The Dinner.

The Buffalo Committee of Arrangements tendered the officers and members of the National Municipal League a dinner at the Ellicott Club, Buffalo, on Wednesday, November 16, Ansley Wilcox, Esq., presiding as toast master. Mr. Wilcox, in the course of his happy opening introductory remarks, said, "This is the hardest-working crowd of men and women that I have ever seen. It works all the morning, it works all the afternoon-that is not unusual,-but they have a special working session at noon, which fills up every minute between the two day sessions-and they work in the evening. That shows their earnestness and their zeal. While it deprives us of the opportunity of entertaining them, it enables them to do the more good to us and to others like us who need instruction."

Richard S. Childs was the first speaker and devoted his time to a very clear presentation of the principles of the short ballot. He was followed by the Hon. John Lord O'Brian, United States Attorney for Western New York, who spoke of his legislative work and of the need for organizations like the National Municipal League to suggest new standards and supervise the work of public officials. In concluding he said, “let the people understand what is going on and we need have no fear of democratic government. That man in my judgment is the best friend of democratic government and of efficient democracy in our cities to-day who joins in forcing men to take the responsibility for their votes and to accept the responsibility once it has been placed upon them by the result of the ballot cast on election day."

Elliott H. Goodwin, in the course of his address, pointed out that the progressive movement now manifesting itself in so many sections of the country was not the first wave of democracy that had swept over the United States. In discussing some of the measures advocated by presentday progressives, he said, "I regard the referendum as valuable, but clumsy; the recall as desirable where it is desired to establish long terms for municipal offices, but a recall only at stated periods; but in the initiative I am unable to see anything of permanent value, anything in keeping with our institutions as they were founded. Are we going to give up that principle which comes to us from Anglo-Saxon times, that legislation which shall be the result of debate, discussion and amendment?” Horace E. Deming, Esq., of New York, discussed what he called "the commonest fallacy in regard to municipal reform, namely, the statement that city government is business, not politics'". He said, among other striking things, "Do not fancy that by calling municipal government

'business' you are going to drive politics out. There will always be important questions of city policy about which men will divide. That does not mean that it shall be questions of national policy or national politics. That does not mean that it shall be questions of state policy or state politics, but if you can run a city government of any size for more than a few months without having some important question of public policy to decide, as to which there will be a wide division of opinion, it won't be in this world."

Clinton Rogers Woodruff, Esq., the Secretary of the League, responded to the toast, "The National Municipal League", portraying the influences and organizations represented in such a meeting as it was then holding in Buffalo.

President William Dudley Foulke, in a speech of great eloquence and power, spoke of the influence of commercialism in politics, and especially in municipal politics, showing by a wealth of historical references the disastrous results of the influence of concentrated wealth upon free institutions.1

The very interesting and successful dinner was concluded with an address by Dr. Andrew V. V. Raymond, who closed his remarks with the statement that "every man is under obligation to the community in which he lives, which represents to him the conditions which God has made for his life".

1 Pres. Foulke has requested the privilege of revising the report of his speech and publishing it subsequently as a magazine article.

National Municipal League.

OFFICERS--1910-11.

President-HON. WILLIAM DUDLEY FOULKE, Richmond, Ind.
Vice-Presidents-H. D. W. ENGLISH, 341 4th Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.

A. LAWRENCE LOWELL, Harvard University.

CAMILLUS G. KIDDER, 27 William St., New York.

GEORGE MCANENY, City Hall, New York.
CHARLES E. MERRIAM, University of Chicago.

CHARLES RICHARDSON, 1307 Spruce St., Philadelphia.
THOMAS N. STRONG, Portland, Oregon.

Treasurer-GEORGE BURNHAM, JR., 504 Bailey Bldg., Philadelphia.
Secretary-CLINTON ROGERS WOODRUFF, 703 North American, Philadelphia.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

PROF. ALBERT BUSHNELL HART, Chairman, 19 Craigie St., Cambridge, Mass. CHARLES W. ANDREWS, 202 Highland Ave., Syracuse, N. Y.

M. N. BAKER, Montclair, N. J.

WILLIAM P. BANCROFT, Wilmington, Del.

ROBERT S. BIN KERD, 55 West 44th St., New York.

CHARLES J. Bonaparte, 216 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Md.

JOHN A. BUTLER, 703 Merrill Bldg., Milwaukee, Wis.

HARVEY STUArt Chase, 84 State St., Boston.

RICHARD S. CHILDS, 383 4th Ave., New York.
DWIGHT F. DAVIS, 220 Security Bldg., St. Louis, Mo.
WALTER L. FISHER, 55 Portland Block, Chicago, Ill.
FREDERIC C. GRATWICK, 814 Ellicott Sq., Buffalo, N. Y.
GEORGE W. GUTHRIE, 434 Diamond St., Pittsburg, Pa.
CLARENCE L. HARPER, 1922 Green St., Philadelphia.
MERWIN K. HART, Utica, N. Y.

WILLIAM B. HOWLAND, 287 Fourth Ave., New York.
J. L. HUDSON, Detroit, Mich.

CHARLES H. INGERSOLL, South Orange, N. J.

RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL, 261 Broadway, N. Y.

HON. ERNEST C. KONTZ, Century Bldg., Atlanta, Ga.

REV. CHARLES N. LATHROP, Church of the Advent, San Francisco, Cal. MEYER LISSNER, Lissner Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal.

WILLIAM G. Low, 30 Broad St., Manhattan, N. Y.

ARTHUR C. LUDINGTON, 56 West 10th St., New York.

OLIVER MCCLINTOCK, 545 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.

J. HORACE MCFARLAND, Harrisburg, Pa.

KNOWLTON MIXER, Prudential Bldg., Buffalo, N. Y.

PROF. W. B. MUNRO, 37 Dana Chambers, Cambridge, Mass.
EUGENE H. OUTERBRIDGE, 11 Broadway, New York.

ROBERT TREAT PAINE, 16 State St., Boston.

ELLIOTT HUNT PENDLETON, 519 Main St., Cincinnati, Ohio.
FRANK J. SYMMES, 322 Montgomery St., San Francisco, Cal.
DUDLEY TIBBETS, 33 First St., Troy, N. Y.

A. LEO WEIL, Frick Bldg., Pittsburg, Pa.

THOMAS RAEBURN WHITE, West End Trust Bldg., Philadelphia.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte, Chairman, 216 St. Paul St., Baltimore. Hon. James Phinney Baxter, Portland, Maine.

Charles F. Flagg, Portland, Maine.

Hon. Robert P. Bass, Peterborough, N. H.

Laurence Minot, 18 Tremont St., Boston, Mass.

President H. A. Garfield, Williamstown, Mass.

Rear Admiral F. E. Chadwick, Newport, Rhode Island.

Frederick J. Kingsbury, Jr., 445 Humphrey St., New Haven, Conn.

George Haven Putnam, 29 West 23rd St., New York.

Robert W. DeForest, 7 Washington St., New York.

Clarence H. Kelsey, 146 Broadway, New York.
Hon. Thomas M. Osborne, Auburn, N. Y.
Frederick Almy, Buffalo, N. Y.

Harry B. French, 429 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Hon. Vance C. McCormick, Harrisburg, Pa.

Rev. Adolph Roeder, Orange, N. J.

Farnham Yardley, West Orange, N. J.
Randolph Barton, Jr., Baltimore, Md.

Hon. H. B. F. Macfarland, Washington, D. C.

Hon. L. G. Powers, Washington, D. C.

John Stewart Bryan, The Times Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
R. E. Steed, Norfolk, Va.

R. B. Naylor, Wheeling, W. Va.

A. B. Andrews, Jr., Raleigh, N. C.

James Simons, Charleston, S. C.

Thomas F. Parker, Greenville, S. C.

G. A. Gordon, Savannah, Ga.

John R. Schindel, Carew Bldg., Cincinnati, Ohio.

A. Julius Freiberg, Union Trust Bldg., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Hon. L. E. Holden, The Plain dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

Prof. A. R. Hatton, Western Reserve University, Cleveland.

Augustus Lynch Mason, Indianapolis, Ind.

Prof. William A. Rawles, Bloomington, Ind.

Hon. Morton D. Hull, 181 LaSalle St., Chicago, Ill.
Graham Romeyn Taylor, The Commons, Chicago, Ill.
Dr. John A. Fairlie, Urbana, Ill.

Anthony Pratt, Moffatt Bldg., Detroit, Mich.

Joseph McC. Bell, Hathaway Bldg., Milwaukee, Wis.

Ford H. McGregor, Madison, Wis.

Stiles P. Jones, N. Y. Life Bldg., Minneapolis, Minn.
Irving B. Richman, Muscatine, Iowa.

John J. Hamilton, Des Moines, Ia.

Hon. Henry L. McCune, Kansas City.

James W. S. Peters, Scarritt Bldg., Kansas City, Mo.
Charles F. Harrison, New York Life Bldg., Omaha, Neb.
John D. Ware, New York Life Bldg., Omaha, Neb.

F. N. Hartwell, Louisville, Ky.

E. A. Lindsey, Nashville, Tenn.

John B. Weakley, Birmingham, Ala.

Franklin L. Riley, University P. O., Miss.

Dr. H. Dickson Bruns, New Orleans, La.
Hon. Clifton R. Breckinridge, Ft. Smith, Ark.
Charles A. Duchamp, 826 Common St., New Orleans.
Hon. G. W. Breckinridge, San Antonio, Tex.

Dr. Frank L. McVey, University of North Dakota.
Dr. Clyde A. Duniway, University of Montana, Mont.
Hon. Ben. B. Lindsey, Juvenile Court, Denver, Colo.
Dunbar F. Carpenter, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Eugene A. Cox, Lewiston, Idaho.

Hon. Harry B. Henderson, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Erastus Brainerd, The Post Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.

L. G. Monroe, Chamber of Commerce, Spokane, Wash.

Rev. W. G. Eliot, Jr., Portland, Ore.

Joseph N. Teal, 1016 Spalding Bldg., Portland, Ore.

Fairfax H. Whelan, 901 Royal Insurance Bldg., San Francisco, Cal Charles D. Willard, Equitable Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal.

COMMITTEE ON CIVIC EDUCATION—

Arthur W. Dunn, Chairman, 1418 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

Prof. Charles A. Beard, Columbia University.

Miss Mabel Hill, 19 Astor Street, Lowell, Mass.

Dr. A. N. Holcombe, Harvard University.

Prof. James J. Sheppard, High School of Commerce, New York.

President E. E. Sparks, State College, Pa.

Prof. James A. Woodburn, University of Indiana.