The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-07
BILL ARt'S LETTER
Barlow Man Receives Interesting
Epistle from an Iowa Friend,
Ills CORRESPONDENT IS ENLIGHTENED
fla Respectfully Polnts Out Come
FalaeIes Entertained by Many
Of our Friends Across
the Line
Ills CORRESPONDENT IS ENLIGHTENED


Major Charles H. Smith, Carriers
Vile, Ga-Dear Sir: For seeyral
years past / have been reading your
letters. / like very much your writ
ings about the home life, the every.
day events and the many little incl
dents Of your experience, looking back
ward over a long and busy career,
Although a stranger, Of opposite
politics and with many different views
Of life, still your words have interested
me and have so many times touched
my heart that / want to write to you
my appreciation l wish you could
VISIT Iowa-go over it from the Mis-
sissippi to the Missouri river and meet
the people Of a republican state. You
would, no doubt. soften your writings
about the 'northerners. You would
find as warm-hearted and generous
people as you have in Georgia.
You would find a people that aver
age in intelligence with aay 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 resentemcnt; you would
not find that these men, who had Civ
en- their lives, had done so with any
hatred toward their southern brethren,
but you would find that the great rea-
son 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 sentiment, and Cod
who rules wisely, ordered that the re-
suit would be as it is.
1T is certainly a great curse to
have so many illterate, low-lived ne
groes in your state; but how true is
the Bible that you revere, when it
says the sins Of the fathers shall be
visited upon the children unto the
third and fourth generations. To my
mind the 'forefathers' of Georgia sin
ned in purchasing and owning slaves,
and now their children's children suf-
fer the consequences,
81 trust you will receive these words
as they are meant, with the greatest
kindness and good will, and | wish
you many more years of happiness
with your good wife, children and
grandchildren, and further hope thai
Bill Apps Letter will continue to visit
us for very many years to come"
That is a good letter A good mar
wrote it, | could neighbOr with hin
and his folks and never say word tC
give them offense. But l would teacl
them something they do not know
teach them gently line upon line, pre-
cept upon precent-here little ant
there a little. Now, here is a gentle
man Of more than ordinary intelli
gence and education who does no
know that the sin of slavery began il
New England among his forefather
not ours-and from there was grad
ually crowded southwark until it go
to Georgia, and that Georgia was tn
first state to prohibit their imports
ton See Appleton's CyciOpedia (Sla7
cry and the Slave Trade). He zoe
not know that long after New Ems
land and New York had abolshe
slavery their merchantmen continue
to trade with Africa and sold the
cargoes secretly along the coast an
never did but one reach Georgia an
that one, ''The Wanderer," was seize
and confscated and its officers arres
ed. "The Wanderer" was built Z
Eastport, in Maine, was equipped as
SLAYER in New York and oficefed thel
and a crew employed He does nj
know that Judge Story, chief justic
of the United States supreme coui
when presiding in Boston, in lS2
charged the grand jury that althoua
Massachusetts, had freed their slave
vet the slave trade with Africa w
still going on and Boston merchan
and Boston Christians were steep
to their eyebrows in it's infamy
does not know that when our nation
existence began the feeling agar
slavery was stronger in the southe
states than in the northern Gecrl
was the first to prohibit it, but lat
on the prohibition was repealed. N
England carried on the traffic ur
1845-and is doing it yet if they c
find a market, and can get the rum
nav for them. The last record Of
SLAYER caught in the act was in j
of the coast Of Madagascar, and
was an Eastport vessel, The sli
trade with Africa was for more u
a century a fayorlte and popular Y
ture with our English ancestors. X
James II and King Charles Il
Queen Elizabeth all had stock in