The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-13
THE CITYS OPEN DOORS.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY GIVEN
THE FREEDOM OF THE TOWN.

Gen. Lawton's Address of Welcome,
The Drive Through che City and the
Trip to Tybee Beach-The First Regi-
ment's Reception to the Visiting Leg
islators-Regret That Gov. Gordon
Cannot be Here-A Hope that Sena.
tor duBignon and Speaker Clay May
Yet Come-The Programme To-Day.
The Georgia legislature had quorum in
both branches yesterday without "a call Of
the House" The Senate aud House met in
Joint session within half a dozen blocks OF
where the colonial legislature assembled
moro than a century ago.
The incoming early trains were crowded
with legislators. The Central railroad had
six Pullmans, and they were filled. A good
many came from middle and lower
Georgia over the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway.
The visitors were met on the arrival OF
the trains by members of the variou:
committees, and were escorted tO
the hotels for breakfast, after which the
visitors, members of the committee, and
prominent citizens assembled at tue Masonic
temple Mayor SchwarZ, chairman OF the
citizens general committee, presided.
aldermen and of the general committee and
Gen. A. r. Lawton. The mayor, in intro
d ucing Gen. Lawton, said:
GESTLEMEN-As mayor of the city and chair
man of the general committee Of its citizens, /
bid you welcome to Savannah. We bid you
welcome from the bottom of our hearts and
trust you will enjoy our hospitality. | beg to
introduce to you our most worthy citizen, Ten
A. r. Lawton, who has been elected by our
citizens to present TO you, as he is SO well nted
70 do he al
pleasure we feel at the honor you have con
ferred upon US by your presence. l have the
honor of introducing the Hon. a. r. Lawton.
A wave OF applause swept over the hail
as Gen. Lawton arose to make the welcome
address. He wore the white silk badge of a
committeeman, aud a sprig of geranium
foliage was pinned to the lapel OF his coat.
His speech Of welcome was brief, often
eloquent, and was literally applauded.
THE WELCOME TO THE CITY.
Gen Lawton said:
Gentlemen of the General Assembly Of
Georgia In behalf of the municipality and Of
all the citizens of Savannah, greet you and
bid you welcome to our midst, extending to you
all the resources and hospitality OF this COM
munity for your enjoyment and comfort while
here, thanking you most heartily for the honor
you do us in making this visit.
This is a most interesting occasion. You
come to Savannah, the most ancient city OF the
last of the thirteen states. We ask u to note
the fact that we here hold the chief gateway to
the commerce of the world. as our most in
teresting and important neighbor in that
point of view is the ocean. Applause
We ask you to duly consider as we
have considered, the responsibility which
rests upon us for holding this gateway. Have
we discharged the duty that devolves upon usg
We acknowledge you as our triors (applause),
because we consider every one of you, gentle
men, as our epresentatives-discardi the
notion altogether that the only representatives
we have at the capital Of the state are the four
good and true men for whom we have had the
privilege Of casting our ballots. Good and true,
intelligent and faithful, as they have been land
we take this occasion of thanking them in your
presence still, we claim that every man in the
Legislature of Georgia-every senator and rep
resentative-is ours, not merely by the common
fellowship of man, but by that greater, nearer,
and more important consideration, that each
one of us is proud to exclaim, II am Georgian
citizen LApplause.l
We ask you TO go with us and see how we
have discharged this duty. Have we courted
and cultivated this important element, lying so
near to usl Have We put you in communica
ton with the rest of the world, so that all your
products-agricutural, mineral and mechan-
ical-may ind that proper exchange which
alone can make them truly valuable? Have we
done this? If we have, we ask from you a YER
dict Of acquittal IL we have not, we will bow
our heads and receive the verdict of guilty"
Applause.
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT.
Fellow Georgians let us remember that in
this day and generation it is very difficult for
any community to come up to that standard
which has been raised for us by the demands of
modern civilization; for, although it was only
in the year 1873 that Oglethorpe landed on this
bluff with his colony, we must not measure
time by the years that have elapsed only, but
by the mighty work which has been accom-
plished during these years. The liberty in
politics and religion, the disenthrallment of
Intellect, the new brotherhood of man, the
dynamic energy which has been impaired by
the presence of free Institutions, the great skill
exhibited in compelling nature to give up her
most valuable secrets for the comfort Of man
and the advancement of civilization, which
makes that lapse of time seem to cover many,
many centuries And as we read of the events
which have transpired we seem to be looking
upon page or ancient history Such, my
friends is the age and the condition of things
in which we live And while we hold on to this
ancient city of Ogethorpe, we claim to have
the ideas and methods of the year 1889. lap
plause.
- Go with us, gentlemen, and examine for your
selves Have we built wharves and procured
steamships, and are we so using them as to at
tract the notice of the world TO the commerce
of Georgian Have we got, as We ought TO have,
the finest coast line steamships in the world?
Have we established communication, not only
four days in the week. each way with New
York but, by the same MEANS communications
with Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore? Have
We given you all that man by energy, and skill,
and Judgment can give-and unaidedy Have
we done that? We ask you to judge for your
selves.
THE CTTY's FREEDOM.
Go with us; accept what we SD all offer, and
what we do not think of giving, ask, gentlemen
and you shall have it. App ause. You will
pardon me while | say this much of what we
have done in that line which makes us valuable
to the state of Georgia and creates mutual re-
sponsibility to each other for the manner in
which we discharge the duties respectively de-
volving upon us.
In the initiation of transportation by RAILWAYS
which revoluJionized the commerce of the
world by land, as did steam upon the rivers and
oceans who was 1t, by his power of thought
and action and speech. that led the way In
Georgia and procured for us more than any
thing else the name of the empire state of the
south? It was Savannah'S Gordon Applause |
Again, who was IL, when destruction had
passed over u.s. at the end of the most
terrible war of modern times, when this whole
southland was still smoking with the ruins that
covered it, that came to the frontY The patriot
looking at the map of this southland-especially
the railroad map-might have exclaimed as did
the great Minister Pitt when Napoleon's wars
seemed to have blotted out the lines of empires
in the agony of his SOUL Roll up the map of
Europe; the lines of empires are blotted out
all is chaos" At that moment, who was it of
all others that seized the helm? Who was it
that said, LET the dead past bury its dead
Improve the present that belongs to us?'' Who
was 1t. more than any other man, that reorgan-
lied the broken lines in this south country es-
pecially in the state of Georgian 1t was Wad-
ley-Wadley OF Savannah [Applause1
Now, gentlemen, pardon me for these allus-
ions. make them in order that we may show