The United States Supreme Court has, I believe, held that the educational clause does not constitute race discrimination.

As though the above measures were not sufficient, it is further required that, in order to vote at November elections in Alabama, voters must pay a small voluntary poll tax.  This tax, however, must be paid each year before February first—­that is, about nine months before elections actually take place.  The negro has never been distinguished for his foresightedness with a dollar, and, to make matters harder for him, this tax is cumulative from the year 1901, so that a man who wishes to begin to vote this year, and can qualify in other respects, must pay a tax amounting to nearly twenty dollars.

These measures give Alabama, as my informant put it, a “very exclusive electorate.”  With a population of approximately two millions, the greatest number of votes ever cast by the State was 125,000.  Of this number, 531 votes were those of negroes, “representing” a colored population of 840,000!

The gentleman who explained these matters also told me a story illustrative of the old-time Southerner’s attitude toward the negro in politics.

During Reconstruction, when Alabama’s Legislature was about one-third white and two-thirds negro, a fine old gentleman who had been a slaveholder and was an experienced parliamentarian, was attempting to preside over the Legislature.  In this he experienced much difficulty, his greatest bete noir being a negro member, full of oratory, who continually interrupted other speakers.

Realizing that this was a part of the new order of things, the presiding officer tried not to allow his irritation to get the better of him, and to silence the objectionable man in parliamentary fashion.  “The member will kindly come to order!” he repeated over and over, rapping with his gavel.  “The member will kindly come to order!”

After this had gone on for some time without effect, the old gentleman’s patience became exhausted.  He laid down his gavel, arose to his feet, glared at the irrepressible member, and, shaking his finger savagely, shouted:  “Sit down, you blankety-blank black blankety-blank!”

Whereupon the negro dropped instantly to his seat and was no more heard from.

CHAPTER XXXIX

AN ALLEGORY OF ACHIEVEMENT

To visit Birmingham without seeing an iron and steel plant would be like visiting Rome without seeing the Forum.  Consequently my companion and I made application for permission to go through the Tennessee Coal, Iron, & Railroad Company’s plant, at Ensley, on the outskirts of the city.  When the permission was refused us we attacked from another angle—­using influence—­and were refused again.  Next we called upon a high official of the company, and (as we had, of course, done in making our previous requests for admission to the plant) explained our errand.