The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-04
CAUSES OF THE LATE WAR.
PRIZE MEDAL AWARDED LAST
NIGHT TO GORDON w. HAINEs.

Committee Considered His Essay the
Best of Those Submitted by Four
teen Competitors in the High
SchOOI-The Daughters of the Con-
federacy to Continue This Work
and Present n More Elaborate Pro-
Eramme Another Year-EuIOgies of
President Davis by Messrs. w. G..
Charlton and $. Ii. Adams.
The gold medal presented by the Daugh-
ter's Of the Confederacy for the best es-
say from a scholar of the High School
on the subject THE Causes Of the Late
War" was awarded last night at the
Guards Hall by Mr.. Walter G. Charlton
to Master Gordon w. Haines, son of ex-
postmaster Geo. 8. Haines, his essay hav-
ing been regarded by the committee as the
best of the fourteen that were submitted
by as many competitors.
Quite an audience gathered in the hall,
the exercises being the only ones held
here during the day relating TO the birth
day OF President jefferson Davis of the
Confederate States. Seated on the plat
form were Mayor p. w. Meldrim, Messrs
S. B. Adams and w. G. Charlton of the
committee, and Supt. Otis Ashmore of
the public schools. Judge T. NJ. Nor
wood, the other member of the committee,
was unable to be present.
The exercises opened with the address
of Mr.. Walter G. Charlton, who had been
selected to award the prize. Mr.. Charl-
ton said 1T had been the intention of the
ladies of this society to secure the pres
ence of a distinguished orator for the &C.
casion, but they had been unable to do So
He could not let the occasion pass, he
said, without reiterating somewhat his
own profound convictions on the subject
1t was a noble idea on the part of this
particular society, he said, to present this
particular text for an essay. Many of
the old people even were forgetting the
events of the late war. For the youth of
the South he considered there was no bet
ter study than of the ideas, reason and
sentiments of their ancestors in that mem
orable struggle.
Mr.. Charlton said there had never been
any doubt in his mind as to the consti-
tutional right of the South to secede. Bat
tie was justly given and the struggle was
hard fought If there ever was a time
those events it is now. 1t is right, he said
that there should be fraternity; it is right
that there should be troops in Florida, and
it is right that there should be troops at
Griffin and at Chickamauga. But the peo-
pie of the South should ever keep in mind
those principles for which their ancestors
fought. Otherwise they would lose their
dignity and cast reproach upon their an
cestors.
After an eulogy on President Davis Mr.
Charlton stated that the committee had
labored hard and faithfully to arrive at a
conclusion as to the winner of the prize.
All of the essays presented We're most ex-
cellent, he said. and the other thirteen
competitors should not be disappointed
In a very appropriate little speech, he then
awarded the medal to Master Gordon w
Haines.
MIR. S. B. Adams said that he had been
selected as a member of the committee to
read the essay. Before reading It, however
he spoke too, of the effort which the COM
mittee had to undertake in deciding out
of fourteen excellent essays which was the
best one. He eulogized President Davis.
and said that Southerners should be the
last people to erticise him.
Next year Mr.. Adams said the ladies
would have a more elaborate programme
of exercises. This year they had been dis
appointed somewhat in their plans, but
they proposed to continue this work and
IN the future make the occasion a memoir
able one.
In the essay which Mr.. Adams read,
Master Haines dealt first with the Hart
ford convention at which the New England
states discussed the matter of secession on
account of the war with England then in
progress. Yet the New England states were
the first 10 deny the constitutional right
of the Southern states to do the very thing
they claimed they had the right to do He
dealt, also, with the tariff question, ami
the slavery question, and showed how the
causes OF dispute grew out of these.
The reading of the essay concluded the
exercises. Back of the platform was hung
portrait of President Davis, and around
it were Confederate flags and red and
white bunting. A Confederate battle flag
also hung at the side Of the hall. Many OF
the Confederate veterans We're in attend
ance and greatly enjoyed the evening.
Master Haines. the winner of the prize is
in the First grade of the High School and
is but fifteen years old His essay went
into the practical points and he dealt with
the subject in thorough manner