The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-04
ANSWER TO HOPE
sAvANNAHIANS REILLY TO THE
ATLANTIAN'S DIATRIBES.
HIS STATEMENTS DENIED.
IN DETAIL, ANSWER is MADE TO
HIS CHARGES.


Had Already Determined to Ans
wer-This Was to Appear To-
MOrrOw-POssibIe Orders Are An
1icipated, and the Answer APP
pears TO-day-COurt-Mar for
Hope Held Up.
The Sea Girt controversy has taken
a new turn. An Atlanta dispatch to the
Morning News says that the Governor
has undertaken TO stop the whole con-
troversy and by the issuance of mill
tary order prevent revelations as to the
conduct of Capt. George Nj. Hope, of
the Governors Horse Guard. 1t comes
too late. for the Morning News pub
fishes a letter from the Georgia team
to Capt. Hope to-day.
According to the dispatch, orders
have been issued by Adjt. Gen. Robert
son, by command of the Governor, d.
recting Capt. George NJ. Hope not to
write any more letters, nor to answer
any more cards from Maj. w. w. Will
hanson relative to the Sea Girt dis
pute. 1t is also said the court-martial
proceedings have been dropped and
that the Savannah military officials
have been directed to stop the contro-
yersy.
The exact status of the matter could
not be learned, as the officials at the
Capitol refuse to discuss it. The mat
ter is being kept very quiet but it is
understood it is the intention of the
Governor and the adjutant general to
put an end to the controversy.
The court-martial proceedings
against Capt. Hope are understood to
refer to those which it was said would
be asked for by Col. Cam, inspector
general of rifle practice of the state
troops. These had no reference to the
Sea Girt controversy, however, but If
instituted, were to have been based up
on what Savannah officers denounce
as Capt. Hopes false and malicious ac-
cusations against officers in charge of
the state shoot of 1900 which was held
an Savannah.
A meeting of the Georgia team was
held late yesterday afternoon, but at
that time no intimation of the steps
the Governor is said to have taken had
been received in Savannah. The MEM
bers of the team know nothing Off
cially of this new development Mem
bers were informed of the supposed ac-
ton of the Governor, whereupon they
anticipated the possible receipt of such
instructions, permitting the publication
of their answer to-day, instead of to-
smorrow as was intended. The answer
is as follows:
Savannah, Ga, Sept. 25. 1902. Capt.
George NJ. Hope, Troop L., First Reg
iment Cavalry, Georgia State Troops,
Atlanta, Ga: Sir-It is difficult to
deal with gentleman of honor"
whose only reply to a charge of stat
ing a falsehood is that he has no
apology to make. That is what Sam
Weller calls "a self-evident PROPOSE
ton" Still. base as it is. like adj
versity, it has its uses. Stupid as it
is, it throws light on the only ques-
ton between us. 1t discloses the dens-
1ty which incapacitates you to see
where you stand. 1t explains why you
crawled back to Sea Girt this year and
boastfully announce your purpose to
again humiliate yourself next year.
That the public may know what you
are incapable of seeing, it is necessary
to show how this controversy began.
During the visit of the Horse Guard
team to Sea Girt a few weeks ago, the
editors of the Savannah News and
Press, as well as those of other papers
in Georgia, criticised you for attending
the shoot at that place. While those
editorials expressed the views and feel
ings of this community, the editors
were alone responsible for them But
you, smarting under their rebuke, af-
fected to believe they were written or
inspired by the Savannah team, and
without pausing a moment to learn
the truth, you charged the team with
writing the editorials. Sense of Justice
and right; regard for truth, fairness to
brother soldiers We're not even green
withes on your gigantic stupidity.
The Savannah team made no assault
on you or the Horse Guard. We had
not attacked your honor" We had
not criticised the Governor. We neith-
er wrote nor inspired the editorials.
You had not the slightest cause for
quarrel with us. If your honor was
in danger, you should have called the
editors to account.
Again: You cannot comprehend that
you are on the defensive. You were
condemned by the press. Your
plain duty was to meet the
charges made by the editors: to show
you were right in returning to
Sea Girt where the military represent
ing the state of Georgia was denied
justice in 1899. This is the issue and
you lodged it; that is, if you had
judgment enough to see 1t. The Sa-
vannah team is not on trial, but you
are. Can you not understand that
a
offense you cannot defend yourself by
alleging that a third person is guilty
of another offense?
/ will try another way to make Won
understand your true position. An edi-
tor charges you with a dishonorable
act. You reply: You are not the edi-
tor. Another man wrote the article
and slandered the Governor You
think you have triumphantly met the
charge of dishonor
But, in your interview of Sept. -.
you not only failed to meet the charge.
but you make several false state
ments:
First. You say the Savannah team
wrote or dictated the editorials
Second. The Savannah team attack
ed the Governor.
Third. The Savannah team would
thus destroy the discipline and eff
cheney of the service"
The Savannah team did not write
the editorials, had no connection with
them and did not malign or in any way
criticise the Governor, and, of course,
said nothing to destroy discipline You
may by this time begin to see where
you stand or lie as one may look at
you. You, without excuse of plausible
pretext, began this controversy. You
did it by assuming as true what is
wholly false. and you followed up that
false position by charging to us mat
tiers of which we were innocent.
1t is the moral law, the civil law
and the CRIMINAL that one who accuses
another Of an offense must prove the
charge when denied You have as
sumed the responsibility and you can