The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-31
THE INVITATION EXTENDED.
CHICAGO's BUSINESS MEN AND SOL
DIERs TO COME TO SAVANNAH.

sentative Meeting at the city EN-
chauae-SnVannah VIII send n
Com nlittee 10 Meet the Party in
Atlanta and TO Extend IL "a Cor
dial Invitation 20 Come TO the
the CoaSt-The First Regiment IL
Iinofs National Guard 10 BE En-
cnmped in the Parade Ground.
Mayor Myers To Appoint IA Commit
tee OF Twenty-Five on Arrange
ments.
There is little doubt now that the large
delegation Of Chicago's prominent citi-
zens with the First regiment infantry,
Illinois National Guard as an escort. will
visit Savannah next November
Cen John g. Underwood, the director
and manager of the large excursion which
VIII leave Chicago at that time, was met
at the city exchange yesterday after
noon by a large number Of savannahs
prominent citizens. and after hearing
from him they passed a resolution eX-
tending a most cordial invitation to the
citizens Of Chicago and the First regi-
ment to come to Savannah at that time,
assuring them a warm welcome and hos
pitable entertainment.
Following this action the officers OF
the various military commands Of the
city held a meeting in the mayors office
and extended an invitation 10 the First
regiment of Chicago, ana rendered it the
use Of the parade ground.
The meeting was called at o'clock.
man Myers. Col. George A. Mercer, Col.
William Garrard, Col J. Il. Estil. Capt.
John Flannery, Capt. Henry Kolshorn,
Capt Bierne Gordon. Col. Peter Reilly,
Capt J. f. Brooks, Capt. d. G. Purse,
Capt w w Williamson. Capt Thomas
Soreven Col. J. l.. Whatley, Messrs. Will
lam r. Leaken, r. q. Gaillard, w. J.
Watson, Fred NJ. Huh. =. A. Stovall.
William +. Blois, h. NJ. Conner, Jacob
Gardner, p. +. Gleason, Hugh Logan,
W j. Lindsay, W. L. Wimpy, John r.
Young w. W. Chisholm, Lee Roy Myers,
a. n Manucy, Clement Saussy, and IL.
NJ Branch
The meeting was called TO order by Col.
Garrard, who moved to organize by the
election of Mayor Myers as chairman,
which motion was unanimously carried.
Mr. j. +. Lewis was elected secretary.
after which Mayor Myers stated that
the call explained itself. and he would
leave ii to Gen. Underwood to explain
what was to be done by the citizens of
Chicago. He spoke of the contemplated
excursion. saying there was a general
desire on the part Of the citizens here
10 have IL come to Savannah, and then
introduced Gen. Underwood.
Gen. Underwood, In responding said he
was very glad to be in savannah. He
spoke of his daughter, who on one occa-
sion as a little girl selected Florida as
the state which she would represent,
because. she said, it must be a state of
flowers and then it was the farthest south
ern state, and she said she would like
to 80 there He supposed it was the
same kind of sentiment which led him
10 desire to be In Savannah.
Gen. Underwood referred to a former
visit to savannah several months ago
when he came 70 secure a car load Of
flowers to be carried to Chicago to deco
rate the confederate monument which
was dedicated there May 80, last The car
load of flowers together with the mag
nolias sent by express, he said, arriv d
there in good order and We're all used in
the decoration of the monument The
proposition for a large delegation of she
citizens of Chicago to visit the south, he
stated, grew out of the magnificent sue
cess of the dedication of this monument
The movement, he said, is both in the in
terest of the people of Chicago and the
people of the south.
Gen. Underwood told the Chicago people
that he wanted them to come am6ng the
southern people, to see them personally
and to come in contact with them. I'VE
want to show them" he said, that we
are just as frank and just as honest IS
they are" His idea was that personal
contact and acquaintance was the best
way to bring about pleasant and cordial
relations. He spoke of Irishman with
whom he once had a conversation. and
who insisted that he was not an Irishman
but southerner, because he had lived
for fifteen years in the south. and that
when man associates with the south
ern people for as long a time as that he
comes out a southerner.
Il want those people to see u.s." Gen
Underwood said, land that will aid them
and us. too, in our future relations"
Gen. Underwood told of the building Of
the confederate monument erected at
Chicago, how it was not only of Georgia
granite, but came from the state of Geor-
gia, about six miles from Atlanta, how it
was taken to Chicago and erected there as
a piece of Georgia mechanism, and how
after a long struggle, he succeeded in get
ting congress to provide for the decora-
tton of the monument with a battery Of
four canhons and 1900 shot and shells
After arranging these matters" Gen.
Underwood said, II then wanted a COM
pany of soldiers to fire a salute at the
dedication. l went to a man in Chicago,
the commander of a regiment, whom l did
not know, but whom l took to be a gentle
man, and | found he was, and l asked
him if he would give me a company of
soldiers to fire a salute on that occasion
You can have 'em, sir was the reply l
received, and perhaps a battalion l met
him later and he said to me voluntarily.
i told you you could have a company, and
perhaps a battalion to fire that salute 1
have changed my mind. You can have the
whole regiment The entire twelve COM
panies of the First regiment were trans
ported out to that cemetery and they wore
the confederate gray, of which their mag
nificent dress uniforms were made The
crowd at that cemetery was so dense that
it took an entire battalion to clear the way
for the dedication. There were 107 COO
people in the cemetery that day They
had stripped every flower and every pal
metto leaf from the decorations, not in a
spirit of malice or spite. but because they
wanted a souvenir"
Gen. Underwood spoke of the fact that
the Secretary of State was buried there
the same day but i'm spite of the fact