The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-03-26
From the Sheboygan (wls.) Herald March e.l
what Professor Br0Wa Thlmks OF
Tallahassee and Its PEOPLE.
TALLAuAssEE, Fla, February 10, 1885.

DEAR SIR-Your kind invitation received.
l cheerfally comply with your request, and send
you the following pencilings from which you
are at liberty to pick and Gull what you please
You know l came here some time before the
election, and would naturally feel an interest in
the political dongs here. We had the thunder
oil cannons the rebel yells," professions of
the electton
Then followed the excitement Of their victory
more thunder OF cannons, rebel yels, speeches.,
and the painting Of the town and the sky
cannot tell you how happy all the Southern
Generals were All these things have occurred.
and still the hills and the valleys all over this
region are dotted with the same homes iu ruins
and here are the same miles and miles of uncul-
tlvated nelds; and here, too, are the same swarms
oinegroes with their rapidly increasing progeny,
al unchanged by the great political upheaval
The Solid South has the satisfaction of exultng
over those that stood by the Union in the Ciays
OF its peril and they will rejoice in humihtating
| those who helped to crush the rebellion
But the great question that concerns this Solid
| arc mey going to do rikh the negro?
| For an inland town nature has done for Tai
lahassee all that could be desired. TIE site is
good and the surrounding country is high,
rolling. fertile, healthy and beautiful. Yet
for miles in every way the country is nearly
deserted by white people
Formerly this region was occupied by panta-
| tons and worked by slaves Secession made
free the slaves and ruined the planters. After
the war the planters let their lands to the blacks
| and then began to to move away into the
towns. Their lands left to the negroes began to
run down. and now all over the country is
| seen field after field fenceless and abandoned
A lew days ago in company with one of the
| Oldest settlers we visited one of the many once
| famous plantations Of this region
1 md Ar1uo TIL
| are dne Going few miles out we turned off
the main road and took what was formerly
| grand avenue shaded with trees and then
through groves ofgiant live oaks and magnolias,
and in short time we're before the former home
| of a wealthy planter and political giant-now
huge ruin-windows all broken, verandas tum.
bled down, the spacious doorway a barn yard,
| and the home itself warming with negroes
MY companion long years ago spent many
happy days here, and as we rode over the
| grounds he showed me where and how more
than forty acres were devoted to flowers and
shrubbery, and still larger tract that was re.
served tor groves and carriage drives, while all
the surrounding hills and valleys were then
green with cotton, cane and corn.
He showed me the spring where great volumes
OF water were boiling up thl ough the pure white
sand and explained how it not only furnished
abundance of water for an extensive and ee-
CANT bathing house but had hydraulic works to
force water to the buildings and the grounds
of which now hardly remnant is left
1t was a summerike balmy day, the birds
were singing in the groves while we were in the
shade OF grand magnolia trees. We had a fine
view OF distant hills and broad valleys dotted
with groves and the silver surface OF good.
sized lake near by
Mr.. jeff. Davis, Bob Toombs ct al, with your
Beau-regard,' here is one of your corner
stones" such as are scattered all over this part
OF the Land ofDixie" as mementoes of
YOUR TREASON
The sun was near going down and the NUT
tering of a rain cloud warned US to haste away
The plantation home was soon out of sight but
not yet out of mind.
des6H1ateH Homes out of mnu by the people of the
Solid South, and neither have they forgotten to
see in all this the chast sing hand of the Re
publican party. But the bitterest potion of all
to the people Of the South is the rotisg negro.
This scene, together with the picture of " how
it was before the war, which was being wildly
drawn by my companion, fairly made me
dream. He told me of the sumptueus home-of
the wealth and refinement How when they all
returned for the winter from Europe and the
North-that the beauty and chivaltry from
Kentucky, Virginia and the Caronas met here
He told of the voluptuOus music and the revelry
the great library and the many specimens OF
art and science, and for moment | was lost in
that dream. But on turning to my companion
l caught another glimpse of the "Old Home"
with its shattered walls and demolished win
dews, filled with woody heads and charcoal
faces looking out and down upon US like some
grim skeleton filled with black demons-and like
one scarce half awake with mind confused and
full of visions mixed with revelry and ruin-of
gilded homes and stygan dens, brilliant beauty
decked with diamonds, charcoal faces and filthy
rags Then came to mind the troops ofchivary,
silvered coaches filed with beauty, all gone
forever, and out beyond / saw the forsaken
lonely hills and fields where corn and cotton
used to grow and did hear the wall of slaves
or aoas It :" de day Of Jubilee hab cum"
And you may chalk it down, there are but
two Planks in the platform of the Solid South:
1st No negro supremacy, no matter what their
majority: I'd. Crush those that crushed our
Lost cause"
Northern Democrats may watch the wind and
change accordingly, but the Solid South are
consistent from the beginning-with them there
ID no turning or shadow of doubt.
In this city of Tallahassee there are more fine
specimens of noble men than l ever saw anv-
where in proportion to the people, and every
one Of them. so far as know, were old line
Wings who heartily hated Democracy" New
ertheiess, if they can only keep life enough in
the Northern Democracy 10 enable the Solid
South to control the Federal Government. they
are willing to be called Democrats
AS in the past the people here are determined
"te be let alone" They want no Republican
Federal officers sent here to politically organize
the blacks and stimulate them to take the
honors and emoluments of office in every case
where they are in the majority
But what is the Solid South going to do with
the negro? The climate all through this region
is more congenial to the black than the white.
and they are increasing over the white as 81 to
?, and IL takes but little arithmetic to tell what
the result will be few years hence And
more than this, for it is not only their numerical
relations that is to concern the people here. for
the blacks are all the time becoming more and
more educated in very many ways In this
State they are we'll provided with schools
Here In Tallahassee short time ago was held
normal institute attended by forty black teach
ers: The black insist on having black preachers
and both branches of the Legislature have quite
number Of black Representatives We have
in this city black N. D., who rides in his
carriage, and q black lawyer pleads on An
equality "C) at the legal bar.
In this, Leon county, with the CITY of Talla-
hassee, the capital of the State there are at
least four black votes 10 one white. and was IL
not for the fact that the Governor appoints every
officer from the Supreme Judges down to even
justice OF the peace, and even assessors the
blacks could occupy every sfflce in the gift of
the people.
Before many years roll by the Solid South
will have something else to do besides "paintinS
the sky red in honor of Democratic cictorv
Yours truly, j. J. B.
The Adams Express Company lost
| 45 600 in the racent oco;1or+ o,1 a