The Vashon Island record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1916-1919, 1918-06-27
"reminiscences Of a Georgia Itinerant
NOW A resident or YAsHON ISLAND

ferent from those entertained by the
bulk Of the masterclass with reference
10 all those subjeci1 related TO the
social system OF the South soon came
TO be questioned and eventually de.
MED. All these facts the N0rth-ihat
Is. the Northern people. Northern
statesmen. Northern thinkers-haye
comprehended as facts. Their lnhu-
ence and bearings. | may be allowed
to say, they have little understood, be-
cause they have nat sufficiently real
lied their influence upon the minds of
those subjected, generation after gen
GRAFTON. to their sway" Bricks with
out Straw. PIP. 5O45O5.)
In the South we found society diyld-
ed into four classes: First. the arlstoc-
racy; second, the middle class; third,
the poor white trash; fourth, the
negro.
The first class included the former
slave holder who are represented by
the large landowners and are the rul-
ing class. Nearly all the officials, both
In the state and and Congress- came
from this class. Nearly all OF them
had been rebels.
The second class included the small
farmer, who owned and cultivated the
land himself in old slave times and
continued to do so. Here we found
the strong Union element of the South.
These two classes were thoroughly an
tagonlstic. The first class has always
had wealth, education and power. The
second has always had poverty, limit
ed advantages In education, and OPP
preston.
The third class were debased crop
pers. Like the negro, they owned no
land, but worked the land of the first
class and have always been their
tools. From these came the oyerseers
OF slave times. Their history has been
one of AFFECT poverty and extreme ig-
norance, and although oppressed they
still fawningly followed and obeyed
their oppressors. This class was look
ed down upon by even the negroes.
The fourth class is great problem
not only TO the South but TO this ma
ton. A people whose ancestors, ut
least on one side of the house were
shared from their homes in the tropics.
taken from darkness, degradation and
barbarism by (shall | say it?) Chris
tian people mob, by those who had
had the advantages of Christian teach
ing, not TO be lifted up to higher man.
made mere beasts of burden animals
with no soul to save and none of the
common feelings of men. These were
oppressed, afflicted, tormented for $50
years.
Then slavery was abolished by pro
clamation, by national enactment, by
constitutional amendments, by the
sterner logic which forbade a nation
to place shackles again upon hands
which had been raised in her defense,
which had fought for her life and at
her request. So the slave was slave
no more. No other man could claim
his service or restrain his yolltion. He
might go or come, work or play, so far
as his late master was concerned.
But that was all. He could not con
tract, testify. marry or give in mar
rage. He had neither properly, know.
ledge, right or power The whole
four million negroes did not possess
that number of dollars or dollars
worth Whatever they had acquired
in slavery was the masters, unless he
had expressly made himself trustee
for their benefit
Ito be Continued)