“Oh, maybe some time, of course. But not for years; not until you’ve made your pile. You don’t really expect to keep the darkies down forever, do you?”
‚ÄúNo, I don‚Äôt,‚Äù Maxwell slowly admitted. ‚ÄúThis system can‚Äôt last always‚ÅÝ‚Äîsometimes I think it can‚Äôt last long. It‚Äôs wrong, through and through. It‚Äôs built on ignorance, theft, and force, and I wish to God we had courage enough to overthrow it and take the consequences. I wish it was possible to be a Southerner and a Christian and an honest man, to treat niggers and dagoes and white trash like men, and be big enough to say, ‚ÄòTo Hell with consequences!‚Äô‚Ää‚Äù
Colonel Cresswell stared at his neighbor, speechless with bewilderment and outraged traditions. Such unbelievable heresy from a Northerner or a Negro would have been natural; but from a Southerner whose father had owned five hundred slaves‚ÅÝ‚Äîit was incredible!
The other landlords scarcely listened; they were dogged and impatient and they could suggest no remedy. They could only blame the mill for their troubles.
John Taylor left the conference blithely. “No,” he said to the committee from the new mill-workers’ union. “Can’t raise wages, gentlemen, and can’t lessen hours. Mill is just started and not yet paying expenses. You’re getting better wages than you ever got. If you don’t want to work, quit. There are plenty of others, white and black, who want your jobs.”
The mention of black people as competitors for wages was like a red rag to a bull. The laborers got together and at the next election they made a clean sweep, judge, sheriff, two members of the legislature, and the registrars of votes. Undoubtedly the following year they would capture Harry Cresswell’s seat in Congress.