The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-07-29
roN NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY JULY 20, 1909
VERMONT AND NEGRO
TROOPS.
Our Northern Friends Have
Acted as Georgians or Texans
Would Have Done.
Baltimore Sun.

Sun.
Our northern friends do love
the colored brother-when he is
a thousand miles away; and they
do love to continually preach to
the South the beauty of blacks
and whites dwelling together in
unity and brotherhood. From
the time Of Uncle Toms Cab
ln' down to the Booker Wash
Ington soiree they have besought
the nation to take the prosecuted
blacks to its broad bosom and to
punish the wicked whites who
put the poor negro into Jim
Crow cars, and will not eat at
the same table with him and re-
fuse to allow him to run the Gov
ernment. This is their favorite
subject Of philanthropy, denun-
citation, admonishmert, advice
and tears; and, as they Know SO
little about it, and it touches
them on no vital particular, they
can indulge in unlimited hyster-
les.
But when they begin to come
in contact with the negro they
quickly change their tune. ItI
grieves the observer to note that
the most implacable negro-haters
are the Northerners who have
gone South to live, and who re-
gard the faultless negro as ignor-
ant, shiftless and generally un-
bearable. And it is somewhat
the same way when the colored |
man goes North.
Before the Civil War, Burling-
ton, VT, was one of the strong
holds of abolition sentiment, and |
since that time it has been one
of the centers of advice to the
South as to how to deal with the
negro problem. 1t was shocked |
when the dear colored troops
were prosecuted at Brownsville, |
Texas. where the white people
rudely objected to the negro sold
iers shooting their wives and
children and burning the homes
of the whites. IL there was any
post outside of Boston, Mass,
where the negro was loved, you
would think it would be Burling-
ton; Vt. So President Taft or
ders the negro regiment, the
Tenth Cavalry. to Fort Ethan
Allen, the army post near Bur-
lington. You would have thought
the 1000 black troopers, who
were the fellows Of the Browns
vile martyrs, would have been
received with open arms. You
would have thought the bands
would have met them at the sta
ton; the leading citizens have
delivered addresses Of welcome,
and every home would be thrown
open to the conquering heroes.
But, to our panied surprise,
the Vermonters have acted very
much as Georgians or Texans
would have acted under the same
conditions. White residents have
refused to eat in restaurants
where the negro troopers are
served. White patrons of the
trolley cars have demanded that
the negroes be put in separate
cars very like unto the "Jim
Crow variety that is so popular
in the benighted South.
This is the first time the COL
ored troops have been stationed
in New England, the section
which is the patron of the negro,
the self-constituted guardian and
next friend" " How does New
England like it?
The Burlington Free Press, a
very conservative newspaper,
. says:
If the Government officials, af-
ter their trouble with Browns
vile and other posts, thought the
extreme North would make nc
! objection to the presence of sc
large body Of negros, they were
= in error. A Southern town coulC
hardly be more up in arms thar
: this city and Winooski are to
a day.
f Can we believe that the pure
t and altogether righteous people
e of New England have the same
r passions and predjudices as tn
e reprehensible and sinful resi-
r dents Of the benighted South
Can they be losing their intens
g love for the martyr negro? Per
Il haps, after all, President Tai
# would do we'll to take 70 NOR
~ chances, but send the three reg
=, ments of colored soldiers direc
: to Boston, where they would b
n certain to be greeted as perse
% cuted brothers, and any one Wh
"a 10 dared to interfere with sue
Il pleasant little pastimes as ge
# ting drunk and shooting up tt
N town would be arrested ar
" properly punished.