The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-18
.Both:r Exclaimed the Governor.


Gentlemen. said the Georgia colo
mel. who had been on the right side Of
the stock market and was entertaining
a group OF listeners in the palm room
OF the Hyphen the other night, accord
ing 10 Beverages Il suppose you have
all heard what the Governor OF North
Carolina said to the Governor Of South
Carolina. Have you ever heard what
the Governor of Georgia said TO the
Governor of Virginia? No? Well, the
only difference in the two stories is
that the Governor OF Georgia was
rOck-ribbed temperance man.
You remember what a blizzard
Washington experienced the second
time Cleveland was inaugurated?
Well, the wind blew sixty miles an
hour. The snow cut the face like a
knife, and froze to the mustaehes of
the soldiers as they waited in line in
front OF the Capitol. The barrooms all
along the line made big fortunes that
day, and the doctors had their turn
the next day with pneumonia cases.
The Governors of the different states
were at the head Of their troops, with
their stats just behind them, on Cap
itol Hill, during the inauguration GER
emonies. The Governor Of Georgia had
brought, even for the South, an unus-
ually large staff with him to the in
auguration. / was on his stan at the
time, but as there were only about
forty other Georgia colonels there, L
don't suppose you remember seeing
me. Washington had never before had
the honor OF seeing so many Georgia
colonies.
There were so many of us that,
even with horses touching as we
marched abreast up Pennsylvania ave-
nue., we stretched from curb to curb
across the widest avenue in the coun-
try. AT times, however, there was
barely a corporars guard around the
Governor Of Georgia Many and varied
were our excuses for a few minutes
absence from our posts on the bleak
and bitter hillside. None of us dared
to tell our Governor openly what were
our real reasons for our somewhat fire.
quent absences, for the Governor of
Georgia was a famous temperance ora
tor. He had never been known to take
intoxicants in any form, and on all
occasions had publicly advocated the
temperance cause.
He sat straight and stiff upon his
horse in front of his troops, a dignified
and silent figure, apparently complete
ly unaware of the piercing icy blasts
that swept over Capitol Hill. We be-
gan to think him more than mortal,
for we felt as if we were rapidly
freezing to death.
Suddenly an aid from the staff of
the Governor of Virginia dashed up to
the Governor of Georgia and said, with
a salute:
Governor. I am going to get some
thing hot and strong for our Governor,
and can't / get some of it for you, too p
THE Georgia colonies were astound-
ed by such rash ignorance, and we all
settled down in our seats, prepared TO
hear a temperance lecture from our
| Governor as a rebuke for such audac-
| ity. Imagine our surprise when our
| Governor thanked the Virginia colonel
for his kind offer, and said that he
would be glad to take whatever he
could get to drink.
THE Virginia aid dashed off on his
| quest, but a Georgia aid, not to be so
| outdone. dashed off too. In a very few
minutes back came the Virginia colonel
| bearing a huge cup of hot punch. At
the same time from another direction
| the Georgia colonel rode up with even
a bigger cup of steaming liquor.
THE Governor of Virginia, who had
also ridden up, intending to offer a
! toast to the new President, called out
/ to the Governor of Georgia:
Now, Governor, which drink are
| you going to take?'
| THE temperance Governor of Geor,
gia dropped the reins, held out his
half frozen hands and said:
Governor. 1 shall drink BOTH
"And he did, draining the cups, too
while we all nearly fell off our seats
in establishment. The local instinct had
| trtumphed over principle"