The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-28
GIVING THEM ADVICE

The esteemed Boston Traveller Is dis
posed to administer some censure. as
well as advice, to the people Of Burl-
ington, Vermont. over the Ill temper
they are displaying because Of the
quartering OF a large detachment of
negro soldiers at Fort Ethan Allen. a
few miles from the city. 1t tells the
Burlingtonians that they are kicking
too soon: that from all accounts these
particular colored troops are q we'll
behaved set. and that consequently the
people Of the city and it's vicinity
should give them a fair trial before
raising a row over the matter. Then
1t adds:
This color-line business in old Bur-
linEton seems almost ludicrously out
Of place. It's as terrttorialiy inappro-
pirate as IL would be to discover maple
syrup In South Car'liny. for this beau
tif9l city bE the lake vas was once hot :,
the old timers left among its citizenry.
they should light some of the ancient
fires and protest against the anomaly:
We advise the good inhabitants OF
burlington to apply the sedative Of
common sense to their nerves and
await the behavior of the colored reg
ulars before making any further dem.
onstration against them. We DO not
cars Of the city to an uncomfortable
degree nor that their presence IN
places of amusement will prove to be
a nuisance. BY all means judge them
for what their department. shall turn
out to be and not for the way In which
providence has seen Mt to shade ther
skins.
In all probability the people Of Bur-
lington prefer not to take any chances
regarding the good behavior OF the ne
gro soldiers They remember what a
long and disorderlv row has been go
ing on over the Brownsville AFFAIR.
whether that trouble was wholly or
even partly the fault Of the negro SOL
diers 10 a matter that seems never to
have been settled. but the fact is plain
that their being stationed there was
the primary cause of the trouble.
And so 1t is that the Burlington cit
liens preferred to do their objecting
In advance. They seem to have been
fully impressed with the belief that
stationing the negroes there would
lead to trouble. and they strongly and
hotly objected to the experiment. They
evidently thought it would be better
to keep them away II possible. than to
fhArA
But they have been located. or are be-
ing located. and now we are somewhat
curious to know what they will do
about it. Will they give them a fair
trial. and treat them fairly IL they be-
have properly, or will they show their
enmity from the start and precipitate
trouble that NAV be worse than
Brownsville? The indications at this
writing strongly indicate trouble from
the very start.
| We agree heartily with our Boston
contemporary in saying that all this
race prejudice is ''territoriallv inap-
propriate." 1t is almost as much so as
II 1t were taking place in and around
Boston or any other New England
town. AS we have said on a former
occasion. Burlington in the old days OF
anti-slaverv intolerance and fanaticism
was a SETTLING caldron OF abolitionism
The people RECALLED themselves on a
dish Of 1t three times q day and be-
tween meals. If hatred of slavery
and shareholders was not precisely
meat and drink to them II was the In
spiration on which they lived and
waxed fat.
And now to have the same people
and their descendants raising a merry
war because they are to be brought
into closer relationship with the OBJ
jects of their former alteration is one
of the surprising inconsruities OF thG
times. There must still be some left
who took active part in the proDa'
ganda of abolitionIsm: men who READ
The New York Tribune before reading
the Bible. and regarded William Lloyt
Garrison. Wendell Phillips and theil
own Thad Stevens as lust a Iittl,
ahead of Paul and the other apostles
Are there none u sh.se old South
haters and neRro-worshippers left Il
take up a lance in defence of the ne
gro and place the seal OF their dis
pleasure on the lips OF those VIII,
would raise hand or voice against tn,
man and brother?" And IL the ole
fighters for human rights. a. thel
viewed 1t. have all departed to the un
known did they leave no drop OF thsi
descendants? Is It possible that amoni
tha ranks of abolitionists who ono
made burlington howl there are non
left to keep alive the spirit of uni
Sersal brotherhood and several otha
'hinGs? Are there none left to
"Keep the fires Of Chivalry
AliGht In hearts of gold"
or words to that effect? Alas: also