The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-27
GEORGIA is AT THE FRONT.
PRESIDENT. SPEAKER AND BALL
PLAYERS ENTERTAINED.


Our Favor.
Was hington. March 20 (SpeciaD.-
Georgia is the best lvertised state in
the union to-day" remarked a Southern
senator. whom I met az the war depart
ment yesterday. lie went 90 TO say that
Georgia is just now entertaining the Pres
ident Speaker Reed Mark Hanna. and a
number Of other notable Republican poll
ticians in additional to several of the
leading base ball clubs of the North, in
addition to being the central point for the
embarkation mad Decentralization of the
United States troops going and coming be
tween Cuba and Porto Rico.
Between the President and the base bah
clubs. public interest appears 20 be about
equally divided, for l find that columns
are being telegraphed North every night
giving in detail the movements of the
presidential party in Dixie Land, and in
the same papers an equal amount of
telegraphic space is devoted to the pre-
liminary practice of the various league
bali teams now in the Sunny South lin
bering up for the coming seasons cam
paign. The politicians and the sports
men all agree that the South is a very
attractive place in the early spring. and
Georgia is receiving her fun share of
the beneficial results which flow from
combination Of generous hospitality, good
business tact. and delicate blending of
business with pleasure
Atlanta and the Troops.
Notwithstanding Secretary Ayers evil
dent desire to give the citizens of Atlanta
an opportunity to entertain some of the
Homecoming troops from Cuba, there
does not seem to be much enthusiasm
on the subject among war department Of
ficials. 1t is doubtless desirable, from
business standpoint, on the part of the
good people of Atlanta, to have a number
of troops ordered to that city for several
weeks or several months. 1t is well I'M
derstood that the presence of a number
of troops in any city is exceedingly help
full to the local commercial trade. Patri-
otism, a desire to render the troops con-
venient, and all that sort of thing, per-
haps enters largely into the proposition
for the entertainment of troops, but there
is also a commercial side of the question,
which every Southern city has learned
to appreciate since the war with Spain
commenced. 1t is all right and proper
that these cities should derive some little
benefit for the service they are rendering
the government, and the representatives
of the government. Until recently the
North and the West have had monopoly
of all of the governmental good things"
passed around.
Better Than Atlanta.
However, at the war department. it is
said that Savannah and Charleston offer
better facilities for the entertainment of
the returning soldiers than Atlanta. The
volunteers now being hurried back to the
United States do not wish to be detained
in camp at Atlanta or any other military
enoampment Their earnest desire is to
return to their respective homes and be
mustered out with as little delay pos
sible Savannah offers better accommoda
tons for such troops as may
have to be detained In camp
or hospital, than most of the other
Southern cities. The troops are also bet
ter satisfied to be detained at the point
from which they will derive the greatest
amount of travel pay. According TO the
officers at the war department, who are
familiar with the subject. it is to the adj
vantage of the troops. to the extent of
many dollars each, to be mustered out at
either Savannah or Charleston. Besides,
the officials of the department do not APP
rear TO be anxious to encourage anything
that may promote further scandals in con-
nection with military encampments. Il is
their intention to hurry all the volunteers
away from Cuba and Porto Rico as fast as
possible and muster out those men who
are ready to proceed to their respective
homes.
If the present intentions of the war de-
partment officials are carried out. Savan-
nah and Charleston will be very busy for
the next few weeks in taking care of the
troops brought back from Cuba. The IA
cilities for handling large bodies of men
are better at these two points than at any
other city along the Southern coast. and
the war department proposes to take into
consideration those advantages, not only
in the interest of the government, but in
the interest of the soldiers.
One Hundred Years of Trade.
A picture of the foreign commerce of
the United States from the adoption of the
constitution TO the present time is pre-
scented in a single table. which forms n
part of the recently issued report of the
chief of the bureau of statistics. This table
shows the imports and exports and ex-
cess of imports or exports in each year
since the adoption of the constitution, and
includes both merchandise and specie The
total imports of merchandise in the. entire
period are S29, $40, 961 ,4S7 and the total ex-
ports ,952 zoe, 9S5. making the excess of
exports of merchandise $972. 241, 49S The
total imports of gold and silver are 81, $40 :
150,32O and the exports 3,400, 623, 5Sl. making
the excess of exports of specie 81, 100 473. =
PSI. Combining these. the table shows the
total imports of merchandise and specie
in the entire period as S31 1926. Ill, S07, the
exports as S4.S52 S26 500, and the excess of
exports 81 432 714,759
Commenting upon these figures the re.
ports says: The fast that the statement
gives the total exports of merchandise
since 1883 as practically a billion dollars
In excess of the imports of merchandise
and the grand total of exports two and
a half billion dollars in excess of the
imports seems susceptible of explanation.
IAN statements of value of imported
merchandise give merely the cost of the
goods abroad and do not include the sums
paid for their transportation TO the United
states, which. of course, enter into thelI
real cost to the importer and their rea
value. Statements OF value of goods i'm.
ported into the United States are, there.
fore to that extent misleading To OBJ.
tain the real value OF imports at the poin