The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-11

Il
ehe resolution so that while thanking the
PRESIDENT and acknowledging his action
| ds graceful one, 1t will declare that the
care OF its dead is a duty OF the South
Weather Is Ideal
Ideal weather conditions favor the vet
Grams of the gray and their thousands
OF trends who are crowdng this hospit-
| abe Southern city brilliant sun is
tempered by cool breeze from the ocean,
ana far skies hold no presage of rain 10
mar The interesting programme of amuse-
ments
conservative estimate places the num-
Der OF visitors at between 5000 and 10000
| The attendance from the South at large
is not so general as in former years, but
! the South Carolinians and veterans from
| adjacent states make up the deficiency,
While Southern enthusiasm is a top flood.
Everywhere the blare of bands and the
strains of The Bonnie Blue Flag" min
gled with Dixie" and other popular airs
dear to the Southland, while cheering
crowds greet every repetition of the tunes.
| The best of order prevails, and over all
is the air of genial sociablity, which
marks the annual gatherings of the asso-
citation.
Greeting to Gen. Gordon.
The business session of the reunion was
1. Walker, commanding the South Caro-
lima division, in the handsome Auditorium
| erected for the occasion by the city of
| Charleston. Its enormous floor space was
crowded and thousands were unable to
gain admittance TO the building.
When Gen. John B. Gordon, the COM
mander-in-chief. appeared upon the stage
he was greeted with thunders of applause.
| The band struck up Dixie and the veter-
ans cheered and phearad aPain
| In calling the assemblage to order Gen.
| Walker spoke of Charleston's invitation
! to the veterans to meet at the birthplace
| of secession, and said that the gavel he
/ was using was that which in 1860, had
| been used to call to order the secession
convention. The chairs used by the Off
GERS to-day and the table of the presiding
| officer were the same as used on that men,
| orable occasion.
DR.. j. William Jones. the chaplain gen
eral, then invoked the divine blessing upon
| the convention He asked il of "the God OF
our common country" and prayed that all
Confederates may be true to the principles
of constitutional freedom, for which our
fathers fought" and that "these principles
might be handed down to our children and
| children's children" He invoked the divine
blessings upon the President of the Unit
ed States and all in authority.
Events of the Session.
| Speaker Gary of the House of Represen-
tatives of South Carolina, presented the
resolutions adopted by the general assem-
| bly, in regard to the holding of the reunion
| in this state,
| Gen. Walker then introduced Lieut. Gov.
| McSweeny, whose mention of Wheeler was
| applauded and of Hampton cheered.
Mayor Smyth of Charleston extended to
| the visitors a welcome
Cen Gordon was then escorted to the
front of the stage and his appearance was
the signal for storm of applause Cheers
and shrill yells for the commandments
mingled with the crash of the band and
hats, handkerchiefs and flags were waved
frantically. When order was finally se-
cured the old Confederate chieftain was
presented by Gen. Walker and delivered
an eloquent address. He spoke with all
the vigor, eloquence and grace which have
won for him a national reputation as an
| orator.
Gen. GOrdOn's Speech.
Gen. Gordon said:
Governor, Gentlemen of the Commit
tee, My Fellow Countrymen of South
Carolina; The food of emotions whicn
stirs the sensibilities of these Veterans
to-day is their loving answer to your gra-
| cious greeting These emotions will speak
to you in language far more impressive
and eloquent than any words that l could
utter. The ringing shouts from these
thousands of Confederate throats are YER
liable echoes of the inspiring resolutions
of welcome unanimously adopted by your
general assembly. While those resolu-
tions have cheered and thrilled every
Southern soldiers heart they Were not
needed to tell us of the reception that
awaited us in South Carolina. Her whole
history and that of her commercial capital
were the promise and guarantee of this
magnificent reality. For more than 200
years, made memorable by heroic strug-
giles in war and brilliant achievements in
peace the names of South Carolina and
of Charleston have been the synonyms
of hospitality, of chivalry and of valor
what else could be expected of peo-
pie in whose veins are commingled the
blood of the proud English Cavaliersy
the blood OF those devoted and resolute
men, who protested against the immor-
alities and grinding exactions of the
Stuarts; the blood of the stalwart Dis
senters and of the heroic Highlanders
of Scotland and of the sturdy democratic
Presbyterians of Ireland; the blood of
those defenders of freedom who came to
your shores from the mountain battle
ments of Switzerland and lastly, but no
less pure and sacred, the blood Of the
high-soued Huguenots of France, whose
martyrs by a glorious fidelity, even unto
death, have made sweeter and richer the
record of human devotion to conscience
and liberty.
NO Resolutions Needed.
mo resolutions, 1 repeat, by which this
great commonwealth extends its loving
welcome" were needed to assure these
remnants of the South's immortal armies
that the freedom of ihe state" was
theirs, and that every heart within her
borders was a soldiers shrine We had
but TO remember that South Carolina was
the nursery of heroes. as wen as of
statesmen and of pauiots-that no one
slate, except that she be endowed with
an almost boundess affluence. of great
ness could in one century nave given to
the cause OF liberty and the republic such
a splendid galaxy as South Carolina pre-
sents in her Rutledge, her Sumter. her
Noultrle, her Middleton, and her Marion.
In her Butler her Plnckney, and her
Pickens; in her McDufie. and her Cal
houn; in her Hamilton, her Hayne and
her beloved Hampton.