The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-12
JOHNS SECESSION.
-vv1.1NG IN THE SOUTHERN CLUB
OVER THE DAVIS MEMORIAL.

n.orzo Rutledge GIBSON Resigns
s-om the Executive Committee.
conservatives" and "Hot Heads"
soth sides Heard
From the NeI1 York Sun.
The with travail from the Southern So
Nv Of William P. st. John. one of the
~s.s.nresldents, and the president
- the Mercantile National Bank,
-. followed yesterday by the resig-
..+ion of George Rutledge Gibson, mem
- If the executive committee of the
society, from the committee. O.her resig-
n,tions Of one kind or another are expected.
The immediate cause of the trouble is the
Usage on Tuesday night of resolutions
IGNORING jefferson Davis. 1t has been IN
dars-ooi for some time, however. that there
-gara two contending elements in the So
oiatv One of these was composed mostly
n Young men who were yled by the other
rsrtv s.hot heads" whose memory of war
times was, it is said, rather bitter and
vndictive, and who, in general,
wanted the club to be very distinctively a
sonthe;n institution. The other element
1rse composed generally of the older and
more conservative members. They didn't
+-snt the club to be dist ctively southern.
and they depreca ed anything that looked
AZ all like sectional feeling. They did not
beljeve in making fiery speeches, or in dis
cussing war times at all il the club. They
vent 10 such an extreme, the young men
declared, that they didn't want the club to
ba real club at all, and some of them even
n iected to maintain z club no Sc. TIE
officers of the society were: Pre- ident,
Iohn C. Calhoun; vics-presidents, Evan
Thomas. Col w. L. Trenholm. W. 2. st.
John. and j. H. Parker; treasurer, w. L.
Nice. rkle; secretary, Thomas Ashley Beall !;
executive committee, w. NJ. Flanagan. r
7. Harrison, Oh lrles A. Deshon, James
Swami, john H. Inman, and George Rut-
ledge Gibson.
seryative" element prevailed in this govern
ing board of the society. Whatever signs
Of trouble have been manifested heretofore
have been in pro ests made by some If the
Younger mem bers against the action or lack
Of action of tie executive committee. 1t
was felt that the executive committee
ougbt to show little more real southern
se9tment upon some political matters. As
a rule the discussion of war topics is not en-
couraged. The man starting iE to talk on
slavery or other subjecs connected with
the Elabe III DlOStS duluSoo WOulO 10 sure "
be greeted by the cry of Chestnut" on
every SIDE
Lines In the club became pretty firmly
drawn q few weeks ago whe there was a
big debate over The qualifications for men,
bership. The conservative party, of whom
MIR. st. John W some of the leaders, wanted,
it is said, to allow any man to beco ne q
member of the society who had ever lived
any reasonable length of time in the south
EN- states. The other party declared that
members of the Southern Socie.y must be
a good deal more southern than that quail
fcatiou would make them. Some of the
young men at tae meeting at which this
was discussed got very angry, it is said.
aid made speeches of very fiery nature
indeed. They declared that by TO posi-
bllty should any carpet baggers" get into
the club and that if the qualifica ions for
membership allowed this the club ought to
shut I'D shop. The young men carried the
day. They succeeded in limiting the quail
dcations for membership so that only these
sre eligible:
/. Who were born in the south.
Who lived twenty years in the south.
z Whose father or mother was a Southerner.
D. Whose wife was a southerner.
Things were then reasonably quiet until
the present outbreak After the death of
Mr.. Davis the executive committee held an
informal meeting and dispatched tele-
gram of coincidence and sympathy to Mrs.
Daris. There was a strong sentiment in
the club however, toward doing more. l.
was suggested that memorial service in
honor of Mr.. Davis be hell in Grace caurch.
Others wanted a deputaticn sent to attend
Mr. Davis funeral. A great many MEM
bers of the club insisted that the club
should at least pass formal resolutions of
regret at Mr.. Davis death, praising his
services and personal worth. The ex
ecutve committee. however, decided that
it would be ill-advised to say or do any
thing more than had already been said and
done This decision was made almost
unanimously when six or seven members
we're resent. 1t represented the sentiment
Of the whole committee.
This decision was rot promulgated,
though mem bers of the club gathered what
it was from the fact thai the executive coin
mittee suggested nothing, an told their
Individual friends that ''it was best to let
tie matter drop and not stir up any feel
ngn
Then the shot head" party got very
angry. A petition wa soon set in motion
asking that a special meeting be called TO
act on the death of jefferson Davis. This
was signed by forty-5hree members of the
society. which, under the constitution,
makes meeting necessary within ten days.
President Calhoun was absent in the south.
| The executive committee received the call,
and informed the signers that the prescribed
ten days must elapse before the meeting
could be held.
The meeting was held last Tuesday night,
and was very largely attended. Mr. st.
John was present. j. b. Parker. the semi Dr.
| vice presiden5 and president of the house
committee. presided. Assistant District
Attorney Dawson, Col. w. L. Trenholm,
and Col. 10 S. Wise, the Virginia repub-
4 lcan, made speeches. A comm ttes con-
slsting of F. c. Moorehead. Capt Fl. r. Gar
den, John r Abney, Sidney Strotner
Logan, ana others. was appointed TO draw
up resolutions. The resolutions say:
/ In cordial cympathy with all by whom he il
Geid IN reverence and affection, the New ORR
southern Society. ut its fir t meeting 81 zee the
gay that threw all the south into mourning
pings its tribute to the memory of the lat
Jefferson Davis, the man who was never afraid
70 stand alone, never yielded principle 10!
polcy, never swerved from the right cJnvic
eon, and who will be esteemed heroic as long al
faith and courage are cherished among man
kind
AS the chosen head of the southern people, hi
.eadership will command the admiration OF the
tt1tufe historian. AS a soldier, illustrating even
tsniSntiy qualities, as a statesman devotng al
r.s powers to the development OF his co-ntry
poSperlty and greatness, aud as an orator
Welding a magic influence alike on the bustlng'
enu 10 the Senate, he exhibited to the word a
eohsplcuous example of the southern gentle
.ioh nodded by the institutions peculiar 10 Tine
I;uth. He will live forever in tie affections o
Tg people as type of their ancestry. and hli
bhe Wil be an enduring monument to truth, u
0uol, ana to exalted manhood.
ha