Vol 3 Section 0470
Benjamin B. Odell, Jr., St. Clair McKelway, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Chauncey M. Depew, Booker T. Washington, Ex-Speaker Thomas B. Reed, Henry H. Rogers, George Harvey, E. Wood Perry, Jr., John Hare, Joseph C. Hendrix, Augustus Thomas, John Kendrick Bangs, Moncure D. Conway, Samuel E. Moffett, Frank H. Platt, and William Dean Howells. From part of Sam’s remarks, the Times quoted him quite differently than the Tribune:
“Mr. President and Friends: I thank you for this greeting; I thank you all out of my hear, for this is a fraternal welcome—a welcome too magnificent for a humble Missourian, far from his native state—but I feel at home here, as there are other Missourians seated at this table, and I am glad to see Tom Reed here too. They tell me that since I have been away Reed has deserted politics and is now leading a creditable life; he has reformed and, as he himself says, he is now engaged in raising the standard of beauty [Laughter.]
“Your president has referred to certain burdens which I was weighted with. I am glad he did, as it gives me an opportunity which I wanted. to speak of those debts, you all know what he meant when he referred to it, and of the poor bankrupt firm of C. L. Webster & Co. No one has said a word about those creditors. There were ninety-six creditors in all, and not by a finger’s weight did ninety-five out of the ninety-six add to the burden of that time. They treated me well; they treated me handsomely. I never knew I owed them anything; not a sign came from them.
“Don’t you worry and don’t you hurry,” was what they said. How I wish I could have creditors of that kind always! [Laughter.] Really, I recognize it as a personal loan to myself to be out of debt. I wasn’t personally acquainted with ten of them, you know. ‘Don’t you worry and don’t you hurry’; that phrase is written on my heart. You are always very kind in saying things about me, but you have forgotten those creditors. They were the handsomest people I ever knew. They were handsomer than I was—handsomer than Tom Reed. [Cheers and laughter.]
“How many things have happened in the seven years I have been away from home! We have fought a righteous war, and a righteous war is a rare thing in history. We have turned aside from our own comfort and seen to it that freedom should exist not only within our own gates, but in our own neighborhood. We have set Cuba free and placed her among the galaxy of free nations of the world. We started out to set those poor Filipinos free, but why that righteous plan miscarried perhaps I shall never know. We have also been making a creditable showing in China, and that is more than all of the powers can say. The ‘Yellow Terror’ is threatening the world, but no matter what happens the United States says that it has had no part in it. [Applause.]
Note: Sam also commented on Free Silver, the recent election of McKinley and Roosevelt, Governor-elect Odell, Chauncey Depew as US Senator and his being a mugwump, “perhaps the last of his race.” A photograph of Clemens amidst a group of men in formal attire is dated this day by the MTP.
On Nov. 17 the New York Times ran a follow-up article on the Lotos dinner, quoting Sam at length on the political situation:
MARK TWAIN.
When Mr. Clemens rose to speak he was cheered loud and heartily. It was nearly three minutes before he was permitted to proceed. Pushing his bushy white hair back from his forehead, he began:
“Mr. President and Friends: I thank you for this greeting; I thank you all out of my hear, for this is a fraternal welcome—a welcome too magnificent for a humble Missourian, far from his native state—but I feel at home here, as there are other Missourians seated at this table, and I am glad to see Tom Reed here too. They tell me that since I have been away Reed has deserted politics and is now leading a creditable life; he has reformed and, as he himself says, he is now engaged in raising the standard of beauty. [Laughter.]
“Your president has referred to certain burdens which I was weighted with. I am glad he did, as it gives me an opportunity which I wanted. to speak of those debts, you all know what he meant when he referred to it, and of the poor bankrupt firm of C. L. Webster & Co. No one has said a word about those creditors. There were ninety-six creditors in all, and not by a finger’s weight did ninety-five out of the ninety-six add to the burden of that time. They treated me well; they treated me handsomely. I never knew I owed them anything; not a sign came from them.
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.