The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-21
virginlan Comment on DR.. Parkhurst and
the Word "Niggcr,"

To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-.Sir: The
| Southerners are 80 constantly misrepresented
| that we have become somewhat Indifferent
| but when DR.. Parkhurst asserts that the
word niger" is what Is generally accepted
| among our educated classes" AZ the name
Tor our colored people he goes little too far
| have lived all my life here in Virginia and
| have never heard any of our more civilized
people use that name, II the children ever
| called colored person niger" instant re-
proof was given and repetition was pun
| ished
| am speaking Of the good old times when
our parents taught us to be respectful and
kind to our servants. We never heard them
in nond you will never hear the word
P bs used aoh by roned educated people
! when they wish to be contemptuous and par
ticularly "aggravating."
ud beg 1 that you viii publish this. as and
hnrsts misrepresentation Of the people he
recently visited VIRGINIA.
RICHMOND. May To-
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: Having
had quite an extended experience with the
negro, In his uneducated days during the
four years OF the civil war, feel that DR..
Parkhurst is doing the negroes. as a race, a
great injustice when he compares giving them
their freedom to freeing criminals.
buiiHS tHe war nHu the nonOT TO nDl0 the
position of MANAGING clerk to Major Daniel
ID. Wiley, Commissary of Subsistence OF Vol
unteers In charge of all the field depots for
supplying food TO the armies OF the Potomac
ana the James. AS soon as the negroes began
coming through our picket lines they were
declared by that astute jurist Gen. B. +.
Butter "contraband OF war" The Govern
ment required large force Of able-bodied
men to handle the immense quantities Of food
received and dist rim cd RI n do,.
1t had been using white men, and it was de-
cided to utilize these negroes for that purpose.
and Major Wiley selected a large number
and put them to work He was soon con-
WINGED that they were able to do as much work
as the white laborers we had been employing
and were more easily handled and less liable to
tight and quarrel among themselves Therefore,
he gradually replaced all of our white laborers
with negroes till we carried on OUR pay roll
between 1000 and 5000 negroes, and we paid
them the same wages and issued a ration OF
food TO each man each day as with tho for
ner VIII lite laborers.
During my four years experience with the
f,!l body Of men though the Government was
often very exaactin9 calling. them out OF their
quarters in the middle OF the night to unload
Immediate use for immediate shipment to
the front. ! never witnessed anv dssatis-
faction or indications Of the criminal among
a Is DR.. Parkhurst aware that the United
states Government enlisted during the war
beginning with second I iH te' e sHcI
slyely with white officers or about thrty-fve
white men to thousand negroes? After they
had been drilled and arms had been put in
their hands. they could have massacred the
any OF the criminal about them: I never
noticed men who learned the drill and the
duties Of a soldier faster than these criminal
blacks. as DR.. Parkhurst calls them these
same negro soldiers did some of the best fight
ing lor tne Union cause during the war.
] wonder if DR.. Parkhurst ever took into
consideration that the South WAS so badly in
want of soldiers that It conscripted ali
whites over 10 years Of age. leaving the plan
tatlons and farms solely in charge of their
with their black slaves Just the same az II
their husbands, sons and brothers Were at
home. II the negroes had been crminally
inclined they could have killed all the white
thing occurring. and have "t Unveiled i, i" ali
over the south. during and since the Rebellion,
nor do ! believe that Or pnrkhurst ever
heard OF It. As soon as the former masters
and owners got back from the war they began
hiring their former slaves, making contracts
to pay them for their labor in share Of the
farm products: but AS they We're careful in
many cases to see that the negro was kent in
the white employers debt, such a policy
may have been responsible for any criminal
blacks.
DR.. Parkhurst had better be utilizing his
energies In endeavoring TO solve the problem
81 extrpating the criminal element which is
nihng UP our CITY with refuse population"
Of southern European countries far more
dangerous to the welfare and prosperity Of
this community and country than the negroes
ever were or ever " i'll be, rather than going
South to put reproach on the negroes.
WILLIAM s. HARTrNd,