The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-27
NAVAL VETERANS MESS
HELD THEIR 10TH lNNUIL RE-
UNION At S1YIN ROCK.

business Meeting Was Followed by Dim
ner-Splendid Speeches by tho Guests
of Hon0r-Admiral stanton Praises
Naval Militia Admiral
Osborn and Congressman Sperry Were
Other Speakers
The Gideon Welles Naval Veteran as
ISOLATION held their sixteenth annual
reunion at the Sea View hotel at Savin
ROCK yesterday. The lowering weather
or the morning prevented the attend
ance from being as large as it other
wise would have been but by the time
the gathering was ready to sit down
to dinner the attendance was all that
could be desired. Covers We're laid for
one hundred, but only seventy-five en-
joyed the spread.
The business meeting opened at 11:30
in the hotel parlors. Henry w. Jac-
quet presided as president and fl. Il.
McCollum acted as secretary. Besides
those of the local organization about
thirty members from other parts Of the
state were present, The following new
members were mustered in: Lewis Will
liams of New Haven and Robert Terrill
OF Bridgeport.
Delegates We're chosen to the Naval
Veterans convention at Philadelphia
from September to g. 1899, as fol-
lows: Theodore M. Burton, Thompson
vile; Charles Thompson, Meriden; Dan
iel f. M. Mckay, Mansfield, O.; and
John J. Butler Of West Haven. The fol-
lowing alternates We're chosen: Captain
J. w. Blaisdale of New Haven, William
Jones of Cleveland, O., Thomas Macer
of Saybrook and Philip Higgins of New
Haven.
At 1880 dinner was announced. The
guests of honor, Rear Admiral Stanton,
New York; Colonel A. G.. Hendrick,
Hon. N. D. Sperry and ex-Admiral
Welles, New Haven, and Rear Admiral
Osborn of New York, occupied seats
near the POSTMASTER, n. e. Jacobs, at
the head of the table. Grace was pro-
nounced by the Rev. Mr.. Leete of
Dwight Place church. The dinner con-
sisted of a number of courses and was
done full justice by the diners Before
its close. the weather having come out
bright and clear, a number of other
veterans arrived at the hotel and were
present in time to hear the speakers.
These abbreviated their remarks con-
siderably on account of the heat, con-
sidering, as they said, the feeling of
the diners, that they would enjoy the
music of the band and the cool sea
breeze much more than their remarks.
Rear Admiral Stanton especially was
very brief in his remarks. He reviewed
quickly the part taken by the navy in
the late war and the difference between
it and that of the civil war. while
they did not get into the fighting in
quite the same manner in this war as
they did during the civil war" he con-
tinued, IT believe their fighting was
every bit as valorous And now that
the war is practically over and we the
conquerors, it is our duty never more
to be unprepared to meet any like sit
uation which may arise in the future.
One of the ways in which this can be |
assured is for us-the naval veterans
to see that the men entering the navy
now are of the same quality in every
way as they used to be. 1t is our duty
to see that good men constitute the
navy for with good men manning her
ships the United States will never have
superior among the nations of the
world"
Il was very glad" said the speaker
'to see the part 80 promptly taken by
Connecticut in the late war. I refer es-
pecially to the Naval Reserves. These
young men were prompt to offer their
services and most valuable services
they were. Well trained all of them
every man a gentleman, most valuable
were their servces,I repeat. On one of
the ships, especially, I remeber one of
the sailors was a militiaman and it
was but a short time before he attract
ed the attention of the officers. There
fore I would urge most strongly that
the naval veterans see to it that such
men as these constitute our new navy"
Past Rear Admiral Osborn spoke
chiefly of the sailors and the injustice
done many of them He asserted that
the sailor has always been undervalued
and poorly treated ''The sailor is the
ward of the nation" he said, "but as
such I've has been allowed to go to dam
nation on account of the Christian cti-
zens of the country not doing their
duty On coming ashore from his ship
he is met by sharks, who rob and fleece
Kim, This would not be If Christians
did their duty You may talk about
your tracts and socties, but I'd like TO
ask you What have they done for the
sailor Nothing. and to the shame of
the republic be it said.
"In New York though we have sown
the seed Of redemption for the sailor ,
and it is now bearing fruit. We hold
the naval heroes of '9S to have just as .
much right to honor as we old fellows
Of '65; and we don't propose to sec them :
go to the dogs. Our days upon this !
earth are getting numbered, but before
we so we want to know that our places
1re going to be taken by these young
heroes, that our graves are to be decor :
sted, that the Naval Veterans organi-
zation will always be-"
Congressman Sperry spoke in part as
follows: Ladies' and gentlemen-Its| |
always a pleasure to speak at an occa-
sion like this but it's always been a
sorrow to me that I couldn't call my
self one of you. AS American sailors
is well as American citizens during the {
asst year and a half We have excelled {
1, r foil know Z