The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-23
HEWlTTSCORES THE SOUTH
Present Statesmen Pi8mieS Beside
Those Of Ante-beIIum Days.

studied the Great Economic Cues
ton Now Before the Countrywide
Speech Made at the Banquet of the
Southern Society.
-cw York, Feb 22.-What was in
tended to be a celebration tonight of
Wasbington's birthday on au elaborate
scale. had been planned by the New York
Southern Society. Owing to a strange
rniscbance, however, many of the guests
of honor expected did not put in their
anrearapce at the annual banquet
given at Sherry's. Despite these
5ntoward circumstances the affair was
success. The speakers invited included
such prominent persons as Secretary John
@. Carlisle, Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatiyes Crisp, congressman Jonn
Allen. of Mississippi and Isadore Rayner,
of MARYLAND Col George ). McClelland,
the popular son of the hero OF Antietam,
was also to have been present to have met
the son of the man whom his father van
ouisbed on that famous field, and to
whom he aftcrward extended the right
hand Of fellowship and brotherhood. All
these men accepted the invitations, and
Congressman Rayner had even sent pre-
pared speech.
ELEVENTH HOUR DECLINATIONs.
Secretary OdFllSle, WHO was 10 nave
spoken on National Credit" at the last
moment sent a telegram to the effect that
his presence was required in Washington
and il was impossible for him to attend.
Next came the news that Speaker Crisp
was unable to be present. He wrote that
when he accepted the invitation he eX-
pected the congress to adjourn over the
holiday. but as no ad ournment was had,
he could not leave Washington.
that
Congressmen Rayner and Col, McClel-
land were ill.,
Private" John Allen, of Mississippi,
apparently appreciated the position of
President Deshon of the society and
spared his nervous system by not sending
notice of his dechnation.
At the last moment the officers of the
club began to hustle for speakers to take
the places of the absentees. Congress
man Isadore Strauss consented to take
the place of Mr.. kayner, and Postmaster
Dayton, of this city, that of Col. McClel-
land. The other speakers were Pres
ident Charles Deshon, M. J. Verdery, and
James L. Gordon.
Among the guests were John A. Nc
Call, John G. Calhoun, A Augustus
Heally, Ellis H. Roberts, Elihue Root,
Gustave Schwab, and Charles S. Whit
ney.
HEWITT ATTACKS OUR STATESMEN,
While President Deshon was speaking
ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewitt entered the
banqueting hall. He was asked to fill
the place of Secretary Carlisle and re-
sponded to the toast of "Our National
credit" After prefacing his re-
marks with a tribute to Secretary
Carlisle, he proceeded to lay out
the southern statesmen. But the
character Of southern craftsmanship has
decreased from the time before the war
and her senators and congressman of to-
day were as pigmies compared with the
intellectual giants of that time. The
statesmen of to-day show little signs Of
having studied the great economic ques-
ton affecting the interests of the coun-
try, The silver question was at the very
foundation OF public credit. 1t was due
10 the adoption OF currency not based
upon the intrinsic value of the coin that
= brought about the silver crisis.
THE sEIGNIoRAGE.
The difference between the true and
1a-se value of the silver dollar is called
the seigniOrage The south wanted to
com this seigniorage. They might as
We'll try TO coin vacuum. 1t was even
worse than that. 1t was trying to coin a
negative quantity on the other side
There is one thing the south wants to
learn, IT. Is that public credit cannot be
maintained until all concerned realize
mat there is no royal road to value and
that southern representatives must rise
TO the nights of the men who repre-
sehIed the south in congress previous to
the war
THE SUPREME COURT.
There are other statesmen from the
south who have succumbed to the fallacy
that positions in the supreme court of the
Ohlted States are local questions to be
setJled on demand Of local politicians. 1t
might be supposed that thesupreme court
8ench represented the whole United
states and that everybody had a right to
uemand that it be filed without regard
70 politics or locality. 1t is not
loot ball for ward politicians to kick about
from one end of the United States TO the
oIher. Such men as Calhoun, Benton,
reeves and Crawford would have resigned
lhelr high positions in the Senate and
gone home in sack cloth and ashes rather
than abandon principle such as this to
man without character or worth, and who
udu no right to speak for the great state
OF New York" "
Al this point there was quite a sensa-
ZION among the guests of this Mr. Hewitt
LOOK not the slightest notice, but proceed
eu TO ask, are you less brave now than
your fathers were thirty years ago when
tney sacrificed everything they possessed
~ Ilelf convictions, that you will allow
Sour congressman and senators to misrep-
resent both their country and the south 2"
PRAISE FOR THE WILSON BILL.
Proceeding, Mr.. Hewitt went on to
praise the Wilson bill, particularly the
PROVISIONS which place iron and coal on
tHe me Iree list. But it was in dealing with
Ihe tariff question, he said, that southern
representatives had displayed a lack
vi intelligence away below the standard
~ the men who preceded
yuem. 1t was hard 10 explain this, he
SAID. After the war many southern men
came north. Those who remained be-
ulhd that had brains devoted themselves
10 business with a view eff regaining
vuelr shattered fortunes. Possibly the
tics
The course of the representatives in
congress from the south, IL is not believed,
Is explained simply by devotion to the
section or locality. 1t was the result Of
Eross ignorance. The present stagnant
condition of trade was brought about by
vue silver bill, and the south in
soma phalanX voted for that bill, thus
making themselves responsible for this
Sldgnatlon, and demonstrate that there
was no greater enemy Of public interests
IMAM the fool who stepped ia where angels
feared 10 tread The conclusion Of MIR.
HeWett speech was received in silence.
THE GAUNTLET TAKEN UP.