The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-02-17
PAW PAW, MICH, FEB. II, 1892.


ne Tampa r lOflua) oOUhut Ol reo'
A, in commenting upon the visit of the
Michigan editors to that beautiful city,
concludes long and somewhat peculiar
article as follows:
'In brief, the Michigan editors came
down to spy out the land, while going "a
pleasuring What did they findy Will
they take us as we are, or Will they go
home, as many others have done, and
see some secret motive in every kind
act, and think we kept well curtained
the skeleton in our closetY"
The author of such caustic and un-
called for questions as these most as
suredly merits a reply, and especially
since the generous and hospitable treat
ment extended to us at Tampa and
throughout the South was of so hearty
and unmistakable a nature as to admit
no doubt of its sincerity We should
greatly regret if any of our newmade
Southern friends should be so msled by
the utterances of pessimist, as to think
for moment that we saw 'some secret
motive in every kind act" or were con-
stantly thinking that we heard the rat
Ting of an imaginary skeleton"
True, we did journey southwark with
q desire to ascertain the truth regard
ing the political situation and the pos
sible solution of the great problem of
the colored race. We wished to become
able to enlighten our readers as to the
true measure of fraternal sympathy ex-
listing between the two portions of a
Union once divided, but happily now
reunited. We went in no carping, fault
finding spirit, as the sarcastic editor of
the Tampa Journal would imply, for we
went hoping to find that by-gones were
by-gones, and that occasional state
ments to the contrary were mere parti-
san war-cry. Let me say that we were
not disappointed in our expectations.
The royal entertainment we everywhere
received was universally attended by
such heartiness and warmth of greet
ing, such an evident wish for immigra-
ton from our Northern states, such n
desire for us to understand that the old
opposition was thing of the past, that
our hearts were filled with admiration
for these people who could so lay aside
the bitterness and enmity which always
follows civil war.
Nor was it Northern born residents of
the South alone who assured us of this.
4 Al. l., G
many such men as Col. Estill of the Sa-
vannah NeacS, and Mayor Hemphill of
the Atlanta Constitution, ex-Confeder-
ates both of them, who assured us that
all the bitterness, rancor, and section
alism has passed away; and when the
latter said, with quivering lip and
moistened eye, 81 speak for thousands
of Confederate soldiers when | say that
there are no more loyal soldiers in the
North than here in the sunny South,
and should there be a war with Chill OF
any other foreign country, we'd fight
just as Loyalty for the stars and stripes
as we ever did under the stars and
bars, when we listened to such words
as these, we never thought to say, as
does our skeptical Tampa contempora-
ry, "They seemed delighted and said a
host of pretty things in response to
others equally pretty which we said to
them,-but what do they think of us?'
We were honest enough to believe that
they meant what they said and gave us
credit for doing the same, notwith-
standing the fact that this same suspi-
cious Tampa editress who evident
ly possesses all the narrow preju-
had, while or the boat, sarcastically in
formed some of us that all these kindly
attentions were much in the nature OF
"taffy," and that the North and South
were growing together SO Gerry gradual
ly that they'd never meet.
1t seems fitting that we should add,
for the benefit of our fellow travellers
on this pleasant journey, that the ques-
tons which the lady above referred TO,
is pleased to credit to the 'little Mich
igan editor" are mainly as much of a
surprise to us as they are said to have
been to her "astonished ears" for,
though we did say we wanted to know
the truth regarding the best way of
solving the race problem, we did not,
and never could have so outraged the
laws of courtesy as to ask, "Do you be-
lieve the negro ought to live, or do you
use him as target when other game is
scarce9" Neither was anything we said
ito that effect" or capable of any such
construction, and we earnestly protest
against such an unfair Interpretation of
the courteous questions which we many
times asked of other people as well, be-
ing gladly, willingly, and courteously
answered in every instance except that
of Tampa's journalist.
By these inquiries we learned that
th nooro hoe ,rouracsad and nrocpar