The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-22

the Savannah river to the sea; then they
brought him home, and after three hours
rest and a quiet nap they made him the
chief guest at the finest banquet ever
given South of the Potomac river. 1t was
a frolic all day, and some Of the cabinet
kept it up till the end of the dinner. Post
master General Smith in his speech at
tempted to have a little fun with his col
leagues. and Secretary Long, who was
next called got back at him in a manner
that made the Savannahians roar with de-
light, even if Il was nearly an hour into
Sunday morning. Mr.. Smith until now
has been the orator and the wit of the
cabinet but the grave Yankee from Hing
ham snatched away his laurelS last night,
and dropping the manuscript he had pre-
pared for the newspapers gave an exhibit
ton of oratory, wisdom, wit, sentiment
and pathos unsurpassed, If not unequaled,
In the experience of any guest.
One hundred and seven years ago George
Washington stood upon the same spot
where William Mckinley stood yesterday
and reviewed the veterans of the CONT
mental army and the Georgia militia. Since
that time a majestic monument has been
erected in the center of the parade ground
to the memory of the Confederate dead.
Yesterday it was draped with the Stars
and Stripes The flag under which they
fought as Mayor Meldrim said last night,
has been folded away forever, and men
who fought each other in the civil war
marched in the same column to be re-
viewed by the Presdent-who was a cap
tain in the union army-and a congress-
man who wore the shoulder straps of a
lieutenant general in the Confederacy.
Gen. Keifer was in command He is as
fat a man as Gen. Shafter, and as the
ponderous pair stood side by side upon
the platform l wondered what the little
King of Spain would think If they should
fall upon him. Keller IS a union veteran.
He was a major general in the Northern
army. Gen. Gordon and Gen. Douglass,
who command brigades under him. held
similar rank in the Confederate service.
The first regiment to pass was the Sec-N
ond South Carolina Infantry, the Oldest
military organization in that state, with
many historic associations. 1t dates back
to colonial times; il fought in the revo-
luton. In the war of 1872 and against
Mexico One of its companies made that
premature attack upon Fort Sumter II
was the first regiment to be mustered in
10 the Confederate army. II was the
first regiment from outside of Virginia to
reach Richmond and stood guard al An
pomattox at the time Of the surrender.
Every officer and man in the regiment to-
day is the son of Confederate veteran
1t was the sight of a lifetime-a COM
pact mass of 1900 armed and uniformed
men. and The sun broke through the cloude
for a moment, just long enough to light
up for the benefit of the President ten
acres of bayonets, whose tips of steel
glistened like the spears of the hosts Of
Armegeddar." That's what somebody up-
on the reviewing stand remarked, and the
President smiled and assented. although
I'm not quite sure about 1t, myself At
least IL Mr.. Armegeddar had been there
he couldn't have been more pleased than
Secretary Alger, or more enthusiastic than
Mrs. Mckinley, who sat in carriage be-
side the reviewing stand with Mrs Gage
Mrs. Alger, and Mrs. Gordon of Savannah
who was the first white girl
baby born in Chicago. Her ia
Their, was John A. Kinzie, the post
trader at Fort Dearborn, and her hus-
band is w. w. Gordon, the largest cotton
dealer In this city, and one Of the largest
in the South She was the chief guest Of
the city on Chicago day at the Worlds
Fair.
Il would be easy 10 go into raptures Of
rhetoric over the review, but time and
space will not permit Of such indulgence
and you must imagine the music and the
marching in solid masses Of American cit
izcnship ana the erect ana handsome ON
GERS astride their foaming chargers that
snuffed the battle afar OF and impatently
paved the soft soil OF the parade ground
THE President said he had never seen 80
fine military spectacle and b. never ex-
peeted 10 see another Postmaster GENERAL
smith told about review Of The Russian
army which he saw while minister 20 s.
Petersburg ana others "a the stand re-