Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-10-15
OLD MAN SARGE PLUNKETT
The Part the Negro Has Pisysd
Since Emancipation.
HE HAS NOT HELPED THE NORTH.
The south wouid Have Ever Re-
manned an Agricultural section
Hut for Freeing tho Negro.

III such mon az old Horace Greedy anu
Thad Stevens and Sumner--such us thsse---
could look upon the prospects OF the New
England States today. / would not bs
aioic In my establishment at tho turn
that matters have taken.
| Years ago the New England politicians
Used as an argument against slavery that
| the South would start manufactures and
use the slaves as operatives. This Kind OF
/ tax was used much among the mill opsr-
auves OF the North whenever any nsita-
tion OF The tarln came up, The stump
speakers fired tho minds OF the opera
I tives IN this way, when the probability
WIS that the South had no thought nor
desire OF being other than an agricultural
section. and today II slavery existed tho
New England mil operative would be Sc
cure IN lila situation ana tho MILL owners
would not be mcnacod 10y a competition
/ that they can not withstand,
have changed my notions about tho
negro TO such an cNtent That feel shllsy
on all questions of Judgment. but II makes
me smile to think VI how little tho NORTH
crn mill operatives think OF themselves
whom they remember how they used to
throw up their hats for abolitlonlsm ana
OF how, since the war. they lent their aid
IN making the pursuit OF agriculture In
the South 30 domortlizing,
We folks down South used to say that
the negro would mover DO froe. but they
are free, and they were freed by tho
North.
never did believe that negro could
be educated, but he can. l have seen thu
day when | would have thought u right
to lynch a fellow for bringing the New
York Tribune into Georgia. ana yet saw
The time when Horace Greedy was Dragged
on and I. myself wal,Eed up and voted
Tor him.
When Thad stevens and sumter and
many others were 20 severe en- the South
after the war, and said that the negro
must vote, l thought the world would
sink II they did. but The world did not
sink. ana today tho South would Kick
harder than the North " any move was
made TO take their suffrage from them
/ have watched the negro for u long
time, ana my Judgment haa been mlyhly
bad aa to his outcome. and as 10 the
changes
The young generation OF whitsa need
stirring up iust at this time. They mead
not be dcluded with the idea TINT because
they arc 90 much b'tter than tho negro.
there IL no necessity Ter thcm to mako
! 81 effort, fer 1 tell sou that tho men
who get tho Situations and do tho work
wlll have tho money, Gnd money VIII
mako them property owners and respect
abh to an extent that mny be surprising.
I have had many BurprlHOs la the past
thirty years, but II tickles me that the
Yankees ore surprised TOO
There IL one consolation that II sugges-
tive by the remembrance Of what time
: wo Ind during - war VIII b oil right
during tho next war. Going TO the factory
during tho war was AS big thing as
going TO california would hD now, and
after going YOU we're Ia good luck 10
get bunch or TWO of thToud' There was
mighty frw factories IN HcorRlA, and
they were only factories to make thread
> at best = lituo white cloth. These weto
always crowded, the women from u radius
Of Atty miles cpngrcgated there. y wna
, eight TO see tho women md children
q HnAa HANN Ina
for an opportunity to secure thread. This
| factory managers required these women
, 10 form IN line aud march by wln-
:, dow. or door, and tako their thread In
! turn. The rules were Rtrict, and II wo-
nan broke ranks she had to 80 foot.
Thus II wns TINT many a poor woman
4 had TO stand IN lino for several hours be-
!, fore her turn would come. II may seem
! strange to the young generation, but u
, IL a fact and that IL why have oftan SAID
that YANKEES know nothing OF war and
r That Southern women done the real suf-
fcring.
i l have seen sights at these factories
that seem strange IN thoss times. ons
time. ! remember when there was 100 or
p | 500 Of these women In line. some OF them
i having hoen there TN they could hardly
4 stand from wcnkneus. there came word
from tho factory managers that no more
i, thread would DO let out for Confederate
/ money.
N
must either have meat. bacon or gold,
| as the factory had AZ much OF the Con-
!, federato money as they could find storage
n for.
r This seemed to strike the women as
a | wrong and without amy previous under
n standing they madn one grand rush al
i together. determined to have the thread
l x scene cnsued. the like OF which was
!. never seen IN Georgia before and nope
a.. In
/ tory with all that was In It wns soon at
"A tho mercy OF these desperate women,
N made desperate by tho wrongs heaped
/, upon them by speculntors While thelr
husbands were away lighting tho pattles.
y They Hacked tho Mill and scattered 70
A their homes In tho fun belief that their
IL actions had been justified. II may seem
y wrong now, and II did look bad at the
r time. hut 1t was war times and II was
n hard times. md the young gonereuon
IT md TO stint and suffer while their nus
% hands and nons were away. and. boxdes,
|, thoy ala not have much uae for the mon
o who kept out OF the war by running these
+ factories.
IA Riaht here am reminded OF the davo-
4 ton OF these Southern women. As hare
az IL was for them to got thread ana
n wool, tho most OF what they did get, was
Is used In making up clothing for tho SOL
"a The sending OF box 10 tho army was
- A aroat thing in those days. Whenever
In n chance was offered TO get box to ths
a army, the settlement would set together
O. END rack Il fuiL Each woman would
Q. como with her package done up ana ad-
droErAd, and when all was packed away
Vi in the box. prayer went up that tho
ID loved one would got t. But u was often.
It very often. that such boxes nnyer reached
~ the men in tho neld.
re- When this WAS tho ease, and the wom-
an found II out, they would set down and
T. cry an hour or two. and then get mp and
10 no 10 spinning and weaving 10 mako some
II more tb,rrs for the next box that would
II be sent. Ono soldier felt mighty bad for
,r box to come for his company and him
Y have nothing in II. The women at home
q knew this, and nothing was spared.
re heiisve that folks loved each other
more during the war; II seerns that way
10 me. You spread out lot of good things
Mt Browns house now and go to packing
them away, and believe,in my soul that
70 the children would have ats. II was not
20 in the days when thess boxes were
10 nxed up for tho army. The little ones
]. would join with the mother ana az
n hungry az they sometimes were. they
4 80 ~. A..tua -. 4onrhI N for themselves.