Mr. Lee

[L Verge]

Thanks for printing the Francis Carpenter piece re: the "root, hog, or die" comment in its entirety because it raises some questions - in my mind, at least - about Lincoln's feelings on Reconstruction (i.e. what would happen to the Southern people in general).

In February of 1865, when Lincoln made the comment, he is at an "informal" peace conference with representatives of the Confederate States, who realize that defeat is likely. They are concerned about their people's future - which any decent politician or person should be. Secretary of State Seward stays silent - indicating that he has no plans (at least ones that he cares to share!). I imagine that there was that pregnant moment of silence in the room, and Lincoln feels uneasy enough that he has to draw on one of his folksy analogies to break the silence. So, he decides to "let the hogs out..."

Now, go back and read his story carefully. Lincoln is not referring strictly to what will happen to the blacks, he is saying that the defeated South -- black and white -- can figure out how to survive on their own. He later claims to Carpenter that he's saying it in "levity." When the story appeared in the New York Herald, however, I doubt seriously that the majority of people, North and South, took it with a dose of levity. The serious Northern people would applaud the implication that the Southerners (in general) were ignorant souls who would have to learn to help themselves. The Southerners would be filled with rage over such an insensitive statement.

I wonder if John Wilkes Booth happened to read the article in the New York Herald?

Now, since I'm beginning to feel like I am the oldest member of this forum, I just want to mention the "n" word. The last time I checked (and maybe it has changed), the world is still classified according to races of people. I am not WHITE; I am CAUCASIAN (remember that old term?). What we now term the black race is properly named NEGROID (unless our politically correct brethren have managed to get it changed). Then, we can throw in the MONGOLOID race -- and so on.

Until the 1960s, there seemed to be no problem with referring to my acquaintances as "colored" or "Negro." If it made them seethe inside, they certainly never showed it or said it. Since my mother's family ran a country store, I was around many fine black people the whole time I was growing up, and I never noticed any uneasiness on either side.

I began teaching in 1965, right at the time of school desegregation, and I believe I have mentioned before that the Negro students were unhappy having to come into all-white schools -- just as much as some of the whites disliked the idea of being bused into Negro neighborhoods. Then came the riots on one side and the police dogs and hoses on the other side of the coin. There were no more coloreds and Negroes. Instead we had Afro-Americans, African Americans, and blacks. Whites became whitey, honky, cracker, etc. When do we get to be Americans?

P.S. Yes, I know that the truly offensive "n" word is "*****," but it was and is used in derogatory terms by people North, South, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, and West; so don't try and place the blame on just Southerners. And, I might add, that I have some black friends who use it in describing some of their own race (just like some of the Caucasians refer to PTW).