“We?”
‚ÄúYes‚ÅÝ‚Äîwe Southerners.‚Äù
‚ÄúUm!‚ÅÝ‚ÄîI see‚ÅÝ‚Äîthere‚Äôs light. See here, let‚Äôs talk to Easterly about this.‚Äù They went into the next office, and after a while got audience with the trust magnate. Mr. ¬ÝEasterly heard the matter carefully and waved it aside.
“Oh, that doesn’t concern us, Taylor; let Cresswell take care of the whole thing. We’ll see that Smith does what Cresswell wants.”
But Taylor shook his head.
‚ÄúSmith would kick. Mrs. ¬ÝGrey would get suspicious, and the devil be to pay. This is better. Form a big committee of Northern business men like yourself‚ÅÝ‚Äîphilanthropists like Vanderpool, and Southerners like Cresswell; let them be a sort of Negro Education steering-committee. We‚Äôll see that on such committee you Southerners get what you want‚ÅÝ‚Äîcontrol of Negro education.‚Äù
‚ÄúThat sounds fair. But how about the Smith School? My father writes me that they are showing signs of expecting money right off‚ÅÝ‚Äîis that true? If it is, I want it stopped; it will ruin our campaign for the Farmers‚Äô League.‚Äù
John Taylor looked at Cresswell. He thought he saw something more than general policy, or even racial prejudice‚ÅÝ‚Äîsomething personal‚ÅÝ‚Äîin his vehemence. The Smith School was evidently a severe thorn in the flesh of this man. All the more reason for mollifying him. Then, too, there was something in his argument. It was not wise to start educating these Negroes and getting them discontented just now. Ignorant labor was not ideal, but it was worth too much to employers to lose it now. Educated Negro labor might be worth more to Negroes, but