The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-28
WRITER FINDS PROF. PITKIN TOO STRONG ON RACIAL
 QUESTION

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 QUESTION
 April 24, 1887. Editor, Waterbury Democrat:
 I am enclosing to you an open let ter which I have just written to Professor Walter B. Pitkin of Co., lumbia University. I am hoping that there will be space in your forum column for it, as am desir- ous that it's contents be known in this city as elsewhere.
 4 Very truly,
 H. CHESTER LEMOINE.
 April T, 1887. Prof. w. B. Pitkin,
 Columbia University,
 New York.
 Dear Professor:
 I quote your letter to MT. w. p. Northgrave of Toronto, Canada, published in 'The Globe and Malf' of Toronto, in the issue of February 27, 1887:
 "Your letter amuses me. I have had several from Canadians-all making the same point, and all based upon singular ignorance about Canada and the people who come mostly into the United States. I happen to know Canada from the Upper Yukon to Halifax, having been born on its border and having travelled fully 10000 miles in 1t. ] also happen to have made surveys of immigrants, and can tell you what you surely do not knoW-that the French Canadians who pour into our Eastern States are the lowest specimens of humanity ex- cept for few elemental traits oi l thrift and simple honesty. The | folks of Ontario do not pour into the States. I never said Toronto and Winnipeg are primitive places and you distort my words when you impute this meaning to me. But the people from that part of Canada az not move in large numbers into the | States. Come to our New Englano mill towns some time and see the sort of cattle we get from Quebec not by the dozen but by the thou sands. I'd rather have Alabama niggers than those muskrats. cov- cred 5000 miles last summer ln the eastern provinces and thank heaven that they don't belong to the U. 5. A. But I wish all of the country from Ottawa west to Victoria were one with us."
 The contents of the above letter left me quite speeches.. New sit- nations often do, and this is new situation. The letter is a literal spree of unfounded and unmeritee invectives directed at my race. Yot deliberately reach out into the IT. relevant to spit strings of Woros sentences and innuendos into the faces of over two million French Canadians, living on this side of the border. and still a greater number living in the Dominion of Canada | don't mean to be oversensitiVe professor, but after all. cattle anc muskrats are hardly fitting names to describe any human beings.
 There is quite a bibliography ofl the subject of French Canadians and none, to my knowledge, has hac to go either into the barnyard or tc the secret Kingdom of burrowing TO- dents in order to describe us.
 Of course, when one looks over the arid pasture of the depression years and especially so in the mill towns you have reference to, where severa million workers have been de- lhorned of their savings, real ant personal by an admittedly bad ane dishonest system of economy, yot will find legions of humans, living in ridiculous conditions of poverty to the eyes of an observer who lacki ordinary human sympathies.
 I have seen many Of these wretched families. have been n their homes. such as they were. ailt | I have conversed with them, T Montreal. Que, in Holyoke, Mass. | in Chlcopee and Chicopee Falls Mass, Ware. Mass. and Warren Mass. l have seen shops closed windows broken, deserted houses l and Q handful Of humanity heF' and there, deiected. cowed, allt broken in spirit by fear Of what the immediate future might hold ipl them. I have seen children barc' ! footed. huddled near stoves fucief