The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-23
THE MORNING NEWS: TUESDAY. AUGUST %, 1898

was exhausted. no one could predict when
the contest would terminate or discern
the means by which II could much longer
be Drotracted.
II happened that on a Sunday afternoon
in February, 1915, a ship was discerned IN
the otfins, which was supposed to be a
cartel bringing home our commissioners
at Client from their unsuccessful mission.
The sun had set gloomily before any in
telligence had reached the city. Expec-
tation became painfully intense as the
hours of darkness drew on. At length a
boat reached the wharf announcing the
fact that a treaty of peace had been
signed, and was waiting for nothing but
the action of our government to become a
law. The men on whose ears these words
first fell rushed in GREATNESS haste into
the city to repeat them to their friends,
shouting as they ran through the streets,
'Peacel Peace! Peacew Every one who
heard the sound repeated 1t. From house
to house, from street to street the news
spread with electric rapidly. The whole
city was in commotion. Men bearing
lighted torches were flying to and fro,
shouting like madmen, Peace! Peacer
When the rapture had partially subsidized
one idea occupied every mind. But few
men slept that night In groups they were
gathered in the streets, and by the FIRE
side beguiling the hours of midnight by
reminding each other that the yagonies of
war was over, and that a worn out and
distracted country was about to enter
again upon its wonted career of prosper
ity.
AT the time that the news of peace was
received Samuel c. Goodrich ("Peter Par
ley'D CHANGED also to be in the city
Speaking of the joyful effect produced he
adds testimony similar to that of Presi-
dent Wayland. Il had gone in the even
9 70 q Oh he inv
Hotel. While listening to the music the
door of the concert room was thrown open
and in rushed man GREATNESS with ex-
element. He mounted a table, and swing
ing white handkerchief aloft cried out,
Peacei Peace! Peace! The music ceased
and the hall was quickly vacated. In a
few minutes thousands and tens of thou
sands OF people were marching about with
candles, lamps, torches, making the jubi-
liant street appear like a gay and gorgeous
procession. The whole night Broadway
sang its song of peace We were all Dem
ocrats, all Federalists! Old enemies
| rushed into each others arms; every
| house was in a revel; every heart seemed
melted by a joy which banished all evil
| thought and feeling. On Monday morning
I set out for Connecticut All along the
| road the people saluted US with swinging
| hats and cries of rejoicing. AT one place
| in rather a lonesome part of the road a
/
school at his heels to ask us if the news
was true. We told him it was, whereupon
| he tied his bandana handkerchief to a
broom, swung it aloft and the entire
school hosannaed, Peace! Peace!''
Nor were the effects of peace confined
merely to natural outbursts of delrious
! delight or to sentimental gushes of feeling
An increased material prosperity was at
once apparent. Instead of ships rottins
in every neck ana cove" as described by
| DR.. Wayland the different ship yards of
the city resounded from morning until
night with the blow of the hammer, as
! Keel after keel of new vessels was newly
laid; in place of our immense annual pro-
| ducts molderi4g in our warehouses" yes
| sells could not be built fast enough 10 con-
vey these products to foreign customers;
| and instead of the sources of industry
being dried up" the streets were filed
with artisans on their way to the shops
in which they piled their several voca-
| tons. In the counting houses, where a
| short time previous a few clerks yawned
over their desks. all was hustle and anima-
ton. New buildings, public and private,
sprang up in different parts of the city;
| ana the WharVes, no longer green with
mold. and tenanted solely by the water
rat, were lined with ships waiting only for
| favorable gales to bear the flag of the
United States into ports where for so long
| 1t had been unseen and almost forgotten.
l. ne CIAyt uO longer a uGSeTIe4 village,
appeared an immense hive, in which no
drones We're known. Indeed, squalor had
given place to splendor poverty to af-
fiuence, and shrewd spectators, who
knew how to take advantage of the in
creased prosperity made rapid fortunes.
1t may also be truly said of the New
York banks at this period, as well as
in 1887, 1857, and the late civil war, that
they spared no effort to keep the country
on a specie basis, and to avert the calam-
tiles which had fallen upon it from ex-
cessfve issues of paper--a disaster to which
the old adage may fifty be applied: "Facilis
| deScensuS avernip'
Almost ruined as the city had been by
the war, such were her internal resources
| that she recovered rapidly, and, as an
| example of this, it may be particularized
that the amount of revenue collected by
| the United States government rose from
ST. 1882 in 1914 to $37, 695, 625 in 1916, OF
which s16.000000 was derived from the port
of New York city alone! And, by way OF
comparison. it may also be added that In
the fiscal year ending June 3d. 1876, the
total amount of the revenue from the Gus
toms for the United States was S157 ,167, 722,
of which $109, 207, 1856 was received from the
port of New York-more than tWo-thirds
of the total amount. Wilnam L. Stone.