The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-08-26


That the race issue is by no means
confined to the South is shown by the
following taken from the New YORK
Evening Post:
"That race prejudice is notconfined
to the South" it says, SIS manifest
only too unfortunately in the resent
ment of people in Burlington and Wi
nooski at the quartering OF a regiment
of negro cavalry in Fort Ethan Allen.
Refusals OF whites to eat in restaur-
ants which admit negroes, and de-
mands for separate trolley cars, are
already reported. When these things
were confined to the South, much
unctuous Indignation could be reused
in the Green Mountain State. But
now that these Northern cities face
the same situation, their philosophic
calm is disturbed. The location OF
the garrison may possibly have the
effect OF inducing Winooski to close It's
blind tigers and to become dry, IN
fact as well as in law. 1t may also
induce Burlington to reconsider It's
wet program. The truth is that the
location OF a garrison, white or black,
is bound to afford serious local diff
culties anywhere. But the army is
here to stay, and it would seem in
some ways as though the quarterlng
oftwelve hundred colored cavalrymen
in q region away from large cities
and in a generally law-abiding COM
munity such as Vermont, were an
ideal disposition of the force. At all
events, Vermont will now have an
opportunity to make good She
must brace herself to provide reason
ably and lawfully for the new problem
she faces or cease to point the tradl-
tional finger OF scorn at Southern
towns for their attitude when SINH
larly circumstanced.
From all accounts trouble at Bur
lington and Winooski is almost as
grave as that recently occurring in
Brownsville, and certainly the feeling
of the white inhabitants towards the
negro troops is equally bitter.
Citing the above facts, and COM
menting on the editorial OF the Even
ing Post, the Houston Post suggests
this remedy:
Judging from the reports which
come from Vermont, the situation
there is more acute than it was in
Brownsville prior to the outbreak
which led to the removal OF the
troops from that post. One might
indeed suppose that Burlington and
Winooski were in the heart OF the old
South, it is we'll enough to remember
that Brownsville, though located in
the extreme Southern portion OF
Texas, is not typical Southern
town in it's population. The white
people there for the most part are
either Northern born or the children
OF Northern parents. The old Con-
federate element there is small. The
main fact is that the negro troops
are welcome in no community in the
United States, and the solution OF
the problem is possible only by re-
pealing the law which provided for
the negro regiments. Representative
Garner has introduced such bill and
If congressman would vote their con-
victions they would repeal the law
and relieve the war department. OF
one of it's most troublesome embar-
easements.
even the negroes themselyes-the
enlightened negroes we mean-ought
to favor the adjustment OF the negro
regiments because of the friction they
engender. The negroes as race sui
fer serious injury so long as the
troops are sent where they are not
wanted. There is no way to compel
the white people to tolerate the ia
miliarity which comes OF eating in
restaurants which serve negroes, and
the negro troops are sure to become
offensive when they are thus discrim-
mated against"