The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-10

repeatedly said this country must rely.
in the event of war. Here is food for
serious reflection. Are we likely 10
have a longer notice of the outbreak
of hostilities on another occasion, and
will the sentiment of the country ever
be more united in demanding war? All
can recall how the people as well a 5
the press insisted on the liberation of
Cuba, and those of us who travelled
with troops from the heart of the con-
tinent to the selected camps Of con-
centration will never forget the Wild
enthusiasm of men and women, whose
faces showed that our forward move
ment had their ardent approval and
that the men behind the guns had the
hearts OF the people behind them.
Unprepnred for War.
There is no doubt we entered upon
the war with Spain under conditions
peculiarly favorable for organizing and
training the volunteer forces, upon
which the country, whether wisely or
unwisely, has elected TO rely in the
hour of trial and yet these conditions
did not permit any bureau of the War
Department to purchase or even con-
tract for supplies so soon to be needed
by the volunteers. Each bureau had
provided only enough for the imme-
uldIe udy UeeQS Oh Ine reg uldI cSNdO
! lishment on a peace basis. The volun-
teers responded to the Presidents call
with patriotic eagerness but the de-
partment was unable to properly equip
them. There were lacking shoes, blan-
kets, canteens, tents. trained horses,
rifles, aye, and even the bullets to
shoot therefrom."
The speaker gave a glimpse Of the
| battle of San Juan Hill
/ in which said. "AC the lOny lin
struggled up the steep hill, part halt
ing here and there to fire, and then
| again rushing on, the general effect
! was that of a uniform advance. 1t re-
sembled a blue ribbon. one end lung
| out from the hand and fiuttering in a
| gentle breeze, one moment some points
! of this blue line were a little In adj
vance, only to be overtaken and passed
! by portions a moment before IN the
rear. An attache of one of the great
| Powers, speaking more to himself than
to me. said The world never saw bet
ter troops And he was right.
THE enthusiasm of battle thrills the
mind even in after days, but the bat
| tie field also leaves painful memories.
1t will not be inappropriate to mem
ton here an incident that painfully
effected me. Four soldiers Were seen
bearing a man on a litter; his face was
] CONtTtu by a DlOOQN ClOln. lie WdS mo-
! tionless, and / thought perhaps dead.
A friend was walking by his side, and
in answer to my look of inquiry said,
No, he is not dead but If he lives, he
will never see.' The bloody banda ge
covered the face of one we meet to-day
with pride and pleasure, and with con-
! CALCULATIONS that sight was not taken
from him. speak of the distinguished
superintendent of this Academy"
"The Confederate Veteran"
Gen. Alexander's topic was The Con-
federate Veteran" and he prefaced his
address with these lines:
once more the light of Jackson's
sword,
Far flashes through the gloom
There Hampton rides and there once
more
The toss of stuart's plume.
ooh life goes back through years
to-day.
And we are men once more;
And that old hill is Arlington
And there the alien shore.
And over yonder on the nights.
The hostile campfires CULVER
| And suddenly, 'twixt us and them
Flows by Potomacs river
After reciting the verses the General
continued:
THE Confederate Veteran; with
these words does there not arise in
every mind the thought of a meteoric
army which over forty years ago
sprang into existence. as it would seem,
out of space and nothingness, and af-
| ter a career of four years, unsustained
by treasury or arsenal, but unsurpassed
for brilliant fighting and lavish out
pour of blood, vanished from earth as
utterly as If it had been a phantom of
imagination?
And, now" said Gen. Alexander,
"a generation has passed away. The
smoke of civil conflict has vanished
forever from the sky, and the whole
country under the new conditions
evolved In it's four years struggle finds
itself united in developing its vast re-
sources in successful rivalry with the
greatest nations of the earth
Whose vision is now so dull that he
does not recognize the blessing it is to
himself and to his children to live in
an undivided country, who would to-
| day relegate his own state to the po-
sition it would hold in the world were
| 1t declared q sovereign, as are the
states of Central and South America
To ask these questiors is to answer
| them. And the answer is the acknowl-
edgment that 1t was best for the South
that the cause was lost. The right to
secede. the stake for which we fought
so desperately. were it now offered us
as a gift. we would reject, as we would
a proposition of suicide"
During his address Gen. Alexander
casually mentioned the name of Gen.
Longstreet. and the large audience
went wild with enthusiasm, the cheer
| iF1n la sting nearly a