The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-15
WHEN THE GOVERNORS MET.
Senator Vance Describes the Interview
of the Executives OF North and South
Carolina

Senator Vance Describes the Interview
of the Executives OF North and South
Carolina.
z. B. Vance in the New York Herald.
In the olden times of our statehood, be-
fore the steam engine bullied the earth
with thunderous stroke and reduced
space to a mere matter Of time, when
whisky with sugar was five cents d
glass and all backs were turned as that
glass was filed and when q white man
was considered as good as the negro if he
behaved himself, the governor of North
Carolina took it into his head one
day to pay long promised visit to
his neighbor, the governor of South
Carolina. So he put clean shirt and a
pair of socks in his saddle bags, mounted
his horse and rode away through the pine
forests toward the south. Diligently
following his nose in this direction he
came in due time to the home of his
brother governor, where he was received
with all the honors of genuine southern
hospitality. When asked how he felt his
characteristic reply was, "Thank you,
governor, / am tired, sleepy, hungry and
sober" The host cordially assured him
that he could remedy all these.
Next day dinner was served at II
o'clock as the horn blew for the hands to
come in. After it was over the two gov
ernors retired TO the shade of the long
back porch, where cOrncob pipes, with
long twists Of home grown tobacco await
ed them
There, in the long, soft afternoon, re-
clining on easy bottom rockers, they
lolled and smoked and talked the hours
away. BetwiXt the twain, on the floor,
sat a trimming pitcher of apple toddy,
with the mellow, roasted fruit impudently
floating on the surface of the divine tip
pie. From time to time this aided and
enliYened the conversation They talked
Of the comparative eXceilences and ad-
vantages of their respective states, of the
price of cotton, of horse raising and run
away negroes; as they talked they
smoked and as they smoked they drank
They speculated on the coming glories of
the country, they pledged eternal friend
ship TO each other personally, and vowed
10 preserve all neighborly courtesies be-
tween the two Carolina states forever
and forever, amen! Now and then they
would doze in their easy chairs under the
mellow influence of their happy surround
ings, and on walking up would Indignantly
deny having been asleep and take another
drink to prove their wakefulness. And
thus things went on.
Now it happened that the governor of
South Carolina had a wife-as all good
governors should have, on the principle
of the Old maxim that he who aSpires to
govern should first learn to obey-and
her name was Betsy Jane She well
knew the failing Of her governor and she
easily guessed that the visiting governor
was tarred with the same stick Quietly
watching proceedings she at length con
Guided that these two old cocks were
about as full as they could well hold
without stopping over, and it was time to
stop. Watching her opportunity during
rather protracted dOZe, she slipped awaV
the pitcher, still half full, and inserted in
its place piggin of cool spring water with
a clear, yellow gourd hanging on the
handle. But the instincts of nature are in
fallible. Though sound asleep the governor
Of North Carolina felt that something
was wrong-a lack of spirit as it were
every nerve in him cried out against the
presence of a hostile element, and he
awoke. His perturbed soul had not dc
ceivcd him The pitcher of today was
gone. He Immediately awakened his
host, who courteously inquired, What is
the matter!' Don't you see what is the
matterN' said the guest, looking indig-
nantly at the piggin and the gourd In
deed, | see nothing wrong said the now
distressed host. "Please tell me what is
the matter, my dear governor" The
devil you say Nothing wrong, indeed /
go to sleep with pitcher of toddy before
me, / wake up and find piggiu of spring
water, and the governor of South Caro-
lima tells me in his own house that he
sees nothing wrong in that Well, well!
All 1 have to say, sir,' said
the governor of North Caro-.
lima, rising with very great but
rather unsteady dignity, lis that it is a
damned long time between drinks"
"Oh," said the governor of South Caro-
lima, as the situation flashed on him. Il
see; that's Betsy Jane. She means stop.
aad we're done for to-day. I'm sorry
can't bring that pitcher back ! humblv
beg your pardon, governor, but maybe
there's q Betsy Jane at your house and
maybe you know how IL is yourself
The offended dignity of the governor of
North Carolina dissolved slowly into a
genial smile OF intelligent comprehension.
and, solemnly working one eye, he fell
either upon the neck of his host or upon
the porch floor, tradition does not saw
"You bet old boy;
you bet"
And that's how it came about
Throughout all that southern land tradi-
tion has wickedly repeated and kept
alive the saying of the governor of North
Carolina as convenient mode Of Jogging
the memory or stimulating the tagging
hospitality of host but has failed to
embalm in human memory the righteous
prudence and wifely virtues of Betsy
Jane, the spouse of the governor Of South
Carolina.
For near on to a hundred years the
saying has been a faithful one, and
worthy of all acceptatiOn in our country
that is to say, il has been faithfully re
peated all that time and anything offered
in response thereto has been universally