Evening star., 1897-02-19
REVOLUTION OF THIRTY YEARS.
Secretary Herbert Speaks Of the 1897
blockade Of Charleston.

| THIRTY AXIS.
] Secretary Herbert Speaks of the 1897
! Blockade Of Charleston.
| Mr.. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy, the
officers of the fee: and other visitors were
| guests at the 18th anniversary banquet of
| the Charleston chamber of commerce. at
| Charleston, s c., last night. Secretary
| Herbert was the principal speaker
Secretary Herbert opened with touching
| tribute to the state, saying:
Il thank you and the chamber of COM
merce for this welcome to my native state.
| 1t is now many years ago since my father
took me. then small boy, with him to
another southern state and there made his
home. There my home is now, and l do
not mean to imply by anything l shall say
that the home of my adoption has any
second place in my affections. but l have
never ceased to remember with fond affec
tion the house where l was bora, the grand
old oaks that stood about it, the fields and
streams where l hunted and fished, the old
school house on the hill and the dear COM
parionS Of my youth.
South Carolina is not great in the ex-
tent Of her territory in the number of
her people. or in the variety of her natural
resources, nor is she yet leader among
her sister states in manufacturing, though
in this regard she is fast forging to the
front, but her pride is, has always been,
and as l trust, ever will be, her men and
women.
Il am proud my fellow citizens of South
Carolina. to call to mind that / am by birth
a Carolinian, but l more gratifed still
to be reminded by the toast which you have
proposed, and to which l respond of the
broader fact that you and / Americans,
feiloW-countrymen of all those who live
under the flag that is carried by Our coun-
try's navy
Al of here this evening, wherever
we may have stood during the civil war
love to recall the deeds done around
Charleston in the brave days from 1861 to
W hhs shar hXrf faJn lie ra1a
Il have no time to partcuariZe, but
there was one exploit here that deserves to
take its place among the classics. Victor
Hugo eXtolS beyond comparison the con-
temptuous answer given by the French
officer to the English Gen. Pic ton when he
rode up and asked the surrender of
hollow square of the Old Guard that
melting away under deadly fire from all
sides. And writers never tire of telling us
Of the discipline and devotion of the Ro
man soldier illustrated by the remains
of centurion dug out from the ruins of
Herculaneum. where, standing erect At his
post. he had been overwhelmed by the
lava: but beyond and above these seem 10
me TO stand the heroism of Lieut.. Dixon
and Capt. Carlton and the five men who
with little torpedo boat, sank the Housa-
tonic in these waters. Five times this boat
had sunk before she could be brought to
bear upon an enemy. Each time all her
crew. except one at one time and three at
another, had perished beneath the water:
hut there were always volunteers to man
lHe Htlle craft. ne SlXtn crew was
cessful. They sank the Housatonic but for
the sixth time the torpedo boat went down
with her crew. When, after the war. the
wrecks We're being removed. the little boat
was discovered on the bottom about ,.un-
dred yards from the Housatonic. Every
man was at his post. If there be anything
to SUrpaSS this l know not where to find it
in the literature of past ages, but it has its
parallel in the sinking of the confederate
ship Albemarle by Lieut.. Gushing in the
waters of North Carolina, in 1861 and his
miraculous escape.
The Revolution of Thirty Years.
What is it, Mr.. Chairman, that has
wrought the revolution that has taken
place between February, 1865. and Febru-
ary, 1897? How happens it that the fleet
that bloekades Charleston harbor in 1897
is sent here by a Secretary who is an ex-
confederate soldier? And how does it hap
per that the people of the north and the
south are better friends and that the pros
poets of a perpetual union are more as
sured today than at any time from the
foundation of our government down to
1860? These results are phenomenal in his
tory, but the causes are not far to seek
The change has grown out of the nature
and character of the issues that were at
stake in the civil war and out of the broad
mindedness of the American people On
both sides we were fighting for the Con-
stitution of the fathers as we understood
1t. The issue that was left unsettled by the
founders was, how much power did the
Federal Constitution give to the general
government. and how much did it leave
with the states?
This issue had narrowed itself down to
the right of secession. and the question of
secession was settled forever by the war,
just this arDiter in the last resort has
settled every boundary line between the
nations OF Europe. Slavery, an incidental
issue, was also decided. With secession
and slavery both out of the way, there was
nothing left to divide the north from the
south but passion and prejudice. These dis
appeared when the smoke of battle had
lifted and the victors took a survey of the
field. The blood that had been poured out
on both sides like water had not been shed
in vain. Mutual respect and admiration
took the place of the hatred and ignorance
that had inspired the combat
Secretary Herbert concluded with a trib-
ute to the bravery of the officers of the new
navy and the gallant service of the officers
of the old II am proud to respond to this
toast tonight as the representative of these
officers, and of young Gherardi and his
brother officers, who have never smelled the
smoke Of battle, and of Creelman and his
sailor companions. for these, and those for
whom they stand, constitute our countrys
navy, which is ready today, in the past,
to do and dare for the integrity and honor
of the country"