Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-08-05

Race prejudice has become evident
since the colored troopers have arrived ct
Fort Ethan Allen and promises to'become
more violent when the full regiment ar
rives. White people have left various
restaurants when the eating houses were
invaded by the colored contingent and
more serious trouble has been had in
Winooski, when some of be white troop
ers rounded up the colored boys, put
them in a car and sent them to the post.
People are now crying for "Jim Crow
cars to be run between here and Fort
Ethan Allen From Burlington Free
Press. Saturday, July II.
We do not recall q single instance in
Vermont journalism-or indeed any
journalism-where an item has done SO
much harm as the above item copied from
the Free Press OF this city. II 1t had
been planned by deliberate intent to hurt
Burlington and the state OF Vermont the
onense could not have been done with
more deadly success. The newspapers all
over the country have taken IT up, many
OF them under sensational headlines. One
says "Old Vermont Balks at Negroes"
another has 'Jim CroW Cars Asked for in
/ Vermont" "Negro Troopers Stir Race
Feeling to Fever Pitch in Burlington,
VT" Not single one OF these sensa-
tional headings is true.
Vermont never owned q slave and that
historic fact has not only enriched the
history of Vermont and her freedom low
ing ancestry but it has made standard
by which the world has estimated the
state. During the anti-slsyery period
Vermont stood in principle and act with
the great abolitionists and furnished
many underground routes to freedom.
In the Civil war. Vermont was, to the
slave holders and the Southern confeder-
acy. one OF the most offensive OF all the
states. They viewed Vermont as a rank
abolitionist state, while those at home
considered II as the home Of freedom and
equality. Vermont in sll its history has
stood for democracy and the rights. OF
man, no matter what the color Of bis
skin. That is surely what the history Of
Vermont tells the world.
In all our history We have had little to
do with the negro. The climate OF Yer
mont has not appealed to him; and there
are Few employment that are congenial
TO his activities or temperament. We
, have not therefore had cur democracy,
rights Of man, full equality theory put
to actual test. The few men and women
of negro blood in Vermont in the
, census Of l900-have been treated so far
as we have ever observed on an equality
with their general class in refinement and
! intellect uality. They have mostly been
; OF the servant and common laborer
classes aud as a rule have not risen
! higher.
II seems to us extremely unfortunate
, indeed almost treason to the state that
: such an item should have been printed in
= the oldest daily in the state just as the
= first real test OF our equality-of man
, theory was about to be taken. In ad-
D vance Of such q test it places Vermont &C
/ tuslly in the class where the negotiating
Z Southerners always have placed US, name.
o ly, as canting humbugs. The negro
5 troopers have been coming in few at 4
J time for many weeks, mostly non-commis
: stoned officers, securing quarters and get
$ ting ready for their sojourn here. So fal
: as we have observed these young men o.
dark skin their bearing has been wholly
8 proper. They look like respectable mer
: and behave fully as, well as any white
4 officers OF similar rank that we have seer
b since our military post was built. AL
4 that we can hear about these colored sol
diers OF Uncle Sam from their former rem
: devious is favorable and they are said Il
r be the best behaved troopers in the army
i No "Jim Grow" cars are needed in Yer
mont Ihis state IS not gong 10 blot on
!. the theory and its past history OF equality
d at this late day. The negro troopers vii
y be treated exactly as well as they deserv'
n by every real Vermonter-setting dow
nothing TO color, birthright or previous
condition-snd giving the same recogni
tion that we accord to soldiers of whit
skin in similar circumstances. The uni
= form OF our own national government
l ought to settle promptly all questions o
) equality. The uniform will not sta,
! long upon an unworthy man. The negr,
soldiers while here are our protectors anS
!. II they are ever seriously needed to d,
: that service we have no doubt that on
Z lives could be safely placed in thei
I hands. No good Vermont man, no gen
tleman will insult or offend a negro sol
i, der because Of his color. Our state is oil
4 trial as we'll as the negro trooper.-Bur
! lington Daily News.