The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-24

w III Tic VI lIG RlO-
posed Veteran Soldiers League, to
elect only men to office who favor
Union soldiers, but he is also kick
ing" in the papers because there is a
Music Committee for the G.. A. r. en-
campment that wants to say what
kind of songs shall or shall not be
sung and played at the encampment
He wants the Boys in Blue" to be
allowed to choose their own songs and
tunes. If not, well, some bold band
leader may strike up the rag-time
tune, "a Hot Time in the Old Town
Tonight" When CORVALLIS surren-
dered the British troops passed out
with colors furled and under orders
not to play an American tune. The
band chose an air to the words,
Since Now the Worlds Turned Up
side Down and All Things Changed in
Nature" etc, much to the astonish-
ment of dignified generals.
We shall see when Congress meets
how the new law expelling cadets at
West Point who engage in hazing is
going to work Cadet Alexander G.
Pendleton. Jr., a first class man from
Arizona, has been expelled under this
law for the mildest kind of hazing; one
where neither mind nor body was in
Jured, yet it was disrespectful to the
lower class man and therefore came
under the law. 1t is not unlikely that
an effort will be made to have the law
modified or repealed, as Congressman
heretofore have used all their power
to have dismissed Cadets restored to
the Academy. The appointment of
Bradley T. Johnson, Jr., as midship-
man at the Naval Academy, calls to
mind the expulsion of this young man
last year from the Virginia Military
Institute for hazing. Although the son
of Gen. Bradley T. Johnson &C. s. Al
the official board of the institute re-
sisted all appeals in behalf of Cadet
johnson. They were determined to
stop hazing and therefore expelled
him.
The New York Tribune claims that
the Ninth U. S. Cavalry, a negro reg
iment "has completely upset the
Southern theory that negroes would
never make good soldiers" Now, if
l knoE~-aing about the South, by
living here since 1869, l know that the
South has never had any such
theory" What the South has COM
planned VI, and very justly, too, was
the bad conduct of negro soldiers when
off duty. The gallant and heroic con-
duct of the famous Ninth Cavalry,
many of whose officers were Southern
men and some Georgians, has often been
highly commended by the newspapers
Of the South. The colored regiments
in the regular army have never been
spoken of slightingly except as to their
disgraceful conduct at times, while
off duty. l saw their misconduct at
Tampa, and Macon and Atlanta and
Augusta have had sample of it. The
negroes have made good soldiers In all
wars, and Gen. Lee and his generals
would have made Confederate soldiers
of them if the Civil War had lasted
three months longer. What the ne
gro soldier needs is self-control when
off duty. He must be an orderly, well
behaved citizen as well as a brave and
trusty soldier.
The announcement a few months ago
that the Duke of Cornwall and York
had been formally created Prince of
Wales" to succeed his father, now
King Edward VII, called to my mind
the fact that this title grew out of the
war on Wales, by King Edward l.
During this victorious campaign, in
1924, a son was born to the King, and
to appease the Welsh people whom he
had subjugated. he named the infant
the Prince of Wales" to be Englands
future King. In this country, during
the Civil War. as Col. r. E. Withers,
c. S. A, of Virginia, was departing at
the head of his regiment for active
service in the field, girl babe was
born at his home. and was named
Virginia Secessia," in honor of Vir-
ginia's secession. His brother, Gen
VIM. T. Withers, C. S. A., Of Ken
lucky, named his infant daughter
Rebel" and she bears that name to-
day, and is one of the Souths noblest
Christian workers. Gen. Barnum, u. S.
", and Gen. ("Rause") Wright, c. S.
A, named, their infant boys Malvern
HILL" after the bloody battle of that
name. Other cases might be cited to
show that King Edward 1 set an ex-
ample that became worldwide and still
exerts an influence in the naming of
infants. Sidney Herbert.