest, ex-Ma3'or Strong, taken from a photograph for which he had sat for our use, and the best picture yet taken of him; and the menu to satisfy the taste of the con- 269 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK noisseur, with its historic teapot illustration thrown in for the benefit of Colo- nel Strong, together formed a unique and interesting keepsake. The com- mittee had an extra number of copies struck off, and sent one to each of the non-resident members and resident members who were not at the banquet, and also to the principal papers of Ohio. The numerous responses confirmed the wisdom of the committee in thus distributing these souvenirs. The speaking was of a high order and well up to the Ohio standard. Colonel Strong, Bishop Potter, ex-Attorney-General Judson Harmon of Cincinnati and Hon. James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland, were the principal speakers, and their oratory held the close attention of their audience. General Burnett presided with his usual grace and most happily introduced the various speakers. The evidence of good fellowship among all the members and guests was never more ap- parent, and it is very safe to report that every one present spent a most en- joyable and charming evening. " Great credit is due to the special committee charged with the duty of arranging the details of the banquet, attending to the printing, sending out the invitations, circulars, etc., and collecting the money for the tickets, and settling all bills. The financial result proved quite satisfactory, since the com- mittee were enabled to turn into the treasury of the Society after all bills had been paid, the handsome sum of $319.14. In conclusion it may well be said that this last banquet of our Society, taken all in all, ranks among the most noted banquets given since the organization. On behalf of the banquet com- mittee. " Warren Higley." The meeting of February 14th was held at Morelli's. Professor Packard opened the social part of the entertainment with a short address, in which he asserted that it was a characteristic desire of Ohio men always to do the duty which the occasion demanded, and that while we might miss from our meet- ings some of those choice spirits, whose presence and voices usually animated our proceedings, we should feel that they were still with us in spirit, and under their inpiration we should each perform this duty. He then announced that the duty and the pleasure which would fall to the lot of each diner would be to make a short speech, and supplemented this announcement by the state- ment that he had obtained the names of each one present, and that he had directed the doors to be barred and no guilty man would escape. The presiding officer at this point called upon Leander H. Crall to present a matter in which all the members were certain to take more than a passing interest. One of the members of the Society had been called to a high position of honor under the government, and it was thought fitting that the Society should take notice of the fact. Mr. Crall then read a series of resolutions prepared by Gen. Wager Swayne, which were adopted as follows : 270 v^- •I" ^^ ^c i OF ORK ciixif c^c^c»l^^.^^olT^ i?rcj>circvi c • L /////. ^^^////v^/ . " -- - V ^-■^c^:^^ -m. ^linFcit e^l-^nFcs- for H^iS' 4i? / , . RGCOGM ITION ^ — •■ „ ^ _ . cimitcrth ^service cDcii; kcxvT tHjs^ aF mc clc:5c oj- )r\zc Iciha zzicir zticiB ctzuctracS K? Itinr tri, ex cc>inints^ioii^ c;ii*cix in cxprce^ tccckv MEIRITORIOUS AND DISTINCUISHEID ^^> - '^' ft^hi. I service: in the: ^ ' k^^ /T f ^.f ^IRMY FROM .^ 1861 TO 1865. ^' C-f -, ^ — . — .^ ^^^ WOT less p rcnouncc^ Htan Htc^c, Izcis hccn Htc men I' cj* Wis cocicfc^ nxaiixFjmx£i, BT THE ABII^ITV WITH WHICH ITS PURPOSE HAS BEEN SERVEO, CX1X i. Fk C V-l^)6v- WlSm S^IME>iJ#ESS zukick nay cnkanccI>I^F^:CIAri()N Vice- Presidents. c^co. (?. Urnv,^^rc>na , Trustees. cj. C. cHoct<;^larLa , c^ltcrrtct> C>ruin.a. Ovarl'sp Lincoln cJrcixhss, c'ecx-etart OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK After the adoption of the above resolution the Hon. Mahlon Chance was called upon and responded in a hvely vein of reminiscences which ehcited much applause from those present. A number of other interesting speeches were then made. When the Society convened on April 11th Colonel Strong moved that the following telegram be transmitted by the Society to the Pres- ident of the United States, Executive Mansion, Washington : " The Ohio Society of New York, at a regular meeting now in session, unanimously en- dorses and heartily approves your noble and patriotic message sent to Con- gress of the United States this day." The Society adjourned to enjoy an entertainment provided by the entertainment conmiittee, by the College Grad- uates' Glee Club. 279 CHAPTER XIV 1898-1899 A LADIES' reception and dance was given at the Waldorf-Astoria on the evening of April 20th. It was in charge of the following gentlemen and ladies : Entertainment committee, Warren Higley, chairman ; David Homer Bates, Jr., P. Bradlee Strong, William H. Caldwell, Noah H. Swayne 2d. Reception committee, Thomas H. Wheeler, chairman; Henry B. Wilson, George E. Armstrong, Frank C. Loveland, Cary W. Moore, Mahlon Chance, Wilham Ford Upson, Harry C. Grant, R. C. Penfield, Wil- liam H. Brown, David H. Bates, Samuel Thomas, De Frees Critten, P. F. Collier, Evarts L. Prentiss, James G. Newcomb, C. C. Shayne, Arthur S. Hayes, Andrew J. C. Foye. Floor committee, Andrew Ernest Foye, chair- man; David Homer Bates, Stewart M. Brice, Emmett B. Wheeler, Howard Elmer Crall, Peter H. Burnett, P. Bradlee Strong, Henry B. C. PHmpton, Eli- jah G. Boardman. The following ladies served as hostesses: Mrs. Henry L. Burnett, Mrs. William L. Strong, Mrs. Calvin S. Brice, Mrs. Silas S. Packard, Mrs. Milton I. Southard, Mrs. Thomas Ewing, Mrs. Wager Swayne, Mrs. Wallace C. Andrews, Mrs. Andrew J. C. Foye, Mrs. Algernon S. Sullivan, Mrs. Bernard Peters. There was a large attendance and the evening was a great success. At the meeting of May 9th a report was received from the house com- mittee as to the progress made in furnishing and fitting up the new rooms at the Waldorf-Astoria. In answer to a question. Judge Higley made a state- ment as to the privileges of the members in the hotel. Tlie meeting of the Society on June 13th, was the first held in the new quarters at the Waldorf-Astoria. The president appointed the following- named gentlemen as a committee to consider changes in the constitution, respecting membership, pursuant to action taken by the Society at the last meeting: Wager Swayne, Willam L. Strong, Leander H. Crall, Andrew J. C. Foye, Milton I. Southard. The formal business having been disposed of, the president expressed the pleasure of the Society on account of the presence at the meeting of an esteemed ex-president. General Wager Swayne, and invited that gentleman to address the meeting. General Swayne responded in an entertaining and en- lightening address, in which he declared the true object of the Society 280 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to be, not the glorification of the achievements of its distinguished citizens, but rather the perpetuation of the idea of the state and the fostering of those principles upon which the state had been founded, and which had guided and characterized the conduct of the state in national crises. After General Swayne had spoken, the chairman of the entertainment committee, Judge Higley, an- nounced that a collation would be served at the roof garden of the building, and the Society thereupon adjourned to that place. A special meeting of the Ohio Society was Held at the office of the pres- ident, on October 28, 1898, to take action on the death of Vice-President Silas S. Packard, who had died on the previous day. A committee were appointed to prepare resolutions on the death of Mr. Packard, who was one of the most influential members of the organization. At the annual meeting, on November 29th, this committee presented a report which was read by General Swayne, as follows: " Silas S. Packard was one of the earlier members of this Society. From the beginning of his membersliip to the end of his life the Society enjoyed his constant interest and held high place in his affection. How much that means is best seen by a glance at the manifold objects of its interests and affection which claimed him as their own; his family, rejoicing in his loving heart and true and tender life; his friends, who found their own place second only to his family's in his heart and life; his church and his pastor, in whom he found good anchorage for his hope for this life and for the glory yet to be revealed; his pupils, who found in him teaching that instructed the whole character and stimulated in them every aspect of a valuable life; liis alumni, who found in after years that to formally organize and cherish a Packard Alumni Association was but another name for renewing and preserving every- thing in them that was worth keeping ; his city, state and country, each in its degree, having its proper exaltation in his heart and life. These show the man who has been one of us, and who was glad and proud to be such, and to make his membership a real one to such an extent that for his part we were members each of one another. " Mention of all these discloses not merely what he was to the Society or the Society to him; they go beyond that and disclose the man. He began life for liimself, seeking for light. With his shoes slung across his shoulders he trudged his way barefoot from his boyhood home to the Academy at Gran- ville, sparing not his feet if only he might when among men be decent in ap- pearance. " His first choice of a life work was portrait painting, but the insight that comes of a sympathy soon taught him that he was more fit to mold the plastic lineaments of heart and life in youth than he was fit for copying with a brush the features of men's faces. 281. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Having found his right field, he labored in it till he died. It was not given him to round off his career ; that better thing was given him : to build it up with full dimensions to the top. He died in the performance of his full day's work. If the diminished strength of later years caused anything to fall away, it was only as leaves may fall and leave the trunk and branches unim- paired. Nothing was lost, for the result was that on meeting him and look- ing up, we saw not foliage, but the sky ; he became more and more not merely useful, but also an inspiration. " His pupils are his monument, but his friends as a wreath carved on a monument, may add what serves to heighten its expression. We therefore join with his family, his pupils, and his friends in cutting deep this epitaph: ' The Teachers Shall Shine as the Firmament ; And They That Turn Many to Righteousness, as the Stars Forever and Ever.* " Resolved, That a copy of this minute be engrossed and sent to Mrs. Packard with the Society's expression of personal regard." The memorial received instant and emphatic approval and a motion was made by Mr. Chance for its adoption by a rising vote. The motion was unan- imously carried. At the meeting of November 14th the nominating committee, chosen in October and composed of the following gentlemen: D. H. Bates, L. D. Mor- rison, Colgate Hoyt, H. B. C. Plimpton, Chas. W. Morris, Ralph W. Carroll, Noah Swayne 2d, reported the following ticket for the action of the Society at its annual meeting: President, INlilton I. Southard; vice-presidents, An- drew J. C. Foye, Augustus D. Juilliard, Geo. E. Armstrong, Thomas H. Wheeler, Warren Higley ; secretary, William H. Blymer ; recording secretary, Walter S. Sullivan ; treasurer, Leander H. Crall ; trustees, Louis D. Clarke, Abner McKinley, Peter F. Collier. Mahlon Chance addressed the Society, devoting his remarks chiefly to reminiscences of Mr. Packard. He paid an eloquent and glowing tribute to the love he bore to the Society and to his high character and worth. The annual meeting was held at Morelli's, where dinner was ser^'ed, on November 29th. Judge Higley, chairman of the governing committee, pre- sented the annual report. One ballot was cast, and the officers proposed at the last meeting were unanimously elected. General Burnett then arose, and after expressing his high appreciation of the honors he had received at the hands of the Society, and promising in the future his loyal support in its ranks, introduced the president-elect, Hon. Milton I. Southard, and at the same time transferred to him the badge of office. Mr. Southard responded with a brief address, thanking the Society for the honor which had come to him, un- expected and unsought, and pledged his earnest eff^orts to maintain the past high record of the organization. 282 Hon. Milton I. Southard President from November 29, 1898, to November 29, 1901 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK A letter was read by General Burnett from Capt. John T. Granger, presenting to the Society a handsome silk banner, a souvenir of the Harrison and Tyler hard-cider campaign. General Swayne exhibited the souvenir to those present and moved its acceptance by the Society. In making the mo- tion he gave a most entertaining description of the campaign of 1840 and of the origin of the name " Buckeye " as applied to residents of Ohio, stating that he had discovered that the use of that name dated from the hard-cider campaign of 1840. The speaker, proceeding, declared it to be his belief that one of the chief purposes of the Society should be to perpetuate the idea of the state, not of our state in particular, but of The State, or rather the prin- ciple and origin of statehood. Upon motion of Judge Higley the thanks of the Society were extended to Capt. Granger for the unique gift ; and Judge Higley further moved that the governing committee have the banner suitably framed and hung in the rooms. A call was made for a speech from Mahlon Chance, and that gentleman responded in a most patriotic and eloquent tribute to the moral virtues and prowess of the American Eagle. In December Colgate Hoyt was unanimously elected chairman of the governing committee. On the 12th of the month, at a meeting of the Society, President Southard named the following committees, to serve during the com- ing year: Literature and art, J. Q. A. Ward, Frankhn Tuttle, Dan C. Beard, Louis H. Severance, S. H. Parsons; entertainment. Warren Higley, David H. Bates, Jr., Peter H. Burnett, Noah H. Swayne 2d, Andrew Ernest Foye; library, P. F. ColHer, R. J. Chard, Elijah G. Boardman, W. H. Jen- nings, Hamilton Busbey; auditing, H. A. Glassford, Henry L. Carr, J. H. Hewson, C. C. Shayne, James G. Newcomb. Mr. Crall read an editorial from a Cincinnati paper, dealing with the question of the date of Ohio's admission to the Union. An interesting discus- sion followed, in which Mr, Chance, Mr. Crall and President Southard took part. The Society invited Mr. Chance to read a paper at the next meeting, setting forth the arguments in favor of November 29, 1802, as the date of Ohio's admission to the Union. Mr. Chance announced that a Maryland So- ciety was being formed in an adjoining room, with purposes and aims similar to those of the Ohio Society, and suggested the appropriateness of the Ohio Society sending greetings and good wishes for the prosperous and useful career to the new Society. Mr. Chance was appointed by the chair to convey to the Maryland Society the fraternal greeting and good wishes of the Ohio Society. A special meeting was called on December 16th at the office of General 283 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Swayne, to take action relative to the death of the Hon. Calvin S. Brice. A committee were appointed to prepare resolutions. Vice-President Foye, at the meeting of February 9, 1899, made a report as to the progress of the banquet committee, expressing the hope that the So- ciety would have the President of the United States present as its guest, at the coming annual banquet, and stated that President Southard and Colonel Strong were then in Washington for the purpose of consulting the President's convenience as to date, etc. At this point President Southard appeared, hav- ing just arrived from Washington, and reported the regrettable fact that the President, on account of the approaching close of Congress, and the un- usual importance of the measures to be presented to him, had reached the con- clusion that it would be impossible for him to attend the banquet this year, but that another year he hoped to have the pleasure of being present with the Society. The thirteenth annual banquet of the Society was held in the grand banquet hall of the Waldorf-Astoria on the evening of Saturday, February 25, 1899. The gentlemen here named served as the banquet committee: Henry L. Burnett, chairman; William L. Strong, WilHam L. Brown, Samuel Thomas, Abner McKinley, Leander H. Crall, George E. Armstrong, Warren Higley, Louis H. Severance, Peter F. Collier, Louis D. Clarke, H. B. Brun- drett, Richard J. Chard, Wager Swayne, Anson G. ]\IcCook, Colgate Hoyt, Andrew J. C. Foye, Tliomas H. Wheeler, David Homer Bates, John J. Mc- Cook, J. Q. A. Ward, Thomas Ewing, Jr., C. C. Shayne, H. B. C. Plimpton, Evarts L. Prentiss. The following gentlemen constituted the reception com- mittee: Henry B. Wilson, chairman; William S. Hawk, James G. Newcomb, Samuel H. Parsons, Rollin M. Morgan, Lowell M. Palmer, Charles F. Dean, L. A. Williams, L. D. Morrison, George P. Tangeman, William Ford Upson, Frank D. Pavey, Frederick C. Train, Francis B. Stedman, David Homer Bates, Jr., Francis B. Swayne, Homer Lee, H. H. Brockway, Charles A. Clegg, Charles S. Hayes, P. S. Jennings. In view of the fact that William R. Day, president of the Peace Commis- sion, and Whitelaw Reid, a member of the commission, were Ohioans, the usual annual dinner was turned into a banquet in honor of the American Peace Commissioners. It was, as all declared, the most brilliant event in the history of the Society up to that date. Nearly 300 members and guests met in the banquet hall. National colors decorated the walls and American Beauty roses were strewn lavishly over all the tables. Two of the peace commissioners and the commission's secretary sat at the head table with Gen. Wesley ]\Ierritt. The governor of Ohio was also present; his military aids, glittering in gold braid, sat b}' the side of the victor in the Far East. In the galleries, which were draped in evergreen vines 284 we \f)mi§ioi]er/ OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and roses, sat more than a hundred women, who added brilliancy to the scene and sparkle to the wit of the speakers. But the distinctive achievement of the banquet was the fact that the diplomatic silence which has sealed the lips of the peace commissioners ever since those eventful days in Paris was broken and the position assumed by the United States made open and clear. This was done by the speeches of Sen- ator Gray of Delaware, a Democrat, who declared that in this juncture " we are all Republicans," and of Whitelaw Reid, who was equally frank in his ref- erences to the work of the commission and its results. Tlie straightforward declaration of Senator Gray, that " we have got the Phihppines, and have got them bad," was vehemently cheered by all present. General Merritt was conspicuous in his civilian dress. Nothing indicated his high military rank, which was accentuated, however, by the glare and ght- ter of gold braid all about him. The banquet was a little late in starting. It was nearly 8 o'clock before the members and their guests were seated. At the principal table sat the president of the Society, Hon. Milton I. Southard, and the following guests: Senator George Gray, Whitelaw Reid, Major Gen. Wesley Merritt, Gov. Asa S. Bushnell, William R. Harper, ex-Gov. James E. Campbell, John B. Moore, secretary of the peace commission ; Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Wilham P. Orr, Gen. J. E. Lowes, Col. Charles B. Wing, Col. Julius Flischman, Col. W. L. Holmes, Col. Robert C. McKinney, Gen. Stewart L. Woodford, Col. C. E. Burke, Gen. J. Kent Hamilton, Gen. H. B. Kingsley, Charles F. James, and C. L. Kurtz. There were absent, however, several prominent men whom the Society was especially desirous of having at this banquet. These were William R. Day, president of the peace commission ; Senator Frye, a member of the commission, and Senator Marcus A. Hanna. Not one of these could be present, but sent regrets. As soon as the dinner was over President Southard, who acted as toast- master, made the introductory address. He said : " Gentlemen of the Ohio Society : This is our thirteenth annual banquet, and on behalf of the Society I bid you and our guests, each and all, a sincere and hearty welcome. I salute the ladies in the galleries and would embrace them also — in my welcome. (Laughter, in which the ladies heartily joined.) Once in each recurring year we are accustomed to meet around the festal board, to interchange personal greetings, to ' eat, drink and be merry,' and, last but not least, to be entertained by addresses from our distinguished guests. " Every now and then at these dinners we have taken it into our heads to suggest an available candidate for president or vice-president of the United £85 OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK States, and the suggestion is usually equivalent to a nomination and election. The choice is apt to fee of a native or citizen of Ohio, and if the candidate, like McKinley, happens to be a member of this Society, the objection is promptly waived. We flatter ourselves that McKinley reached the chief execu- tive chair through the portals of this Society. (Laughter and applause.) " We do not limit the choice, however, to the sons of Ohio. We are too generous for that, and too mindful also of the eminent qualifications of the distinguished sons of other states. What we wish to impress and make clear is this: that the skies of our banquet are surcharged with presidential light- ning and it is Kkely to strike a tall statesman at any time. " Celebrated as Ohio's sons are for learning, virtue and courage, their chief characteristic is yet to be named. It is meekness. Mr. McKelway, the brilliant editor of the Brooklyn Eagle^ who is celebrated for his far-reaching discernment, divined and proclaimed this truth a few years ago at one of our banquets. And he then drew some deductions from this rare trait of char- acter, and also made a prophecy. He said : ' The meek shall inherit the earth.' And behold, straightway McKinley stepped from the governorship of Ohio to the presidential chair. And as commander-in-chief of the army and navy, on behalf of the nation, he forthwith took possession of Cuba and Porto Rico, the fairest flowers of the Antilles, and the far-off Philippines, brightest gems of the Pacific. One more stride like that and our dominions will encircle the globe and the prophecy be fulfilled. " But, seriously, the achievements of the last year read more like dreams of romance than the chronicles of reality. Who could have foretold the wide eventuahties of the Spanish- American war.'' And who can now predict the future consequences upon the nation and upon the world.'' A year ago, in December, friendly interchanges of relations took place between Spain and the United States, but the cruel war in Cuba went on ; in February came the destruction of the Maine and the loss of ^QQ of our gallant and patriotic sail- ors ; a few weeks of self-restraint and suppressed anger and then the declara- tion of war. Within less than four months after, the military and naval power of Spain had been hopelessly crushed, and the brilliancy of the achievements of our army and navy had startled the nations of the world and made them realize as they had never done before the matchless power of the great Re- public of the West. Our countrymen, too, were filled with military ardor and high civic pride. " But a new duty now devolves upon the nation, a duty fraught with many difficulties. Just how it shall best be discharged is yet to be determined. The obligation to make provision for the government of these newly acquired possessions devolves upon Congress, and its members have before them the great charters of our liberties and the lessons and blessings of freedom to 9,m OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK guide them. Let us hope and trust that the outcome may be one that will redound to the welfare of our people and to the perpetuity and glory of the nation as the world's gi'eat exemplar of freedom and right. " On the signing of the protocol and the cessation of hostilities the work was not yet done. A definitive treaty of peace must be concluded. The Pres- ident appointed a commission of five eminent statesmen to perform that diffi- cult and delicate task. Their labors have been completed, and the result ratified by the Senate, and, no doubt, will soon meet with the sanction of the Cortes, and thus become permanently operative upon the two countries. " Our banquet Is given in honor of these high commissioners, and we hope during the evening to hear of all their diplomatic experiences. Now that the Senate has acted upon the treaty, may I not say to our distinguished guests as did the ancient Greek to the Trojans: ' Lawful be it to sparkle in the air their secrets all.' " When Mr. Southard proposed the health of President McKInley it was drunk standing, amid cheers, the band striking up " The Star Spangled Banner." When Mr. Southard introduced Senator Gray the first great outburst of enthusiasm took place. The applause did not subside until after ex-Mayor Strong had proposed three cheers for the senator and they had been given with a will. Senator Gray spoke at some length to close attention and fre- quent and loud applause. His statement of his views as to the duty of the hour In the PhlHppines was regarded as extremely significant, and his ut- terances were warmly welcomed. He said: " Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Ohio Society : I can only thank you for this cordial welcome, and say how hard your president has made it for me to speak, after his compliment so undeserved and so laudatory. I could best attest my respect for the Ohio Society In New York and my eager desire to be with you on this occasion by coming at some Inconvenience and at some threatened neglect of public duties, somewhat suddenly and on some- what short notice, in order that I might participate with j^ou in this magnifi- cent banquet. " Mr. President, you ought to be very proud of their Society, citizens by birth of Ohio, here on the seaboard, and in this great metropolis of New York, so strong In numbers and In Intellect and In character. We feel — those of us who have not that privilege, those of us born outside the sacred pale of Ohio, that it Is a privilege that does not often come, and that must be appreciated when It does come, to be your guests. When I look over this assembly of Ohioans and recollect the history of that great central state of our Union, I know that you feel, as I have just said, a just pride In your nativity and in the state to which you all owe the allegiance of birth. 287 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " But there is another thought that comes with this, that while you are Ohioans and while you have done so much to illustrate all that is best in Amer- ican liistory and in American statesmanship, I also belong to your company by virtue of the fact that I and you, too, are American citizens (applause), and by that high title I claim to be at home among you to-night. There is something very grateful to me always in an occasion like this that is dis- tinctively one springing from state pride and from that love of self-govern- ment that belongs to our states, something that illustrates to my mind the strength of our institutions. Stretcliing from ocean to ocean as a nation, we yet preserve our loyalty to the communities that we govern and to which we belong, and that must preserve in the future, as it has preserv^ed in the past, the true glory of American institutions. I am always thankful that the map of this great country is not painted over with one color; that the states in every map appear distinctively as self-governed sovereign states, and that from them up to the pinnacle of national greatness come the springs of our greatness and the source of all that we hope for as the strength of our future. " You have just cause to be proud, my fellow-citizens from Ohio, in the occasion on which you are assembled to-night, and I can speak to-night with- out any suspicion or imputation of self-glorification, because it is for me to bear witness to you to the important part that Ohio has performed in the great concluding act of this drama of the war with Spain. It is a very great honor, my friends, that not only did you contribute your citizen soldiery to the defense of our great Republic, but that you also contributed the character and the statesmanship and that broad-minded judgment in the persons of two who on that peace commission appointed by the President, also from Ohio, have brought to a conclusion the war with Spain by a definitive treaty of peace. And let me say — because it is a pleasure for me to say it in his ab- sence — that no state in this Union could have contributed to that function, or any other great diplomatic function of statecraft, a mind and a character more equipoised, settled, clear and strong than was contributed by Ohio when she sent that quiet, sensible, strong statesman, William R. Day, to Paris to conclude the treaty of peace. Always self-contained, never self-exploitative, always self-suppressed, yet firm and courageous in the perfonnance of duty as he saw it, he has illustrated the very highest traits of American statesman- ship and American character in the work that we brought home with us from the other side of the ocean. " I speak of him first because he was the president of the commission appointed by the President. But Ohio's honors did not cease there. He was ably seconded by another son of Ohio, who, with untiring zeal and devotion to his country's interests as he saw them, with the patriotic and single purpose 288 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to achiieve and promote the glory and honor and safety of his country — your distinguished fellow-statesman, the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, who sits at my left — has secured for himself a place in the galaxy of American statesmen that must ever remain an honor to him and to the great state that gave him birth. " And now, my friends, your president has said that he hoped to hear all the diplomatic secrets with which we were supposed to be surcharged, and that we were to display to-night to you something that would gratify your curiosity and your patriotism by telling you of things that happened, that you have a right to know, in those negotiations which we considered so im- portant and which form such an epoch in the history of our country. Well, our great secret is, that we have no secret to disclose. Our conduct there was in unison and in line with American traditions of diplomacy. We knew noth- ing of intrigue or finesse, but we sought to meet the trained diplomacy of Europe by straightforward and direct methods of American statesmanship and American character. ( Cries of ' You did it, too ! ' ) " We were far away, and we felt that we five men — felt it with an in- tensity that I cannot describe adequately — represented our country and its interests, its future, and in a measure its destiny, and whatever differences we had in our own council chamber, and we had many, there was but a solid and single commission when we were opposed to the enemies of our country. We recollected that whatever our differences of opinion might be, when we came to deal with the great interests of the United States as opposed to those of Spain, that political opinion sank into insignificance before the great par- amount consideration that we were Americans charged with responsibility for America, charged with a duty to our country, which we endeavored humbly in the sight of God to perform. " There may have been some questions as to the policy of acquiring the Philippines at all ; there may have been grave doubts as to whether we should go outside of the declaration with which the war was commenced and confined, and extend our view outside of this hemisphere to the distant Orient ; but there came a time in the course of those negotiations — and this, perhaps, is one of the secrets to which your president alluded — when after four or five weeks of doubt and anxiety it became apparent that these negotiations must either be broken off and your commissioners return without a treaty at all, and that we would be relegated to the necessity of taking not only the Philippines, but Cuba and Porto Rico, by the ruthless hand of military conquest, or by some concessions that comported with the magnanimity and greatness and char- acter of this country ; gain them by the voluntary cession of a treaty of peace. And, therefore, we believed that it was better for this country, strong in the hours of its victories,great in the hour of its triumphs,that it should to a beaten and prostrate foe exhibit that magnanimity of which I spoke, and take from 289 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK them by voluntary cession and by purchase, so to speak, those distant islands rather than to expose ourselves in the eyes of the world to the playing of a role of barbaric conquest, and by miHtary power treading the path of mediae- val rapine and warfare. " I speak as one, as my friend on my left and colleague on the late com- mission will bear me witness, who was reluctant to enter this role that we are now playing. I speak as one who shared perhaps the most conservative views on this question that anywhere are expressed in this broad land of ours; but when I find that those who now are or lately have been opposed to the ratifica- tion of the treaty at all, all with one voice and one accord, from Senator Hoar down through the ranks of the opposition, declare that whatever might betide us, we must drive out Spain from the Philippine Islands and keep her out, then there was but one plain path of duty before those who thought as I did, and I could form no other opinion then, as I have no other opinion now, than that it was our duty to take those islands and hold them in trust for the great purposes of American freedom and American liberty, guided by all of our his- tory that lies behind us, and moving forward to a goal that must bring hap- piness, with law and liberty, to peoples who never before had known what they meant. " How idle, in view of the opinion thus formed, must seem the criticisms of those who are invoking the Declaration of Independence and the time- honored maxims to which we all adhere, that all just government rests on the consent of the governed! Why, don't we know that, after all, the achieve- ment of liberty, ordered and governed by law, is a practical thing and not a thing of phrases? Don't we know that it would be absolutely impossible that those people who for 400 years had known no government but that of Spain, who had no realization of civilization except what had been filtered down through the oppressions of a conquering race? Don't we know that it was impossible for them to conceive, much less achieve, the notion of American liberty until the strong hand of American power had established the law and the order which would give place and opportunity for the blessings that are spoken of when we so apostrophize the Declaration of Independence and lib- erty ? " Now, another thing and you will pardon me, because this Is becoming a very practical question, and fills all our hearts and minds, I know, with anx- iety and with thoughtfulness in regard to the future — we are thinking about it, and talking about it in our homes and in our offices and places of business — I want to call your attention to this fact and to this consideration : After the signing of the protocol, on August 12 last, by which an armistice and truce were brought about between Spain and the United States, Manila, its harbors and bay, were occupied by the forces of the United States, and General Mer- 290 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ritt, commanding the force and gallant army then in those waters, landed and proceeded to hold in strict obedience to the terms of that protocol that city, with his colleague, Admiral Dewey. " Spain's power had been broken ; her fleets had been destroyed ; her ai-my had been surrendered, and there we stxDod, the guardians of those people that we had just rescued from the despotism of four hundred years. There we stood, with our flag and our soldiery and our sailors, as the guarantee of American honor and American liberty to those poor people. And now what was to happen? And what has occurred? Before the armistice is over, with- out a single departure from the strict obligation imposed upon the United States and its armies by that armistice, before the treaty of peace was ratified, and while we stood there with arms at rest guarding those people, having driven out their oppressors, waiting for the definitive ratification of the treaty with their enemy and ours, they exhibited their idea of Hberty, their idea of obligation, by attacking without provocation the army that had come to de- liver them and the fleet that had co-operated with it and brought about the conflict which is now, unhappily, being waged in those distant islands. " What have we got to say about the Declaration of Independence? Are we to stop while our soldiers are being shot down and our sailors staining the decks of American men-of-war with their blood, and preach to them the Dec- laration of Independence, and the saying of Thomas Jeff'erson, that all just government rests on the consent of the governed? Let us have, at least, op- portunity — and we say it in the presence of the world which is to pass upon our conduct, and we invoke the public opinion of the civilized nations of the earth as to the justice of our position — let us have at least the opportunity to show those people what we meant and what we intended, before we commence to talk to them about government resting upon the consent of the governed. " What analogy is there between their position and ours in the Revolu- tionary War? I have heard it over and over again on the floor of Congress and in the Senate of the United States, with vociferous iteration, asserted that they had as much justification in taking up arms and shooting down American citizens and American soldiers as had the patriots of '76 in resisting the forces of King George. Why, for 150 years prior to the Revolution of '76 we had lived under English government, had protested against its injustice, had formulated our grievances, and had petitioned for their rectification and adjustment, and then only went to arms when all others means failed. Men of their own race, men as capable of self-government as the governing power itself. And here are a people who never knew self-government, who have groaned iiiider Spanish oppression in all these centuries ; and for the first time in all their history they have had a gleam of light brought to them by the flag carried by Merritt and Dewey. And yet they are compared to the pa- 291 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK triots who in '76 were driven to arms against King George and his forces on the continent of America. It is absurd, and it is stuff and nonsense to talk about there being any kind of comparison between the two historic epochs. I want, as much as any one, to illustrate American character and American principles wherever the American flag floats ; but give us the opportunity, and stop shooting American soldiers and American sailors, and we will tell you then what we will do. " Then what are we to do now.'^ To-night, in the face of this great crisis, for such it is, we are all Democrats and we are all Republicans, and, more than all, we are all Americans. Let us see to it that what we have un- dertaken in the sight of the world is carried out, and let us not turn our backs upon a duty that is so plain that no man can mistake it. Let us tell these poor people that we have come to give them the liberty they are fighting for, and which they can never attain except with our aid. Why, we were their allies, and they have shed our blood. And yet, with it all, I bespeak for them a patient and long-suffering consideration that is becoming the greatness and the power and the precepts of the great nation to which we belong. We will give them better government than they have ever dreamed of having. We will give them liberty governed by law, and we will do it at all costs and at all hazards, and we will not go back on American manhood and American citizenship and the principles of American Hberty in doing it. " We cannot retreat. We cannot sail away from those islands now. However we might have done so in October or November, we cannot do it in Februarys in the year of our Lord, eighteen ninety-nine. And so, my friends, we are here to-night, considering for a moment on this festal occasion these grave duties and these grave responsibilities that belong to this great nation of ours, and to its citizenship and to every individual citizen among us. " Thank God that no American hand ever wielded a sword or pointed a gun that behind that hand there was not an American conscience. Thank God that every American conscience is awakened, and that this matter is de- bated at every crossroad in this great land of ours, and that when America makes up her mind and has debated and has satisfied herself that her cause is just, then nothing can impede her way or stop her progress in achieving the results at which she aims. " We did not go to war until the American conscience was awakened. We bore and forbore for many long years a condition of affairs in the neigh- boring islands of Cuba and Porto Rico that had become abhorrent to the sense of American justice and to American humanity. And it was only after all that, until the great provocation of the loss of our battle-ship ]\Iaine and the sacrifice of 266 gallant American sailors, that at last the indignation of 292 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK this country was aroused and we declared that housekeeping so outrageous should not exist right next door to us. " My friends, we all owe a duty to our neighbors, and I always liken the situation of our country in tliis matter of Cuba and the difficulties in Cuba to that of a law-abiding citizen living in one of our civilized and orderly American communities. Because, not only are the citizens law-abiding, but this country is law-abiding, and when that law-abiding citizen finds right next door to him there is an ill-governed, ill-regulated household — ^the head of the house beating his wife and starving his cliildren — he bears it day after day, because he is a law-abiding citizen, until at last the outcry becomes so great and the outrage so enormous that he can bear it no longer, and he goes in and takes his neighbor by the throat and says : ' This thing must stop ! ' and he does it because he is his neighbor. " And that was our attitude in the war with Spain. But war was de- clared, and no one can tell what the consequences of war, once entered upon, are to be. It may set the whole world aflame. But if we went into it right- eously, if we went into it with an awakened conscience, if we went into it with a justification that satisfied the moral sense of the American people, then, come what may, as American citizens and as American men, we will face them, whatever they may be. " And now, my friends, this is not the time to talk to the Philippines, or to give promises to the world as to what we are going to do wdth these people after we have established orderly government among them. We cannot do it while the crack of Mauser rifles is ringing in our ears. We must, because we believe we have the right, put down this opposition and this destructive attack that is being made upon our country and upon its arms and navies in those distant waters. We cannot reason with those people now. It is not now to preach to them the eternal doctrines of liberty and of freedom, or to read to them the Declaration of Independence. We will do that by and by. I grant you that the situation is serious. I grant you that the difficulties on the path we are treading seem to me very great indeed; but because duty is difficult and dangerous even, it cannot be avoided or evaded by many men. We must face our duties and look them squarely in the face. We have got those islands, and we have got them bad, and we are going to live through it, and, with or without foreign interference, we will so regulate, I confidently believe, our conduct as that we will give no just cause of offence to any power, people or potentate in the world ; and, so doing, we may let the consequences take care of themselves. "Now, that is the way I feel about it, as perhaps the most conser\'ative and the most loth of all the citizens of this country — I won't say of all the members of the commission — to have anything to do with the Philippines at 293 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK all. But if, as the opponents of the ratification of the treaty said, and as I said before, we must drive out Spain, then, surely, having driven her out, we cannot leave those islands derelicts on the wide Pacific ocean, to be picked up by any aggressive, grabbing European power that chooses some fine morn- ing to sail by and plant its flag there. " There is one thing certain, that however unwise it may be said our conduct has been, and however deleterious to our best interests it may have been, it can bring nothing and has brought nothing to the people of those islands but blessing and the promise of blessing such as they never had the opportunity to hope for in all the centuries that have passed. " We know we are doing them no wrong. We know that they are better for all that has happened, and for all that will happen; and, if it costs us priceless blood and untold treasure, then it is a sacrifice that high civilization owes to inferior civilization, and we will lift them up at any cost and give them an opportunity for that self-government about which we hear so much. Never in all their history has that opportunity come for those people before. Whether they are capable of it or not, I do not know. If they are not capable of it, then we must remain there long enough to illustrate American power and American manhood and American statesmanship. " When we are convinced that they are capable of it, in God's name hand them over the islands and let them govern the islands themselves ! " But we have not only driven out Spain, their oppressor, but we intend to drive out anarchy and barbarism and the half-civilization that is now so destructive to American soldiers and American sailors in those islands. We are going to deliver them from themselves and give them some measurable de- gree of decent white man's government. " Now, these are not secrets of diplomacy. Thank God ! American diplo- macy includes the whole citizenship of seventy millions of people, and their secrets are the secrets of all. As I said before, there can be no settled policy toward these islands adopted by the government of the United States that does not meet the approval of the thoughtful, liberty-loving. God-fearing people of this country. It will be debated, as I said before, at every crossroads, and in every schoolhouse, and a judgment will be formed which in action will be as irresistible as an avalanche in Alpine mountains, and it cannot be evaded, and it cannot be escaped from. " I believe that in the present crisis — for it is a crisis — that we should act as we acted in the war with Spain. We should relegate our political dif- ferences until such time as we may, without a sacrifice of American manhood, consider them. I believe that we should with one voice and one mind stand together, shoulder to shoulder, until tranquillity and peace are restored in the Orient, and then we will talk about the Declaration of Independence, and £94 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK then we will preach the principles of American liberi:y, and, God helping us, we will achieve for the worid and for civihzation a triumph greater than has ever been achieved in all the ages that have preceded us. " So acting, not giving up our ideals by any means — for no country can afford to trample upon its ideals — but always mindful of them, we will go ahead on the path that duty marks out for us, and, if needs be, we will put those people in possession of the land that they inhabit and leave them to govern it, if we can leave them safely to our interests to do so and to the interests of themselves. By so doing we will achieve a triumph for American civilization and for American traditions more valuable to us than all the islands of the seas. " Now, apologizing for having detained you so long, if an apology is necessary — (cries of 'No, no!') — You are very kind in encouraging me to go on ; but my apology must be that I know that this matter now is on your hearts and mind, as it is on my heart and mind, and it will continue to be on our hearts and minds until a settlement consistent with American honor and with American glory and with American conscience and morality is achieved in all parts of the world." Whitelaw Reid was welcomed with a repetition of the cordiality manifested when his fellow-commissioner arose to speak. He said : " You call and I obey. Any call from Ohio, wherever it finds you, is at once a distinction and a duty. But it would be easier to-night and more natural for me to remain silent. ' I am one of yourselves, the givers of the feast, and the occasion belongs peculiarly to my colleagues on the Peace Commission. I regret that more of them are not here to tell you in person how profoundly we all appreciate the compliment you pay us. Judge Day, after an experience and strain the like of which few Americans of this generation have so sud- denly and so successfully met, is seeking to regain his strength at the South. Senator Ftye, at the close of an anxious session, finds his responsible duties in Washington too exacting to permit even a day's absence; and Senator Davis, who could not leave the care of the treaty to visit his state even when his own re- election was pending, has snatched the first moment of relief since he was sent to Paris, last summer, to go out to St. Paul and meet the constituents who have in his absence renewed to him the crown of a good and faithful servant. " It is all the more fortunate, therefore, that you are honored by the presence of the patriotic member of the opposition who formed the regulator and balance-wheel of the commission. When Senator Gray objected, we all re- examined the processes of our reasoning. When he assented, we knew we were on soHd ground and went ahead. It was an expected gratification to have with you also the accomplished secretary and counsel to the commission, a man as modest and unobtrusive as its president, and like him equal to any summons. 295 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK In his regretted absence, we rejoice to have with us the most distinguished mihtary aid ordered to report to the commission, and the most important witness before it — the Conqueror of Manila. " So much you will permit me to say in my capacity as one of the hosts, rather than as a member of the body to which you pay this gracious compliment. *' It is not for me to speaJc of another figure necessarily missing to-night, though often with you heretofore at these meetings — ^the member of the Ohio Society who sent us to Paris ! A great and shining record already speaks for him. He will be known in our history as the president who freed America from the Spanish blight; who realized the aspiration of our earlier statesmen, cherished by the leaders of either party through three-quarters of a century, for planting the flag both on Cuba and on the Sandwich Islands ; more than this, as the president who has carried that flag half-way round the world and opened the road for the trade of the nation to follow it. " All this came from simply doing his duty, from day to day, as that duty was forced upon him. No other man in the United States held back from war as he did, risking loss of popularity, risking the hostility of Congress, risking the harsh judgment of friends in agonizing for peace. It was no doubt in the spirit of the Prince of Peace; but it was also with the wisdom of Polonius, ' Beware of entrance to a quarrel ; but, being in, bear'st that th' op- posed may beware of thee.' Never again will any nation imagine that it can trespass indefinitely against the United States with impunity. Never again will an American warship run greater risks in a peaceful harbor than in battle. The world will never again be in doubt whether, when driven to war, we will end it in a gush of sentimentality or a shiver of unmanly apprehension over untried, responsibilities, by fleeing from our plain duty, and at the same time giving up what we are entitled to, before we have even taken an opportunity to look at it. " But it must be confessed that looking at it during the past week has not been an altogether cheerful occupation. While the aspect of some of these new possessions remains so frowning there are faint hearts ready enough to say that the Peace Commission is in no position to be receiving compliments. Does protection protect? is an old question that used to be thrown in our faces — though I believe even the questioners finally made up their minds that it did. Does peace pacify ? is the question of the hour. Well, as to our great antagon- ist, historic, courageous Spain, there seems ground to hope and believe and be glad that it does — not merely toward us, but within her own borders. When she jettisoned cargo that had already shifted ruinously, there is reason to think that she averted disaster and saved the ship. Then as to Porto Rico there is no doubt of peace ; and as to Cuba very little — although it would be too much to hope that twelve years of civil war could be followed by an absolute calm, without disorders. 296 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " As to other possessions in the farther East, we may as well recognize at once that we are dealing now with the same sort of clever barbarians as in the earlier days of the Republic, when, on another ocean not then less distant, we were compelled to encounter the Algerian pirates. But there is this difference. Then we merely chastised the Algerians into letting us and our commerce alone. The permanent poHcing of that coast of the Mediterranean was not imposed upon us by surrounding circumstances, or by any act of ours — it belonged to nearer nations. Now a war we made has broken down the only authority that existed to protect the commerce of the world in one of its greatest Eastern thoroughfares, and to preserve the lives and property of people of all nations resorting to those marts. We broke it down, and we cannot, dare not, display the cowardice and selfishness of failing to replace it. However men may differ as to our future policy in those regions, there can be no difference as to our present duty. It is as plain as that of putting down a riot in Chicago, or New York — all the plainer, because we have until recently ourselves been taking the very course and doing the very tilings to encourage the rioters. " A distinguished and patriotic citizen said to me the other day, in a Western city : ' You might have avoided this trouble in the Senate by refusing title in the Philippines, exactly as in Cuba, and simply enforcing renunciation of Spanish sovereignty. Why didn't you do it? ' The question is important, and the reason ought to be understood. But at the outset it should be clearly realized that the circumstances which made it possible to take that course as to Cuba were altogether exceptional. For three-quarters of a century we had asserted a special interest and right of interference there as against any other nation. It is directly on our coast, and no one doubted that at least as much order as in the past would be preserved there, even if we had to do it ourselves. There was also the positive action of Congress, which on the one hand gave us excuse for refusing a sovereignty our highest legislative authority had dis- claimed, and on the other formally cast the shield of our responsibility over the island when left without a government or a sovereignty. Besides there was a people there advanced enough, sufficiently compact and homogeneous in re- ligion, race and language, sufficiently used already to the methods of govern- ment, to warrant our Republican claim that the sovereignty was not being left in the air; that it was only left where in the last analysis and in a civilized community it must always reside, in the people themselves. " And yet, under all these conditions, the most difficult task your Peace Commissioners had at Paris was to maintain and defend the demand for a re- nunciation of sovereignty without anybody's acceptance of the sovereignty thus renounced. International law has not been so taught or practiced abroad ; and it may be frankly confessed that the Spanish arguments on this point were learned, acute, sustained by the general judgment of Europe, and not easy to refute. a97 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " A similar demand concerning the Philippines neither could nor ought to have been acquiesced in by the civilized world. Here were ten millions of people on a great highway of commerce, some semi-civilized, some barbarous, others mere pagan savages, but nothing like a majority or even a respectable minority of them accustomed to self-government or believed to be capable of it. Sovereignty over such a conglomeration and in such a place could not be left in the air. The civilized world would not recognize its transfer, unless trans- ferred to somebody. Renunciation under such circumstances would have been equivalent in international law to abandonment, and that would have been equivalent to anarchy and a race for seizure among the nations that could get there quickest. " We could, of course, have refused to accept the obligations of a civihzed, responsible nation. After breaking down government in those commercial centres, we could have refused to set up anything in its stead, and simply washed our hands of the whole business ; but to do that would have been to show ourselves more insensible to moral obligations than if we had restored them out- right to Spain. " Well, if the elephant must be on our hands, what are we going to do with it.'' That is the next question. I venture to answer that first we must put down the riot. The hves and property of German and British merchants must be at least as safe in Manila as they were under Spanish rule before we are ready for any other step whatever. " Next ought we not to try to diagnose our case before we turn every quack doctor among us loose on it ; understand what the problem is before be- ginning heated partisan discussions as to the easiest way of solving it.'' And next, we will probably fare best in the end if we try to profit somewhat by the experience others have had in like cases. " The widest experience has been had by the great nation whose people and institutions are nearest like our own. Illustrations of her successful meth- ods may be found in Egypt and in many British dependencies, but for our pur- pose probably best of all either on the Malay Peninsula or on the north coast of Borneo, where she has had the happiest results in dealing with intractable types of the worst of these same races. Some rules, drawn from this experi- ence, might be distasteful to people who look upon new possessions as merely so much more government patronage, and quite repugnant to the noble army of office-seekers ; but they surely mark the path of safety. " The first is to meddle at the outset as httle as possible with every native custom and institution and even prejudice. The next is to use every existing native agency you can, and the next to employ in the government service just as few Americans as you can, and only of the best. Convince the natives of your irresistible power and j^our inexorable purpose ; then of j'^our desire to be ^98 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK absolutely just, and after that, not before, be as kind as you can. At the out- set you will doubtless find your best agents among the trained officers of the navy and the army, particularly the former. On the retired list of both, but again particularly of the navy, ought to be found just the experience, in con- tact with foreign races, the moderation, wide views, justice, rigid method and inflexible integrity you need. Later on should come a real civil service, with such pure and efficient administration abroad as might help us ultimately to conclude that we ourselves deserve as well as the heathen and induce us to set up similar standards for our own service at home. Meantime, if we have taught the heathen largely to govern theemselves, without being a hindrance and menace to the civilization and the commerce of the world, so much the better. Heaven speed the day ! If not, we must even continue to be responsible for them our- selves — a duty we did not seek, but should be ashamed to shirk." Governor Bushnell, of Ohio, was next introduced, and upon rising was re- ceived with much enthusiasm. In part he said : " Whether Westerners or Easterners, Celts or Teutons, Republicans or Democrats, expansionists or non-expansionists, we are all Buckeyes here to- night. This is one of the occasions that I could wish that the mantle of one of the world's greatest orators had fallen on me. But, no such legacy having been bequeathed to me, what I shall say will in no wise equal the oration of Mark Antony over the body of Caesar. " What I shall say will be in praise of our state, in glory of the city of New York and of the nation in which we live. My speech will be brief, because I have had the pleasure of being present two or three times on similar occasions to this festival to-night, and if I attempted to make anything like an extended address I should be like a friend of mine whose wife was giving a reception one evening. Just before the guests began to arrive she saw her husband carrying away all the umbrellas from the hat-rack. She said to him: ' Why, my dear, you don't need to take those umbrellas away. Our guests will not steal any of them.' ' Oh, that's not what troubles me,' he replied, * I am only afraid the guests will recognize them.' " There has been something said by the president to-night ; about the state of Ohio. It is always a pleasure to me to come here and meet old citizens of Ohio, and not only that, but this is the grandest city of our country, and there is no place on the face of the globe where one can come and meet better friends or find more enjoyment than in this great city of yours. " You expect me to say a word or two about Ohio, and I will do so with the proverbial modesty of the Ohioan. Ohio has furnished all the Republican presidents save the first and the greatest of them, and has plenty of timber left to furnish more. That is not sajang that there are not plenty here in New York who would not make able presidents, but this is a matter we cannot turn 299 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK over to your state. We have a few secrets in Ohio, which, however, I am not go- ing to tell 3'^ou to-night. But those secrets are nothing against the interest and glory of the country. There are a few little things that possibly you Buckeyes had best not know about, at least just now. We will let you know about them next fall. " Ohio put the first troops in the field after the call of the president last spring, and to the glory of Ohio, it may be said that the first American soldier who lost his life in the Spanish war was an Ohioan. I mention this to let you know that Ohio is always in the front. You may possible have heard about the Ohioan who, I think, on one occasion hke this become a little confused in some way. After the evening entertainment he did not know exactly where he was, and some friends, in a joke, put him to sleep in a cemetery for the night. In the morning when he woke up he looked around and saw nothing but tombs and monuments. * Well,' he exclaimed, ' here's Ohio, the first man at the resurrection.' " I can understand why it is that New York city is growing so rapidly. A great many Ohioans are coming here and interesting themselves in the com- mercial affairs of New York. They come here to make money, but sometimes they go home with less than they brought with them. " You have heard considerable talk about Manila and our new posses- sions. We hear a great deal of talk about the question in Ohio, but I don't think they have any well-defined ideas as to what they are to do about it. The feeling now with the men there is that the Filipinos, for attacking our sailors and soldiers, should be punished to the extent of teaching them to respect the American nation and the American flag. When that is done it will be time enough to decide what course shall be taken with the Filipinos. When the proper time comes, I have no fear but that this country will act justly, and that the coming in contact with the Anglo-Saxon race and the Buckeyes who will go to those islands to start street railroads and other enterprises will have the effect before long of civilizing the natives and preparing them for govern- ing themselves. " But the matter which requires attending to immediately is that these natives must be taught to respect the country and the flag. When they have received this lesson then we will tell them what kind of government it will be to their advantage to have. This is the last time I shall come to join you at these dinners as Governor of Ohio. But I hope that when I go out of office you will be willing to extend to me an invitation to the fourteenth annual banquet, and I can assure you that it will be a great pleasure to me always to meet you at these dinners. " Before closing, I may say that I have no fear of our government and that our Congress and President will be able to meet and manage the diffi- soo OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK cult problems that now present themselves with reference to our new pos- sessions. The proper course for us to take, as the distinguished Senator from Delaware and his no less distinguished colleague, Mr. Reid, have told you, is to go forward, and let us show the nations of the world that America lives to assist those who need it and to redress wrongs wherever they exist." General Merritt was then introduced, the chairman referring to him as Admiral Dewey's coadjutor, and the man who had written a chapter in the history of the United States that will live forever. As he arose three cheers were proposed and given. He said in part: " My surprise to-night, after hearing so much about Ohio, has been to learn that so many Ohioans have come to New York to live. Ohio enterprise has done a great deal for New York. The Philippine question has been so ably discussed by Senator Gray and Mr. Reid that there is nothing for me to add. I am sure if the Filipinos had intelligence enough to understand the re- marks which have been made here to-night they would be willing to submit. As it is, we shall have to beat them in on it. When I left Luzon and Manila I knew that a show of force on our part would quickly result in peace. Delay has been worse than dangerous. It has resulted in bloodshed, but we are pre- pared to assert our rule. " I shall not speak at length of the army, preferring rather to say some- thing about the navy. If I ever enter another world and should have the choice of service it would be in the navy. They carry their own houses with them, and do not have to lie in trenches or fight at short range. Admiral Dewey is entitled to all praise, and no American will withhold from him his need. I found in Admiral Dewey a cordial, warm-hearted supporter of any- thing that the army wanted to do. He was ready to assist in any way it was required. Admiral Dewey did his duty nobly. He deserves all the honor the nation can give him. " I found the American army as it appeared in Manila composed of ear- nest, cordial, honest and hard-working men. The volunteers had much to learn. I sent my staff among them and the regulars, and found co-operation. The men wanted to learn, and they became as good as our regulars before I got through. I am sure you will be glad to know this, for, though I had no Ohio volunteers with me, I feel sure that they would have done as well as any of the others." The next speaker was ex-Governor James E. Campbell, of Ohio, who spoke in part as follows : "Gentlemen of the Ohio Society : I would include the ladies in this greet- ing, but friend Southard has already embraced them. But it is his privilege, for old men may do that with impunity, and therefore, you see, I am debarred from the pleasure. I am moved to say to-night, from being here with our 301 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK honored peace commissioners, that ' God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.' I was at a banquet Hke this one about four or five years ago — an Ohio banquet — and I remember how my friend, Michael D. Harter, who was one of God's noblemen, said in a set speech that we should not take the Hawaiian Islands. In an informal speech which I was called for as a vol- unteer I took issue with him, and I said that, while perhaps we ourselves would not see it, our cliildren would Hke to see the island east of us and the islands west of us, the republic north of us and the republics south of us, and every land from the isthmus to the pole, under the American flag. The Hawaiian Islands have come to us, I might say, by force of gravity. We have also got great islands in the East and innumerable islands in the Far West. " So far the result ought to be a source of pride to every American citizen. We got Porto Rico without any question, and we will get Cuba just as we got Texas. "As to the Philippines, first we conquered them ; second, these gentlemen beside me bought them. They are ours, and we can do what we want with them. Our first duty, I say, is to kill the assassins, the bushwhackers, the mur- derers who have been shooting down American soldiers. And to begin with, I should take Mr. Aguinaldo's gold collar ofi^ and put on one of another kind. " And yet, I am not an expansionist. I belong to a party that cannot even expand over this country, and they are lucky if they get four years at a time. But I have a deep faith in American liberty, conscience and American love of justice, and I am sure that these qualities which have made America great in the world, and so acknowledged by the powers that constitute the world, will enable our government to cope with this question. I believe that our leaders can deal with it satisfactorily, and if they cannot the party to which I belong will do it for them in 1900. " I am sorry that Judge Day is not here. His career has been that of a typical American. It could not have come to any one but him. Two years ago he was a practicing lawyer in a little country town in Ohio. We have got lots more hke him out there. We have got thousands of them. They are our Ohio country boys, unambitious and mortal. But they are all Days if you give them a chance. Judge Day was first made assistant secretary of state. Then circumstances put him in first place, and he held that post in time of war and trouble. We are compelled to say as men and as Americans that he did well. Directly after this he was appointed to the peace commission, and there he made a record of which we may speak with pride. He was at the front of that body. He was the leader, and he conducted his negotiations, not with any underhand backdoor methods, but in an honest, manly, straightfor- ward way. " And there is another Ohio boy whom I would call to your attention. 302 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK He was bom in the same district which I once represented in Congress, and he was born in a county that invariably gave my opponent a majority of twent}'- five thousand or upward. He is your neighbor and your friend. I always think of him first in connection with his great work on * Ohio in the War.' And it is with feeling that I recall his description of the death of Colonel Minor MilHgan as his greatest personal loss in the war. If Senator Gray's wife were here I would like to make her ears tingle with what I feel like saying about her husband. But I cannot say so many nice things before his face. I have seen a great deal of him in the Senate. We belong, you know, to the same long-suffering political party. " These men have come to us, just out of a little war. People did not know what they wanted before the war began. Some of you New Yorkers did not want war. There were men interested in stocks that had too many tickers in their back offices to hanker after war, but ever since the 15th of February, 1898, I have hoped and devoutly prayed for war. Ever since 266 American sailors went to their death as martyrs on the Maine I have wished to punish the perpetrators of that black deed. We owed atonement and an avenging to ourselves and to posterity. And the war came. The army did not have much chance to show what they could do. They might have had a chance. There's no telling. But remember that some time ago we spent four years killing each other, and in that terrific struggle more men were killed than Great Britain has lost since the time of Norman conquest. A foreign war was needed to show the nations of the world just what our army was. Well, they went ahead and cleaned out everybody in sight. I don't suppose they could have done any more than that. But I know they could have done that with their ej^es shut and one hand tied behind them. " And now I come to my toast — ' Our Navy.' How shall I speak of it? The tongues of angels are needed to give to it an adequate eulogy and worth- ily portray its glories, for no human tongue can pay a sufficient tribute to the United States Navy. I speak not alone for our new navy, which has just made our English cousins find out how nearly related they are to us, and the roar of whose guns has made the decadents in Paris stop sneering at us. It is a great navy. I was in Congress when the appropriation was made for our first battleship, under the greatest of secretaries, your fellow-townsman, Wil- liam C. Whitney. Its glories are so great that I need not recite them. Who was the first man killed.'' Was he a soldier.'' No, he was a sailor. He was a sailor from Ohio, and was buried only yesterday in the churchyard of a Httle Ohio town. He was James B. McPherson, who was killed off Cardenas. A few hours later the first officer was killed — Worth Bagley, who was, thank God, the son of a North Carolina rebel. It was an atonement in blood. The Civil War was over. 303 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " And George Dewey. What can I say of him? I saw by to-day's paper that he said he would under no circumstances consider a nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I thought deeply over that, and I thought what a mistake it was that he was not bom in Ohio. " And about Schley and Sampson. I don't believe in controversies. Each man did his duty. It was one commander's lot not to be at Santiago, and for him I have nothing but praise. But one of them was there. And his ship was hit forty-seven times. If the American people do not do justice to that brave man we must blush with shame forever after." President William R. Harper, of the University of Chicago, who followed ex-Governor Campbell, and who began to speak at twenty minutes after 12, said : " To-day is Sunday, so you'll have plenty of time to recuperate later." Continuing, he said, in part: " A new feehng of patriotism has recently come among us. The old feel- ing was strong, but with most of us not tangible. I say most of us, for the number of those whose lives were quickened in the Civil War grows less each day, and while many souls ripened thereby into a high patriotism, in many was engendered a sectional hate without occasion for the kindling of the patriotic flame. It lies dormant; but occasion came, and at once the spark shot up. How quick the response of heart to heart and the warming up of every soul, as the story of victory after victory passed from mouth to mouth ! It was as if an electric current had taken hold of dead men and transformed them into living beings. " Here and there have been those who did not so share the joy and en- thusiasm of this new feehng, with their vision of the future bound by the hor- izon of a past long departed and their apprehension of difficulties increased beyond all measure of true apportionment. With their conception of the pos- sibilities of this country based upon a calculation adapted to countries of far different situation and resources, they have stood and still stand in fear before the confusion and disaster which they assure us must follow the strange and sudden burst of popular enthusiasm. These men are patriotic according to their light, and their light is either the dim and fitful gloom which just pre- cedes the dawn of day or the dark and heavy shade of night, settling down upon hearts and minds already under the spell of the despair of a pessimistic philosophy. In such times as these the thinking man asks himself : What is the love of country? How comes it and upon what basis does it rest.? What duties does it impose.'' And what satisfaction does it cultivation bring.'' " Love of country, like father and mother love, is a sentiment in the growth of which hundreds of centuries have been employed. Its evolution is easily traced. The savage has no love of country. He is a member of a clan whose members are related by blood. The wandering nomad is scarcely yet in 304 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK a position to understand the meaning of patriotism. He has no land ; there is as yet no nation ; it is still the idea of the clan which controls. The agricul- turist who had taken possession of a track of land may begin to develop the love of country. Several tribes are joined together and institutions common to all begin to spring up. Life takes on new forms. With the building of cities arose the possibility of a patriotism greater in scope than any which had yet preceded. The incitement of close contract, the momentum of vigorous co-operation, continued to produce the solidarity that alone furnishes the field suitable for the growth of patriotism. " Among the Chinese there is no political feeling, and there can hardly be said to exist such a thing as national spirit. The controlling factor is the domestic spirit. Among the Egyptians the national institutions suggested op- pression, and were of such a nature as not to win the love of the people. Israel's patriotism was religious fanaticism. Greek patriotism, for the most part, was something selfish and narrow. The Romans had but one duty — service to Rome. " Our patriotism is domestic, and has also a religious feeling. Our pa- triotism has the unity which characterized that of Rome. From whatever state or city we come, we are Americans. The unity of Rome, though a single city, was not greater than the unity of the United States as it finds embodi- ment in the national government. However distinct and separated the parts of the whole, the whole is none the less the unity into which the power and energy of all the parts find entrance. This may have been only partially true during the last forty years, but the events of nine months have surely removed any doubts which the world has entertained in this regard." The menu card and progranmie consisted of a handsome and artistic folder, nearly one foot square. Upon the front cover was an American fl»g in colors, surrounded by branches of the buckeye tree. This was followed by a picture of the American eagle, standing on the North American continent, with one protecting wing extended over Cuba and Porto Rico, and the other over Hawaii and the Philippines. The title page was as follows : THIRTEENTH ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK IN HONOR OF THE AIMERICAN PEACE COIVBHSSIONERS AT THE WALDORF-ASTORIA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1899. 305 CHAPTER XV. 1899-1900 MR. CHANCE, at the meeting of March 13th, presented a paper set- ting forth the claims in favor of November 29, 1802, as the date when Ohio was admitted to the Union. A vote of thanks was ex- tended, and the matter was discussed by several of the members. The " sixth annual ladies' reception and dance," as it was announced on the programme, was given at the Waldorf-Astoria on the evening of April 5th. It was in charge of the entertainment committee, consisting of Warren Higley, chairman ; Peter H. Burnett, Noah H. Swayne 2d, David H. Bates, Jr., and Andrew Ernest Foye. The following gentlemen served as a floor committee: Andrew Ernest Foye, chairman; David Homer Bates, Jr., Peter H. Burnett, Henry B. C. Plimpton, Howard Elmer Crall, William H. Jennings, Emmet B. Wheeler. The following ladies consented to serve as hostesses : Mrs. Milton I. Southard, Mrs. Henry L. Burnett, Mrs. William L. Strong, Mrs. Wager Swayne, Mrs. Wallace C. Andrews, Mrs. George E. Armstrong, Mrs. Thomas H. Wheeler, Mrs. Warren Higley, Mrs. David H. Bates, Mrs. Henry B. Wil- son, Mrs. William L. Brown, Mrs. Anson G. McCook. The reception committee was constituted as follows : William L. Strong, chairman; Henry L. Burnett, Wager Swayne, Wallace C. Andrews, Colgate Hoyt, Peter F. Collier, David H. Bates, Henry B. Wilson, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Daniel Pritchard, L. D. Morrison, Rollin M. Morgan, Ralph W. Carroll, Sherman M. Granger, Milton I. Southard, George E. Armstrong, Samuel Thomas, Thomas H. Wheeler, William L. Brown, Frank C. Loveland, Noah H. Swayne 2d, Peter H. Burnett, Evarts L. Prentiss, DeFrees Critten, Elijah G. Boardman, Charles H. Niehaus, Walter S. Sullivan, Samuel McMillan. There was an elaborate order of dances and supper was served. Like the previous entertainments of a similar nature, it was a success. In the April meeting President Southard and Judge Higley were con- stituted a committee to express to Mrs. General Henry L. Burnett the Society's appreciation of her gift of a badge to be worn by the wife of the president of the Society, at all the public functions. It was decided that a committee of three from the governing committee be appointed by the president to secure a larger attendance of members at the regular meetings. The president asked Colgate Hoyt to recount some of his experiences during a trip to Cuba and 306 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the West Indies in company with ex-Senator Sherman of Ohio. Mr. Hoyt gave a most interesting narration of the trip and of the transfer of ex-Senator Sherman to the Chicago, sent to convey him home. D. H. Bates suggested that ex-Mayor Strong be asked to describe some of the experiences of his son. Major Putnam Bradlee Strong, in the Philip- pines. Colonel Strong responded with some stirring experiences of Colonel Fred Funston and of Major Strong as interpreter, envoy, and officer at the front, where, by his grave and gallant conduct, he won the commendation of his superior. By vote of the Society on May 8th word was officially sent to the mem- bers that each Monday evening had been set aside as its time when " the Ohio Society would be especially at home in its rooms." The governing committee, in the same month, passed a vote appreciative of the hospitality of Colgate Hoyt, who had given the members of the committee a delightful outing on board his yacht " Tide." The last meeting of the season took the form of a dinner at Morelli's, where short speeches were made by Messrs. Hoyt, Hopkins, Granger, Lefler, Doyle and Chance. In the meeting of October 9th a committee consisting of Judge Higley, Mahlon Chance and Colonel Strong were authorized to express the thanks of the Society to Mrs. S. S. Packard for the gift of a portrait of her deceased husband. The following gentlemen were chosen as a nominating committee to select officers for the ensuing year: Thomas Ewing, L. D. Morrison, J. D. Gillett, Colgate Hoyt, H. C. Plimpton, J. W. Jennings, F. F. Ward. On November 13th the committee reported the following ticket: President, Milton I. Southard ; vice-presidents, Andrew J. C. Foye, Thomas H. Wheeler, George E. Armstrong, Warren Higley, Colgate Hoyt ; secretary, William H. Blymer ; recording secretary, Walter S. Sullivan ; treasurer, Leander H. Crall ; trustees, Francis B. Stedman, Evarts L. Prentiss, R. C. Penfield. The annual meeting, again in the form of an informal dinner, was held on the usual date, November 29th. The secretary was instructed to cast one vote for the candidates proposed, and they were all declared elected. Speeches were made by Flamen Ball Candler, Colgate Hoyt, G«n. Henry L. Burnett and Charles A. Winter. Mr. Crall, treasurer, made his annual report, show- ing a clear balance of $5,761.57. The annual report of the governing com- mittee was presented by Colgate Hoyt, chairman, who said, among other things : " Gentlemen : Another year, one replete with interest and that speaks volumes for the welfare and prosperity of the Society, has come and gone. " Fifty brother Buckeyes have been elected to membership in the Society within the year, thirty-three of them being resident and seventeen non-resident members. The grim reaper. Death, has not spared us in the year just closed, 307 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK for nine honored members have been added to the list of those who have passed into the great unknown. First among them was the Hon. Calvin S. Brice, one of the founders of the Society, followed by Mr. John Dickson, Colonel A, L. Conger, Mr. Warren F. Leland, Wallace C. Andrews, Esq., another one of the charter members, whose sad fate and that of his estimable wife and relatives is still fresh in the minds of all; Mr. William Kraus, Mr. Phillip A. Bond, Warren H. Coming, Esq., and Major John A. Logan. Committees were ap- pointed to draft suitable resolutions and testimonials, copies of which were sent to the families of the deceased, and also spread upon the minutes and made a part of the records of the Society. " It is one of the characteristics of the Ohioan to hold on to a good thing when he has it, but several have departed from that rule and tendered their resignations as members wliich were accepted, while a few others have so far forgotten themselves as to fall in arrears for dues and have consequently been dropped from the rolls. The membership, however, is at present very near the ' four hundred ' mark, and a little exertion on the part of our members will bring it up to the half thousand before another year has ended. " The growth of the- Society has been remarkable and is steadily on the increase and it ranks to-day as one of the leading organizations of its kind in the country. The home of the Buckeye is now and ever will be one of the at- tractive features of the metropolis. " Respectfully submitted, " Colgate Hoyt, Chairman." Thomas Ewing was elected chairman of the governing committee, and An- drew J. C. Foye, Francis B. Stedman and RolHn M. Morgan became members of the house committee. The president announced the following committees : Literature and art, Charles H. Niehaus, chairman ; Mahlon Chance, Alexander Doyle, Noah H. Swayne 2d, William L. Hawk ; entertainment, Warren Hig- ley, chairman; Andrew Ernest Foye, Henry C. Plimpton, Putnam Bradlee Strong, Albert F. Hagar; library, Daniel Pritchard, chairman; William H. Caldwell, Charles H. Clegg, Lovell H. Carr, Warjier Ells; auditing, Henry A. Glassford, chairman; David H. Bates, Frank C. Loveland, Richard J. Chard, De Fries Critten. At the December meeting Major Putnam Bradlee Strong, a son of ex- Mayor Strong, delivered an interesting account of his experiences as a soldier in the Philippines. The first meeting of the Society in 1900 was held on January 8th at the St. Denis. William H. Blymyer, secretary of the Society, delivered an en- lightening and entertaining address on the work of the "Word's Peace Con- ference," based upon his personal observations and studies at The Hague dur- 308 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ing the sessions of the commissioners. Mr. Blymyer put into marked contrast the frank and open spirit of our representatives, and the indirect methods of their associates, remarking that all propositions advanced by the United States with the purpose of creating an agreement which would be binding on the pow- ers, were, in the end, rendered ineffective or nugatory by quahfying conditions. The speaker was of the opinion that the adoption of the proposed agreement by the United States would retard the establishment of an effective treaty of peace. The address of Mr. Corey, who was the American consul at Amsterdam at the time the Peace Conference was proposed, furnished a fitting complement to the discussion of the subject by the preceding speaker. Mr. Corey gave a picturesque account of the Dutch people and their characteristics and spoke at some length of their great desire for peace and of the efforts that had been made by the Dutch ladies especially, through the establishment in the kingdom of Peace societies, which possessed great influence and efficiency. Mr. Corey took an optimistic view of the results of the peace agitation in progress in Holland, and put an interpretation upon the Czar's proposal for the peace conference, which was most fair and generous to the sincerity of that monarch's intention. " The fact of such a conference being held," he said, " was a great step toward peace." The American idea of diplomacy, which was discovered in the deliberations of the American commissioners, produced an impression upon the other powers represented, which was salutary, and in his opinion would be far-reaching in the direction of universal peace in the future. At the February meeting David Homer Bates read an interesting paper on personal reminiscences of President Lincoln. A number of members re- lated interesting incidents in the life of the martyred president. The banquet of 1900 was a memorable event in the history of the Ohio Society. It not only had the President of the United States, himself an Ohio man, as its guest of honor, but also entertained a future President of the United States in the person of the then governor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt. The occasion was made still more memorable because President McKinley, in his speech, sounded the keynote of the presidential campaign soon to open. There also sat at the guests' table a number of other eminent men, comprising a governor and ex-governor of Ohio and Senator Marcus A. Hanna of Ohio, and his successor, the Hon. Charles Dick. This fourteenth annual banquet was given at the Waldorf-Astoria on the evening of Saturday, March 3. It was in charge of a committee composed of the following gentlemen: Henry L. Burnett, chairman; William L. Strong, William L. Brown, Samuel Thomas, Whitelaw Reid, Leander H. Crall, Henry B. Wilson, Warren Higley, Emerson McMillin, F. H. Kingsbury, Louis D. Clarke, Rollin M. Morgan, Richard J. Chard, Wager Swayne, Milton I. Southard, Anson G. McCook, Colgate Hoyt, Andrew J. C. Foye, Thomas H. 309 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Wheeler, David Homer Bates, Mahlon Chance, J. Q. A. Ward, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Thomas A. Edison, Flamen Ball Chandler, William H. Blymyer, secretary. The following gentlemen served as a reception committee: Putnam Bradlee Strong, chairman ; William S. Hawk, Francis B. Stedman, Raymond C. Pen- field, Wm. Ford Upson, Defrees Critten, Lowell M. Palmer, J. A. Fordyce, James G. Newcomb, Daniel Pritchard, Wade Chance, Andrew Ernest Foye, Henry C. Plimpton, Evarts L. Prentiss, Samuel H. Parsons, Albert Francis Hagar, Addison W. Gilmore, Warner Ells, A. D. Houston, Peter H. Bur- nett, H. B. Brundrett, Walter S. Sullivan. The menu card was an elaborate and beautiful souvenir of the occasion. It was enclosed in a covering of hand-made carmine colored paper tied with silken cords and impressed with buckeye leaves. Upon the first page of the nine leaves were grouped the portraits of the presidents that Ohio had given to the country — ^William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley. Be- neath the group was this title : FOURTEENTH ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK IN HONOR OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE WALDORF-ASTOEIA SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 3, 1890. There followed two pages of quotations from famous men, bearing upon the history of Ohio and of the nation, accompanied by illustrations that illu- minated the historic texts. When President McKinley accepted the invitation to be present, he in- sisted that he should not be called upon to speak. He was persuaded, however, after he arrived in New York, to forego that proviso, and, in consequence, responding to the toast of his health he permitted himself to dwell briefly upon the problems which tlie nation's Spanish war had left with the country. The American people, the President asserted, must choose between manly doing and base desertion. Partisanship, he contended, could hold few against public duty, and with a fervor that carried every one of his hearers with him, he declared that it was not possible that seventy-five millions of American free- men could not establish liberty and justice and good government in the new possessions of the United States. 310 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Although President McKinley took the precaution of reading his speech, Httle effect was lost in its delivery. He was frequently interinipted for a full minute, while his auditors rose to their feet in a body, cheering and waving handkerchiefs and table napkins. The banquet hall of the Waldorf-Astoria was a brilliant scene of light and color. Upon the floor of the hall fully five hundred diners were seated, while in the galleries above there was a large gathering of women, whose cos- tumes added to the general picturesqueness of the festival. In a box specially reserved for her, facing the guests' table, Mrs, IMcKin- ley sat. She came in before the last course was served, and was greeted with tumultuous cheering. Springing to their feet, the diners cheered her for sev- eral minutes, while Mrs. McKinley stood bowing her acknowledgments. Ac- companying her were ]Mrs. Abner McKinley, Miss Mabel McKinley, Miss Barber, George Barber, William S. Hawk and Dr. P. M. Rixey. " Among the occupants of the suiTounding boxes were Mrs. Perkins, of Akron, Ohio ; Mrs. Kingsley, Mrs. John A. McCaJl, Mrs. Milton I. Southard, Mrs. Andrew J. C. Foye, Mrs. H. L. Burnett, Mrs. William L. Strong, Mrs. Warren Higley, Mrs. Thomas H. Wheeler, Mrs. John H. Langstreet, Mrs. John S. White, Mrs. R. C. Penfield, Mrs. Sydney J. Smith, Mrs. A. B. Wilson, Mrs. William Ford Upson, Mrs. and Miss Beer, Mrs. George Howes, Miss Jessie Hoyt, Mrs. A. D. Houston, Mrs. William H. Blymyer, Mrs. Defrees Critten, Mrs. S. H. Parsons, Mrs. E. T. Clishing, Mrs. E. I. Benner, Mrs. S. C. Byrd, Mrs. Rus- sell-Groves, Mrs. Winchester Fitch and Mrs. E. H. Fitch. The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, did not reach the hotel until about 10 P. M. As he made his way to the president's table he was heartily cheered. A seat was given him next to President McKinley, and until the speaking began the President and the governor were engaged in close conversation. No one who saw them together forecast the liistoric and tragic events through which in so short a time they should pass together. Before the dinner a reception was held in the Astor Gallery, where an opportunity was afforded to the members and guests of the society to meet the President. Shortly after 7 o'clock the President was escorted to the banqueting room by President Milton I. Southard, his entrance being marked by the playing of " Hail to the Chief." Seated with Mr. Southard and the President at the guest table were Henry R. Towne, Julien T. Davies, Tunis G. Bergen, John Barrett, Charles Dick, Pension Commissioner H. Clay Evans, Adjutant-Gen- eral H. C. Corbin, James H. Hoyt, Lieutenant-Goveraor Woodruff, ex-Vice- President Morton, Governor Roosevelt, Governor George K. Nash, of Ohio; Cornelius N. Bliss, Senator Hanna, ex-Governor James E. Campbell, of Ohio ; Solicitor-General John K. Richards, Judge Addison Brown, George B. Wil- 311 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK son, Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Thomas H. Hubbard, the Rev. Edwin H. Krans, Judge James A. O'Gorman, and Charles G. Dawes, controller of the currency. In his address of welcome Mr. Southard, as toastmaster, said : " Gentlemen : It is my pleasant duty to welcome you to another annual banquet of the Ohio Society of New York. And this welcome is extended to the ladies also who grace us with their presence. I trust I may be permitted to salute them as the gallant Judge Vamum saluted their great-grandmothers at the first Fourth of July celebration, in 1783, at Marietta, Ohio, as ' the amiable partners of our dehcate pleasures.' " We are fortunate, gentlemen, in having with us this evening, as our guest of honor, the President of the United States. We honor him as the chief executive of the nation, as a native Ohioan, and for his genial character and great achievements. We are glad to welcome him here, and our welcome is spontaneous, sincere and most cordial. " And to the first lady of the land, who has seen fit to favor us with her gracious presence, we extend our most hearty greetings. We feel honored by her presence, and our grateful esteem will go with her always. " We are told that the pioneers of Ohio spread their banquets in the wil- derness, with a menu of ' Bear meat, johnny cake and whiskey.' " That was indeed strong diet, but we must remember that it fed strong men. They were stalwart in brain and brawn, and ate and wrought heroically. They felled the trees; they built the cabins; they repelled the savages, and they founded a state, with hearts as cheery and souls as free as ever danced in the sunlight of luxury. They dispensed a generous hospitality of such as they had, and made no apologies for their crude surroundings. Indeed, they were proud of the buckeye cabin. They joyed about its fireside; they set it to poetry ; they made it the party shibboleth of a Presidential campaign. Oh, where, tell me where. Was your buckeye cabin made.'' 'Twas built among the merry boys Who wield the plough and spade, Where the log cabins stand In the bonnie buckeye shade. " This buckeye tree is remarkable in many ways. It possesses aesthetic, medicinal and utilitarian properties, as well as a large nomenclature. It is * hetock ' in Indian, ' Ohioensis ' in botany, ' buckeye ' in English and ' Pres- idents ' in politics. " Behold in our souvenir what superb presidential fruitage it bears ! 312 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " But, gentlemen, an occasion like tliis is fruitful of more serious thought. As we assemble to commemorate our native state, the great deeds of our pioneer ancestors come up before us and awaken inquiry. How was the great North- west Territory acquired.'' How was it settled and reclaimed to civilization? What manner of men were the participants in it.'' From whence did they come.'' How has it grown and developed into a vast empire of wealth and pop- ulation.'' How has it influenced the history and destiny of the United States.'' Wliat will be its potency on the future welfare of our beloved country? How will it speak as a factor on the great problems thrust upon us through the ac- quisition of far distant island possessions? All these inquiries and more crowd upon the mind and struggle for utterance. But they cannot be answered within the limits allotted to me. Permit me, however, to state in a word the four cardinal features upon which this magnificent structure rests. They are union, liberty, education and religion. Tliese beneficent principles were firmly established in the earliest ordinances and statutes and have ever since been sacredly cherished and heroically maintained. No blight of slavery, of caste, of bigotry or of intolerance was permitted in the beginning, but all the founda- tions of free government were then laid as secure and perfect as the fruits of after study and experience could possibly make them. And in this grand in- ception of government Ohio and her four sister states stand without a parallel in the history of the world." Mr. Southard closed by proposing the toast, " The President of the United States !" The toast was drunk standing, and when President McKin- ley arose to respond he was greeted by cheers again and again repeated. It was on this occasion that McKinley perpetrated one of the best of his few public jokes. Looking at Mr. Southard reproachfully, he said: " I came to this banquet on the express promise that I should not be asked to make a speech." He paused for a moment and then continued : " Therefore, I have carefully prepared myself." It was on this occasion that McKinley perpetrated one of the best of his speech. He said : " Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen : I appreciate your welcome and thank you for this renewed expression of your good will. It is proper that I should say that the managing board of the Ohio Society has kept the promise made to me that I would not be expected or required to speak at this banquet. I shall not be guilty of reflecting on their good faith or breaking my own resolution not to speak if I indulge in some observations while expressing in the briefest manner the pleasure which I have in greeting my old friends of the Ohio colony in New York. There is a bond of close fellowship which unites Ohio people. Whithersoever they journey or wherever they dwell, they cherish the tenderest sentiment for their mother state, and she in turn never fails of aff'ectionate interest in her widely scattered children. 313 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " The statement which has so often been made is not far from the truth, ' Once an Ohioan always an Ohioan.' It has been some years since I was your guest. Much has happened in the meantime. We have had our blessings and our burdens, and still have both. We will soon have legislative assurance of the continuance of the gold standard, with which we measure our exchanges, and we have the open door in the Far East, through which to market our products. We are neither in alliance nor antagonism nor entanglement with any foreign power, but on terms of amity and cordiality with all. We buy from them all and sell to them all, and our sales exceeded our purchases in the last two years by over $1,000,000,000. Markets have been increased and mortgages have been reduced. " Interest has fallen and wages have advanced. The public debt is de- creasing. The country is well to do. Its people for the most part are happy and contented. They have good times and are on good terms with the na- tions of the world. There are, unfortunately, those among us, few in number I am sure, who seem to thrive best under bad times and who when good times overtake them in the United States feel constrained to put us on bad terms with the rest of mankind. With them I can have no sympathy. I would rather give expression to what I believe to be the nobler and almost universal sentiment of my countrymen in the wish not only for our peace and pros- perity, but for the peace and prosperity of all the nations and people of the earth. " After thirty-three years of unbroken peace came an unavoidable war. Happily, the conclusion was quickly reached, without a suspicion of unworthy motive or practice or purpose on our part and with fadeless honor to our arms. I cannot forget the quick response of the people to the country's need, and the quarter of a million men who freely offered their lives to their country's senace. It was an impressive spectacle of national strength. It demonstrated our mighty reserve power, and taught us that large standing armies are unneces- sary when every citizen is a ' minute man ' ready to join the ranks for national defense. " Out of these recent events have come to the United States grave trials and responsibilities. As it was the nation's war, so are its results the nation's problems. Its solution rests upon us all. It is too serious to stifle. It is too earnest for repose. No phrase or catchword can conceal the sacred obligation it involves. No use of epithets, no aspersion of motive by those who differ will contribute to that sober judgment so essential to right conclusions. No politi- cal outcry can abrogate our treaty of peace with Spain or absolve us from its solemn engagements. It is the people's question, and will be until the deter- mination is written out in their enlightened verdict. We must choose between manly doing and base desertion. It will never be the latter. It must be 314. President "William McKinley OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK soberly settled in justice and good conscience, and it will be. Righteousness, which exalteth a nation, must control in its solution. '-' No great emergency has arisen in this nation's history and progress which has not been met by the sovereign with high capacity, with ample strength and with unflinching fidelity to every honorable obligation. Partisan- ship can hold few of us against solemn public duty. We have seen this so often demonstrated in the past as to mark unerringly what it will be in the fu- ture. The national sentiment and the national conscience were never stronger or higher than now. There has been a reunion of the people around the holy altar consecrated to country newly sanctified by common sacrifices. The fol- lowers of Grant and Lee have fought under the same flag and fallen for the same faith. " Party lines have loosened and the ties of Union have been strengthened. Sectionalism has disappeared and fraternity has been rooted in the hearts of the American people. Political passion has altogether subsided and patriotism glows with inextinguishable fervor in every home of the land. The flag has been sustained on distant seas and islands by the men of all parties and sec- tions and creeds and races and nationahties, and its stars are only those of radi- ant hope to the remote peoples over whom it floats. " There can be no imperialism. Those who fear it are against it. Those who have faith in the Republic are against it. So that there is universal abhor- rence for it and unanimous opposition to it. Our only diff'erence is that those who do not agree with us have no confidence in the virtue or capacity or high purpose or good faith of this free people as a civilizing agency; while we be- lieve that the century of free government which the American people have enjoyed has not rendered them irresolute and faithless, but has fitted them for the great task of lifting up and assisting to better condition and larger liberty these distant people who have through the issue of battle become our wards. Let us fear not. There is no occasion for faint hearts, no excuse for regrets. Nations do not grow in strength and the cause of liberty and law by the doing of easy things. Tlie harder the task the greater will be the result, the benefit and the honor. To doubt our power to accomplish it is to lose faith in the soundness and strength of our popular institutions. " The liberators will never become the oppressors. A self-governed people will never permit despotism in any government which they foster and defend. " Gentlemen, we have the new care and cannot shift it. And, breaking up the camp of ease and isolation, let us bravely and hopefully and soberly con- tinue the march of faithful service and falter not until the work is done. It is not possible that seventy-five millions of American freemen are unable to establish liberty and justice and good government in our new possessions. The burden is our opportunity. The opportunity is greater than the burden. 315 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK May God give us strength to bear the one and wisdom so to embrace the other as to carry to our distant acquisitions the guarantees of ' life, Hberty and the pursuit of happiness ! ' " The next speaker was Lieutenant-Governor Timothy L. Woodruff, whose toast was " The Empire State." He said : " Mr. President and Gentlemen : Great, indeed, is the privOege on any occasion to respond to the sentiment, ' The Empire State,' but to-night, sur- rounded by the members of the Ohio Society of New York, the President of the United States, the governor of our commonwealth, and many other distin- guished guests, it is an honor which I deeply appreciate. " The Ohio Society flourishes here in the full vigor of its native clime, in obedience to the inflexible laws of nature. While not indigenous to our soil, this flower of state societies is not an exotic. Slipped from the rugged stock of the original states, the tender plant has extended into mighty proportions on the banks of the Ohio, to be here re-engrafted for the strengthening of the parent stock from which it sprang. Ohio is the daughter of New York. She is just as good as wheat — ^the wheat she gamers in generous sheaves each golden autumn. Like wheat, many of her illustrious sons have been carefully cradled, sometimes threshed, and are now the flower of the national family. " In the creation of New York nature was in her most generous mood. She made it indeed the Empire state. On the west she set two inland seas of sapphire and bound them rough wrought together by the rapids and cataracts of Niagara, a symbol of national majesty and power. Then she spun a broad silver river, dotted with a thousand isles, for a northern confine, buttressing the east with the mountains of New England and flanking the south with the forests of Pennsylvania. In the heart of the state she planted a health-giving forest of evergreens — a sportsman's paradise — in the shaded seclusion of whose mountain slopes rises the American Rhine, grand and picturesque as it breaks through the mountains of the Catskills and flows along the base of the Pali- sades toward this metropolis of the nation, where in the plenitude of her bounty nature has brought the sea to the feet of tlie Empire state. " Having finished this mighty task, Dame Nature left the settlement of the paradise she had here created to the denizens of earth — the farmer, the merchant and the manufacturer. Intrusting to their care the Empire state, she then turned her attention to Ohio, and peopled it with statesmen — occa- sionally a farmer, a merchant, a manufacturer, but mostly presidents. " As I listened to his able speech a week ago before the Michigan Club in Detroit, on the subject of the Northwest Territory, I noted with jealous regret the omission by Governor Nash of Ohio to mention that New York was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to cede to the general government her right, title and interest in the Northwest Territory, of which Ohio was a part. This cession 816 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK was made even two years before the close of the War for Independence, and four years before Massachusetts could be induced to relinquish her interest in this territory. New York again demonstrated her friendship toward Ohio by being the first among the states to advocate her admission into the Union in 1803. This fact is clearly brought out by the speech of the governor of Ohio at tlie inauguration of work on the Ohio canal on the Fourth of July, 1825. The central figure of this assemblage was Governor De Witt Clinton of New York, who, fresh from the completion of his great Erie canal, was there to turn the first spadeful of earth in this important undertaking. Addressing him, Governor Morrow said : ' In no small degree, owing to your espousal as a sena- tor in Congress of her cause, did Ohio gain admision to the Union.' The Erie canal and the great canal system of Ohio, completed in 1842, were of inestima- ble benefit, each to the other. Connected by Lake Erie, they estabhshed a con- tinuous waterway, by which the products of the Buckeye state were transported to New York, opening to her farmers and merchants her vast territory and markets, elevating her, through New York's aid, to a position among the states of the Union of which her sons have ever since been justly proud. " In view of the timely support which New York has rendered in these three instances, it is not surprising that Ohio has been able in every national Republican convention, except one, since the close of the Civil War, to name as candidate for President of the United States a man bom or living within her territory. Some men achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them, and some are bom in Ohio ! " The people of the Flowery Kingdom express the morning salutation ' 0-h-i-o.' Should not, then, the neighboring inhabitants of the islands of the Philippine archipelago hail the protection of the flag of a nation whose Presi- dent combines a suggestion of both the Flowery and Celestial Kingdoms in his home, Ohio and Canton.'' As our ever growing commerce knocks at the door of the unlimited trade of the Orient, may we not find an omen in the fact that the Yankees of the East greet one another by the name of our Presi- dent's native state? Under the wise and progressive foreign policy now pro- claimed and rapidly expanding under the master hand of our national govern- ment, the day will soon dawn when in place of the fonnal greeting ' 0-h-i-o ' the words ' United States of America ' will become the open sesame throughout those lands whose peaceful conquest we shall yet achieve. " With sincere and mighty acclaim do the people of this great commercial metropolis of the nation welcome the President under whose administration all the forty-five gems in Columbia's diadem have become more resplendent than ever, polished by the attrition of patriotic rivalry in all parts of our common country, and now embellished by the Pearl of the Antilles and freshly adorned by the jewels of the Orient. Since March 4, 1897, our country has become a 317 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK world power, so that to-day the man who occupies the place of President of the United States exercises a more potent influence than any ruler among men." Hon. James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland, followed Mr. Woodruff, his toast being " The Man of the Hour." He said : " The members of this Society have reasons for congratulation. We are living in a most auspicious time. Since I last had the honor of addressing you (only two short years ago) events the most momentous and deeds the most heroic have happened and been wrought. Civilization has made a long march forward, and in this grand advance that branch of the dominant, sturdy Anglo-Saxon race to which we belong has had the right of the line. When the history of this scant but epoch making interval is fully written, its pages will be fairly crammed with records of achievements in statesmanship, in diplomacy, in battle, on sea and land, and in devotion, the bare and unadorned recitals of which will quicken the pulses of all true Americans, lift their patri- otic ideals, and fill their hearts with gratitude and pride that the good God has given them, if only by right of birth, or even by adoption, a share in the shining glory of which the flag they love is the fitting and lustrous emblem. We cannot, indeed, all be McKinleys, or Deweys, or Sampsons, or Wain- wrights, or Lawtons, of fragrant memory ; or Mileses, or Shafters, or Garret- sons, or gallant old ' Joe ' Wheelers, or indomitable and irresistible ' Teddies.' We may not even be numbered among the thousands and thousands of others who, in legislative halls, in administrative offices, in diplomatic fields, in the crash of battle, or in other acts of patriotic sacrifice, have done so much, not only for the ultimate adding of new stars to the flag, but in making the old stars shine so much the more brilliantly; but, at any rate, we are all Ameri- cans ; and, provided only we ' set aside every weight — ^like Pettigrew or At- kinson, for instance — and the sins — of timidity and faint heartedness — which do so easily beset us,' and ' run with patience the race set before us,' and ' press forward toward the prize of our high calling,' then there will be ' an abundant and exceeding weight of glory ' for all of us in this. " But the members of this Society have a peculiar and distinctive reason for congratulation to-night, for of all the heroes bom of tHis epoch of emer- gency, of trial and promise, a ' simple but great one ' from the state of Ohio is the most conspicuous and the most illustrious, and he is our honored guest this evening. Our President is not only the first citizen of the Republic by right of office, but by right of accomplishment. He leads, not merely because he has his place, but because he fills it. The commanding officer of any army, even though not on the firing line, is nevertheless entitled to the largest meas- ure of credit for success, as there will be visited upon him the largest measure of censure for failure. Upon the shoulders of him whose brain conceives and whose voice directs rests the most crushing burden of responsibility, and upon 318 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK his brow, if all goes well, should shine the brightest crown. That was indeed an unequalled performance of the great admiral. Unequalled, because by his genius and courage he turned the most dismal and foreboding prophecies into glorious realities. Unequalled, not only for what he did, but for what he dared. Unequalled also for what he gained for his country, not only in pres- tige, but in possessions. But who selected the great sailor.'' Who placed him upon the bridge of the Olympia.? Who inspired the historic order, which Dewey so exactly and completely obeyed, to ' seek out the enemy's fleet and destroy it ' ? Our guest did all this. Was there ever anything finer in song or story than that mad rush of Wood and Roosevelt and their gallant Rough Riders and rougher walkers and runners and fighters up the bullet-swept side of San Juan hill.'^ But who unleashed these fearless and invincible dogs of war.f* Who pointed out their quarry to them and set them on.'' Their commander-in-chief did that. A thousand and ten thousand cheers for brave little old ' Joe ' Wheeler, who led his men up the slope of El Caney and planted the flag he had fought against in his green youth, but risked his life for in his ripe old age, on the blood smeared summit! But who gave him the chance to rewrite his name on history's page in unquenchable and patriotic flame.'' Who laid a soft and tactful hand on old sores and healed them forever? Who dropped the sweet and scented flowers of a wise and patriotic forgetfulness on the un- sightly graves of dead issues and so adorned them? It was the president of this now reunited Republic who did all that. " Those were perfectly splendid announcements which Sampson and Schlej'^ and their great captains not only made, but proved to the world a year ago last July. They were to the effect, you remember, that there was room on the top of Cuban waters for only one of two hostile fleets, while there was room and to spare at the bottom for all the ships which Spain might see fit to send there; and also that if ever again a warship were blown up in Havana harbor by an external cause it would not be a United States warship. Those were splendid announcements, and the proof that was furnished in support of them on that warm July day was simply overwhelming. But who was it stood like a rock against the numberless demands of timid people living on the Atlantic coast, especially in Boston and in its vicinity, that some of Samp- son's battleships and cruisers should be taken away from their essential work at Santiago and sent North to protect them? Who was it that was responsible for the order starting the bulldog of the United States navy on her memorable and unequalled trip around the world, not in eighty, but in less than forty days, in order that she might smite the Colon with one of her railroad trains? Who was it that inspired energy in every subordinate and sent life pulsing through every department, so that supplies were promptly furnished and intelligence quickly given? Who, in that time of strain, worked twenty-eight 319 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK hours out of the twenty-four? The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the United States did that. When Otis fires the sunset gun at Manila and the flag comes down, Merritt salutes the rising sun at Governor's Island, and the flag runs up; so that there is never a minute now in the twenty- four hours when Old Glory is not fluttering somewhere in the breeze and over territory owned and controlled by the United States, too. So that it has happened, under the administration of our President, that England no longer has a monopoly of the drumbeat heard around the world. " But who is responsible for keeping the flag afloat in those far distant possessions ? A word from him would have brought it down, but he has kept it flying in spite of an opposition sometimes naiTow and sometimes traitorous, but always bitter. It was a broad and fearless statesmanship which sent out a commission to the Philippines composed of men who at the outset were op- posed to the policy of the administration, but who, after an opportunity of investigation, have become its most enthusiastic supporters. But, indeed, all Americans who have visited Manila, who, even though like Balaam of old, ' went out to curse the people of the Lord, have returned to bless them.' What Lincoln was to Grant and Sherman and Sheridan, to Farragut and Foote, McKinley has been to Miles and Merritt and Otis and Shafter, to Dewey and Sampson, and when one has said this, one has exhausted all eulogy and bank- rupted all applause. " I have at home a picture, of which I am very fond. It is a picture of the Triumvirate of American immortals. Under their heads in bas-rehef are written these words : " Washington, Father of the Republic." " Lincoln, the Savior of the Republic." " Grant, the Guardian of the Republic." " But the picture is now incomplete, for the triumvirate has become a quartet. Another face should be inclosed within the frame, and under it should be written, ' McKinley, the Patlifinder of the Republic' He has blazed out a new pathway for American commerce and American enterprise; a new pathway for civilization, for progress, for development and for enlight- enment. Under the broad and therefore expanding and stimulating polic}^ of this administration, what a future is spread out before us ! What great things may the American people not accomplish, not only for themselves, but for the cause of civilization and progress ! They will have an army, not too large, but large enough to insure order in every inch of territory over which the Stars and Stripes floats, however distant, and to protect our borders, however widely extended, from foreign aggression. They will have a navy large enough and powerful enough to protect an ever expanding and ever growing American 320 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK commerce. Under the stimulus of a wise and equitable shipping law this commerce will be carried in American bottoms, which will sail through an American canal connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific. This commerce, in an ever increasing and growing volume, will enter the doors of China, which this administration have opened, and, as commerce follows the flag, so will justice and equal rights and enlightenment and progi-ess flourish wherever that flag floats. " Last fall, on the steps of the Capitol at Washington, the President of the Republic handed to the admiral of the United States navy a sword which the representatives of all the people had unanimously voted him in recogni- tion of his signal services. The diamonds in its hilt, flashing in the sunlight of that autumn day, glistened like the tears of pride and gi'atitude which filled the eyes of all the people when they got the great news from Manila. The pure gold of its scabbard was emblematic of the shining valor of the great sailor, and also of the purity of his patriotism. Its keen blade brought to mind the hard blows he had struck for his country in the shock of battle and the keen thrusts he had made for her in the nicer contests of diplomacy. ' Admiral,' said the President, as he handed him this historic sword, while sixty thousand of his approving countrymen looked on ; ' Admiral, there was no flaw in your victory; there must be no faltering in maintaining it.' I desire to- night to paraphrase a little that notable utterance. Mr. President, there has been no flaw in the policy of your administration, and there must be — there shall be — no faltering in maintaining it. I believe that there will not be, for I am sure that history can never truthfully record that He, who is not only the God of Battles, but of Peace, the God of Civilization, the God of Development, the God of Progress and the God of Wisdom, could ever have fruitlessly and in vain offered these golden opportunities to the American people. I, for one, do not believe that the priceless and lustrous pearls of Puerto Rico, of Hawaii and of the Philippines have been cast before swine." Governor Nash spoke on the toast, " The Governor of Ohio," and in part said: " We have many things in Ohio to be proud of — splendid citizenships, growth and prosperity — but to-night we are the proudest of the people from our state who have helped build up this great state. Ohio is prosperous be- cause it is laid on foundations firm and solid. When the great Northwest was settled it was promised that the states carved out of it should forever remain in the American confederation, and those five states when the Union was threat- ened gave more than one-third of all the men that defended it. Among these warriors, and the greatest, were Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. " There have been thirty-eight governors of Ohio, and, of course, it is not possible for me to speak of them. It is fitting, however, that I mention the 321 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK first — the governor of the Northwest territory, General Arthur St. Clair. He was bom in Scotland, and served in the English army with Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham before Quebec ; he was with Wasliington at Trenton and Morris- town. So when the American settlers had pushed westward it was well that this gallant officer of Washington's should be sent to govern over them. " In later years there are two governors especially worthy of mention — Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley, Presidents of the United States. We are proud of our state, because it is our own. But we of Ohio, wherever we are, remember it is but one of forty-five which comprise this Union. We have a greater and broader pride for the nation than ever for our dearly cherished native state." " Honorary Members," ex-Governor Campbell's toast, was often broken into by applause and laughter. The speaker said : " I have heard from one president, one vice-president, one governor, one colonel, and now you must listen to an everyday private from the ranks, and the only Democrat among them all. " I recall distinctly the first banquet of the Society — it must be fifteen years now, or fourteen. I have been here seven, eight, and this makes the ninth time in all. I have spoken on Governor Nash's toast, when as the chief executive of the state, the prerogative was mine ; also to the state itself, but, as Webster said of Massachusetts, Ohio needs no encomiums. " Some years ago, when, as now, I represented no one but myself, I said about Hawaii that perhaps I should not live to see the time, but my children would, when not only the islands to the west of us, but those to the east of us, should be governed, covered and controlled by the flag of the United States. Well, it has all come around a httle too soon. The last time my toast was the nearest to my heart of aU those that preceded it. I was introduced as having served as a boy in the United States navy. It is my proud boast and right to say that that is the greatest honor that can come to a man. The one on my right will agree with me when I contend that when he lays down his great honors he will regard the greatest privilege of his hfe, the right to look an old soldier of the Republic in the face and call him comrade. Now, about the honorary members of the Ohio Society. This Society has been sparing in con- ferring such titles, for I myself am one, and so am constrained to think so. There are six in number. Two have passed on to the great majority — ^William T. Sherman and Allen G. Thurman. I have not in this presence to speak of these men. But I must say that the man whose brilliancy of intellect, whose capacity and farseeing power had most to do with the success of the Union army was William T. Shennan. He used to say, ' I have read more than Grant; I know more than Grant, but I'm scared to death at what I can't see the rebels doing.' OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " As to William McKinley, you have heard Colonel Hoyt and you would not have me outdo hini in praise. I have not the ability, any way, though I do have the inclination. With a great deal Mr. McKinley has said I agree heartily, but one tiling I want him to do. For myself, I want all these islands. I want the Philippines, and Porto Rico, and Cuba also, if we can get her. And I want an artificial waterway between them, without asking the consent of any nation whatever." When Governor Roosevelt was introduced he was enthusiastically re- ceived, and amid the cheers voices coupled the names of McKinley and Roose- velt in a manner that was significant. The governor said : " Gentlemen of the Ohio Society, and Mr. President, the guest of the evening: I have a certain right to come before the Ohio Society, although not an honorary member, but because I have served under one acting and one honorary member. " You know the old saying that a typical New Yorker is a man bom out West of New England parents. We elected such a typical New Yorker mayor of this city once, and I may add that he showed himself by all odds the best mayor this city has had for a generation, and he put me in to administer the Police Department, which I administered according to the Ohio idea. I am not certain that New York enjoyed it, but I know it did a lot of good. " I was graduated from Mayor Strong to ser\dng under the man from Ohio, whom we all gather to honor, the President of the United States. I am not here to-night to speak for the state of New York ; that toast has been re- sponded to with the utmost eloquence and ability by my colleague, Lieutenant- Governor Woodruff. " But I speak not to you, but on your behalf ; not to you as men coming from Ohio, but for you as men who dwell in New York citj^, in pledging the support of the great city of New York to the president, who is not the presi- dent of Ohio or of New York, but of the entire American Republic. " It has been well said to-night that you represent, Mr. President, the re- united America, in deed as well as in name. I see in the audience here men of Virginia and of South Carolina who fought valiantly for what they called the right as they saw it on the other side in the civil war, and whose sons fought, when you were commander-in-chief, no less valiantly for the flag of the United States. " We are proud of our state, but we are prouder still of the nation of which our state is a part. We recognize the fact that this state can grow and prosper only as the nation grows and prospers. We recognize the fact that the welfare of the East is bound up with the welfare of the West. " Now it was a good thing for us to gather here to-night to honor our- selves in honoring the President of the United States, who has borne a greater OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK burden by far than any President has borne since the days when Lincoln worked and suffered for the people and laid down his life that the flag that had been torn asunder might once more be made whole and without a seam. " It is good for us to meet here to honor him, but it is better that we should meet here and resolve that the principles for which he stood shall prevail in the future. Woe to us if we pay a seeming loyalty that we do not make good by deeds. " We have no right to glory in what has been done in the three years that have elapsed since President McKinley went to Washington unless we are de- termined that the future shall not belie the past and that those three years shall be but the earnest of what is to come. They have been three great years. " We have heard complaint, we have heard cavil. Some of the complaint we can afford to disregard — the complaint of the weakling and of the man who would like to be a traitor, only he has not got the red blood in his veins ; the complaint of the man who has never done aught but criticise, and who, therefore, cannot understand the labor that comes upon him who actually does the mighty work. " We answer by asking them to look at what has been done as history will look at it. President McKinley came into the high office that he now holds — into the highest office that the civilized world can give — ^to find this nation painfully groping in the darkest path that it has had to tread within the memory of the present generation. " He came pledged to uphold the national interest at home and the national honor abroad, and the pledge has been kept in letter and spirit down to the last item that could be demanded. Now, if you approve of the pledge being kept, see that we go on keeping it. " If you approve of economic policies that have produced a prosperity which we now have, if you approve of the financial pohcy that has given us a currency the honesty of which cannot be questioned, if you approve of the foreign policy that has put the American flag where it has never been put before, then stand by President McKinley in the future as you have stood by him in the past. " As the President has well said, we did not seek the issues, we did not make the issues, but we faced them when made. The nation was brought face to face with great problems, and under the leadership of President McKinley it solved them. " Under his leadership, as Colonel Hoyt has said, we fought to the con- clusion the most righteous foreign war that has been fought by any nation within the memory of any man living, and then, as a result of that war, we found ourselves face to face with other problems. We could not help solving the problems. All we could decide was whether we would solve them well or ill. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK " Remember that. There was no chance of avoiding them. We had to meet tliera ; we could meet them badlj or we could meet them in the right spirit. Those were the only alternatives open to us. Woe to us as a nation, woe to our children and our children's cliildren if we turn back from the path of honor which we have begun to tread under President McKinley. " Some other time, my friends, I shall speak to you, I trust, not merely as members of the Ohio Society, but as citizens of New York, to ask your aid in helping solve the problems that confront us in this state, the problems that wh^n they have been reduced to the last analysis are the problems of adminis- tering the government with honesty and common sense. ' Now, however, I speak to you less as New Yorkers than as Americans, and I ask you to stand with me when I say to you this evening that New York stands this year as it stood four years ago, that it stands for the princi- ple which the state of Ohio has come to symbolize, that it stands for the economic policies that mean honesty in business and prosperity through Amer- ica at home, and that it stands by President McKinley as amid infinite difficulties. " With infinite toil and labor he works for the solution of the difficulties that confront us abroad, so that the flag of the United States, where it has once been raised shall symbolize, not only the greatness of this country, but the material well being of the islands by the tropic seas, which fell to us because we wrested them from the cruel might of Spain." At the conclusion of the governor's speech the members tendered an ova- tion to the President and to Governor Roosevelt, and then, gathering up their souvenirs and their menu cards, plentifully decorated with pictures of buck- eyes and 'coon skins, they went out into the frosty night. At the meeting of March 12th President Southard announced the receipt .of a letter from President McKinley, expressing his appreciation of the ban- quet given in his honor. A social entertainment, designated as an " Oliio Night," was given at the Waldorf-Astoria on the evening of April 23d. A vaudeville programme was presented, followed by an informal dance and sup- per. The matter was in the hands of the entertainment comjnittee. Judge Higley, chairman, who were assisted by a large number of members consti- tuting a reception committee. The programme presented was as follows : PART I. Song, "The Requital," . . . Blumenthal Mr. Abercrombie. (o) " Negro Anecdotes." (b) Song, " De Watermelon." Miss Dorsey. 325 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Recital— (a) " The Founders," . . ; „^ ^^ ,, , , lb) " The Buckeye Tree," . | ^^ ^^ ^^"^^^^ (c) " The Bishop and the Caterpillar," M. Manness Mrs. Harriet Webb. Songs — (a) " Summer," . . . . Chaminade (6) " Impatience," . . . Schubert Miss Boese. (a) Negro Character Monologue — A Widow Woman, (b) Song, " Isabella," Original Miss Dorsey. PART II. Song, " Queen of the Earth," . . . Pinsuti Mr. Abercrombie. Recital, " How ' Winning Cup ' Won." (By request.) Mrs. Harriet Webb. Songs — (a) " Beloved, It Is Mom," . . Alyward (6) "The Swallows," . . . Cowen Miss Boese. (a) Monologue — " A Yellow Girl, with Dance," (b) Song, "Sal Skinner," Original Miss Dorsey. A special meeting of the Society was called for November 2, 1900, at No. 71 Broadway, at the office of General Swayne, to make arrangements for attending the funeral of a former president of the Society, Hon. William L. Strong, ex-mayor of New York city. This official notice was ordered sent to the members: " To the Members of the Ohio Society : At a called meeting of the Society, held at No. 71 Broadway, this afternoon, the secretary of the Society was instructed to announce to the members that the funeral of the Hon. William L. Strong, formerly president of the Society, will take place at St. Thomas' Church, corner Fifth avenue and Fifty-third street, on Monday, November 5, at 11 o'clock a.m. It was also considered that, in view of the high regard entertained by the Society for the deceased, it was doubtless the wish of every member of the Society to be present. The secretary was there- fore instructed to announce that arrangements would be made for seating in a OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK body those members who shall be present, and to request them, on arriving at the church, to ask to be shown to the seats assigned to the Society. " William H. Blymer, Secretary." " New York, November 2, 1900. At a later meeting the following gentlemen were named as a committee to prepare a memorial in honor of the memory of the late mayor: Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Henry L, Burnett, Gen. Anson G. McCook, A. D. Juil- liard, A. J. C. Foye, George Follett, Milton I. Southard. The nominating committee selected in October consisted of the following gentlemen: George Follett, A. D. Houston, E. L. Prentiss, George S. Hayes, A. W. Gilmore, E. P. Merser, Frank N. Dowler. On November 12th they re- ported the following ticket: President, Milton I. Southard; vice-presidents, Andrew J. C. Foye, George E. Armstrong, Thomas H. Wheeler, Warren Higley, Colgate Hoyt; secretary, Albert F. Hagar; recording secretary, Charles W. Morris ; treasurer, Leander H. Crall ; trustees, Samuel H. Par- sons, James G. Newcomb, Emerson McMillin. This ticket was unanimously ratified by the Society. At the December meeting President Southard an- nounced the following committees: Literature and art, Charles H. Neihaus, Albert Shaw, Alex. Doyle, Landon S. Thompson, Daniel C. Beard; entertain- ment, Warren Higley, Putnam Bradlee Strong, Andrew Ernest Foye, Henry C. Plimpton, William S. Hawk; library, William Ford Upson, Mahlon Chance, W. H. CaldweU, L. D. Morrison, F. M. Applegate ; auditing, Richard J. Chard, Andrew Linn, David H. Bates, Frank L. Sheldon, Walstein F. Douthirt. At this meeting Judge Higley suggested that a special meeting be held some time the latter part of January, to which should be invited the ladies of the Society, " and thus inaugurate in the present rooms a series of delightful entertainments, such as the Society had enjoyed at their rooms on Fifth avenue, and in which the majority of the members present had never had the pleasure of participating." Mr. Chance suggested that the library committee have a formal meet- ing some time before the next regular meeting, and among other things they might take the opportunity to thank the gentlemen who had raised at Mans- field, Ohio, the monument to " Johnny Appleseed," that old historic as weU as extremely useful figure in the early history of Ohio, the first nurseryman. President Southard gave an interesting account of the life of " Johnny Apple- seed," and stated that the gentleman who gave the monument was Martin Bushnell, of Mansfield, O. Mr. Chance moved that a committee of five be appointed to draft suitable resolutions thanking Mr. Bushnell for the erection of this monument and the spirit which prompted it, and the appreciation of 327 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the Ohio Society, and that that resolution be appropriately endorsed and sent to him. The proposition was approved. The chair appointed Mr. Chance and the other members of the library committee to draft these resolutions. President Southard read a letter from the Ohio Society of California, extending an invitation to this Society as a body or individually to attend the launching of the battleship " Ohio," at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, in April. L. D. Clarke was elected chairman of the governing board for the en- suing year. A. J. C. Foye, Francis B. Stedman and Rollin M. Morgan were elected as the house committee. It was moved that a committee, consisting of the president and treasurer, be appointed, with power, to confer together and arrange for either depositing on interest or investing such amount of the money of the Society on hand as the committee deemed appropriate. Carried. 328 CHAPTER XVI 1901-1902 WHEN the Society commenced another year's record, on January 14, 1901, Judge Higley moved the appointment of a committee of fifteen, of which General Burnett should be chairman, with power to fix a date and arrange a programme for the next annual banquet, and with power to add to their number such other members of the Society as they might deem best for the interest of the banquet. The entertainment committee had prepared a special programme for the evening, which was then presented, as follows : Banjo selection — " Ameer March," . . Herbert Brooks and Denton. Humorous song — " You Can't Keep a Good Man Down." Dan W. Quinn. Banjo selection — " Salome," . . . Loraine Brooks and Denton. Humorous song — " In Old Ben Franklin's Day." Dan W. Quinn. Banjo selections — (a) " La Cinquantaihe," . Gabriel (b) "Medley of Popular Airs." Brooks and Denton. Humorous songs — (a) " Dem Goo-Goo Eyes." (6) "I Want to Go To-' morrow.' " Accompanist — Frank P. Banta. The suggestion of Judge Higley, made some time before, bore fruit in the early days of the year. The following announcement indicated the pleas- ures in store for those who accepted the hospitalities of the Society on the evening named: " On Monday evening, January 28, 1901, the Society will give an in- formal ' Ladies' Night ' at its rooms in the Waldorf-Astoria, at which a de- lightful programme will be rendered by distinguished Ohioans. Among those who will take part in the entertainment are Mrs. Ida Eckert-Lawrence, the distinguished authoress, of Toledo, Ohio ; Mrs. Eliza Archard Conner, the well- known writer and speaker, formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio, and lately returned 329 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK from extensive travels abroad; Miss Clara Bernetta, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a European training for the operatic stage, will delight the audi- ence with song, her sister being the accompanist. The ladies are most cor- dially invited to attend. The exercises will begin at 8.15 o'clock. A colla- tion will be served after the literary exercises. It is sincerely hoped that the members generally will attend with their families, and enjoy again a genuine ' Ohio Ladies' Night ' at the rooms of the Society. " Milton I. Southard, President.'' " Albert F. Hagar, Secretary." The occasion was all that was promised. The following ample pro- gramme was presented: Reading — (a) "Sweetheart of Mine." (6) " I'll Keep the Old Horse Shod." Mrs. Ida Eckert-Lawrence. Solo, Brindisi, " Lucrezia Borgia," . . Donizetti Miss Clara Bernetta. Reading — (a) " Lines to a Sea Gull." (fe) "Pay 'in the Mortgage." Mrs. Ida Eckert-Lawrence. Solo, " A Summer Night," . . . Goring Thomas Miss Clara Bernetta. Reading, " Vesuvius." Mrs. Ida Eckert-Lawrence. Solo, " Foeglein Mohin," .... Lassen Miss Clara Bernetta. Address, " A Lesson from Fifty Thousand Miles Travel." Eliza Archard Conner. Solos— (a) "Du Bist Wie Eine Blume," (6) " Sonnen Schein," Schumann Miss Clara Bernetta. Reading— (a) " Way Down South." (b) "Sleep on Little Boy." (c) " Sketches at Dawn." Mrs. Ida Eckert-Lawrence. Accompanist — Mr. Robert Colston Young. 330 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK At a later meeting, Judge Higley proposed a vote of thanks to the sev- eral parties who had furnished this entertainment. He stated that it demon- strated the fact that the present rooms were ample to accommodate any func- tion more pleasantly than in a more formal way at some other place. In the meeting of March 11th Mr. Foye reported for the committee that a banquet room had been secured for the evening of Saturday, March 30th. Colgate Hoyt gave an interesting account of the trip to Washington of President Southard, Mr. Mather and himself as representatives of the banquet committee in an endeavor to secure the presence thereat of Secretary of State Hay and other prominent gentlemen. The fifteenth annual banquet, held in the large ballroom of the Waldorf- Astoria on the evening of March 30, 1901, partook of the nature of a testi- monial to Hon. George K. Nash, governor of Ohio, who was the chief guest of the evening. About a hundred and fifty members of the Society sat at round tables, and nearly as many ladies appeared in the balconies near the close of the feast and remained to listen to the speeches. President Milton I. Southard presided at the guests' table, having Governor Nash at his right and Gov- ernor George P. McLean, of Connecticut, at his left. Others at the guests' table were General Joseph Wheeler, Assistant Attorney-General James M. Beck, John D. Crimmins, Robert H. Turle, James Lindsay Gordon, William W. Baldwin, Charles E. Burke, John W. Vrooman and Momay Williams. A large American flag behind the guests' table was the only decoration of the dining hall. The cover of the menu card represented a cluster of buck- eyes, and on cream plated paper were photogravures of all the governors of Ohio from 1788 to that present time. The ices were served in boxes represent- ing " prairie schooners," the vehicles used by immigrants in ante-railroad days, when Ohio was the Eldorado of the settler. The following gentlemen had the banquet in charge: Banquet committee, Henry L. Burnett, chairman; John J. McCook, William L. Brown, Samuel Thomas, Whitelaw Reid, Leander H. Crall, John D. Archbold, Warren Hig- ley, Emerson McIMillin, William S. Hawk, Louis D. Clarke, Rollin M. Morgan, Richard J. Chard, Wager Swayne, Milton I. Southard, An- son G. McCook, Colgate Hoyt, Andrew J. C. Foye, Thomas H. Wheeler, David Homer Bates, Evarts L. Prentiss, Thomas Ewing, Jr., Raymond C. Penfield, Samuel H. Parsons, Flamen Ball Candler, Albert F. Hagar, secre- tary ; reception committee, Andrew Ernest Fo3'e, chairman ; Lowell M. Palmer, David Homer Bates, Jr., H. Q. French, DeFrees Critten, Francis B. Stedman, Samuel McMillan, James G. Newcomb, William H. Caldwell, Emory A. Stedman, Wade Chance, Rush Taggart, L. D. Morrison, Warner EUs, George F. Randolph, Walter S. Svdlivan, Francis X. Butler, William H. Blymyer, R. W. White, Henry B. Wilson, Henry B. C. Plimpton. 331 Jn Honor or rnc^ JyTonc ovemor o/ /Aeyc/^/& orxMio Edward Tiffin 1 804-1807 Thomas Kirker 1807-1S08 (Acting) Samuel Huntin 1809-1810 ■If / Return Jonathan Meigs - i ^ 1811-1814 ' Othneil Looker 1814 (Acting) Thomas Worthinglon 1815-1818 Ethan Allen Brown 1819-1822 Allen Trimble 1822 (Actina:). 1827-1830 ^^tfi^ i^iVl Thomas Corwin 1S41-1S42 Thomas W. Baltic v 1S44 (Acting) Mordecai BailU 184.5-1846 \ ■^ William Medill 1S53 (Acting). 1854-1855 Salmon P. Chase 1856-1859 William Dennison, Jr. lSCO-1861 David Tod / 1802-186.3 ^1 ^N«9iS^H^ -/rU^" OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Letters of regret were received from several prominent men who were born in Ohio, and Samuel L. Clemens sent the following quaint letter, dated from his home, in West Tenth street: " To the Ohio Society, Greeting. " I have at this moment received a very kind invitation (eleven days old) from Mr. Southard, president, and a like one (ten days old) from Mr. Bryant, president of the Press Club. I thank the Society cordially for the compliment of its invitation, although I am booked elsewhere and cannot come. But, oh ! I should hke to know the name of the lightning express by which they were for- warded, for I owe a friend a dozen of chickens. I believe it will be cheaper to send eggs instead, and let them develop on the road. " Sincerely yours, " Mark Twain." In his opening address President Southard said : " Gentlemen of the Ohio Society : It gives me great pleasure to greet you this evening. We have assembled according to our yearly custom to com- #iemorate our native state. And it is a fitting and pleasant incident that we have with us as our guest of honor the Governor of Ohio. We extend to him our hearty salutations and the freedom of the Society. I may not betray any confidence by telling you that the first time the Governor and I met we were both engaged as prosecuting attorneys of adjoining counties in railroading the criminal classes into states prison. His zeal was very great, and many a cul- prit felt his heavy hand, but I have no doubt that he was then looking forward to the day when he should become governor and thus liold the pardoning power and be enabled to temper justice with mercy. " It is especially gratifying to be honored by the presence of the Gov- ernor of Connecticut, whose citizens contributed so much to the early settlement of Ohio. " To our other distinguished guests we make our grateful acknowledge- ments. We are indebted to the ladies for the brightness which their presence brings. It may not be prudent to say it, but we could not do without them. It has been a year since they greeted us at a like function, which seems a long time ; and they are each a year older, which seems incredible. " I scarcely need tell our visiting friends from Ohio that the state still has charais for those of us who have been lured to this great metropolis as a place of abode. While a generous welcome has made us feel at home here, we cannot forget the past. Loyalty to New York, however, is not inconsistent with filial attachment to Ohio. The skies may change, but not the mind, and so we go back in fancy to Ohio ; to the visions of her broad valleys ; her verdured hills ; 341 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK her limpid streams; her beautiful rivers and her myriad associations. Those, indeed, were halcyon days, when her many sons and daughters in the buoyancy of hope were as happy as the favored few at Athens in the golden era of Greece, of whom it was said, ' in the soft air, on the bright plain, life for a few was all a festival.' " As you know, Ohio was the first bom of the five great states, carved out of the famous Northwest Territory. Her origin is notable and her devel- opment wondrous. But I do not claim for her all the glories. I have learned from attendance on banquets of the societies of other states and sections that some great deeds have been wrought elsewhere. " If it were not for my innate modesty, however, I might picture for Ohio a growth, intellectual, moral and material that would challenge the admiration or provoke the envy of all, and yet keep strictly within the bounds of authentic history. It is true that she has no signers of the Declaration of Independence or of the constitution, nor any names on the roster of the gallant officers, sol- diers and sailors of the revolution. And why? Simply because she then had none to sign or enroll. But in after time her sons came and intuitively im^ bibed the heroic spirit of the fathers of the Republic. They have ever since kept the faith and have crowned their state and country in imperishable honor by their heroic deeds." President Southard then briefly sketched the steps taken for the forma- tion of that famous territory, out of which so many commonwealths have been carved, and of them he said : " The population of the five states within its borders is over 15,000,000, equal to the population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1850, and about one-fifth of the whole United States at the present time. And their wealth and material resources are commensurate with their great area and population. But this is not all. Tliere are other consid- erations which are of higher importance, and which appeal far more to the pride of the past and the hopes of the future. They spring out of the charac- ter of the institutions which were here established." He then eloquently dis- cussed the famous ordinance of 1787. In conclusion he said : " The North- west Territory was the first to be organized in our national history, and the first thought of the fathers was to dedicate it to liberty. Since then our territorial growth has been continuous. In the course of events our domain has been ex- tended from a fringe along the Atlantic coast to the shores of the Pacific and recently far beyond to the distant islands of the sea. Whether we have gone too far or yet not far enough is, at present, a much mooted question. The answer must be found in our ability to organize the government of alien peoples in harmony with our free institutions, for it is the character of our rule, and not the exhibition of our power, that must determine the wisdom of such acquisition. However we may differ, therefore, about the recent or fur- 342 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ther extension of the boundaries of our country, we should all agree that wher- ever we go we should sacredly maintain and apply the wholesome principle of free government with all limitations of oflficial authority. I mean that we should strenuously preserve not only the form but the soul of our institutions and daily accustom ourselves to worship the substance and not the shadow of freedom. " Holding fast to these high ideals and aspirations it will be difficult in- deed to ever strand our ship of state on the reefs or shoals of imperial misrule. But the love of gain, the pride of dominion, the seductions of wealth and the habit of indifference to civic duty, which are now dominant in our country, have led to the downfall of other nations in other times. With all our hopeful- ness, therefore — and we are hopeful beyond measure — we must not forget the wise though familiar maxim that * eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,' and always and everywhere, not excepting even this, the freest of nations. And so, exercising this vigilance, if we go astray, let us retrace our steps ; if we commit errors, let us rectify them; if we become too slothful, let us hasten on ; if overfast, let us retard our movement, and thus constantly reform our- selves, always keeping in mind the honor of our country and the welfare of aU mankind." When Governor Nash was presented as the next speaker, he received the vociferous welcome which governors of Ohio usually get at the annual dinners of the Ohio Society. He began liis speech with the statement that the people of Ohio feel interest and pride in the successes of men from the Buckeye state in other states. He said: " Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Society of Ohio : I greatly appreciate the courtesy and kindness which you have shown me to-night. I do not look upon this compliment as personal to myself. It comes, I think, from a desire on your part to show the love which you have for your former home. " I beg to assure you that you have not been forgotten by your old friends, neighbors and fellow-citizens in the Buckeye state. We have watched with great interest your efforts in the work of building up the great city of New York. You have been important factors in her commercial, financial, professional, educational and artistic life. The people at home are rejoiced at your triumphs. " I know that it will rejoice your hearts to be assured that we have been getting along fairly well at home. In other states of the Union there are to-day more than one million of inhabitants who were bom in Ohio. Not- withstanding these drawbacks, we have constantly increased in population. " Our mercantile, manufacturing, mining, financial and railway interests have constantly increased in volume and strength. In the meantime our col- leges, schools and universities have grown in numbers and attendance. We are 343 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK here to-night as men and women through whose veins flow the same ancestral blood, having a sort of heart-to-heart talk. " It is but natural that we should recall the prosperity which we know attends our kinsfolk. Whenever fortune transplants them to other fields they are equally loyal to the states of their adoption. In the new home her best interests and her prosperity become objects of their affection and receive their zealous support. For this reason they are always the best citizens wherever they may be found. " In closing, I thank you for your very great kindness, and bespeak for the Ohio Society of New York a very brilliant future." Governor McLean was then introduced. In part he said: " Ohio quickly takes from Virginia the right of being called ' the mother of presidents.' Under those circumstances Connecticut says : ' Thank God for giving us such a daughter.' And when Ohio gives us such a president as Will- iam McKinley Connecticut says : ' Thank God who gave us such a grand- son.' " After reviewing the early history of his state, Governor McLean continued by saying : " The trouble is that we of the present generation do not appreci- ate the blessings of the present. The fact remains that the inhabitant of the smallest village of the United States has better lights, better roads to travel, better neighbors and a better wife than the richest man fifty years ago. Dewey was sent to sink the Spanish fleet at Manila, and he did it. Funston was sent to capture Aguinaldo, and he did it. If we set Aguinaldo free and make him a governor, as some of the papers have suggested, we would set an ex- ample which would take out of the dictionary of war the words reprisal and revenge. Our mission is one of mercy, and not of conquest." Governor McLean then referred briefly to the reform movement in New York City. "There are few places," he said, "which are always in a process of reform and still always growing worse." General Wheeler was next introduced, and in part said : "There has been something said about our possessions in the Far East. Any one who has been taking any note of our history must have come to the conclusion that this is only the destiny of our race. Civilization has always been traveling westward. Four thousand years ago the centre of civilization was in Asia. Then this centre was shifted to Greece, and later to this country. We are now passing it on across the Pacific Ocean. "Wherever the flag goes the hearts of the American people will follow. We have striven to be at peace with all the world, but when forced into war the whole nation will put the stamp of approval on the victories won by its armies. So powerful is this nation to-day that a word from the Executive OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mansion in Washington has stopped the march of mighty Germany's armies in China." The last speaker was Assistant District Attorney James Lindsay Gordon, who spoke on "Old Virginia." At the session of April 8th, General Burnett spoke of the success of the banquet under the circumstances of the late start, and said it was his in- tention to' advocate having all future banquets earlier in the season. Presi- dent Southard suggested having something in honor of the ladies at the meeting in May. Mr. Hoyt asked that the matter be referred to the enter- tainment committee. Mr. Foye suggested that an informal dinner, compli- mentary to the members, be held at the Manhattan, and that the ladies be invited. In accordance with these suggestions, the gathering of May 14th took the form of a dinner in honor of the ladies of the Society, a large attendance being present. After the routine business had been transacted, President Southard welcomed the members and their guests in a few well chosen words, and stated that although there were no set speeches arranged, he would take the liberty of calling upon Father Malone, who responded in a short talk, which was in itself an oratorical gem, paying a high tribute to the noble women of Ohio, and ascribing to them much of the gi'eatness of the state inasmuch as they had made the men what they were. President Southard then called upon Judge Higley, who made a few remarks in his usual happy manner, and called on General Burnett, who responded only as General Bur- nett can. Mr. Gordon, of Virginia, the next and last speaker, closed the evening's enjoyment with a few impromptu, but none the less eloquent re- marks, in which he spoke of the ties of blood and kindred which cemented to- gether the sons and daughters of Ohio and the Old Dominion. The meeting then adjourned. The entertainment committee having provided for an in- formal dance, the balance of the evening was passed in that manner. The meeting of October 14th was one of deep sadness, devoted as it was to the memory of the late President McKinley. The president announced that he had named the following gentlemen to represent the Society at the funeral: Gen. Henry L. Burnett, Colgate Hoyt, Caleb B. Wick, David Robinson, Samuel McMillen, Henry B. Root and Samuel Mather. The following committee on memorial resolutions to President Mc- Kinley was also announced: Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. Henry L. Burnett, Leander H. Crall, Samuel H. Parsons, and Warren Higley. Judge Higley, of the committee, read the following resolutions, and on motion they were unanimously adopted: "Resolved, That the Ohio Society of New York has personal occasion to mourn deeply the death of President McKinley. His membership with us, 345 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK always recognized on both sides, his coming from the capital to be our honored guest at a recent annual banquet, and his words then spoken of such interest to the country; all these were exponents of how he shared the cordiality we cherish as a tie between ourselves. ^^Resolved, That even our sense of loss of these things vanishes in pres- ence of our greater sense of loss as citizens and fellow countrymen, as sharers in those priceless benefits of civil government at which the blow was aimed, and sharers also in those human feelings to which throughout the world this most inhuman murder has been so appalling. "Resolved, That the shots which loosed the cords of life in our dead President opened to view a love which more than aught else that was in him, was himself, which murder could not change to hate, and which in one ex- pression of its tenderness reminds us of the 'Son, behold thy mother!' which was spoken from the Cross. His sense of immortality met the approach of death with such a recognition of his God as snatched from death its sting and from the grave its victory. The nation and its people and the world are better for this knowledge of our late executive. This very exaltation of his place in human hearts and memories and among the glories of his country's past gives prominence to things that marked its mutual recog- nition. The Society's home henceforth will not be visited without some men- tion of that President of the United States, arising from the memories of him which cluster here. ^^Resolved, That murder was sought to be done in him upon all civil government, that order and security might perish. To us, who are or- ganized expressly to conserve that fihal relation to one state which he shared with us, the memory of McKinley ought to be a legacy of impulse, changing by action to reality. It ought to bring more fully into view the meaning and exalted office of the state ; and ought to move us as good citizens to give its welfare more of our devotion and a larger share of our activities. ^'■Resolved, That to set this duty on foot the president of this Society be authorized to appoint a committee of five to consider what we can do, and when prepared, to report to the Society." Judge Higley moved that the resolutions be spread in full on the minutes ; that they be properly engrossed, signed by the president, attested by the secretary, and sent to the widow of our late President, and that Mr. Crall be appointed a committee to take charge of this matter. Carried. At a meeting of the governing committee on November 9th a vote of thanks was tendered Leander H. Crall for the preparation of the beautiful memorial resolutions on the death of President McKinley. The purchase of an oil portrait of President Garfield was authorized. The nominating committee, consisting of Warner Ells, George S. Hayes, 346 Hon. George K. Xash Governor of Ohio. OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK F. X. Butler, Samuel H. Parsons, E. L. Prentiss, A. D. Houston and F. M. Applegate, presented to the meeting of November 11th the following officers for the ensuing year: President, Colgate Hoyt; Vice-presidents, Andrew J. C. Foye, Thomas H. Wheeler, Warren Higley, David Homer Bates, Thomas Ewing, Jr.; Secretary, Albert F. Hagar; Recording secretary, Charles W. Moms; Treasurer, Leander H. Crall; Trustees, Rush Taggart, Flamen Ball Candler, Cass Gilbert. President Southard read a letter from Leander H. Crall, the treasurer, stating that he had served the Society for thirteen years past, and now de- sired to lay down the care of office and retire from active participation in the management of the Society, and, therefore, declined to permit himself to be considered as a candidate for the office. On motion, Mr. Crall's letter was read and laid on the table. A portrait of a late member. Dr. Cornelius N. Hoagland, of Brooklyn, was presented to the Society by his daughter. Miss Ella J. Hoagland. Mr. Hagar presented the portrait in a few well chosen words, telKng of Dr. Hoagland's many benefactions to the city of Brooklyn, and his eminent qualities as a man and a citizen. A resolution of thanks for the portrait was adopted. Judge Higley spoke about the formation of the "Ladies' Ohio Society," and moved that the use of our rooms be extended to these ladies for the meet- ings at such times as they may choose, not including evenings. The motion was carried. The annual meeting for 1901 was once more held upon the historic even- ing of November 29th. It took the form of a dinner at the Manhattan Hotel. The nominating conmiittee reported that as Mr. Crall could not be per- suaded to withdraw his declination of the office of treasurer, they had sub- stituted the name of Samuel H. Parsons. The chairman stated that if there was no objection the secretary would cast one ballot for the ticket as pre- sented by the nominating committee. Objection to this course was made, and another ticket in opposition to that of the nominating committee was presented, as follows: Vice-presidents, Whitelaw Reid, Charles A. Moore, John J. McCook, George W. Perkins and A. D. JuilHard. Recording secre- tary, John J. Crawford. Trustees, Louis C. Weir, Rush Taggart and Frank Brainard ; the following nominees on the regular ticket having no opposition : Colgate Hoyt for president, Albert F. Hagar for secretary, Samuel H. Par- sons for treasurer and Rush Taggart for trustee. The nominations of the opposing ticket were seconded. The chair appointed Messrs. Stedman and Applegate as tellers. A protest was read against the meeting on the ground that it was il- legal and void because the notices had not been sent out ten days previous OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK to the night of the election, as directed in the by-laws. This protest was signed by four members of the Society, and further stated that they would contest the right of the treasurer to receive or pay out moneys. Secretary Hagar stated that the reason the notices were a day late was because Mr. Crall had declined after being nominated and a new man had to be found to fill his place, which took some little time. This protest was received by the chair and afterwards withdrawn. It was moved and seconded that this meeting, called for the election of certain officers for the ensuing year, adjourn until the second Monday in December, at 8 :30 p. m., in the evening, at the rooms of the club, and that a vote then be taken upon such gentlemen as are placed in nomination for the various offices. The chair overruled the motion and decided that an election must be held this evening as prescribed by the constitution. An appeal was taken from the ruling of the chair and the ruling of the chair was sustained. The chair then directed that a ballot be taken, resulting in the election of the entire ticket as named by the nominating committee. The entire num- ber of votes cast was sixty, Messrs. Hoyt, Parsons, Hagar and Taggart receiving the full sixty votes cast. Of the other nominees on the regular ticket, the highest received forty-nine votes, the three lowest forty-four. On the opposition ticket the highest received sixteen, the lowest twelve. President Southard spoke feelingly of the death of " our fellow member, President William McKinley," and read a letter as follows from Secretary Cortelyou, acknowledging the receipt of the memorial resolutions sent by the Ohio Society: " Washington, D. C, November 21, 1901. " Dear General Swayne : — In Mrs. McKinley's behalf I beg to ac- knowledge the receipt of your very kind letter of recent date, with accom- panying resolutions, and to request you to convey to the Ohio Society of New York her deep appreciation of its cordial message of sympathy. As- suring you that this thoughtful remembrance is very comforting to Mrs. McKinley, and with an expression of her thanks to you for your courtesy and tender words of consolation, believe me, " Very sincerely yours, " Geo. B. Cortelyou. " Gen. Wager Swayne, New York." President Southard also spoke of the cordial and loyal support ex- tended to him by all the members of the Ohio Society during his term of office, and the pleasures he had derived therefrom, and in closing introduced Colgate Hoyt, the new president of the Ohio Society. Mr. Hoyt addressed the Society in his usual happy vein, sketching briefly the history of his pre- 348 Colgate Hovt President from Xovemher :29, 1901, to Xoveniher 30, 1903 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK decessors in office, and mentioning the fact that with one exception they had all been generals, colonels and lawyers, and that while he himself had only attained the exalted rank of quartermaster sergeant, he would do all that within liim lay to make his administration a success, and asked the support of the members to that end. Judge Higley moved that the hearty thanks of the Society "be ex- tended to our retiring president for the able and efficient manner in which he has discharged the duties of his honorable and distinguished office." Mr. Hagar seconded this resolution in a few pleasant remarks, and it was carried unanimously by a rising vote. Mr. Foye offered the following resolution, which was seconded by Mr. Candler in a few remarks, and carried unanimously by a rising vote: "Whereas, Mr. Leander H. Crall has voluntarily retired from the office of treasurer of the Society after thirteen years of service, marked with great ability and by scrupulous care and fidelity, therefore be it, " Resolved, That the Society hereby expresses its sincere regrets at his retirement and extends to him its cordial thanks for his long and efficient services, with the well wishes of all for his health and happiness." Louis D. Clarke presented the name of Secretary of State John Hay for honorary membership, to be voted for at the January meeting. Mr. Southard presented the name of Hon. George K. Nash for honorary membership, to be also voted for at the January meeting, these gentlemen taking the place as honorary members of those distinguished statesmen and sons of Ohio, ex- Presidents Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley, who had passed away since the last annual meeting. Mr. Stedman spoke of the faithful manner in which Louis D. Clarke, the retiring chairman of the governing board, had performed the duties of his office, and moved a vote of thanks to him, which motion was seconded and carried unanimously by a rising vote. Mr. Southard introduced the orator of the evening, Hon. James H. Hoyt, of Cleveland, who addressed the Society as he only can, giving many interesting and hitherto untold stories in the life of the late President McKinley. Rev. John Lloyd Lee, pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, then briefly addressed the Society on the beautiful life and character of President Mc- Kinley. The governing committee met on December 7th and chose J. Sherlock Davis to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Mr. Parsons to the office of treasurer. Francis B. Stedman was elected chairman, and the following gentlemen selected as the house committee: Andrew J. C. Foye, Evarts L. Prentiss and H. B. C. PUmpton. At the meeting of December 9th President Hoyt read the following list of committees for the ensuing year: Governing: Francis B. Stedman, chalr- 349 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK man ; Evarts L. Prentiss, Raymond C. Penfield, James Sherlock Davis, James G. Newcomb, Emerson McMillin, Rush Taggart, Flamen Ball Candler, Cass Gilbert; literature and art: Charles H. Niehaus, chairman; George D. M. Peixotto, Alexander Doyle, Langdon S. Thompson, Albert Shaw; entertain- ment: Warren Higley, chairaian; Andrew Ernest Foye, Francis X. Butler, Francis B. Stedman, Oscar B. Thomas; library: Francis M. Applegate, chairman; Mahlon Chance, H. H. Sisson, Leonard D. Morrison, Winchester Fitch ; auditing : Louis D, Clarke, chairman ; Richard J. Chard, Warner Ells, Charles L. Paar, Andrew Linn ; house : Andrew J, C. Foye, chair- man; Evarts L. Prentiss, Henry B, C. PHmpton. Judge Higley presented for honorary membership the names of Hon. Joseph B. Foraker and Hon. Marcus A. Hanna, senators from Ohio, to be acted upon at the next regular meeting. Mr. Crall offered three added sec- tions as an amendment to Article III of the by-laws, which were eventually adopted as follows : " Sec. 3. Any seven or more members may, in Hke manner, prepare and report to the Society, another ticket to be voted for at the annual election, provided that such ticket be prepared and posted on the bulletin board in the rooms of the Society at least ten days prior to the date of the annual meeting. " Sec. 4. Members who are thus named, and whose names appear on such ticket or tickets, prepared and posted as hereinbefore prescribed, and no others, shall be eligible for election. " Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the Society to send a copy of such tickets by mail to each Active member at least seven days prior to the election. The ticket reported by the nominating committee shall be headed ' Ticket reported by the Nominating Committee,' and the other ticket, if any, shall be headed ' Independent Ticket.' " Major Abbott raised the question of the small attendance of the annual meeting as compared with the number of members, and also the small mem- bership of the Society as compared with the number of Ohioans in New York and vicinity. Mr. Parsons moved " that a committee be appointed to get up a circular letter soliciting members, and that it be referred to the governing committee, and that they send out a letter to each member requesting him to send in the names of good Ohioans, and get live membership in the Society." Seconded by Mr. Southard. General Burnett moved to amend that the governing board be instructed to get up and send out such a letter. Amend- ment accepted, and motion as amended carried. President Hoyt spoke about the annual banquet and asked an expression of opinion from the Society on the subject. General Burnett moved that a banquet committee be at once appointed by the chair, and that that com- 350 Member of the Governing Committee sixteen years and Treasurer of the Society thirteen years OHIO SOaETY OF NEW YORK mittee designate a day for the holding of the annual banquet, the nearest day consistent with the securing of the speakers whom we desire, " and as a suggestion for the committee that Secretary Hay be invited as our honored guest on that occasion. In the event of Secretary Hay not being able to come, that we invite as the guests of the Society all the senators of the United States who were born in Ohio, or residents of Ohio, and make it an ' Ohio Senators' Banquet.' " Mr. Southard seconded the motion, and after his experience as president, heartily concurred with General Burnett as to the wisdom of prompt action and an early banquet. The motion was carried. Major Abbott gave an interesting account of Secretary Hay's states- manship and prompt grasp of the situation in China as to whether our troops there should cooperate under the leadership of any of the foreign generals, his decision being a decided negative, and the effect it had on the foreign powers. Following one of the suggestions in the above, the governing committee met on December 27th and approved the following letter, prepared by Mr. Parsons, and directed that the same should be sent to the members : " To {a member). " Dear Sir : — There are many Ohioans now living in Greater New York and vicinity, also in Ohio and other states, who are eligible to membership in the Ohio Society of New York, and who might deem it an honor to become a member. We request you to send to Mr. Albert F. Hagar, secretary, 10 Wall Street, the names of any one whom you know would be desirable ac- quisitions to our Society, stating their profession or business and present address." The treasurer read a letter from William Perry Fogg, first treasurer of the Society, to Mr. Crall, the late treasurer, expressing regret that the state of his health, and residence outside the city, prevented him from attending meetings of the Society ; and saying that he therefore deemed it best to resign his membership. The treasurer also read a copy of Mr. Crall's letter, in reply thereto, recalling pleasant recollections of their work in connection with organizing the Society, and beautifully expressing the esteem in which he himself and the Society held Mr. Fogg. Both letters were received and placed on file. Mr. Fogg's resignation was accepted, with regret. On January 13th, 1902, President Hoyt reported that General Burnett and himself went to Washington and saw Secretary Hay, who regi-etted very much that he was unable to accept the invitation of the Ohio Society to be its guest at the annual banquet. They had seen Senator Foraker and had gotten acceptances from all the nine senators bom in Ohio, and from the attorney general of the United States. It would therefore be a " United States Senators' Banquet." Mr. Foye, for the house committee, reported 351 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK that the banquet hall of the Waldorf-Astoria had been secured for Saturday night, March 1st. Secretary Hay, Governor Nash and Senators Foraker and Hanna, pro- posed at previous meetings for honorary membership, were duly elected. Mahlon Chance made a speech on the early settlement of Ohio by the Whittaker family, in Sandusky county, prior to 1780, and before that made at Marietta, Ohio, in 1788. The facts for ]\Ir. Chance's remarks were col- lected by John R. Moore, of Fremont, Ohio, assisted by Col. Webb C. Hayes. Mr. Chance's remarks were followed with great interest by those present, the final conclusion being that at any rate " Ohio had been settled." Mr. Ball moved that it be requested that copies of Mr. Chance's remarks be furnished the Society, and that they be embodied in the minutes. Carried. Judge Higley suggested that " we pass a vote of thanks in the form of a resolution to Mr. John P. ISIoore for what he has done toward tiie development of Ohio history." It was so ordered. The evening of Monday, January 27, 1902, had been set aside by the Society in honor of " The Daughters of Ohio,"* a newly-formed social or- ganization of Ohio women in New York. The entertainment took the form of an informal reception and art exhibit, and there was a large attendance of members of both organizations. A pleasant program was presented. Judge Higley, chairman of the entertainment committee, called especial attention to the exhibit of pictures and statuary that had been arranged for the evening, a list of which follows: Main Pabloe. G. D. M. Peixotto, " Admiral Schley," study head. Irving R. Wiles, "Roses." Harry Watrous, " The Spark of Friendship." Wm. Thome, " The Peasant Bride." Clara T. McChesney, " Two Cronies." George Inness, Jr., " Sheep Shearing." J. H. Dolph, "On Guard." Edward Potthast, " Modesty." G. H. Smillie, " Landscape." * The following brief statement is from the first annual report of Louise Kennedy Mabie, first historian of the Daughters of Ohio, as presented and approved, in 1902: " There was a meeting of five ladies in the Ohio Society rooms at the Waldorf-Astoria on the after- noon of November 4, 1901. The ladies were Mrs. A. J. C. Foy6, Mrs. Abner C. Thomas, Mrs. R. J. Chard, Mrs. Warren Higley and Mrs. Emma Archer Osborne. Among other things they discussed sending notices to the press inviting Ohio women to meet together one week from that day, November 11th, at the same place. Mrs. Osborne sent out seven press notices and over twenty ladies came in answer to the call. At this meeting they were asked to sign agreements to unite in forming an association. The Society was formally organi;;ed at the next meeting, November 19, 1901." 352 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK F. S. Church, " The Rose." Eastman Johnson, " Study of a Child." Henry Hosier, " Old Woman's Head." Franklin Tuttle, " Col. Chas. W. Moulton." G. D. M. Peixotto, " William McKinley." Frankhn Tuttle, "Hon. Wm. L. Strong." Wm. H. Beard, " General Sherman." Miss Ransom, " General Grant." Alf . H. Maurer, " Arrangement in Grey." J. G. Brown, " 'Twas Long Ago." Louis Loeb, " Israel Zangwill." G. D. M. Peixotto, " Chief Justice Waite." " Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison." Artist unknown. " Hon. Thomas Ewing." Artist unknown. Reception Room. Svend Svendsen, " Village Street, Winter." Wm. M. Chase, " Along the River." Leonard Ochtman, " The Old Road." Wm. H. Howe, " Cow Pasture." W. H. Ranger, " Landscape in Autumn." H. N. Hyneman, " General Garfield." Frankhn Tuttle, "Warren Higley, Esq." Sculpture. Frederick McMonnies, " Nathan Hale." Frederick McMonnies, " Fountain Statuette." C. H. Niehaus, " WilHam McKinley." C. H. Niehaus, " Joe Jefferson." C. H. Niehaus, "Portrait Groups." (Rehef.) A. A. Weinman, " The Bowler." Enid Yandell, " Portrait Bust." Borglum, " Bucking Broncho and Cowboy." T. D. Jones, "Hon. Thomas Ewing." (Bust.) In the gathering of February 10th President Ho3^t, for the ban- quet committee, stated that he had discovered another United States senator originally from Ohio, making ten in all, and that they had all promised to come to the banquet. That Attorney General Knox, Assistant Attorney General Beck, Solicitor General Richards, Governor Odell and Mayor Low would also be there. He also read letters from Secre- tary Hay and Senators Foraker and Hanna, each expressing his appreciation of the honor conferred by electing him an honorary member. Also one from 353 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, expressing his regret that he would not be able to attend the annual banquet. The letters from Colonel Hay and Senators Foraker and Hanna were as follows : " Depaetment of State, Washington, January 22, 1902. " My Dear Sir : — I have received your kind letter informing me that I have been elected an honorary member of the Ohio Society. I deeply appre- ciate the honor you have done me, and accept it with pleasure and gratitude. I am, sir, " Respectfully yours, " John Hat. " Colgate Hoyt, Esq., President of the Ohio Society of New York." " United States Senate, Washington, D. C, Feb. 1, 1902. " Hon. Colgate Hoyt, President Ohio Society. " My Dear Sir : — The official advice of my election as an honorary mem- ber of the Ohio Society of New York has just reached me. It is certainly an honor to be identified with such an organization of men potent in the affairs of the nation and of its metropolis. It is indeed a high compliment to be se- lected for an honor so carefully guarded and so seldom bestowed. It will add to the pleasure I have always found in attending your annual meetings, and I will now look forward to them with an additional and more personal interest. I would be pleased if you would convey to your members an assurance of my deep appreciation and thanks. " Truly yours, " M. A. Hanna." " United States Senate, Washington, D. C, Jan. 23, 1902. " Hon. Colgate Hoyt, President of the Ohio Society. " Dear Sir : — I write to acknowledge the receipt of the notice you have sent me of the action of the Ohio Society of New York in electing me an honorary member. The character and standing of the Ohio Society of New York are so liigh and so universally recognized that the compliment is one to be indeed appreciated. In accepting, I thank you for such a kind remem- brance, and earnestly hope that your future may be as creditable and as satisfactory to all concerned as is the record already made. " Very truly yours, " J. B. Foraker." 354 CHAPTER XVII 1902-1903 THE sixteenth annual banquet of the Ohio Society was given at the Waldorf-Astoria, on the evening of Saturday, March 1, 1902. The presence of ten senators of the United States, with Buckeye blood in the veins of most of them and an Ohio residence standing to the honor of the rest; of the attorney general of the United States, of the general of the army ; of the mayor of New York and the lieutenant governor of the state, and of other distinguished men, formed a drawing card of extraordinary power. Every son of Ohio, and every grandson or second cousin, who could possibly be present, put in an appearance. Over four hundred guests marched in and took their appointed places, when the doors of the banquet hall were thrown open. As has been already suggested, the taking idea was conceived of giving this dinner in honor of the members of the senate of the United States who were either born in Ohio or had spent some portion of their lives in that state. A delegation, headed by President Colgate Hoyt, proceeded to Wash- ington, and after much labor and many arguments, succeeded in rounding up the gentlemen who fulfilled either of the above Buckeye conditions. In addition, they also bespoke the attendance of Senator Spooner of Wisconsin, who was born so near to the Ohio line, that he might also be counted as among the elect. The senatorial guests invited were as follows : Senators J. B. Foraker and M. A. Hanna of Ohio, Stephen B. Elkins and N. B. Scott of West Virginia, W. B. Allison of Iowa, John P. Jones and W. M. Stewart of Nevada, C. W. Fairbanks and A. J. Beveridge of Indiana, and Senator Spooner of Wisconsin. The committee also secured the attendance of Hon. P. C. Knox, attorney general of the United States, who accepted as the personal representative of the president and of the administration. He was accompanied by his as- sistant, Hon. James M. Beck of Kentucky, an orator of great power. There was such an array of distinguished gentlemen invited for the president's table, that the list is here reproduced in full from the official dia- gram: Hon. Irving M. Scott, of California; Hon. Augustus Van Wyck, Presi- dent Southern Society; Mr. Augustus Thomas, President Missouri Society; 355 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Mr. Edmund C. Stedman, President New England Society; Hon. Seth Low, Mayor of New York; Hon. Charles H. Grosvenor, of Ohio; Hon. John K. Richards, Solicitor General U. S. ; Lieut. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, Commanding U. S. A. ; Hon. J. C. Spooner, U. S. Senator Wisconsin ; Hon. C. W. Fair- banks, U. S. Senator Indiana; Hon. J. P. Jones, U. S. Senator Nevada; Hon. W. B. Allison, U. S. Senator Iowa; Hon. P. C. Knox, Attorney General U. S. ; Hon. Joseph B. Foraker, U. S. Senator Ohio ; Hon. Colgate Hoyt, President; Hon. Marcus A. Hanna, U. S. Senator Ohio; Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, U. S. Senator West Virginia; Hon. W. M. Stewart, U. S. Senator Nevada; Hon. A. J. Beveridge, U. S. Senator Indiana; Hon. N. B. Scott, U. S. Senator West Virginia ; Hon. James M. Beck, Ass't Attorney General U. S.; Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, U. S. A.; Hon. Timothy L. Woodruff, Lieut. Governor New York; Rev. W. H. P. Faunce, D. D., President Brown University; Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt, Holland Society; Mr. T. H. Bartin- dale. President Canadian Society; Mr. Robert C. Ogden, Pennsylvania So- ciety; Mr. Robert F. Munro, St. Andrew's Society. Tlie committees in charge comprised the following gentlemen: Banquet committee: Henry L. Burnett, chairman; Colgate Hoyt, John J. McCook, Whitelaw Reid, Samuel H. Parsons, treas. ; Leander H. Crall, John D. Arch- bold, Warren Higley, William S. Hawk, Louis D. Clarke, Richard J. Chard, Paul D. Cravath, Samuel Mather, Wager Swayne, Milton I. Southard, Anson G. McCook, Andrew J. C. Foye, Thomas H. Wheeler, David Homer Bates, Evarts L. Prentiss, Thomas Ewing, Jr., George E. Armstrong, Charles A. Moore, H. S. Julier, Mahlon Chance, Albert F. Hagar, secretary. Reception committee: Andrew Ernest Foye, chairman; Lowell M. Palmer, Charles Hedges, H. B. Wilson, R. C. Penfield, Rollin M. Morgan, De Frees Critten, Merrill Watson, Patrick Ryan, Andrew Lynn, Winchester Fitch, Warner Ells, L. D. Morrison, O. B. Thomas, H. B. Brundrett, H. H. Brockway, James G. Newcomb, C. C. Shayne, Francis B. Stedman, Peter H. Burnett, James H. Kennedy, Henry B. C. Plimpton, Norman C. Raff, James Sher- lock Davis, David Homer Bates, Jr., John J. Crawford, H. H. Sisson. On the Friday morning preceding the banquet President Hoyt went to Washington in his private car for the purpose of escorting the distinguished Washington contingent to New York. He was accompanied by W. S. Hawk, proprietor of the Manhattan hotel, and they were to be met at Washington by Gen. Henry L. Burnett, chairman of the dinner committee. Mr. Hawk, who is an Ohio man, and a member of the Ohio Society, had carried patriotic generosity to the limit, by entertaining the senators at his hotel free of charge, a compliment that the committee and the Society appre- ciated. The special car containing the committee and guests reached New York 356 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Saturday afternoon, and carriages were taken to the Manhattan hoteh At a few minutes after six o'clock the distinguished gentlemen again entered the carriages, and Avere driven to the Waldorf-Astoria, where a reception was lield in the Astor gallery. President Hoyt and the senators stood in line, and as each guest arrived, he was taken in charge by some member of the reception committee, and presented to the gentlemen who stood in line. The members of the dinner committee and of the reception committee were present in full force, doing all that lay within their power to make the occasion a success. It was a few minutes before seven when the members of the Society and their guests marched into the banquet hall to the sound of stirring music, and each took his station at his designated round table, and remained standing. Then President Hoyt and the reception committee came in, two by two, each escorting one of the distinguished guests of the evening. Mr. Hoyt led the way, accompanied by Senator Foraker, the senior senator from Ohio. Grace was said by Rev. Dr. Faunce, and seats were taken and in a moment the first order of the evening was under way. The room was a mass of flowers, of plants, of flags, and of reminders of Ohio as a commonwealth. The souvenir program was a work of art. Three handsome sheets of cartridge paper enclosed a number of leaflets. On the outside was a branch from the buckeye tree in natural green and brown, and a shield of Ohio in gold. On one of the leaves was a portrait group of the senators, whose coming had made this a senatorial night; on another the menu; on a third the names of the banquet committee, and on a fourth the program for the evening, preceded by an inscription in red and burnt-wood efi^ect in these words: The Sixteenth Annual. Banquet of the Ohio Society Of New York, In JiOTwr of Ohio in the United States Senate, at the Waldorf-Astoria, Saturday evening, March First, Nineteen Hvmdred and Two. Then followed the oratorical program in these words: " Ohio in the Senate," Senator Joseph B. Foraker; " Labor and Capital," Senator Marcus A. Hanna; "The United States," Hon. James M. Beck, assistant attorney general of the United States ; " Ohio in War," Senator Charles W. Fairbanks ; " Our Foreign Possessions," Senator Albert J. Beve- 357 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK ridge; " Just Over the Line," Senator John C. Spooner; " The State of New York," Governor Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.; " The City of New York," Mayor Seth Low ; " Our Sister Societies," Augustus Thomas, Esq. At 8 :30 the doors to the two galleries about the banquet hall were thrown open and a large number of ladies entered, that they might hear the speeches. Admission was by card only. The ladies were escorted by a special recep- tion committee, of which Andrew Ernest Foye was chairman. One or two of the boxes were reserved for the ladies who came as guests of President Hoyt and of the senators. President Hoyt rapped for order, and the second half of the feast was dispatched with celerity and enthusiasm. His opening remarks were as follows : " Fellow Members of the Ohio Society of New York and Our Honored Guests of the Evening: — I propose, first of all, that every one of us, stand- ing, fill our glasses and drink in silence a toast to the memory of our late president, William McKinley. (It was drunk in silence.) I now propose, still standing, that we drink a toast to that courageous, aggressive and efficient son of our adopted state, Theodore Roosevelt, the president of the United States. i " We are especially honored to-night in having with us a member of the president's cabinet, the Hon. P. C. Knox, and while we are under pledge not to ask him to speak, we would all of us be most gratified if he would allow us to welcome him here now. (Mr. Knox bowed his thanks.) " The Oliio Society of New York is celebrating to-night its sixteenth annual banquet. It has arrived at a most interesting age, that of ' sweet sixteen ' ; and, as I look up at the ladies ( for we men always have to look up when looking at the ladies), I am sure that I am not treading on dangerous ground when I say that even they are willing to acknowledge that they are sixteen years old. And I am sure, also, the gentlemen gathered around these tables will all endorse the statement when I say that none of the ladies here to-night look over sixteen. " The Ohio Society of New York has been fortunate in enjojang many notable banquets, but we have never been more highly honored, nor have we ever had reason to be more proud than we are to-night in the presence of so many distinguished guests. ' Ohio in the Senate ' surely has reason to be proud of her sons there; for there are ten senators now serving in the senate who wei'e either bom in Ohio or were citizens of that favored state, and seven of the ten can claim Ohio as their birthplace. No other state in the union can claim more than half that number of senators, and only two other states can claim five. " Ohio has all the senators from three states aside from her own, namely, 358 •^ ■ i V* »»-s- jfc ii« r^ III! [bio in the Senafe Senator Joseph B. Foraker Jbor ano (Ripital Senator Marcus A. Hanna Cbe'^nit^jStates Hon. James M. Beck Asst. Att'y Gen'I of the U. S. Obio in IDmar Senator Charles W. Fitirbanks (9ttr-^reion^jfto8Se8S»Otl8 Senator Albert J. Beveridge JFust Cvex the Cine Senator John C. Spooner Cbe State of pew ^ovl^ /r=^^^^^^^^^^ Governor Benjamin B. Odell, Jr. 4-i ^bc Citie of flew ^ov\^ , JVIayor SeQi Low Out Sister Societies Augustus Thomas, EstJ. :K\b^ OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Indiana, in Senators Fairbanks and Beveridge; West Virginia, in Senators Elkins and Scott; and Nevada, in Senators Jones and Stewart, and in two other states she has representatives, in Iowa Senator Alhson, and in Michigan Senator Burrows. Ohio is a tie with Virginia in furnishing presidents for the United States, and, but for the fact that we from Ohio are so modest, we would not hesitate to predict that if you give her a Httle time, she will in the near future pass even the old state of Virginia in that honor. As I said before, we are especially pleased in having the present cabinet of the United States represented in its attorney general, and also in its assistant attorney general, the Hon. James M. Beck. " We are also pleased to welcome the solicitor general from Wash- ington, the Hon. John K. Richards, who is an Ohio boy. We welcome round our tables the presidents and representatives of the different sister societies of the state of New York. We have New England, Pennsylvania, Holland, Canada, Southern Society and Missouri represented here to-night. But it is not my province to take up your time with any extended remarks, but rather to give way at once in order that you may enjoy hearing from our distinguished guests." Attorney General Knox, though not down on the program as a speaker, responded to the first toast. He complimented President Roosevelt upon his faithful adherence to the policy of President INIcKinley as laid down in the Buffalo speech. Referring to the president's attitude toward Cuba, he said: " Even to-day President Roosevelt is giving his best effort and energy to prove that we have not left this poor alien southern nation to poverty and dis- tress." In introducing Senator Foraker, Mr. Hoyt said: " Ohio has been honored through many of her gi'eat sons, but by none more than by the gentleman on my right ; he was a gallant soldier in the civil war, an able jurist, a distinguished and courageous governor, and, after serv- ing his state so efficiently as governor, Ohio called him higher, and to-day he stands a leader among men in the senate of the United States." Senator Foraker said, in part: " When I was informed that I was expected to speak before your Society here in New York I found myself so busy that I could not find a moment to prepare a fitting response to your courtesy. I postponed the preparation of a speech until a day or two before my setting out for New York. The post- ponement proved fatal. I found myself so much occupied with South Caro- lina that I was precluded from turning my thoughts to my native state." This allusion to the Tillman-McLaurin imbroglio caused a hearty laugh. After enumerating Ohio's long list of distinguished senators, Mr. Foraker was 359 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK applauded when he said, " And I know I can say without hurting anybody's feelings that John Sherman was the greatest of them all." With playful allusions to the posts of influence held by men of Ohio birth in the senate committees, Senator Foraker said : " You can't get an appropriation through without Allison's consent. Without the influence of Fairbanks, you cannot get a postoffice, and without Beveridge's cooperation you can't get anything you want in the territories. As for Senator Jones, he presides over the contingent fund, and without his approval you cannot even have a messenger boy appointed. " Now, as for my colleague. Senator Hanna " — (here the speaker was interrupted with loud cheers and cries of " What's the matter with Hanna? He's all right ! " ) Continuing, Mr. Foraker said : " Well, in the senate, as everywhere else, Hanna is ' it.' He is on about every committee there is, and there is not much going on unless he has a finger in it." Referring to the great fight between the Jefl^erson Democrats and the Hamilton Federalists over Ohio coming into the Union in 1801, the Senator said: " The fights you read about between Hanna and me aren't a patch to what that fight was. Rival party men in those days called one another anar- chists and murderers. Why, they talked worse than Senator Hoar does to-day about our rule over the Philippines. " Having made this kind of a start in 1801, all that has followed has followed naturally. Our Ohio political fathers set the pace. We have been merely keeping it up. From that day to this no man could hope to hold up his end in the Ohio political hustings without meeting foemen worthy of his steel. " Ohio politics has never been one sided until within the last few years, and since that time, so as not to get out of practice, we've been keeping up a little fighting among ourselves. But you always find us presenting a united front to the common political enemy." President Hoyt introduced Senator Hanna in these words: " Ohio is truly proud of her long line of great statesmen, but she is equally proud of her sons who in finance, transportation, in commerce, in min- ing and in great industries of this country have taken such a prominent part. Chief among these stands a gentleman (who, by the way, is a member of this Society, and whom many of you know), who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, and who is now counted as one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest man in the world, Mr. Rockefeller, for he it is to whom I refer, in addressing a class of young men a few months since, said that he had derived pleasure and satisfaction in being able to give to institutions of learning, to churches and religious organizations, but that the greatest satisfaction that had come to 360 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK him in his many years of hard work, had bten the fact that the company which he organized, and was still the president of, from its organization up to the present time, had paid out for labor alone over six hundred millions of dollars, and never had a serious strike. The man who can give his millions may benefit mankind, but, in my judgment, the man who can furnish to the great mass of wage-earners constant work, and thus crown their honest toil with steady return for their labor, equally benefits his fellow men. " Speaking of labor, we are honored to-night in having with us another son of Ohio, who, while he has not been unfamiliar with capital, has been equally familiar with labor, and who is a great believer in the doctrine that instead of labor being antagonistic to capital, it should go hand in hand, each complementing and helping the other. I take great pleasure, therefore, in being able to introduce to you now the other senator from Ohio, the Hon. Marcus A. Hanna, who will respond to the toast, ' Labor and Capital.' " " This is an occasion to make a man proud of his nativity," said Senator Hanna, when the applause which greeted him had subsided. " Surely Ohio is an incubator of statesmen and equally surely is it a soil productive of great men in all walks and vocations of life. The men who do things are the proudest product of any state, and the men who make themselves felt in other states, as Ohio men have, reflect the greatest credit on their nativity." Con- tinuing, Senator Hanna said: " Apropos of doing things, some one in this country has been doing things ; some one in this country has been doing things for the past fifty years and doing them well. When one looks back over what has been done in that time he is almost rendered speechless. Our evolution in that brief time has brought us to where we stand now in the commercial and industrial world, second to no nation on the face of the earth. " The great natural resources of our country, coupled with the terrific energy of our cosmopolitan people, have made us what we are, a people whose capitalists of to-day were the laborers of yesterday. The men who are at the heads of our great iron and steel industries in this country are the men who worked first at the puddle, the furnace and the roll. There stands the aristocracy of labor, not the aristocracy of blood, but the aristocracy of brains and brawn. (Applause.) " We have gone ahead in this country until now for the first time in our history capital stands alone on its own foundations. We are to-day a creditor nation and fast becoming the money centre of the world. It surely is not strange that this question of capital and labor is being forced to the public attention. It is not strange that the men who do things should begin to con- sider that problem from a social standpoint. " If the development of wealth is to make us strong in this country we 361 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK should see to it that all who contribute to the development of this wealth have fair and equal consideration. (Loud applause.) The men who work with their hands are as much a part of this wealth as the men who work with their brains and they are entitled to a share of all the good that comes from it. " And now I want to say a word to you about the Civic Federation. It is a new-born organization, but it is not a new-born subject. It is a culmina- tion of that concrete thought which has led thoughtful and reasonable men to consider something outside of their own selfish interests. No man loyal to his country will shut his eyes to the importance of this thing. " The man of little education and small opportunities appeals to you to lift him up and not by word or act to keep him down. Therein lies the social elevation of the country. The federation has started in with the idea that there shall be no class, no one man better than another. " It is the object of the federation to appeal to the American people who employ labor, the great captains of industry, to join in this movement, and when they do this it is the beginning of things never thought of or dreamed of before. To those few who are laboring in this vineyard now there comes nothing but praise and commendation from every part of the country. " I want to take this opportunity, too, to thank the great press of the country for its assistance in bringing capital and labor together and making them sit face to face and heart to heart. When men sit down together in this way to consider things in a spirit of fairness there can be no such word as fail. Our membership should only be limited by the population of the United States, and the purpose for which the federation is laboring should receive the support of the people of the whole country. " And I want to tell you that when capital and labor can thus meet face to face and heart to heart, we have only begun to lay the foundation of our future greatness." President Hoyt spoke of the Ohio boy who sat in a senator's seat from Indiana in these words: " Ohio has been great in her statesmen ; Ohio has been great in her busi- ness energy and men of affairs ; but Ohio has been no less great in her heroes and fighters for our beloved country. No state can boast of so many generals who have risen to the high position of commanding general of the army of the United States as Ohio; for three of her sons. Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, have held that high office, and the present general commanding the army of the United States, and who has honored us with his presence to-night, did the next best thing to being bom in Ohio by securing his better half from that favored state. Our next toast, ' Ohio in the War,' will be responded to by a distinguished senator from the state of Indiana, although a son of Ohio, the Hon. C. W. Fairbanks, whom I now introduce to you." 362 Hon. Marcus A. Hanna OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The senior senator from Indiana was exceedingly happy in his references to Ohio's contribution to the liistory of the nation. He said in part: " Ohio wrote a record of surpassing brilliancy in the gravest and most tragic period of our national liistory. " Forty years have come and gone since the historic shot at Fort Sumter which aroused the country from its lethargy and stirred it to its heroic duty. It was then Ohio sent word to Washington to the effect that if Kentucky could not fill her quota Ohio stood ready to make up the difference. " First and last," said Mr. Fairbanks, " Ohio sent 340,000 soldiers into the field, the very pick and flower of the youth of the state. When treason capitulated those who had not paid the last full measure of patriotic devotion to their country returned whence they came and resumed their civic duties. " The fame of her immortal triimivirate encircles the globe. All honor to Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Phil Sheridan. And there were Rosecrans and McPherson, Gillmore and McDowell, Buell and Cox, Stedman and McCbok, Hayes and Force." Senator Fairbanks dwelt at some length on the services rendered during the war by the " sons of Ohio " in both branches of Congress as well as in prominent positions in the administrative departments of the government. " Of those who served in the army of the Union," he continued, " five whose places of nativity were in the Buckeye state subsequently held the highest commission which the American people could bestow. Their names spring unbidden to our lips: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison and McKinley." Of Senator Beveridge, President Hoyt said : " We are again honored with the presence of another senator from Indiana — but an Ohio boy — and who, having grown up breathing the invigorating air of that dear state, has developed into one of its most distinguished orators." Senator Beveridge spoke on " Our Foreign Possessions." He objected to the word " foreign " as applied to American possessions, saying that modem science had brought distant lands to the doors of this country. He declared that Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines were trust estates, and warned Americans not to prove faithless to their trust. " Our task of bringing order and prosperity in these islands," he said, " will be performed with characteristic American adaptability. The work was given us by God; we have the experience of nations and our own genius to fall back on in this hour. American suzerainty in Cuba will never cease ex- cept by annexation. Our policy in the Philippines will depend on how readily the natives show their loyalty to our flag." Senator Beveridge coun- selled patience. He closed by saying that to-day no move was made on the map of the world without other nations first consulting the United States. 363 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK Assistant United States Attorney General James M. Beck spoke on " The United States." He endorsed Senator Hanna's utterances. He said that the increasing wealth of the United States was not a question of one- half the moment of that of labor and capital. Tliis country, he declared, would always be a wealthy nation — that he had been told one member of the Ohio Society was sufficiently wealthy to have paid the debt that Bismarck placed on France or to have purchased the palace at Versailles. The great question that confronts the nation, he asserted, did not relate to wealth, but had to do with the relations of capital and labor. " Unless," said he, " labor and capital are united, we may fear no foe without, but surely our country will be rent with internecine strife. " Men like Senator Hanna are extending the hand of friendsliip to labor. Along this path lie the peace and prosperity of the Republic. God speed him to bridge the gulf between wealth and poverty, and promote that peace and equality of opportunity for which the Republic was created." Continuing, Mr. Beck proceeded to tell jokes about Ohio. He spent some time in explaining why Benjamin Franklin had not been bom in that state. " It was his principle," said the speaker, " never to seek office, never to refuse one, and never to resign one." The first of these three principles, said Mr. Beck, excluded the theory that Franklin might have been a Buckeye citizen. Toward Mr. Hanna Mr. Beck directed some of his wit. He said that the Senator had become such a great man in his native state that Ohioans no longer reckoned time in the usual way, but that they had come to speak of this year, for instance, as " Hanna Domini, 1902." Augustus Thomas, the famous playwright, made a most admirable and witty speech in response to the toast " Our Sister Societies." Mayor Low, Governor Odell, Lieutenant Governor Woodruff and Senator Spooner of Wisconsin, all of whom were expected to speak, were not present. When the speeches were finished, Mr. Hoyt dismissed the audience with these words : " The time has now come for us to draw the sixteenth annual banquet of the Ohio Society of New York to a close; and I am sure that we have all had a good time, and I am equally sure that every member of the Society desires to extend to all our honored guests their thanks for being present with us; and their thanks also to those who have so entertained us by speaking to-night. We only regret that the time was so short that it has been impossible to hear from all of our guests, and with thanks to all who have aided us in making this a most agreeable evening, we will now adjourn.'* In the meeting of March 10th, Mr. Parsons spoke of the great success of the annual banquet, which was due, he said, more than anything else, to S64! OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK the energy and hard work of President Hoyt. A vote of thanks was ten- dered to President Hoji;, Treasurer Parsons and A. J. C. Foye, chairman of the house committee, for their services in connection with the banquet, and also to William S. Hawk, proprietor of the Manhattan hotel, for his generous hospitality in entertaining at his hotel the guests of honor from Washington who attended the banquet. A vote of thanks was also extended to Ernest A. Foye, chairman of the reception committee, for the manner in which he had performed the duties assigned to him. Judge Higley moved that the Society give a dinner at the Manhattan Hotel on the second Monday in April; that this be complimentary to the members, and that the members be permitted to invite guests. Carried. On motion, the details of this dinner were left to the chairman of the house committee, Mr. Foye. There being no further business, the meeting ad- journed to enjoy the entertainment prepared for them by Judge Higley and his committee, as follows: Banjo Duett — (a) La Cinquantine, . . Gabriel (6) Senegambian March, . Rosey Song — " Come out Dinah on the Green." Banjo Duett — (a) Ripple Dance, . . Friedman (6) Mosquito Parade, . Whitney Humorous Song — " Rip Van Winkle was a Lucky Man." Banjo Duett — (a) Salambo, . . . Morse (b) High Society March, Porter Steele (Yale '02) Humorous Song, " Can't You Take My Word? " Banjo Duett — (a) "Pretty Maiden," Florodora, Stuart (b) Salome, . . . Loraine Coon Song, " Go 'Way Back and Sit Down." Brooks & Denton, . . . Ban joists Mr. Dan W. Quinn, . . . Vocalist Mr. Frank K. Banta, . . . Pianist The governing committee, in its meeting of April, ordered that hereafter the speeches delivered at the annual banquets be taken down by a stenographer, and in the discretion of the governing committee, pubhshed in the annual year book and sent to each member, together with the programme of the banquet. It was also ordered that the matter of ordering further year books be left to the treasurer, with power. It was moved by Mr. Penfield and carried that the governing committee recommend to the Society that the president be given power to appoint an historian of the Society. 365 OHIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK The evening of April 14th was designated as " ladies' night." The members and their ladies met at the INIanhattan hotel, where an excellent din- ner was served. When the time for business arrived, Mr. Stedman, on be- half of the governing committee, announced the election of twenty resident and fifteen non-resident members. Then followed an episode that gave pleasure to all who were present. Ex-President Southard, in a few well chosen words, presented to Leander H. Crall, the recent treasurer of the Society, a handsome loving cup, from various members of the Society, as a token of regard for him and a slight apprecia- tion of his valuable labors on behalf of the Society during the thirteen years in which he had been its treasurer. Howard E. Crall accepted the cup on behalf of his father, who was ill in the South, and in a most felicitous speech thanked the donors for having remembered his father by the presentation of this beautiful gift. S. E. Johnson, editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, now of Washington, D. C, gave an interesting account of journalistic experience. Capt. James Parker, a native Buckeye — a veteran naval officer both of the Mexican and civil wars, and counsel for Admiral Schley in the late investigation, related most entertainingly many incidents of his long and eventful life. James H. Kennedy thanked the Society for having chosen him as its historian. Stewart Chisholm, of Cleveland, then addressed the Society in a happy vein, this closing the intellectual part of the program. The Misses Hoyt, Buckeye girls, added much to the pleasure of the evening by their sweet singing and whistling. Mr. Applegate, in the May meeting, reported on behalf of the library committee. It was the sense of that committee that the library should be essentially an " Ohio Library," and they recommended that the histories of the various counties, not already secured, be added ; also the lives of prominent Ohio men ; and that a letter be sent to the members asking for the donation of such books, and that if they are not then forthcoming, they could be pur- chased with the appropriation placed at the disposal of the committee by the governing board. Adopted, and such a letter was directed to be sent. Col. Wilson Vance then favored the Society with a reading on the battle of Stone's River, from his book, " God's War." He held the close attention of his hearers by his vivid and thrilling word picture of this memorable battle. At the meeting in October, 1902, the following gentlemen were selected as the nominating committee, to recommend officers to be elected at the annual meeting in November: M. I. Southard, H. H. Brockway, E. L. Prentiss, A. W. Gilmore, P. Ryan, George Follett and F. X. Butler. President Hoj^t welcomed the members back from their summer vaca- tion, and hoped for a better year's work for the Society than ever before. 366 tz> 'Ji 4; U2 ^