Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-10-25
Continued from last week.

lie magnificent Silver Spring, nine
roiles long, it's water beautiful
llue, and so transparent that you can
easily see the fish sporting about at
distance of 80 feet below you.
The heavy frosts of the preceding
plnter had practically destroyed the
orange groves of the peninsula,
which was so severe blow as to ut
t@rly ruin the orange growers in the
n.orthern part of the state. These
yaople became so discouraged that
gaany of them left Florida, returning
- their old homes, and other parts
ci the north. There seemed to be
little hope for the future; ii was like
the aggression of the potato bug in
Colorado, and the invasion of north
Testern Iowa by the grasshoppers at
sn early, day. 1t was disheartening,
country has long since entirely re-
covered and the people are full of
: ape for the future of their state.
returned home by the same route
J had taken in going down, and, as
Z. was night when we passed through
southern Georgia, | could see moth
Jag of the country, but in returning
Ee were favored with daylight and
TIE weather being clear and pleas
sat, | had fine opportunity to see
the country, which | improved TO the
Utmost. Way Down Upon the Swan
e. River" | hummed over to myself
as we crossed q deep and narrow
stream, which ! was told was the
river celebrated in the negro song;
Sat for tie life OF me / could see
nothing in that black sluggish water
"a inspire poet or TO cause a desire
F, IN any breast TO return to it after
eRce getting away. The country all
through that section was covered
with orchards of pear trees, any
where from half an acre to two hun
cred acres or more could be seen on
t.onably this is the great pear belt
Of the United States. OF course these
orchards are planted and cultivated
~ negro labor. which, few years
ego, was comparatively inexpensive
was amused to note the colored
cAildren, so numerous. all along the
railroad, living in little rough wood
es huts or rude cabins raised two
o. three feet from the ground, to
let the air pass under them. These
pickanninies, clothed only with sin
sle garment of colored calico, that
tailed to cover the knees, would
feep out from under the cabins like
9. litter of little black pigs, or peep
around the corner OF the shed, grim
ning at us with eyes and mouths
eide open, showing the whitest of
teeth and the merriest faces, queer
little things, from the baby on up to
the first born of the family. And
what families there were, from the
smallest, consisting of not more than
two or three. to the largest in view,
which were too numerous to count
;<s we raced past on our way to
yankee land. Indeed in some In
stances ii was almost impossible to
say whether you were looking at a
priyate family or Sunday School
picnic, only there were no grown-up
people in sight.
At Waycross there was a gang of
Asgro convicts with. chains about
their limbs, at work on the road un-
der guard, who saw that they vast
ed no time In idleness. Practically,
they were slaves, who, under sys-
tem of peonage, had been hiced out
sy their creditors to the city, TO do
work for the corporation. My sym
Fathies were aroused at the sight Of
fnese men, who, In a boasted land
a freedom, were still wearing the
sfackles of bondage according to
law But as we were unable TO
shange these conditions, We passed