“‘Mr. Chairman: I was spending with my family a season of quiet and rest amid the mountains of Georgia when we got news of this auspicious occasion. In former years I had the pleasure of serving under the great leader whose birthday we celebrate to-day, and I could not resist the temptation of being present and adding my voice to the universal acclaim, not only of Georgia, but of all Southern States. As I came in, these resolutions were presented to me to read and I was requested to make a few preliminary remarks. I really don’t know what I can say on this occasion so replete with force and eloquence, both in speech and resolutions, but my heart is impelled to say something in this magnificent presence. I feel that not only Georgia is here, but the entire South and the entire country. [Applause.] “‘I am proud to see that Atlanta has touched the high-water mark of civilization in this illustrious display. I feel proud as a Georgian, and, as the representative of Savannah, I bid her godspeed in the magnificent tide of prosperity that awaits her. We have no envious feeling upon the coast, but trust that her future may be as limitless and as beautiful as the grand ocean that expands beyond her borders, the image of infinity. “‘I say this is an occasion for patriotic emotions, and we should all unite in doing honor to the citizen who has devoted himself to the public good. Let us honor the man who plants his high purposes in his native land, who knows no South, no East, no West, no North, but is an American, heart and soul.’ [Great and continued applause and cheering.] “Then the following was read: “‘ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 28, 1895.