The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-04-08
For the TELEGRAPH
SPECTACLES AND POLITICS.
KENosHA, April 9Th, 1875.


Dear Doctor II think you Go me
little injustice in your last weeks issue
in an editorial headed Southern Cor
respondencc." The intimation in that
article is that give one sided view as
to things I saw while travelling South
IN reference to the present condition of
the freedman. A part of my mission to the
South was to get at the truth of fac Is
and see them through my own eyes, not
only upon the present status of the
munumittel slave, but all other natters
that would interest Northerne r..
You quote me very corrf lctly when
you copied the following T ron my let-
ter: =" All the hue and or Y of Southern
wrongs TO the blackmarA is far political
effect. 1t is capital on which the politi-
clan is to make 70 ties for the next
presidential campaie u" This was said
in reference to he interference of
this corrupt adr ltnistration with the
affairs of louisa ma, I am not alone in
this view of thi ngs I ,conver8ed freely
with several N orthern republicans while
in New Orleans and their views did not
materially differ from my own. I will
name among. others mr.. Van Arsdals,
! formerly of Kenoshe, whose opinion I
think the editor of the TELEGRAPH
would respect. think every Intelligent
person who has seen with his own "ey es"
this neFarious interference, regard it as a
bid for the negro vote in the next presl-
Dental campaign.
have read the communication from
) Marshall, Texas, signed "P. N. q" and
in the main agree with all the author
says. 1t is a we'll written letter and
I only differ from it in this respAst that
7 so far as the freedman is concerned it
applies more to the negro plantation
districts of Louisiana than Texas. Mar
shall is situated in the extreme north
east county of Texas in Marion County
: adjoiaing the former state and the
writer must have derived most Of his
Information upon this subject from
Louisiana sources.
Now Doctor as you seem to place 80
much confidence in Your Texas corres>
pendent let ug place in juxta position
what he says in reference to the poor
down trodden' negro of Texas and what
say myself. We will let ctber's "eyes"
. Judge and see what difference there is
and whether you yourself had not better
rub your OWE "eyes" and remove if
possible the scales that are on them.
t Here is what say: among other
J members of the Legislature, we noticed
that in the Senate there was one colored
member and IN the lower house there
were six. These men were well dressed
and appeared we'll. should think there
was more Or leas white blood in all Of
them. They were sent up from the
counties bordering on the gulf and APP
peaTed entirely Of different body Of
men from those in the Louisiana or
Alabama Legislatures: Texas was not
cursed with the presence Of either army
in the late rebellion. The state has but
q few negroes compared with some of
the Southern states, and where there
are many, they are entirely of a better
class. We noticed this in Galveston,
Houston, and in all the country towns.
They seem to be well fed and clothed
in cities and villiges employed in doing
something and ia the country engaged
busily on farms. / may be mistaken,
but from appearances, L doubt very
much whether the col0red men Of Texas
are approached by the national or state
administration with view to make
bid for their votes. AS for privileges |
can see no difference between the two
races"
Such is my own description Of the
negroes Of to-day in Texas. Now look
to the description of the Marshall corr
respondent who gives no doubt correct
account of the poor white" and black
population of the sugar and cotton
plantation districts of Louisiana, but {
which DO not to any extent reach into
only small portions of Texas. The