Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-04-13
Hemprratit Northwest.
A Voice From the Summer Land.

tributes the following from fontotoc,
ASH write. am sitting by an open
window, this beautiful March morning,
without my coat, listening to the glad
caroliug of the countless wild birds. a
mocking bird sits in a bay tree within
twenty feet of me. grand old plagarist,
singing a medley composed of every song
of the forest. The air is flooded with in
cense from the low hyacinth beds, ming
ling perfumes with the rose and honey
suckie that twine and cluster around their
frames. The song of the darkey follow
ing his plow, free from every care. Is
heard in the distance; the tingle of the
small bells over the hills tell me that the
cattle and sheep are busy nipping the
green heritage in the enjoyment of their
morning repast. a blest and happy land,
and forgive the partiality seen through
the eve of affection, when | say, no spot
more beautiful than dear old LOchinvar,
the home of my childhood. My dear
fellow, who wrote me so long letter,
asking so many questions, from the land
of wooden nutmegs, don't imagine that
you can buy an acre of it; haven't even
a dog to sell. am writing for your ben,
eft, if you can understand me. You
asked me: How q Union soldier would
be treated down South" | ask you in
return, how Confederate soldier would
be treated up North? Human nature is
pretty much the same the world over
The chariot wheels of war left many
marks of devastation in and around this
country, but the tracks are all obllter-
ated, and when two old soldiers meet we
do as we used to do in old times when
the pickets ceased firing and we met be-
tween the lines, exchanged tobacco for
coffee, and kindly words for each other S
personal safety as each returned to his
post of duty and the firing began again.
There was more sympathy between the
soldiers of the two armies than the
world knew of, when circumstances or
the fate of war brought them i'll contact
with each other. If these lines should
reach Gen. John S. Coburn, of lndianap-
oils, Ind, or any of his old brigade who
marched with him to Tullahoma, after
the battle of Thompson's station, they
will not forget the second Mississippi
cavalry, or its commanding officer, who
has laid down the sword to take up the
pen to testify to the galantry of the foes
who marched together through the will
derness of cedars. We met you then
with steel to steel. Come South now,
and with swords turned to plowshares,
we will meet you, our gallant enemy,
hand to hand, and heart to heart. My
friend of the nutmeg proclivities, does
this answer to your question satisfy you!
But you "object to the negro-and
wish to know what we propose to do
with him?' / answer nothing. He is
now a free citizen, and he must work out
his own destiny. You can no more
change his social condition than. his
color. There is perfect peace and tran
guilty among the races here. The negro,
without the brain of the carpetbagger
and moral support of the government,
backed bylglittering bayonets, has fallen
back into his natural condition as labor
er, happy and contented, with nothing to
molest or make him afraid. The poll,
tician often uses him as a fulcrum upon
which to rest his political lever to over
throw an adversary. The negro has no
political opinion of his own. If left to
himself he would vote with his former
master; he is simply clay in the hands OF
the potter, and what political shape he
may assume depends entirely upon the
designs of his controller. DO not think l
am writing political letter. | would
scorn to take advantage of a non partisan
paper, devoted to field sports, to foster
upon its readers what might be consld-
cred the extreme views of Southerner,
and rebel. 1t is true l fought for the
South, and would do SO again if | had to
espouse one section or the other; right or
wrong she is my country; and to be can.
did and not profane, if lived in h-ll I'd
fight for the devil. hope I am under
stood. Let politicians
son visionary schemes debate
To snatch the negroes from their fate.
SO let them their hearts wthprate
Of equal rights which man he 'er knew;
have Il love of freedom too
There is really now no strife between
the sections. except what is manufac-
tured by politicians. The truth is, it is
their capital stock in trade. / have no
fear of Sambo; they can make him hurt
me, and I'm sure | wont hurt him. But
all these lies politicians tell prevent inn
migration South. The West, with its
drouthy prairies, scourged by grasshor-
pers, is filling up with thousands of
thrifty Northmen as we'll as foreigners,
while the South. with its beautiful eli.
mate, more fertile soil, with every ad
. vantage that nature bountifully gives, is
left from ignorance and prejudice.
When in Brooklyn year ago attend
ed the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's
church and the first thing that great di,
vine said, was to call for collection for
"'the poor negro who had been driven by
persecution from his homesin the South
and was starving in the bleak and sterile
climate of Kansas; enduring all this that
he might enjoy a liberty that was denied
him in the South" Great God! can it be
possible that man of Mr.. Beecher's in
telligence can be misinformed? And yet
it seemed equally improbable that SO en-
inent q Christian would, before so intel
iigent an audience, wilfuly misrepresent
great Christian people. The poor negro
was persuaded to leave his peaceful and
happy home by designing men for politi-
cal purposes; and, after suffering untold
hardships, many of them have returned
South.
/ am astonished to know how little we
Of the North and South understand each
other. We only love or hate by proxy,
Our politicians tip their glasses most
amicably together, in the saloons adioin-
ing the capitol-which their constituents
don't see-as they adjourn from the leg
lslative chambers, where they INDUCED
an forensic effusions, full of indicative
hate, invective and vituperation of each
other and the people they represent.
These speeches are printed at the expense
of the government and then scattered
broadcast over the land, as seeds of dis
trust, enmity and dissension between the
sections.
For all this we farmers of the North
snd South do not hate each other. Will
Sbe Northern farmer, when he reads this