The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-04-19
HE r ACE PROBLEM.
Continued from sth page,

frequently, and found ourselves very
pleasantly received: but the moment the
colored people were mentioned, all was
changed. They do not call him a colored
man down there. They call him niger,
always, and there is good deal of
vengeance put into these "g's;" it is not a
soft "g."
Several years ago, we went down the
Mississippi from Memphis, by boat and
there | commenced to study the question,
and | went there unprecedented. do not
speak with any political bias, whatever,
for this is outside of politics. We went
down the Mississippi to the coast. 1t is
a qualification of the first mate of every
vessel on the Ohio or Mississippi river
that he can be harsh, savage and profane
with the roustabouts; and unless he is,
he is not considered good first mate. /
spoke to the captain of this steamer in
regard to the matter. | said, "What if
one of these colored men should fall off
the gang plank?" He said, "We would
not care more than for a dog, and not
half so much as for a valuable mule" |
think this was typical of the general
sentiment.
In New Orleans, we were staying with
good family from the North. 1--WE
have northern sentiments" said the lady
one day, "but we keep them altogether to
ourselves" 1t is better in New Orleans
to keep them to ourselves. We met
there a very pleasant circle of people,
among them gentleman from whom |
asked, What about Geo. w. Cable?
He was a native of your place; he was
brought up in your city" He replied,
1--WE have no use for Geo. W. Cable"
| Then | went and enquired at book
store, for "The Silent South" written by
Geo. w. Cable, and the merchant was
very indignant and very abusive because
] asked him for that book "We have no
use for Cable down here" he said.
"Why, pray?" because he wrote that
book" / secured it after | had made a
diligent search-found it in one of the
public libraries. Well, what did they do
with Geo. w. Gable? He is living in
the vicinity of Boston and cannot live in
Louisiana, just because he made a plea
for fair play for the negro.
reflect that, had | always lived in the
South, | might have felt somewhat as
they feel, though not altogether. |
think there is no excuse for the tenacity
and rancor of their feeling. | want to
be charitable. This is not political
theme; it is God theme. Eight millions
of these people are now in the United
States, and they are practically dis
| franchised, and so far as the laws are
concerned, they are nullified. They do
not vote, and if they do, their votes are
not counted.
When we came to Chattanooga, we had
some friends there, some ladies from the
North who had married southern gentle
men. They were delightful people and
we drove to Chickamauga together, that
park full of monuments, and beauteous
now since the hoarse intonations of war
have long since ceased AS we rode
along the avenue, this southern gentle
man. so kindly in other respects, told me
all about the battle as if | had not
known anything about the war. He had
not been a soldier himself, but in all of
the events about Chattanooga he dis
eliminated positively against my side.
Yonder were encamped a regiment of
immunes destined for Cuba, colored sol
diers with white officers, and he made
great merriment of the matter and that
those immunes were called "baboons'
by their commanding officers, and con-
sidered it the soul of wit. Then told
him of something | had heard about the
24th u. S. infantry; that at that great
battle in Cuba, where Governor Rose
welt distinguished himself with his rough
riders, it is said by the New York Critic,
the best authority in the United States,
that but for the bravery and heroism of
this black regiment in the battle, not
rough rider could have survived. This
man did not believe that at all, and pro-
ceeded to give me his opinion of the
matter.
Right there was the hill before where
the brave Thomas stood and beat back
the armies of rebellion after Rosecrans
had given way, right there my friend,
my little friend (for he is smaller than II,
right there he said, THAT General
Thomas was not much of a man, rather
cowardly. If Gen. Lee had been here,
there would not one of your people
have escaped" l said, IF Gen. Grant
had been here"-I could not at all times
refrain. "Yes," he said, II suppose then
the fur would have had to fly"
could not keep still. Every once in
while / had to put in my spoke to the
wheel. But it was type of the South
ern way of doing. Simply, it was this
way and there was no debate about it in
their minds. Ii they had only had few
more men, where would we have beenY
This was the way they talked.
On the way had conversation with
Mr.. S.: what is to be the outcome of
this prejudice of yoursg What are you
to do with this black people, the best
servant class in the world?" He
said some bitter things, some coarse
things to fall from the lips of gentle
man. | said, would you exchange this
class that hoe alUava haap Gu faithful