The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-23
GORDON DEFENDS The SOUTH
The Eloquent Young ylr6inlan Bslutts
Ey-NayOr HeSittS Charges thai
SOUTHERN STATESMEN ARE NAMING.
He SAYS They are Rs True, Pure, tprigh'
and sincere, and as Well tquippsdss
Men from the North. East. or West.

NEW YORK, Feb. 22.-What was in
tended to be a celebration tonight OF
Washington's Birthday on an elaborte
scale had been planned by the New ioiN
Southern Society. Owing TO a strange
mischance. however, many Of the guests
OF honor expected did not put in their
appearance at the annual banquet given
at Sherry's Despite these untoward CIR
cumstances the affair was a success Ihe
sneakers invited included such prominent
persons as Secretary John @. Carlisle
Speaker of the House Of representatives
Crisp. CONGRESSMAN John Allen. OF Mis-
sissippi. and Isadore Rayner, Of Mary
land Colonel George B. Mcclellan, the
popuiar son OF the Union general, was
also TO have been present, but all declined
at the last moment
At the last moment the officers OF the
club began 70 hustle for speakers TO take
the places OF the absentees. Congressman
Isador Strauss consented TO take the place
OF Mr. Rayner. and Postmaster DAYTON
Of this city, that Of Colonel Mcclellan
The other speakers were President charles
Deshon. NJ. Nerdery, and James l.. Tor
don.
Among the guests were John \. Nc
cau. John {. Calhoun. Augustus Healy'
Ellis II. Roberts. Eihu Root Hus'aV
Schwab. and Charles :. whitney.
South.rn statesmen scored.
While President Deshon was speaking
| ex-Navor Abram 5. Hewitt entered the
banquet hall. lie was asked to hl the
place of Secretary Carlisle and responded
! to the toast of "Our National credit
After prefacing his remarks with
! tribute TO Secretary Carlisle he proceeded
| 10 lay out the Southern statemen.
But the character OF Southern states
| manshp has decreased from the tlme
| before The war, and her senator's ana
| congressmen Of to-day were AZ pigmi"s
| compared with the intellectual giants OF
that time The statesmen Of to-day show
| little signs of having studied the great
! economical questions affecting the inter
/ ests of the country The silver question
| was at the very foundation OF pubic
credit? Il was due to the adoption of
currency not based on the intrinsic value
Of the coin that brought about the
silver crisis. The difference between the
true and false value OF the silver dollar
! Is called the segniOrage. The South
wanted 10 coin this seigniorage. Ihey
! might as we'll try 10 coin vacuum IL
| xas even worse than that. IL was try
! ing 10 coin a negative quantity on the
other side There is one thing the South
wants 10 learn. Ii is that public credit
cannot be- maintained until all concerned
! realize that there is no royal road 10
value and that Southern representatives,
must rise TO the heights of the men
who represented the South I'm Congress
| previous 10 the war.
"'rherc are other statesmen from the
| South who have succumbered 20 the fai-
lazy that positions I'm the Supreme Court
| Of the United States are local questions
| 10 he settled on demand OF local poliu-
! clans. IL might be supposed that the
Supreme Court bench represented the
whole United States, and that every
body had right 10 demand that 1t be
filled without regard TO politics or To-
! cality II is not football for ward
/ politcians to Kick about from one end
| OF the United States 70 the other. such
| men as Calhoun. Benton, Reeves. ana
Crawford would have resigned their high
positions in the Senate and gone home
i'm sack cloth and ashes rather than
abandon principle such as TINS TO a
man without character or worth, ana VINO
had not right TO speak for the great state
Of New York
Al this point there was quite sensa-
tion among the guests. OF this Mr.
Hewitt took not the slightest notice, but
proceeded 10 ask: "Are you less brave
now than your fathers were thirty years
ayo when they sacrificed everything they
nossessed 10 their convictions, that you
will allow your congressman ana senators
10 misrepresent both their country aho
the SOUTH .... .,, ,,.,s
The latter part Of Hewitts speech was
received in silence.
JamesL Gordon Defends the South
The gauntlet thus thrown down was
Immediately taken up by James Lyhhsay
Gordon. a young Now YORK lawyer Oh
Virginia birth. He said:
"Nyith aU due Difference 10 the opinion
of Mr.. Hewitt. I will venture 10 say that
the men who stand In Congress to-day
from The South. are "a true, pure, up
| RIGHT and sincere in their CONVICTIONS
and as well equipped both morally and
Intellectually as any man there, rom th'
North East. or West 1t Is possible, nay
even probable that the people IN th'
North may be unable 20 comprehend the
Influences that mould the sentiments ol
! the southern people. Those OF them VINO
have voted for the silver bill, have don'
so with an eye 10 the advancement OF
their constituents and the honor OF th'
country at large Nor must II be under
stood that southern statesmanship
at "A discount to-day The Treasury Il
guarded by "A southern man. The grea
navy of Uncle Sam ~ being built unde
the direction Of a southern statesman. ,
southern man is in charge Of the Interio
Department, and southern man preside
with dignity and ability over the deiiber
atiOns Of the House OF Representatives
\ southern man. great, pure, ana spot
less has been raised To the Suprem'
Court bench, and D. southern man
responsible for the new tariff hill. Thu
Is the record Of the men OF the south 20
day. They are Southrons. they are states
men. but. above all, they are American
citizens"