The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-19


entire public career. and touched the
hearts of the surging crowd before him
as he spoke eloquently of the patriotic
response which California had made dur
ing the Spanish war.
A DiscOrdant Note.
When the President spoke of the con-
tentment of the working classes there was
one discordant note. A big strapping fell
low, perched upon an adjacent scaffold-
ing, with his mind full of the threatened
strike. shouted:
How about next week."
A hundred of his companions looked up
and motioned him to cease.
The President said in part:
Want Ships and a Cable.
What we want is to build more ships.
We ought to have a good commercial line
from here to the Philippines, made in tn :
Union Iron Works, built by American
Workingmen and manned by American
sailors and carrying the American f1ag.
There is nothing in this world that brings
people so close together as commerce.
There is nothing in this world that so
much promotes the universal brotherhood
of man as commerce, and we want to en-
courage commerce. The nations are close
together now. The Powers of the earth
ought to be tied together. We have over
come distance. We not only want a COM
mercial line, but we want a cable line
from here to the Philippines. We want it
to be an American cable that cannot be
cut by any other power of the world.
They say trade follows the flag. The tele-
graph must follow trade
The Problems Before Us.
MY fellow citizens, we have got prob
lens before us. We never had more i'm
portant ones. We have expanded. Do you
want to contract? (Cries of 'No) 1t is
not question of whether we will acquire
the Philippines or Porto Rico or Guam or
Wake Island. or Hawaii, or Tuituila. We
have acquired them; they are ours. The
question is shall we give them up? Gen
eral cries of 'No.D And from one end of
this country to the other comes the an
swer. They are ours, not to subjugate,
but to emancipate; not to rule in the
power of might, but to take to those dis
tant people the principles of liberty, of
freedom, of conscience and of opportunity
that are enjoyed by the people of the
United States. Our flag never goes any
where except it carries blessings. Our
flag never oppressed anybody, but it has
given freedom to every people over whom
it has floated."
The Launching of the ship.
Then came the launching. A platform
had been built around the prov of the
big iron monster, which lay in the very
slip in which the famous Oregon was
built and from which President Harrison
launched the monitor Monterey ten years
ago Gathered on the platform were the
President and members of his cabinet.
Gov. Nash of Ohio, Miss Deshler, his
niece, who was TO christen the ship; Miss
Barber, who was to act for Mrs. Mckin-
ley, and many uniformed officers of the
army and navy.
Immediately to the right was a red
coated band Below, workmen were
knocking away the last keel block until
the great steel hull rested upon her cradle
and only a single beam, set like trig-
ger and ready to fall aside at blow,
held her in place.
Miss Barber and the President stood
before the electric appliance which con-
trolled the guilotine that was to sever
the rope which would lose the weight
that was to knock out this last beam.
Miss Barber, with her finger on the but
ton was looking intently at the indicator.
AT 12221a. two and a half minutes before
the tide was at its highest, the time set
for the launching, there suddenly shot
into the face of the indicator the word
Ready"
The Exciting Moment.
Miss Barber pressed the button. The
last block fell away AT the same time
Miss Deshler, a young lady of II, in a
light gown. with her dark hair, braided
down her back in schoolgirl fashion,
LET go of the bottle of champagne
suspended at the side of the bow by a
red white and blue ribbon, and as II
creashed against the side of the ship sne
uttered the words: 81 christen thee ONO.
Released from its bonds, the heavy hull
of 14.OO0 tons of steel went pioushlns
through the thick grease of it's cradle.
slowly at first. then faster and faster
she slid down the ways taking the flood
maiestically, and pihng up the water IN
great waves before her. The band crash
ed. whistles blew, and the multitude
shouted. No ship ever given to the Amer
lean navy has taken her initial plunge into
the sea under more favorable auspices OF
I'm the presence of a more distinguished
company.
The Return to the City.
The trip back to the city was almost
a repetition of the journey to the yard
There was the same wild demonstration
from sea and shore. But on the way back
the Slocum passed in formal review De'
fore she warships The President, Witn
Secretary Long at his side, stood at the
wheelhouse during this parade. AS each
warship was passed the jackies made
blue hedge about the ship as they stood
at the rails shoulder to shoulder. The
marine guard aft presented arms and the
President got the four trumpet fourishes
and drum ruffles to which he is entitled
as comma nder-i chief of the navy
AS the Slocum sailed by the
WISCONSIN. which was nyins
the two-starred blue pennant OF rear
admiral at the peak, Admiral Casey and
his staff. like rigid statues, stood on the
bridge with their hands touching their
cans at salute. 1t was a glorious spec
tacle. and II was a poor marine whose
pulse did not beat higher at the sight
of IT, When the Slocum came alongside
her wharf the President did not wait
for the gangway TO be run out. He step
ned over the rail 10 the pier and almost
ran to the carriage, which was waiting
for him. The door slammed. and he was
off at a Rallop for the bedside OF his wife.
DrsC-RIPTION OF THE OHIO.