“Well, wait a moment. Let’s see. Sit down. Wish I had a cigar for you, but I don’t smoke.”
“Do you happen to have any whiskey handy?”
“No, I don’t drink.”
‚ÄúWell, what the devil‚ÅÝ‚ÄîOh, well, fire away.‚Äù
“Now, see here. We control the Grey millions. Of course, we’ve got to let her play with her income, and that’s considerable. Her favorite game just now is Negro education, and she’s planning to go in heavy. Her adviser in this line, however, is Smith, and he belongs to us.”
“What Smith?”
‚ÄúWhy, the man who‚Äôs going to be Senator from New Jersey. He has a sister teaching in the South‚ÅÝ‚Äîyou know, of course; it‚Äôs at your home where my sister Mary taught.‚Äù
‚ÄúGreat Scott! Is that woman‚Äôs brother going to spend this money? Why, are you daft? See here! American cotton-spinning supremacy is built on cheap cotton; cheap cotton is built on cheap niggers. Educating, or rather trying to educate niggers, will make them restless and discontented‚ÅÝ‚Äîthat is, scarce and dear as workers. Don‚Äôt you see you‚Äôre planning to cut off your noses? This Smith School, particularly, has nearly ruined our plantation. It‚Äôs stuck almost in our front yard; you are planning to put our plough-hands all to studying Greek, and at the same time to corner the cotton crop‚ÅÝ‚Äîrot!‚Äù
John Taylor caressed his lean jaw.
“New point of view to me; I sort of thought education would improve things in the South,” he commented, unmoved.
“It would if we ran it.”