Show Negro Voting in the Southland Humorous Side of Big Question fly BY RALPH M. M r. r Washington March 15 Yes Yes there are re two sides gl's to th the question of n n crocs croe voting In the tho South the South the humorous humor humor- ou ous anti ami the serious TJ The e speaker was a Southern congressman con con- one grossman gressman one of or those then men who ho showed not alone a keen Interest In Inthe Inthe Inthe the welfare of or his country hut but was possessed of or political genius The genuine s part of or It Is what brought him to the frontI front I dont don't want to discuss the serious phase of ot the question he continued Ve We people of the South have our own Ideas as to how hew certain local condi condi- conditions lions should be governed Wo We o have a peculiar environment find Lind weve we've got to take Lake m measures that sometimes seem unreasonable to the people of the tho North Did I J ever Vir tell ell you OU about how some local campaigns used to be run down m my way way- waIt It seems funning In recollection recollection reed reed- lection but It wa was a n serious matter l at It the time lime Ill I'll tell you a few cw Wo w used to volo vote every ne negro ro In In town Own on election day Sometimes we we voted them more morp than once I rem remember m- m ber a n fellow first name Cal who had u a gang o of thirty negroes and polled them from one ono place to another They were good negroes those fellows and the they knew how hO hOto to work when Cal had them In tow toss One time limo the other othel side sent eve every f negro the they could get et a distance of ot about fifteen miles mile Into the swamp to cut timber When hen election day came around they were they were out or our reach It W was vas lS a clever trick The ThC other side was elated over the trick the they had served u us us but their spirits were somewhat dampened nerl when the votes vote were counted Every negro who was re registered Including those who sho had had been been heen sent Into the swamp had hall been voted In indignant indi leader r was discussing dl cu this fact with Cal when Josh White hite the leader of Cals Cal's voting gang s-ang came up to report Ah Ak h done lone voted om em m all Mars Cal he said fhe The lender leader of the other side looked cd at nt Cal rather sharp sharply Ills expression was s on one of or satisfaction for he considered consid consul- creel ered Cal trapped Cal hesitated a n minute then th n made madea a hold bold pla play Howd Bowd you OU get set tho those e o follows out of the swamp Josh he asked Josh immediately looked serious lie understood and his face brightened wonderfully Oh we sent down clown dar clar and got era cm out he said JI Ho of the thC other side Ide could not deny IL He lie Got Cot tIme the Dollar An old negro went up to Colonel Appletree who was standing at the tho polling pulling place onO end election da day I Mars lars Appletree he said lson Ise ls goner on r vote for fer 0 yo o nn an I want a dol dol- lah Colonel Appletree- Appletree f 9 looked at nt him hima a amusingly y r. r Why you ou black black- ra rascal cal he ex- ex Qu knoy Oi l noH vote for cor till r side lUn ct no II dollar ci I a r. r Foh Ise goner vote veto for yo o Mars l Appletree said said- the old fellow I IFe Ise e goner put in a plumper right now nn an an I wants or dollah You go away from here said the colonel I know how you'll ole ole ote well veil enough The old fellow wont went to the polling place and voted He lie did as the colonel colonel col col- onel each anticipated Voted against him One of the colonels colonel's friends saw nw this and told him about It In a a. few fow minutes min mm- ute utes the negro returned Now 1 done voted fer for yo o Mars Appletree he said ald an In I wants er cr dollah Look here hero Undo Uncle said Colonel Appletree Ap- Ap Ap p pI I youre our the tho biggest t liar in th the county county- George Newton ewton saw you vote ote against me m.- The old negro thought seriously for fora a minute th the hi his taco face shone with the happiness s of a J. J rescuing thought Well Yell de dey all nil Intend to count it for yo anyhow w he said Rid Now Now kin kin kinI I have hn e er dollah lie He got It H. I had a gang of about 40 negroes that I J wanted to vote ote one election day and could not get them Into the pollIng pollIng polling poll- poll Ing place You see the other s Ido sido was determined to keep us out and had a watcher on the door doo who knew khew every negro in town About 4 o'clock In the afternoon I hunted up lip Major Harrison He lie was a close friend of the watcher but he ho was wason wason wason on our side sid Friendship does not hold holdon on election da day and I frankly ex ex- the situation lon to him I asked t. t k chim c him to go o down to the tho polling place and get his friend awa away for an hour or two Major Harrison drove up to tho the polls and under pretense of or looking at nt some of or the tho watchers watcher's property which was Vas up for or sale drove e him three miles across countr country Th They were gone exactly ex ox- an hour an and u a half hal and when he ho returned my m whole gang n had voted Did he ever find Ond out trick Well etl he and Harrison are nrc still It III good friends therefore tho the supposition Is II that he Ho He blamed himself for tOl attempting at attempting at- at tempting to transact bu business on election deetion dee elec tion lay day Khen Eben J- J Didn't Know About bollt It It I I Colonel Waters was the hottest man manIn manIn manin In the tho county ono one election day and he provided an In embarrassing ln ten minutes at the 01 polls for a J. J few tow of us whom he heI opp opposed I He lie heard harl that old oM Eben Ehen Smith a n negro who lived lived about about three mil miles 8 out hall hail not voted votee Colonel Waters drove out In hl his Imis buggy got Jot the old man aboard and and ancl brought ht him to the polls One of or the watchers rs challenged ed That old rl rascal cal voted here early this morning mornin he ho said Mill Waters tho l thought ht this was not true and ond said as ns much As proof he asked old Eben about It Cross Cro s mah niah heart I aint voted sence enco last lection said til Eben Youre lying said the watcher Look where youre you're rc registered Youre You're marked off itt Eben didn't look lIe He couldn't read What h t did you OU mean b by telling me you ou hadn't voted 1 demanded tho the Col Col- onel lIe He was Avas hopping madI mad I 1 aint voted voled cried Eben much of- of fended Shores gospel I aint voted Kernel I aint bon boa de do place sence las las' as week SHe lIe just wanted a rile ride down town said 5 the watcher He knew he lie had voted and worked worl ed you oU for n a pleasant I rip trip Colonel Waters looked hard at old oM Eben turned on his heel and left the polling place Eben followed follo sorrow sorrow- fully I The old fell fellow 0 spoke the truth ho ht hadn't boon been tiff biT his patch of or ground or rOl a week and ho he hadn't voted io last ast election I Someone else did though Had Been Hern Going oln Some J Under the tho old poll tax tux law every voter had to pt pity pay up all his hack back takes h before rore he could ra cast t a n ballot hallot The ne groes ros ro's did not nOl I like k the tho hll idra of or poking maing poll taxes nor nor uni did they the rest easily easil under under un un- un- un der the loss los of franchise e. e j When hen poll pon taxes plied piled up UI for or four years year it was as a ea case e of oC bank bankrupt hank hank- rupt to negroes t to pay up before the they the voted t By Ily swearing they the were twenty one years of or n age e the they c could uld get around ild all nn these hack back tax taxes and amI secure th their thir lr bal bal- lot loL The me result was as that few tew negroes In the the- count county were more than twenty twenty- 0 one n e. e Thed declare themselves twenty twenty- one regardless of whether the they were known to the re registrars or not One tusk dusk dusky voter said h ho was twenty twenty- one ono and when questioned swore wore to his assertion as ns fervently a as ag j he ie would to his poverty It was wa afterward learned ho he had been married fourteen years and hall hail twelve Yet he ho was only ooh old twenty one years He lie HeVa was Va nick named Twenty No co o It Wasn't u nt time the Con Congressman t j W v s t Just b becoming becom com com- ing Interested In these those stories and would have told several chapters more mon had he not suddenly remembered that he had a committee meeting to attend and he hurried aWa aa away I 1 wonder If It ho thinks wo ve dont don't know who carried caled 0 off all tho those e tricks said on one of his auditors a n capital clerk Well ell hes he's a n Cong re Congressman anyhow and that covet covers a multitude of carl early transgressions said another I myself thought he was sas a very ery modest modest modest mod mod- est man to give the credit of or all nil thc these clever er political tricks trick to others of the community In which ho lie 11 was wa brought up |