St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-11-22
ARP GETS A LETTER.
From an Iowan Who Disagrees with
Him on Slave Question.
The Philosopher Says He Thinks
More Of Iowa and Her People
Since Reading It-Would Teach
His Unknown Friend.

copyrighted by the Atlanta Constitution
and Reprinted by Permission.]
''Keokuk, Ia, Sept. Is, 1902.-Maj.
Charles II. Smith, Gainesville, Ca
Dear Sir: For several years past l
have been reading your letters. l
like very much your writings about
the home life, everyday events and
the many little incidents OF yonr ex-
perience, looking backward over
long and busy career.
although stranger, of opposite
politics and with many different views
of life, still your words have inter-
estal me and have SO many times
touched my heart that 1 want to
write to you my appreciation. wish
you could visit Iowa-go over it from
the Mississippi to the Missouri river
and meet the people of republican
state. You would, no doubt, soften
your writings about the northern
ers.' You would find as warm-heart-
ed and generous a people as you have
in Georgia.
''You would find people that aver
age in intelligence with any people
on earth. If you could interview the
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters or
wives Of those who had fallen in the
war of the rebellion, you would not
find bitter resentment; you would
not fluid that these men, who had
given their lives, had done SO with
any hatred toward their southern
brethren, but you would find that the
great reason for their sacrifice was
in the cause of the union OF all parts
of this great country and liberty for
all humanity. This is northern sem
timent, and God, who rules wisely, or
dered that the result should be as
it is.
ct is certainly a great curse to
have 80 many illiterate, low-lived ne
groes in your state; but how true is
the Bible, that you revere, when it
saws the sins of the fathers shall
be visited upon the children unto the
third and fourth generations To
my mind, the 'forefathers' of Georgia
sinned III purchasing and owning
slaves, and now their children's chill
dren suffer the consequences.
Il trust you will receive these
words as they are meant, with the
greatest kindness and good will, and
l wish you many more years of hap
piness with your good wife, children
and grandchildren, and further hope
that Bill Apps Letter will continue
to visit US for very many years to
come"
That is a good letter. A good man
wrote it. l could neighbor with him
and his folks and never say word
to give them offense. But l would
teach them something they do not
know-teach them gently line upon
line, precept upon precept-here a
little and there little. Now, here
is a gentleman of more than or
binary intelligence and education, who
does not know that the sin of slavery
began in New England among his
forefa thers-not ours - and from
there was gradually crowded south
ward until it got to Georgia, and that
Georgia was the first state to pro-
hibit their importation. See Apple
tons Cyclopedia slavery and the
Slave Trade). He does not know that
long after New England and New
York had abolished slavery their mer-
chantmen continued to trade with At
RIGA and sold their cargoes secretly
along the coast and never did but one
reach Georgia, and that one, The
Wanderer, was seized and confis-