Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-01-09

From "The Freodman's Case in Equity" by Geo. W.
Cable In January Century.l
Any coored man gains unquestioned adj
mission into innumerable places the moment
he appears as the menill attendant Of some
white person, where he could not cross the
threshold in his own right as a well-dressed
and well behaved master OF himself. The
contrast is even greater in the case OF oolored
women. There could not be a system which
when put into practice would more offensive
ly condemn itself. It does more IL actually
creates the confusion II pretends TO prevent.
1t blunts the sensibilties Of the ruling class
themselves 1t valves all strict demand for
painstaking in either manners or dress of Ell
Their master or mental, and for one result,
makes the average southern railway coach
more uncomfortable than the average of rail
way coaches elsewhere. 1t prompts the ave-
rage southern white passenger to find less OF
Tense in the presence Of profane, boisterous
or unolean white person than in that of quiz
et well behaved colortd man or woman at
tempting to travel on an equal footing with
him without a white muster or mistress. The
holders of the old sentiments bold the oppo-
site choice In scorn. II is only when we go on
to say that there are regions where the riotous
expulsion of a decent and peaceable colored
person is preferred to his inoffensive company
that it may seem necessary to bring in evil
dence. And yet here again it is prtmd tdc'e
evidence for the following extract was print
ed in the Selma Gala Times not six months
ago, and not AZ a complaint, but 81 boast
"a few days SINCE negro minister Of this city
boarded the eastbound passenger train on the f. IT,
V. g. railway and took seat Ia the coach occupied
by white passengers. Some Of the passengers COM
planned to the conductor and brakemen and express.
ed considerable dissatisfaction that they were forced
to ride alongside Of a negro. The railroad officials
informed the compliments that they not author
lied to force the coored passenger into the coach set
apart for negroes, and they would lay themselves pa
bic should they do 80. The white passengers then
took the matter In their hands, and ordered the
ebony-huei minister to take seat In the next coach
lie positively refused to obey ORDERS whereupon the
white men gave him sound hogging aud forced MIN
TO a seat among his own color aud equals We learned
yesterday that the vanquished preacher unable to
All his pulpit account Of the severe chastisement
inflicted upon him. Now [says the delighted edtorl
the query that puzzles is, who did the hogginsF"
And as good an answer as we can give is that
likely enough they were some Of the men for
whom the whole South has come to halt to
let them get over the feelings engendered
by the war" Must such men, such acts,
such sentiments stand alone to represent US
of the South before an enlightened world
No. l say, as a citizen Of an extreme south
ern state, a native of Louisiana, an ex Con
federate soldier, and a lover of my home, my
city and my state, as well of my country, that
! this is not the best sentiment in the South,
! nor the sentiment OF her best intelligence /;
and that it would not ride up and down that
beautiful land, dominating and domineering,
we're it not for it's tremendous power as the
traditional sentiment of conservative peo-
Pile. But is not silent enduTsncs criminal
l cannot but repeat my own words, spoken
near the scene and about the time of this
| event. Speech may be silvern and silence
golden; but if a lump of gold is only big
enough, it can drag us to the bottom Of the
sea and hold us there while all the world sails
! over US.