La Junta tribune., 1913-03-15
UNJUST 70 the SOUTH.
Miss 8estriee Stevens Take. Eaesp-
tions 10 r. Phillips Recent let
ter critieisins the South.


Ala. by X. Phillips. OF this city. and
published In recen, issue OF the
Tribune. seems 10 have aroused a.
world OF resentment among Southern
people. now residents OF La Junta-
and elsewhere Among them Is Miss
Beatric. Stevens, the Tribune's first
private school In suburb OF Cal
cago. Miss Stevens. In note en-
closed with her communication. says
e, IL written from the depths OF my
heart, and I should iik. more than
can say To Sc. II In your paper In
answer To Mr. Phillips all.embracing
letter" II is difficult TO Withstand
sucn a plea Their. are always two
sides to every question. and as the
Tribune hspIres to BE- an exponent OF
the policy of III. square deal II
would not be living up To the doc.
trines that II believes In. should It
deny this plea Of an earnest south
crn woman to be heard In defense
OF the south. Tn. letter tn part
Is as follows
When | came In from work late
this afternoon found the Tribun" In
my mail opened It with pleasure,
believing II contained much OF inter
cst TO me. as 1t always does II
did. OF course. or at least ! suppose
1t did but unfortunately for m.
found Mr. Phillips letter on the
South FIRST The title. Away
Down South In Dixie" caught my at.
ten'ion and ! stopped To follow H.
1t does not seem possible that a
gentleman could BE- 80 critical. so
unjust. as Mr.. Phillips sees ~ to
b. la his wonderful letter. Perhaps
II ne had taken the trouble to put
himself In touch with some REAL
southern men Shom. | believe. he
would at the sam. time have found
to be gentlemen and noblemen. and
had not confined his interviews to
Booker T Washington. he might have
learned a few things tha, are really
true Of the white people u Dixie
Many times while IN the West
should say IN the state Of Colora.
do heard statements aud insiuua.
lions against the South that made my
blood boil and in my school work
came upon staring statements that
wer" bitterly unjust and untrue aud
that would have died before
would have taught them to the young
peopl, under my Instruction ~lth-
out eontrafic,lnr them
Mr. Phillips seems 10 have souEh,
the South ln critical mood. As
God Is my Judge. came not into
your community IN a critical mood
aud though ! saw many things to
criticize. no lengthy epistl.s found
their Nay from my hand back 20 my
hom" papers in Tennessee. which en-
i'ayored to lay smirch across the
fair nam, of your state. In the .sti.
nation - ihnr, who had no better
way Of being informed When \
wrote of YOU I sroi. something good
when spok. OF you spoke
something good Again. God Judg-
ing me said never word. made
never move that | did not belics.
was for the best for those concern.
I'D immediately and for IN. communi.
~ In general should b. pleased
FOR my n-art and life to b. laid open.
as book. before your citizenship
that they nigh, read. I beli.y. they
would find nothing there bu, would
DO me honor
| honor. above all the men and NO.
men who honor their parents aud
their naii,. land should say their
HON" people and their oWn country.
and ! would no more criticize Tel
low beings state or country or III.
land that lies close to his heart
than ( would the sweet mother of
his t"nd"r-st loy.
You hav" la your community q
number Of people who ar. from the
South. and who. though giving their
b"s, To your state and your city no.
and doing 50 always n they adopt
u a. their own. yet love III. south
and ever ~ill-wi,h a. deep a iov.
~ | here declare for II aud know
their souls burn with Indignation
that they hong To utter
Mr Phillips speaks of IN. old aoc.
'lon block Many q South-rn.r does
not even know I. l. th-r. and would
not Walk step 10 see !, II he did
slavery and IN. war are over and
they should bc dead is~u.s There
S.r. many living In the South be-.
for. and during the co's who did not