The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-07-21
LETTER FROM Mr.. CONVICTION
He Has Visited South Dakota Again.
Stevensburg. Va. July l6. 1910.

Stevensburg, Va, July l6, 1910.
1t is with pleasure that greet you
again. Four months ago left dear
old Virginia for Chicago and South
Dakota and am back again. No man
today is happier than am. All things
WORK together for good to them that
love the Lord. | shall touch on only a
few in this letter. Other things III
touch upon in the future.
The negro is knotty problem. |
was raised with them and sympathiZe
and feel more for them than ever be-
fore in my life. Who put them here?
IL was through the providence of God
/ for their enlightenment and to better
their poor, depraved condition. Yes.
they are "A hundred times better or
than in Africa or with their haters Of
the North and West They despise
them and we cannot well do without
them to raise such stuff as our South is
adapted to. At the Methodist church
which attend at WatertOwn, S. d., a
collection is taken up for the poor
negroes of the South. Twenty-Five
dollars is the average amount raised at
this church for them. There are 100
charges in South Dakota Now let's
say each charge pays $3.50 or more.
then you get several thousand dollars
from this one State with 500, 900 inhaJ-
itants. Now take the other thirty-fve
Northern and Western States. each of
which double South Dakota in wealth
and population, and we have have over
$3.50, 900 taken up for the poor negro.
We have eleven States that seeded.
Rightly calculated each county in Nlr-
ginia should receive about $3.50 each
year. and in the last 45 years this
county should have received over Sl0,-
900. What has become of it? II our
poor negroes ever get a cent | have
never heard Of it. The negro is liter
ally despised in South Dakota.
Now for the G.. A. K. 8. They were
certainly good to me and | shall never
forget their kindness. They invited
me always to be with them and even
wanted me to wear one of their badges,
but | would not. | told them I'd eat,
sleep, march and do anything for them,
but no Yankee badge should be pinned
upon my sacred breast. They were
much amused at it. On Decoration
Day they assembled at their hall, Il
was with them marched mile through
town. then paid 20c each to ride in an
old wagon | mile 10 the cemetery and
back; then they stood up to hear Mr.:
Barrett address them. Prior to that
was introduced to this orator and told
him TO remember Confederate soldier,
who was posted, would listen to him
and to be on his guard, and he was. He
told what hard time those old fellows
had. knew it, for | helped make
them have it. He also said they lost
nearly as many men as we had IN our
whole army, $50, 000 How awful We
stood in line fully an hour listening to
him and not a drop of water, lemonade
or a mouthful to eat was given TO the
30 G. A. K. that day. They then re-
paired to their old shed and dlsbanded.
Watertown is a wealthy city of 10000
people, in rich Coddington county,
where more is produced per capita than
in any county in the United States.
Land has doubled in value there in the
last three years. The city has over
$50 automobiles and not an old soldier
was offered a ride in one. The county
has a 500, 900 courthouse; has spent
over that amount on its high school
building in adding to it, and has four
primary schools besides. Yet they let
the old G.. A. RS 60 in this old shed
that is not worth $500 to hold their
meetings. The people of the North
and West do not think half as much Of
their old soldiers as the people Of the
South do of theirs. On the other hand,
just look what a royal reception the
people of Culpeper gave her old SOL
diers the 3rd day of June. Nothing
was too good for them.
I'll have to write another time, for
this is already too long.
Goodbye.
T. r. Covington.