To Play Columbia In New York Thanksgiving

TO PLAY COLUMBIA IN NEW YORK THANKSGIVING

It Was Announced at the Great Football Banquet Last Evening

The Finest Banquet to the Finest Team--Good Speeches Made--An Easter Game Now Seems Assured

The Champions of 1903 were Banqueted by the business men of Ann Arbor, Dec. 16, in possibly the finest banquet ever served in Ann Arbor. The occasion was also made memorable by the announcement that in all probability the Thanksgiving football game next year would be played in New York city with Columbia, before one of the largest football crowds ever seen in America. This will give a line on the Eastern and Western Methods of playing football and will extend the fame of Michigan in the East as it now exists in the West.

The banquet was attended by about 159 and filled the fine dining room of the Cook House comfortably. The room had recently been newly decorated and happily hand-painted in the University colors, so that the maize and blue streamers used in the center decorations harmonized beautifully with the room. American flags formed the end decorations and the decorators, Drake & Dietrich, deserve credit for their artistic work.

The banquet itself was superb and Landlord Wagner made a warm place for himself in the hearts of the business men. It was served in courses and for two hours and a half the banqueters did ample justice to the delicious viands prepared in the best of the caterer's art. Grapefruit was followed by bluepoints, chicken bouillon, filet of red snapper, stuffed turkey, brown sweet potatoes, June peas, Lailah Rookh punch, bisque ice cream, cake, fruit, cheese and toasted crackers, winding up with coffee and cigars. At [illegible] o'clock the first course was served and at 11:30 even the most tempting viands could have had no temptation to any of the banqueters and the toastmaster began the exercises.

During the banquet the Ann Arbor Banjo and Mandolin club assisted by Mr. Reibling, violinist, played sweet music, including a well arranged medley of college songs which caused the students present under the leadership of Coach Yost, to give vocal utterance to the songs. Time and again snatches of football songs, or other favorite airs would break forth, and it was told in song what had been done with Chicago and what could be done with Princeton.

The only thing to mar the happiness of the evening was the absence of Dr. Angell and the illness of Mrs. Angell, feelingly referred to by Mayor Brown in opening the exercises and at the conclusion of the exercises a resolution was passed expressing the hope of all present for Mrs. Angell's speedy recovery.

Toastmaster Brown introduced as the first speaker ex-Mayor Copeland, who spoke to the toast "Our Guests" and told many of his inimitable stories. He spoke of the team of 1903 as one of the three best football teams, all of the same vintage. He said the Stagg formations proved of the flying machine variety, they wouldn't work. He picked as the first All-American team, the 1903 Michigan team and as the second team the Michigan scrubs, the only team that scored on the Michigan team in a fair game. He praised the whole team, Heston, Redden and the invincible Tom Hammond. He praised the splendid trainer, Fitzpatrick, the fine management of Mr. Baird, the board of control and of course the only coach. If Mr. Yost were to run for mayor he would receive more votes than he and the toastmaster put together did.

Capt. Redden spoke of "Our Hosts," and of the encouragement the business men had given the team. The speech was a neat one and was well received.

HIGH PRAISE FROM YOST.

Coach Yost was given an ovation and toasted "The Team." It was a hard proposition to keep in condition for hard games and the proper spirit from October to the last of November. Only five old men were back. Then with six new men, to make a trip of 800 miles and play before a crowd of 25,000 people all loyal to the home team with such spirit and determination was a remarkable exhibition. During the entire season there were none of the men who tried for the team but showed the best of spirit. The team had worked as no team had that he had had anything to do with. In no game during the entire season had he seen any one of the Michigan men do an ungentlemanly thing. The Chicago game was the best football game he had seen. There was great team work, good spirit, clean playing and advantage of every opening. The Chicago team of 1903 had been made up of the best individual athletes of any team in the country. He emphasized the team spirit and work and the cleanness of the playing and the truly sportsmanlike spirit of the players.

COLLEGE SPIRIT.

Keene Fitzpatrick was also given an ovation and spoke on "College Spirit," which he said was not yet what it should be and what it was in the East when a losing team is cheered as much as a winning team. The man who plays on a losing team plays just as hard as the man who plays on a winning team and needs as much support and encouragement. The conduct of the men on the field this year had been very gratifying. The Michigan team has the best reputation of any team in the West for clean playing. We want a team to win, but to win only in a fair and sportsmanlike spirit. He spoke highly of the spirit of the scrubs and said that not a team this year had gained as much ground on Michigan as had the scrub team.

THE EASTERN GAME.

Mayor Brown expressed the hope of all present for an Eastern game next year and introduced Manager Charles Baird, who said he would have preferred to make a statement after the meeting of the Board of Control today. He had been in favor of matching Michigan against the best team in the country wherever it could be found, providing that they play clean football and meet us on equal terms. He favored meeting Yale, Harvard or Princeton, but doubted if a game could be arranged with either of them next year. The difficulty was mostly due to the schedules. Harvard and Yale play Nov. 19 and Harvard and Princeton Nov. 5. Michigan is under contract to play Wisconsin October 29 and Chicago November 12. Princeton closes her season Nov. 12. She could conveniently meet us on Nov. 19 but he doubted if her management would consent to keep their team in training a week later. The difficulty comes in that two hard games are not desirable only a week apart. Pennsylvania and Cornell meet on Thanksgiving day. The only team left that would play us on Thanksgiving day is Columbia. He thought it likely that a game with Columbia could be arranged. Mr. Morley, Columbia's head coach and an old Michigan man, had assured him that if Michigan desired to play Columbia he would do everything in his power to arrange a game. A game with Columbia in New York would give a line on the Eastern and Western teams. It would draw an immense crowd from the West as well as from the East. He thought a game with Columbia in New York next Thanksgiving was a possibility and he would recommend to the board to endeavor to arrange a game with Columbia or some other strong Eastern team.

Charles E. Dvorak spoke for the Board of Control and did it well, appropriately and wittily.

NINE RAHS FOR OLD PLAYERS.

Prof. Henry M. Bates spoke to the toast "The Alumni," with many sly digs at the title "professor." Like the other speakers he emphasized the gentlemanliness shown by the team. He paid a sincere tribute to the greatest coach and trainer and to the scrubs, and said that on visiting Chicago during the holidays he was going to make a suggestion to the alumni there which he thought would be carried out, that they present the players with similar souvenirs to those presented two years ago. His references to the old players present at the banquet brought out nine rahs, separately, for Snow, Weeks, Wilson, Cole, McGugin, Jones, Duffy and Prettyman.

George P. Sweet, for the Board of Directors, told some witty and well pointed stories which brought down the house, as did his praise of Tommy Roberts.

HESTON'S ROSY VIEWS.

Captain-elect Heston spoke of the future. He praised his team mates and the scrubs and hoped that so many old men coming back, with such strong reserves, with the new material that would be attracted by the winning teams of the past few years and with Coach Yost coming back, that the Eastern game might cause the East to ask the West to teach them how to play football.

Not on the printed program, "Tug" Wilson, "Boss" Weeks and Neil Snow were called out and loudly cheered. "Tug" Wilson told how happy the news from Michigan this year had made him feel and spoke up for the team of 1901.

"Boss" Weeks spoke of the wonderful achievement of this year's teams and how much pleasure it would have given him could he have called signals to such players.

CAN BEAT THE EAST.

Neil Snow said he had seen many Eastern games at close range this year. He saw Princeton in two of her best games this year and he saw Columbia play five or six games. He didn't believe that Columbia at her best this year could hold Michigan lower than 30 points. He felt confident that nay of the Michigan teams of the past three years could have beaten Princeton at its best this year.

THE REFEREE'S WHISTLE.

Without disparagement to the other speakers it may be said that W. W. Wedemeyer furnished the oratory of the evening in responding to the closing toast, "The Referee's Whistle." He was introduced by the toastmaster with a witty story, as were the other speakers, the toastmaster proving himself an adept at introductions. Mr. Wedemeyer spoke of the Minnesota game and said there was not a man who watched that game but felt it was the greatest victory Michigan ever won. He wanted to say some things that possibly had best be left unsaid, but the record of Michigan stands so supreme in the West that it was not necessary to say them. He praised Capt. Redden, who had made his last appearance on the gridiron, and expressed the hope that there will come to him the same success he brought to Michigan in 1903. Like other speakers, he emphasized the thought that it was better for Michigan to lose honorably than to win dishonorably. The thing that makes the athletic season just closed stand for so much is that it typifies the spirit and progress of Michigan in every department of her activity. He traced the tremendous growth of the University in the past few years and re-echoed President Angell's thought that the University was made up not of brick and mortar but of the heart and conscience of the faculty and students and was certain that men who put forward their best efforts in all branches as they have in football, will keep Michigan where she is today, in the forefront of the educational institutions.

BANQUET NEXT YEAR.

It was nearly 2 o'clock when the banquet broke up. Each guest who spoke expressed his gratification for the banquet to the business men and Mayor Brown promised that the football team next year would be given a banquet, win or lose, if he had to spend his whole salary to give it to them.

So finely was every arrangement carried out that we think it but justice to repeat the committees that had the affair in charge from the time that Evart H. Scott and G. V. Goodrich, the subscription committee, so quickly obtained the pledges. The general chairman was W. J. Booth and secretary H. W. Douglas. The committees were:

Subscriptions--Evart H. Scott, G. V. Goodrich.

Finance--M. J. Fritz, S. W. Clarkson, G. V. Goodrich.

Arrangements--C. E. Hiscock, Geo. E. Apfel, R. S. Copeland.

Program--Sid W. Millard, H. Normandin, T. H. Slater.

Invitation--J. E. Beal, Evart H. Scott and E. F. Mills.