The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-06
PRAISE of LIBERTY BOYS.
Response to Final Toast Made b,
NJ

Response to Final Toast Made by
MIR. Alfred bearing Harden.
The concluding speech was made by
Mr.. Alfred bearing Harden, in response
to the toast, THE Liberty Boys" Mr..
Harden made one of the most telling
and effective speeches of the evening,
being listened to with close attention
from the time when he began, with
some humorous references to the sub
ject of his discourse, until his elo-
quent conclusion. He said, in part:
Yet gentlemen, would not have
you believe that the Committee of
Safety was without, its moments of re-
Taxation. History records that after a
business meeting, a number of gentle
men dind at this same Tondee's Tav-
ern. Truly, the amiable and worthy
host must have greatly deplored the
coming of war when the Cause no
longer needed stimulants. Thirteen pa
triotic toasts were drunk to the accom-
paniment of cannon and martial music.
Col. Jones states, that the cannon re-
sponded to the toasts. 1t may be that
they did; they, at least, had brazen
threats, and thirteen toasts is a goodly
number l tremble to think of the
consequence to the diners had the orig
inal number of colonies been greater
than thirteen.
II have no authentic information of
| there being other taverns in Georgia.
but no doubt there We're, for counc lis
of safety were formed in, every parish
| in the province. The disease of lib
erty is catching. Judge Barrow has
| told you how even Nancy Hart fell n
victim to the prevalent germ, through
living many mile from the nearest
| alcoholic fountain of liberty. Gov.
| Wright was personally popular, but
| he dared not focus opposition by clos
ing the saloons. That he had such a
step under contemplation, however, is
clear. for at this critical juncture the
| Council of Safety ordered his arrest,
| and all semblance of the Kings au-
| thority was at an end.
II have spared you gentlemen, a re-
cital of facts as dry as the accumula-
ton of them has been dusty. If it
seems to you that / have treated the
subject with undue levity, it is because
| the picture has appeared humorous to
me.
"The name Liberty Boys was ap-
piled to such distinguished gentlemen
and eminent patriots as the Telfairs,
Clays, Understands, Jones, Waltons,
LeConte, Mofels, and others, to such
sturdy fighters as Gems. Jackson and
| clark, as Well as to the bitter Wing
who retaliated single handed in bar
barous fashion upon his blood letting
Tory neighbor.
I'm its last analysis, the name
Liberty Boys is but a catch phrase
foisted upon all patriots indiscriminent-
ly and like Liberty itself, much folly
and crime was perpetrated in it's name
1T is well to honor the heroic figures
who freed the colonies and builded the
state, but because the friendly hand
of time has drawn a mantle of charity
over some of the deeds of the past let
us not stir up the wells of sentiment
with the shadowy rod of catch-penny
phrase.
THE true Sons of Liberty were those
earnest men who sought TO redress
wrong through lawful channels-who
never COMPOUNDED liberty with license
men whose principles were so strong
that when war could no longer be
averted, organized the colony for de-
fense-who enlisted in the Continental
Line. or at immense personal sacrifice,
followed the intrepid partison leaders
through swamp and flood, bearing the
freedom of the bleeding colony upon
their sweating shoulders, until little by
little. always in dust and blood, the
royal clutch was loosed from the throat
of Liberty.
Devotion to principle, courage and
fortitude in upholding it, are the hertz
ages which we SOILS have received from
our ancestors; it remains with Us. their
descendants. to maintain the liberty of
the republic, baptised in our fathers
h1ood {"