Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-02
Who Was to Blame?

Mir. Editor: The vail of "A South erner' is most certainly heart-rend- ing. What terrible terrible things the poor, dear. down trodden rebels and their families did suffer. Twas shame, yes terrible shame. to make those ''ladies''. reared in he lap of luxury, get out and become of some use on earth. Twas a terrible shame that the dear white ladies of the south had to toll as well IS their bla cll-yes and light yellow-sisters. The wall is only faint peep to the rebel howl ing I have heard in every state north Of Mason and DiXon's line in my trav- els among them. But who was to blame? Who asked the rebels to fire on Old Glory at Fort Sumpter? Who asked Jeff Davis to prepare the way for rebel victory while connected with the cabinet Of the president of the United States?
 Who asked Gen. Lee and the other rebels, educated at the expense of the United States, to fire on the old flag? :? 1t was certainly not one of Grant. Sherman, Burnside, Hancock, Mead or Sheridar'S soldiers. Not only that, but -wno is there On earth who would have liked to see the ignorant (while educated) women of the south, who were so bitter from '51 to '65, and continue so until this day, placed in a position, where the useful, loving mothers Of the north could have in any way been al their mercy
 It is late in the day to bring up this old southern question, but some of us who have lived much in the south since the war know considerably more about conditions there than South erner' appears to think.
 You have only to go back to Nov. 8 and read election news to hear some thing. In Mississippi, the home of the rebel of all rebels, who >iied a rebel Jeff Davis Wilson had 77,00O votes, Hughes 4.60O The reason Will sons vote was so small was due who'll iy to white ignorance, the reason of the Hughes vote being small was evil dent fear of shot gun or some other equally bad southern method of pre- venting negroes from voting In the ballot boxes in Harris county, Texas, but 4S republican votes were cast, 3 in each box. The law requires one re- publican judge, one republican clerk and one republican checker, conse- quently those three were allowed to vote, but in one box in Harris county where 1900 negroes were registered the vote stood three for Hughes just the same.
 Not a, single state south of Mason and DiXons line cast it's vote honor ably for Wilson and not a single dem ocrat can be found in any of those states that is of any character, who would swear that the election was an honest one.
 
 publican negroes. was carried by Will son.
 The negro wards of Montgomery, Ala, cast hardly any votes. The diff ferent North Carolina counties the vote was one to 63 population-negroes | not allowed to vote.
 The south in spite of "Southerner' | Is the same old bitter, wicked, un- 1 American, slave-driving south. The same old spirit that fired on Fort | Sumpter keeps the best people of the south the most industrious, go-ahead citizens, those of color, from exercis- l ing the right of franchise. I expect a Jeff Davis blast in reply I to these facts, but facts they are. The war not only freed the negro l but made a lot of useless dolls get I out and hustle or starve and in so | doing many of them have become use- l full in their home states and towns, l but the worm of disloyalty has eaten 1 so deep into the true southern heart l it will take many years and more gen. | erations to entirely wipe it out. We often hear with bluster about | the way the noble southerner protects 1 his women. We also have read about | him selling his own female flesh and ! blood and I know that to have been a fact.
 C. B. MONTGOMERY. Packer Conn Nov 30 1916