The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-16
COL. MELDRlM DENIES IT.
NEVER SAID RE WOULD DIsAP-
PROVE HORSE GUARDS APP
PLICATION.

pudiates Alleged Statements of His
Intention, in the Matter of the At
Iantn Rifle Team, Made in the
JournaI-His Practice Is to APP
prove Recommendations of Conn
pany and Squadron Commanders,
Unless There Is Grave Reason 10
Do otherwise-He viii Act in This
Case When Question Is Presented
and Not Before.
The attention of Col. P. W. Meldrim,
comma nding the First Regiment Of Cav
airy. Georgia State Troops. was called
yesterday to an article in the atlanta
Journal. in which il was stated that he
had announced in advance that he would
not approve any application made by the
Governors Horse Guard to send a rifle
or carbine team to Sea Grit.
Col. Meldrim had not seen the article
and he was naturally indignant In the
matter Of facts it is about on a par with
the other articles that have recently APP
peared in the Journal with reference to
Atantas sending a rife team to Sea Cir
this year and the protest that the Georgia
Col Meldrim said he mad never said " hat
he would do should such an application
for permission TO leave the state come to
him from the Governors Horse Guard,
nor had he ventured an opinion as 10
what course Gov. Gambler would fol- DIV
should the application be disapproved
The Journal article is as follows:
Iii, he
handing officer Of the First Cavalry Reg
iment of the state. The Governors Horse
Guard is a part of that regiment, and as
such is of course under The direct COM
mand of Col Meldrim, Savannahian.
1T has been stated here on good au-
thority-in fact, stated so that the Gov
ernors Horse Guard was practically ask
ed 10 accept it as the official expression of
Col Meldrim-that the commanding officer
would not approve an application for a
rifle team from Atlanta to compete at
Sea Girt. His approval is necessary be-
fore the team could leave the state.
Further, il has been stated, the words
being attributed directly to Col. Meldrim,
that he has said that if he did not APP
prove the plan to send a team Gov. Can
der would not do SO This is what GER
tain members of the Horse Guard are
going to find out for themselves. They
believe that Cow Gambler would overrue
Col Meldrim in this matter, and if, after
the application is made it is refused, the
matter will be taken at once to the state
capitol.
Those marksmen in Savannah who for
merly competed for the Sea Girt prizes
are all close to Colonel Meldrim, and in
that way have brought strong pressure to
bear on him to refuse to sanction any
plan of Atlanta men to so to Sea Grit
Members of the Governors Horse Guarc
are close to the chief executive of the
stete and equally strong pressure as be-
ing brought to bear on him.
Should the governor of the state over
rule a commanding colonefs order il
would so affect that officers standing
that he might be forced TO resign. And
since the unsportsmAnlike behavior of
Savannahians in this matter there is a
certain element in the Horse Guard which
would be nothing loath to salute a new
! colonel"
Col. Meldrim had not seen the article
| before it was handed him by a Morning
News reporter. When asked to say what
| h. thought of it, he answered:
Il have never said what course I should
| follow in case the Governors Horse
Guard applied to me for authority to send
a team of r1emen without the state Tn
der the regulations governing the state
tTDOpS SuCH an dpDlltdtlOu SilOulb dtu
probably would be made through regular
military channels reaching me as the
commanding officer of the regiment, after
it had been approved or disapproved by
the troop and squadron commanders
Il have made it a rule, since 1 have been
in comamnd of the regiment, to allow the
largest possible liberty to the integral
parts of its organizat lion and not 30 with
hold my approval from any request unless
Il Il,
by the good of the service. Unnecessary
interference with the plans of troop and
squadron commanders | have found 10 be
extremely prejudicial.
For this reason. unless a strong case
against granting request approved by
the captain commanding the troop and
the major commanding the squadron were
made, l should very likely approve
it. l have not said, nor do I say now,
what 1 shall do in this particular case, but
I shall not recede from my general rule
and the emergency thar would cause me
TO disapprove a recommenda ton, reaching
me through military channels, with fav-
orable endorsements. must be urgent. In
these matters il is question of what
Is best for the interests of The regiment
and the service and not of individual opin-
ion of the proprieties.
Il cannot imagine. however" continued
BILE for the article shown me. The Gov
ernor's Horse Guard has been, and is one,
of my pet troops and my relations with its
officers and men have always been of the
pleasantest and most cordial description.
l cannot believe that the inspiration for
these unwarranted statements can have
been furnished by its members
THE article must have been written or
inspired by some one not in touch or &C
cord with the state troops, whose manifest
purpose is to create dissanson and destroy
efficiency. The malice of the statements and
the ignorance of facts they display seem
TO be about on par. Possibly" said the
Colonel, with a ray Of Inspiration. "the ap,
pearance of this article is due to the fact
that the Journal has recently experienced
a change Of management and may at the
same time have eXprincd a change Of
heart. You know, the journal was
bought by a syndicate of Northern men,"
No said Col. Moldrm, ''if an applica-
ton for permission to send team 10 Sea
Grit comes TO me from the Governors
Horse Guard I shall act upon it then. in
accordance with my best discretion and
in accordance with the facts as they ere
known TO me. In the meantime no one is
authorized to say what l shall or shall not
do"
EXPLODING GASOLINE DID 1T.
Started n Lively Fire In n MOntgom-
cry Street House.