The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-18

so. He accompanied his apology with
| one of his stories, and his audience
appreciated the qualities and the forces
that had conspired to render him such
a prominent figure in Virginia politics.
! The speech of the Ex-Governor was,
| in part, as follows:
Mr.. President, you and your people
have, indeed, a goodly heritage-the
| lines have fallen to you and them in
! pleasant places. You have everything
| to make you proud. happy. and con-
| tented. Progress is written upon the
very face of your land. You have
! grown in strength and power in the
last quarter of a century to such an
extent as almost to arouse wonder
ment. A glance at the statistics of
| your state will strike the dullest OBJ
| server with the mighty strides you
! have taken in the things that go to
make state rich and people strong
and influential in the avenues of COM
merce and marts of trade.
You have been no laggards in the
march of progress, but, with hearts of
i steel and nerves of iron, you have
| pushed onward and upward, with firm
| tread and quick step, hating at no
| barrier, hesitating at no obstacle. You
have taken advantage of your God
| given opportunities and made the best
| bread; you have frittered away no
time in bemoaning the loss you sus-
tanned when the plowshare of war fur
| rowed deep your soil; the flaming torch
| left ashes and ruins in its wake, and
the heavens were -lurid from tongues
of fire. You have risen with the morn,
labored all the day, and, if necessary,
into the vigils of the night. You have
won your way to the hight you have
| attained; not a leaf would pluck from
Georgias wreath. Every Southern sis
! ter of Georgia rejoices in the triumph
of her unconquerable will and untir
ing energy, and does her homage. Vir-
ginia brings garlands to lay at her feet
l would be glad, if 1 could, to send
forth from my lips upon wings that
would carry it everywhere, a summary
of the advancement of your state in
the small span of less than a genera
| ton of men.
And now last, though by no means
least, l mention the banking institu-
lions of Virginia. For them l claim
absolute stability, solidity, and sound
ness. Their management has been
marked with ability. Among their
presidents, cashiers and directors are
many men of superior mould; the
heads of some are white with the frosts
of many winters, but they are still
| vigorous in mind and energetic in
! action; others are young--time has
made no wrinkles in their brows-but,
| though young, they are fast gathering
| laurels and taking their places among
the sages of finance. Our banking in
situations have tided our people over
many rough places and carried them
! safely over many dangerous seas. They
have succored the weak and worthy in
days of depression; they. have support
ed the unfortunate in days of darkness
| and saved them from the pitfalls of
ruin and bankruptcy. During the try
ing times of a few years ago, when
strong financial institutions were
crumbling and falling in every land,
the banks of Virginia stood
as firm as the everlasting hills.
So far as I remember no Vir-
ginia bank closed its doors, oppressed
its debtors. or wronged it's depositors
or stockholders. They held up the
! hands not only of those found in the
j busy throng of trade, but the hands of
the farmer, when crops were poor and
prices were low. and fertilizer bills
were due, and obligations were press
! Ing. No Virginia bank took advan-
tage of its opportunity to swell it's cof-
| fers by grinding the people; no Vir-
ginia bank prostituted it's franchise to
base purposes, or, like Shylock, de-
manded the last pound of flesh as 1t
was writ in the bond.
| Now, / yield to none in my deVo-
| ton to the glories of Virginia's remote
| and recent past, but 1 have no pa
thence with the Virginian who is con-
| stantly harping upon what his state
has been. what she has produced, and
! what she has done, and who lends her
no aid in her effort to advance and
grow. Neither can l sympathize with
the disposition of some to fan dying
embers of sectional strife. They are
| antiquarians, fossils. drones and bar
rem fig trees. They are discontinued
spirits, discordant elements: they are
dead men so far as their state is con-
cerned, and for the public veal it would
| be better If they were among monks
in monasteries or owls in caverns."
The speaker. did not endorse the
branch banking bill. On the contrary,
he condemned it, believing that II
would not operate to the good of the
rural banks. 1t would mean the CEN
tralization of capital and power to a
much greater extent than now, MAX
ing the great cities the centers of the
wealth and endangering the whole
banking fabric of the country. Finan-
cial stringency in New York would be
followed at once and to even a greater
extent than now by stringency
throughout the country, for an effect
would at once be exerted upon all the
branch banks. 1t was plain to be seen
that his references to the branch bank
ing bill met with the approval of the
majority of his hearers, for his views
were frequently applauded.