Awakening 
 
 Of 
 Hezekiah 
 
 Jones 
 
 A Story Dealing with Some of the Problems 
 Affecting the Political Rewards Due the Negro 
 
 By JOHN EDWARD BRUCE 
 "BRUCE GRIT" 
 
 PHIL H. BROWN, Publisher 
 
 HOPKINSVILLE, KY. 
 
. 
 
 University of California Berkeley 
 
COPY RIGHT 1916 
 
 BY 
 PHIL H. BROWN 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The simple announcement of the purpose of Mr. John 
 E. Bruce (Bruce-Grit) to write a story dealing with some of 
 the problems affecting the political rewards due and obtain- 
 able by the Negro wherever he is a conscious factor, should 
 be sufficient to arrest public attention in anticipation of a 
 clever story; for there is no non de plume more widely 
 known, nor one possessing greater ability than he to entertain 
 and instruct. First, he is a master of the art of graphic ex- 
 pression; he excels as a delineator of character, his style is 
 unique and inimitable. His many years of service as news- 
 paper correspondent and as editor, covering more than thirty 
 years, have given him contact, observation, and experience. 
 With these has come wisdom, giving clarity to his vision, san- 
 ity to his judgments, moral courage to his expressions. The 
 story which he gives is in accord with twentieth century con- 
 ditions and not along the lines of reconstruction dreams. 
 
 Mr. Bruce was born in Maryland, near the National Cap- 
 ital, at a time that enabled him to see very much of the great 
 men who made Civil War and Reconstruction history. His 
 facilities for education, owing to the humble circumstances of 
 his parentage, were scant; but by dint of industry, his am- 
 bition and his will he availed himself of these to such an ex- 
 tent that from this school of adversity, in which he was en- 
 vironed, he graduated, so to speak, summa cam laude. 
 
 On of his employments as a youth in the seventies was 
 with a well-known Washington correspondent of a New York 
 daily. He saw and heard many things in those days in which 
 he was not supposed to have any interest. These fired his 
 soul, they excited his ambition, they were greater teachers 
 than the school room routine of these days. 
 
 The men who employed him were attracted to his un- 
 usual abilities which they recognized and encouraged. Thus 
 were laid the stepping stones on which he trod with a self- 
 reliance that caused him to write to newspapers, then to pub- 
 lish one in collaboration with men with the advantage of the 
 
schools who recognized his merit. Finally he became an 
 author. A few years ago he published "Biographies of 
 Eminent Negro Men and Women of Europe and North Amer- 
 ica/' a volume of more than 100 pages. Several pamphlets on 
 burning questions are to his credit, such as "The Blood Red 
 Record/' "The Nation, the Law, the Citizen" and "Defence of 
 the Negro Soldier." Prom pamphleteer and biographer he 
 shies his castor in the field of fiction. A glance at the ad- 
 vanced sheets of "The Awakening of Hezekiah Jones" shows 
 that from different view-points he has predicated the finish 
 that awaits the would-be politician who looks to reward based 
 largely on numbers and racial backing, to find the true secret 
 of success in the game of practical politics. 
 
 JOHN W. CROMWELL, 
 
 Author, "The Negro in American History." 
 Principal of The Alex. Cromwell School. 
 Secretary of The Negro American Academy. 
 
 Washington, D. C., 
 Sept. 30, 1915. 
 
 PRESS OF 
 
 THE SATURDAY NEWS 
 HOPKIXSVIL.LE, KY. 
 
THE AWAKENING 
 
 OF 
 
 HEZEKIAH JONES 
 
 By JOHN EDWARD BRUCE 
 "BRUCE GRIT" 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "And be these juggling fiends no more believed 
 
 That palter with us in a double sense, 
 That keep the word of promise to our ears, 
 
 And break it to our hopes." Macbeth. 
 
 Hezekiah Jones was a man of color, who made some preten- 
 sions to being a politician. The little town in an Eastern 
 State, to which he had migrated from the South, shortly after 
 the war, contained a population of between thirty and thirty- 
 five thousand inhabitants, of which number at the time of 
 which w r e write, two thousand, five hundred were Negroes, 
 some of whom, possibly one-third, were natives of Virginia, 
 Maryland and Kentucky. They were men and women of the 
 better type of the laboring class, who were attracted to the 
 town by the high wages paid laborers, mechanics and domes- 
 tic servants high compared with the starvation wages paid, 
 skilled and unskilled labor in the States from which they 
 came. 
 
 Here Mr. Hezekiah Jones had lived some eighteen or nine- 
 teen years, where he was well and favorably known to the 
 people of all classes, of both races, and especialy was he pop- 
 ular with the white political leaders, who knew what a tre~ 
 
 i 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 mendous influence he exerted among the people of his race. 
 They flattered, cajoled and patronized him, as is the won't of 
 the crafty and cunning political leader; called him "Hez" 
 familiarly, invited him into their conferences and caucuses 
 and treated him as one of them. 
 
 It is said that just before the constrictor consumes its prey 
 it covers it with saliva to make the process of deglutition 
 easier. 
 
 Now, Hezekiah once had the "distinguished honor," as he 
 called it, of dining one evening at the home of the chairman 
 of the city Republican committee, where three members of 
 the committee were also guests. It was six weeks of election 
 and the mathematicians of the local organization had been 
 working on some of the problems in mathematics that in- 
 terested them greatly. They had been figuring on the major- 
 ity of their candidate for local office in the coming election, 
 and the chief statistician had overlooked the Negro vote in his 
 calculations, hence the dinner with "Hez" as a specially in- 
 vited guest. 
 
 It was a great affair. After the seance the chairman and 
 his guests repaired to the broad veranda of his magnificent 
 country residence, where they smoked expensive perfectos, 
 sipped choice brands of wine, talked some practical politics 
 and finally elected their candidate by an overwhelming 
 majority. The chairman, who was a wise politician, was also 
 a fisher of men. This little affair was always alluded to by 
 Mr. Jones, in a matter-of-fact way, and with the evident pur- 
 pose of leaving on the minds of those with whom he talked 
 about it, the impression that eating canvas-back duck and 
 drinking champagne with city chairman, and smoking cigars 
 costing fifty cents a piece was a very ordinary matter, which 
 in truth it was. Since the chairman was only a man, like 
 the rest of us, but unlike rest or most of us, he had succeeded in 
 rising rather rapidly in the world, and in possessing himself 
 of a comfortable bank account, so fat that he could eat can- 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 vass-back duck every day if he wanted to without feeling the 
 strain. 
 
 After this famous social tete-a-tete, Hezekiah swelled up 
 like a South Carolina cushion-fish, and always seemed to have 
 more dignity than dollars, but he was not, be it said to his 
 credit, overbearing in his manner. Still he gave one the im- 
 pression by his manner that he " warn 't no ordinary person. " 
 He always refered to the city chairman as "my frien' Cy." 
 
 When among his own people he had the faculty of making 
 them feel a little prouder of him because of the social 
 eminence he had suddenly attained, and because as many of 
 his associates said he "warn't stuck up ner selfish." They 
 saw in the influence which he was building up among leading 
 white politicians of the city and county, immense potentialties, 
 which would some day blossom into lucrative jobs for the 
 faithful who stood by their leader and sneezed whenever he 
 took snuff. They were loyal. 
 
 He was honest and faithful to their interests. They were 
 as true to him as the needle to the pole. They were an hon- 
 est-minded, simple-hearted folk, who had a sincere respect for 
 him and abiding confidence in his honesty and good faith 
 most unusual traits in Negroes banded together politically and 
 fraternally, where usually every fifth man is a candidate for 
 leader. But Hezekiah had no rivals for leadership. He was 
 * ' monarch of all he surveyed ' ' politically in that town. 
 
 It may be that Hezekiah owed his good fortune in being 
 recognized and accepted by the mass of his followers as a sort 
 of "uncrowned king" to the fact that he was several persim- 
 mons above them in learning. He had a working knowledge 
 of the "three E's," hence he was private secretary to scores of 
 them, whose business affairs they entrusted to his hands, and 
 which he looked after conscientiously. He wrote their letters, 
 kept their accounts straight and never betrayed the confi- 
 dence they reposed in him. The older men called him 
 ""cmali boy, Hez" and the younger set always addressed him 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEK1AH JONES. 
 
 deferentialy as "Mr. Jones." He had for twelve or thirteen 
 years been employed as confidential messenger at the Charter 
 Oak Bank at a comfortable salary, with a yearly gratuity of 
 anywhere from $75 to $100, according to the volume of busi- 
 ness done. But when Bryan first ran for President in 1896, 
 there was a decided falling off in his annual pickings. He only 
 got $25 that year at Christmas. Better than nothing, thought 
 Hezikiah, still it was significant as showing the trend of popu- 
 lar thought on the subject of the Bryan financial theories. 
 
 His own salary, he mused, if Mr. Bryan wins, may be 
 reduced one-half, and future yearly tips one-fourth, or per- 
 haps, nothing at all. Perhaps, too, the cut this year is a 
 gentle hint from the directors of the bank to me to get un- 
 usually busy among the brethren and hold them in line, and 
 also to show them what the fear of the Bryan theories had 
 done for me. 
 
 Hezekiah was equal to the occasion, and at a convenient 
 season there was a mass meeting of colored citizens which was 
 addressed by many noted speakers of both races, among them 
 Hezekiah himself, who grew eloquent in his denunciation of 
 the cheap money theories of "the boy orator of the Platte," 
 which he characterized as "wild-cat financial theories." The 
 white speakers pointed out, with their usual force and suc- 
 cinctness of statement, the dangers of Bryanism and the 
 sophistry upon which it rested. The result was that the meet- 
 ing was a howling success, and every black voter pledged him- 
 self unreservedly to vote against Bryan at the forthcoming 
 election. 
 
 The chairman of the city committee, who was also a direc- 
 tor of the Charter Oak Bank, was not present at this meeting. 
 He was having a meeting at the club rooms, to which he had 
 invited a number of local leaders. It was really a caucus to 
 consider candidates for the City Council, Justices of the 
 Peace, Mayor, Register of Deeds, etc., etc., and there were 
 representatives or proxies from every ward and district in 
 the city. 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 It was quite past ten o'clock when they began to assemble 
 and well on to one in the morning before they dispersed for 
 their homes. When all had gathered, the chairman stated the 
 object of the call to be to select candidates for the various 
 city offices, and that the Spring elections were near at hand, 
 and it was highly important that "we get together" and 
 .select a ticket that will be acceptable to the voters. 
 
 "The present administration," he said, "cannot succeed 
 itself for the good and sufficient reason that it has not re- 
 deemed the pledge it gave to the people two years ago, to give 
 them lower taxes, cheaper gas, and better rapid transit facil- 
 ities. Instead of carrying out its pre-election pledges to re- 
 duce taxation, it had increased the tax rate and piled up an 
 enormous debt and now we will have to issue bonds in order to 
 .save our credit and our good name." 
 
 He invited a full and free discussion as to the availability 
 and fitness of a number of gentlemen, who would later be 
 named as candidates for the various offices to be filled, among 
 them Dr. Hedges, of the Fifth Ward; General Thornton 
 of the Fourth Ward, and Dr. Muriel G. Combs, of the Seventh 
 Ward, all excellent gentlemen and he believed good vote- 
 getters. Dr. Hedges is a representative of the old citizen ele- 
 ment, very wealthy and popular with the masses. General 
 Thornton is an old G. A. R. man, fairly well off and would poll 
 a large soldier vote. Mr. Combs is our former Congressman, 
 a business man of high standing, who would bring to any 
 office the ripe experience in public affairs gained by two terms 
 in Congress, and would give the city, if elected, a business ad- 
 ministration. 
 
 "I submit, gentlemen, these names, to which the commit- 
 tee will add later some others for your earnest consideration 
 and action. It seems possible that we can here tonight select 
 the candidates and arrange a ticket that will sweep the city 
 "by storm, eight weeks, hence." 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEK1AH JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The chairman took his seat, and Citizen Detweiller, a- 
 German gentleman with a bushy beard and a florid complex- 
 ion, arose and asked the privilege of speaking. " Every gen- 
 tleman here," said the chairman, recognizing the speaker, "is 
 an equal. This is a meeting of Republicans and all Republi- 
 cans have a voice here and a right to participate in choos- 
 ing the men who are to be representatives in our city govern- 
 ment. Proceed, Mr. Detweiller." 
 
 Mr. Detweiller bowed his thanks, and proceeded as fol- 
 lows: "Meister Cheerman, I dank you vor der preevileege 
 dat you geef me to spik. I am dirty years in dis gountry und 
 I am von American citizen and I haf always wote der Repub- 
 lican teekit. I have lif in dees town- for nineteen years al- 
 retty und I haf woted vor efery Republican candidate vor 
 office from Maier to tog ketcher. I notis dat der organization 
 haf nefer put in nominashuns vor any office (aldo der are- 
 several tousand Yarmans und woters in dees city and country) 
 a single Yarman vor any offis. Vor why iss dot, Meister 
 Cheerman. Ton't der barty count der Yarman woters unt are 
 dey not useful wotes, unt ton't dey hellup vor to make major- 
 ities? Den vy iss der Yarman left oudt auf der nominashun- 
 ing? I vould like to add to- der list auf prosbective candi- 
 dates vor der offis of Maier mine freund Heinrich Wulff, der 
 prewer, who I am sure can carry all uf der Yarman woters. I 
 tank you, Meister Cheerman." 
 
 The chairman was about to rise to reply to the speaker 
 when another gentleman arose to claim the privilege of speak- 
 ing. The chair deferred to him, but gave notice that he would 
 later answer the first speaker's questions as to why no Ger- 
 man had heretofore been placed in nomination for city and 
 county offices. 
 
 The next speaker said his name was Patrick O'Hara, and 
 that he wasn't Frinch but Oirish and was rather proud of it. 
 He was an American by adoption and from choice, but h e 
 
 6 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKTAH JONES. 
 
 would always by Oirish because he was born in Cork and 
 couldn't help it. He continued and said, "Oi hev listhened, 
 Misther Cheerman, wid a grate dale av intnrust to th' 
 spaches made here this avenin', an' especially th' Cheerman 's 
 spache. An' Oi must say, gintlemin, thet Oi, too, loike my 
 German frind over thayre, wuz a little sooproised not to say 
 asthonished fer to hear th' Cheerman mintion awl them 
 names f'r th' mare's job, an' not wan av thim bein' Orish, 
 aven in schmell. Now, Sor an' Gintilmin, yez hev seven 
 tousan Oirish votes in thish town an' county, yez hev got two 
 tousand an' three hundred an' fifty German votes in thish 
 town an' county, an' arl together thet makes fourteen tousan 
 wan hundred an' sthill gentilmin nayther av these races has 
 had a lukin in the pasht nor on th' ticket which yez arr about 
 to naim heer to-nite. But, Misther Cheerman an' gintilmin, 
 yez will arl av yez ixpict ivry wan af thim fer to vote yure 
 ticket whin nominayted. But will they? Now, sorr, while 
 Oim on me fate, Oi wish, sor, to submit for the considerashun 
 av this confrince ez a candydate fer ma 're th' name av a 
 foine old Oirish gintilmin, a warum frind av moine, an' as 
 good Repooblican as iver voted th' ticket an' a blame soight 
 better. He was a sojer in the Civil Warr, an' he fit as bravely 
 as eny man thet ever shouldered a muskit. He is a foine type 
 of an' Oirish-American an' he'll foight now at th' drohp av th' 
 hat aven if he has fer to dhrop th' hat himself. Oi hev th' 
 honor, Sorr, to prisint th' nairn af Mister Pathrick Daniel 
 O'Connell, wan av our lading eonthractors. Oi tank yez, Mis- 
 ter Cheerman an' gintilmin, fer this oppertunity yez hev 
 given me fer to spake fer th' Oirish." 
 
 Having thus freed his mind Mr. O'Hara resumed his seat 
 relighted his perfecto and seemingly enjoyed its fragrance. 
 The chairman at this juncture was visibly nervous, and was 
 fearful that representatives from Hungary and Italy and a 
 few other countries would follow the lead of Messrs. Detweil- 
 ler and O'Hara, and so calling a member of the conference to 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 take the chair, he took the floor for the situation was becom- 
 ing more and more acute and a crisis was imminent. He saw 
 the urgent necessity of making a speech which would in his 
 judgment harmonize the discordant elements whose represen- 
 tatives had spoken with more point and force than eloquence. 
 The situation was not a pleasant one to contemplate. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," said he with compelling unction, "I re- 
 gret the necessity which makes it incumbent upon me. to ex- 
 plain to this conference of intelligent and progressive Amer- 
 ican gentlemen-citizens-voters, why the Republican organiza- 
 tion of this state has not in past years nominated men 
 for higher office who were of German, Irish or other alien 
 blood. The Republican party, I am glad to be able to say, 
 makes no distinction of race in the selection of the men it 
 calls upon to serve it, and to lead it to victory. It knows no 
 German, or Irish, or Italian, or other racial varieties. And in 
 choosing its leaders to fight its battles it only wants to know 
 first, that they are good Americans, and, second, that they 
 are loyal Republicans. These are the supreme tests, gentle- 
 men. The German or the Irish or men of any other race who 
 cast their lot with us in America are American citizens, and 
 the moment they take the oath of allegiance to the Constitu- 
 tion and the flag they are nu longer German, Irish or 
 Italian, but sovereign American citizens (applause long con- 
 tinued) possessing all the rights, privilages and immunities 
 which that citizenship confers. 
 
 "I hope, gentlemen, that we will hear no more of this talk 
 about nationalities in this or in any future conference of Re- 
 publicans of this city and county. If no German, or Irishman, 
 or Italian, heretofore has been nominated it was because they 
 have based their claims to such recognition upon the ground 
 of their nationality. This is neither Germany, Ireland nor 
 Italy, but the United States of America, free and independent, 
 where every man is a king and every woman a queen. 
 
 "Speaking for myself, candidly and freely, I will say 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 that if this conference in its wisdom should name either of the 
 gentlemen who have spoken here tonight Mr. Detweiller, one 
 of our oldest and most respected citizens, a man whose char- 
 acter is above reproach, whose life is an open book and whose 
 record as a business man and a private citizen is as clean as 
 a hound 's tooth ; or even our young and brilliant and witty 
 friend, Mr. O'Hara, whom I have known for many years as 
 an earnest, industrious and intelligent young gentleman with 
 a brilliant future before him, I would take off my coat un- 
 loose my purse strings and work as hard for the election of 
 either or both of them, and harder than I would for some who 
 might be named who are to the manor born. 
 
 "I have a strain of German and Irish blood in my veins, 
 for my grandfather was German and my grandmother was 
 Irish. But my German and Irish blood must ever be subordi- 
 nate to my American blood. We are all one people, one na- 
 tion with one common destiny and hope for the triumph of 
 American genius and ideals in the struggle for the mastery 
 among the governments of the world." Uproarious applause 
 followed this outburst of impassioned eloquence and the chair 
 resumed the gavel and awaited the further pleasure of the 
 conference. 
 
 Messrs. Detweiller and O'Hara, who were in truth only 
 ordinary men of mediocre ability, were overwhelmed by the 
 diplomatic and crafty speech of the chairman. His flattery and 
 sophistry and his cleverness as a literary cabinet-ma&er made 
 them really forget that they were naturalized Americans and 
 they fell into the trap which he had cunningly set for them. 
 
THE AWAKENING* OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 The conference was unanimously of the opinion that Dr. 
 Hedges would be the logical nominee of the party to head the 
 ticket. He was not only popular, but he was a liberal spender, 
 and, if nominated, he would make a generous contribution to< 
 the campaign fund, which would assist other nominees on the 
 ticket to win. 
 
 Accordingly, the conference was polled to ascertain how 
 each member of it stood on this important question, and how 
 he felt. Of the thirty-five or thirty-six gentlemen present, all 
 except one voted in favor of endorsing to the organization for 
 its acceptance as the choice of the Republican leaders as its 
 candidate for Mayor, Dr. W. H. Hedges. Having thus ascer- 
 tained the sentiment of the conference, the meeting, a few min- 
 utes thereafter adjourned, and the chairman, requested all of 
 the members of the executive committee to remain after ad,- 
 jourmnent. 
 
 The other confreres passed out, and the executive com- 
 mittee was called to order and proceeded to the transaction 
 of business, i. e., to make up a slate for the primaries, twenty 
 days hence. 
 
 The work was soon over; three or four local leaders were 
 selected for aldermanic honors, among, them our friends 
 Detweiller and O'Hara; a candidate for coroner, two justices 
 of the peace and other necessary local officers made up the 
 ticket to be ratified and endorsed at a regular meeting of the 
 organization, and in turn to be voted for at the forthcoming 
 primaries. This over the meeting resolved intself into an in- 
 formal gathering; cigars were passed around and liquid re- 
 freshments flowed copiously until the wee sma' hours. Messrs. 
 Detweiller, O'Hara and the chairman of the committee were 
 as chummy as lovers, and at a private table where Scotch and 
 Pilsener, and Perfectos were plentiful, they figured out the 
 Irish and German vote to a mathematical nicety, and when 
 the city chairman said good night to his hyphenated citizen- 
 
 10 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEJQAH JONES. 
 
 chums, he, like the Count of Monte Cristo, after he began to 
 pay scores, said: "One!" and swallowed a Scotch highball 
 that the waiter had prepared for him. 
 
 Then he put on his Fedora, lighted a Perfecto and was driven 
 to his home in the suburbs. 
 
 The next evening at the Commercial Club, Colonel J. M. 
 Saxe, an old-line Republican, who had fought gallantly in the 
 Civil War with a regiment of Negro soldiers about whose brav- 
 ery and courage he always spoke in fulsome phrase, said to 
 the city chairman, with whom he was sitting on a big settee : 
 
 "Don't you think we ought to do something handsome for 
 Hezekiah? I attended the mass meeting, which he called here 
 a few nights ago, and I was never more pleased and surprised 
 than I was to see so much enthusiasm displayed by these black 
 people, and so many of them present. The hall, a fairly large 
 one, was packed almost to suffocation, and Hezekiah, who 
 wields a powerful influence over his people, was in his glory. 
 He made a capital speech, an,d it was cheered vociferously. It 
 was really good to be among suck a whole-hearted group of 
 optimists as these black people are. They take their politics 
 as seriously as they do their religion. I am convinced from 
 what I saw and heard at Hezekiah 's meeting that the party in 
 the city and county has no more earnest nor loyal supporters 
 than these black men. We certainly ought to recognize their 
 leader. This would be a tactical stroke and the effect of it 
 would be to fasten these people to us with hooks of steel." 
 
 "I agree with you, John," replied the chairman, "that we 
 ought to do something to hold these people with us, but I 
 doubt the wisdom of recognizing them outright in a political 
 way. Hez, as you well say, does wield a powerful influence 
 over these darkies, and we certainly should take care of him. 
 However, I don't want to begin, the practice of appointing 
 Negroes to political jobs, or of encouraging them to run for 
 office, and for this reason: The moment we white people let 
 down the bars, our city would in a few years become Africanr 
 
 11 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 ized. Negroes from other States would pour into it and in time 
 overwhelm us at the polls, and then, where would we be? Have 
 you ever looked at it in that light, John?" 
 
 "Well, no," replied John; "I never have. I see the force 
 of 3 7 our argument and I am at one with you in the view that it 
 would neither be practical nor wise to give the Negro import- 
 ant political positions if we epect to continue to give direction to 
 political thought and policies of the party in this State, but 
 some day we have got to reckon with this black contingent. 
 We have as they say down south, got to tote square with them, 
 or lose their votes and our own influence as a political organi- 
 zation. " 
 
 "Now," said the city chairman, "I propose to recognize 
 Hezekiah's work in a different way. Certainly it is worth 
 eighty dollars per month to the white Republicans of this town 
 to keep Hezekiah in his present job and give him an assistant 
 (allowing him to name the man). This will give him all the 
 time he needs to circulate among his people and do missionary 
 work during the campaign . If, of course, he was a white 
 man, exerting the same influence and controlling the same 
 number of votes, we might reward him with the nomination 
 of superintendent of streets, which carries a salary of $2,000 
 per year; but you see he is a Negro, John, and white men, as 
 you and I know, will not stand for a Negro in these rural 
 towns in an elective office carrying patronage. We have got 
 to look out for defections in our own ranks, by not doing any- 
 thing to drive away from us white voters. Hez is a good fel- 
 low and I like him. He is a useful boy, clever, faithful and 
 remarkably intelligent for a Negro, and he is true. But as I 
 have said, he is a Negro and his color is against him. 
 
 "The few thousand votes he controls in the city and county 
 are assests which any white political leader would be proud 
 to possess. It is really wonderful, John, the hold this darky 
 has upon his people." 
 
 "Oh, I have noticed that for some years," said Colonel 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Saxe. "There is something about these black leaders that I 
 cannot understand, and that is how they are able to get such 
 a grip on the masses of their people. Most of these black 
 fellows that I have known as boy and man seemed to have 
 possessed a secret power which gave them the mastery over 
 the rank and file of their people. When I was in the army and 
 stationed with my regiment in Virginia I had an opportunity of 
 studying these leaders (and the old-time Negroes were men, 
 most of them, at least), who were deeply religious and truly 
 in earnest. 
 
 "I went once to a meeting of blacks in a Baptist church 
 in the city of Richmond, after the surrender of that city to our 
 forces, and I will never forget it to my dying day. It was a 
 sort of thanksgiving service gotten up by these black people 
 to commemorate their deliverance from bondage. The chief 
 spirit of the movement was a little old black man with a be- 
 nignant countenance, a deep, sonorous voice and a keen, 
 piercing eye, that seemed to look through you. The church 
 was one of the largest, if not the largest, in the city, and the 
 identical church in which a monster meeting was held by the 
 white people in February, 1865, when Jefferson Davis and 
 other Southerners denounced Lincoln and expressed confidence 
 that the South would compel the Yankees to petition for peace. 
 
 "As I had nothing else to do, I thought I would go and 
 listen to the speeches and the singing two gifts with which 
 the Negro has been signally blessed. I reached the church 
 about 7:30 and found a large and enthusiastic crowd of well 
 dressed Negro men and women, with a considerable sprinkling 
 of white persons of both sexes, gathered there. I took a seat 
 near the door. (I was in uniform and did not want to appear 
 conspicious.) Soon one of the church officers, who knew my 
 name, espied me. and insisted on taking me up front, where I 
 could see and hear better. I didn't want to go, but he said I 
 must; so I went up and was given a fine seat in the amen 
 corner, from which I could see and hear everything that went 
 on. 
 
 13 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 ' ' It was well I went up front, for at 8 :30 every available 
 seat in the church was filled, and in the wide aisles men, wo- 
 men and children occupied benches, chairs and camp stools, 
 while against the walls, on three sides of the church, people 
 Were standing two deep. Promptly at 8 :30 I heard in a splen- 
 did baritone voice that thrilled me, Tom Moore's hymn. 'The 
 Song of Miriam': 
 
 i Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea! 
 Jehovah has triumphed ! His people are free ! ' 
 The great audience took up the melody and sang as I have 
 never heard any people sing that song since. There was a 
 swing to the music that transfixed me, and I was heartily sorry 
 when its last notes died away. It seems to me that I hear those 
 Negroes singing that hymn now/' 
 
 "The Negroes," said the city chairman, "are natural musi- 
 cians. Some of the finest singers that I have ever listened to 
 in my life have been Negroes. When I was in Germany four 
 or five years ago, I heard a great Negro tenor sing, who could 
 make his fortune in America, with a good manager, if he 
 only had a white face, but he was a genuine black and as hand- 
 some in face and as perfect in physical development as any 
 man I ever saw. I have never heard such a voice as that 
 Negro- possessed. 
 
 "Of course, you know, Colonel," the city chairman con- 
 tinued, "that I have never questioned the capacity of the 
 Negro for sustained effort in any direction. I believe that 
 they are just as capable, and in some instances more so, than 
 many of us whites, but they are a minority race and have no 
 fair opportunity for the exercise of their native and acquired 
 abilities beyond a certain point, socially there is a Rubicon 
 they cannot cross, and there's a reason. I fear we white men 
 are not quite civilized as yet, and that our religion is a hollow 
 mockery and a sham, so far as the Negro is concerned, we 
 have eliminated him from the equation. We accept him as 
 a man after a form, but we reject him as a brother, and our 
 
 14 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 prejudices against him are born of conditions, upon which you 
 and I know rests the safety and security of the Anglo-Saxon 
 ^civilization. Self preservation demands that we shall rule. 
 There can be no middle ground. The moment we permit sen- 
 timent to outweigh our judgment as to what is best for us 
 racially and nationally, we will cease to be the governing and 
 dominant race. 
 
 ' ' The destiny of the black race is not coordinate with that 
 of the white race. The two races cannot cohere socially and 
 preserve their racial identity. One or the other must rule. 
 Colonel," said the chairman with vigor, "there are other 
 aspects to which I need not advert. I think you understand 
 me." 
 
 "Oh, yes," said olonel Saxe, "perfectly, and yet I am 
 tempted to believe that if we continue to use our giant 
 strength to keep these people down, or any people entitled to 
 our care and protection, we, or our children, or our children's 
 children will some day pay the penalty with compound inter- 
 est. Neither Europe nor America can afford to oppress weak- 
 er peoples, for the law of compensation is irrevocable, and 
 like the laws of the Medes and the Persians, is 'without shad- 
 ow .or variableness of turning. ' ' 
 
 "Exactly so, John," said the chairman. "I believe in 
 the law of compensation, for what goes up most come down. 
 That is the irony of fate, but in the present circumstances I 
 think a majority of the Caucasian race is willing to let the 
 future settle its own problems." 
 
 "Well," said Colonel Saxe, "it is going to be a bloody 
 and a terrible reckoning, and I am quite in agreement with 
 Thomas Jefferson, who said: "I tremble for my country when 
 I remember that God is just." 
 
 "Jefferson, like Tocqueville," answered the chairman, 
 meditatively, "was a prophet a seer. I often think of that 
 saying of Jefferson's, which you have just quoted, and I trem- 
 ble .a little myself when I think of how we have treated the 
 
 15 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Indian, and how we are now treating the Negro." 
 
 "There is good reason," said Colonel Saxe, "why we all 
 should tremble. I declare it is awful to think of our injustices 
 to these faithful, lovable and loyal black people, but let me 
 finish my story." 
 
 "Excuse me, John," said the chairman, "for interrupting, 
 it. I hope that you have not lost the thread." 
 
 * ' Oh, no, ' 'he replied, * * not at all. When a thing has once been 
 photographed on your memory it remains with you for all 
 time. 1 told you about the singing of those Negroes and its 
 electrical effect upon me. Well, there was another scene equal- 
 ly as impressive, following this part of these interesting exer- 
 cises. I think I also mentioned a little old black man. 
 "Yes, you did." 
 
 "Well, after that great hymn of Moore's this little old 
 man, who had not been in auditorium while the audience was 
 assembling, walked upon the platform from a little room off on 
 the side of the pulpit, and, advancing to the old-fashioned 
 pulpit on which rested a huge Bible, he stood there for two or 
 three seconds engaged in prayer. The moment he closed his 
 eyes every voice was hushed and every head was bowed. Be- 
 tween his pauses one could almost hear a pin drop. Then, in a 
 clear, well modulated voice, he spoke to the Master, this short 
 but meaningful prayer: 
 
 " *0, thou infinite! We come tonight with grateful hearts 
 to offer unto Thee our thanks for thy loving kindness and 
 tender mercies shown toward us in days past, and for deliver- 
 ing these, thy people, from the yoke of bondage as Thou didst 
 promise our fathers to do. Bless, 0, God, those who have 
 wronged us and give us the spirit of charity and foregiveness 
 and the patience to wait on Thee for the fulfillment of all thy 
 promises to those who trust in Thy Word. Amen!' 
 
 "There was no vindictiveness in that prayer. It was a 
 kindly, charitable, forgiving utterance from the representative 
 of a race which had every reason in the world to show its- 
 
 1C 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 resentment and its bitterness of feeling toward our race. But 
 this Negro prayed as the Scriptur-es command us all to do for 
 those who have despitefully used us. Now, my friend, how 
 are we going to keep down people like these who show such 
 supreme faith and confidence in God, and exercise such won- 
 derful patience in waiting on Him? It cannot be done, I tell 
 you ! These black people are a spiritual people, and I believe 
 in my heart that they are nearer the Almighty than any, other 
 race on earth. 
 
 "Then, too, this little, old, black man talked to these 
 people before him like a father to his children. He spoke to 
 them of their newly won freedom, what it had cost the nation 
 in blood and treasure to acquire it and that their liberation 
 from bondage was merely one of the incidents of the struggle, 
 which had ended in the overthrow of the slave power. He 
 told them that it was God's way of solving the problem, which 
 for thirty years men had striven to solve in their own way, and 
 now that freedom had come to black men, he warned 
 them to guard it jealously and by its proper exercise, to strive 
 to deserve the approval and continued friendship, not only of 
 those who had been instrumental in bringing it about, but 
 those who had fought and bled that they might be retained in 
 slavery. 
 
 "The result, he explained to them, was inevitable, for it 
 had been ordained from the begining that this people should 
 be free. Man proposes and God disposes. The liberation of 
 the black man from bondage was not born of philanthropy, nor 
 of a love of justice, but of political necessity. In freeing the 
 black man, the white man had also freed himself, and he 
 could not accomplish the one without the other. 
 
 "Thus he talked upwards of thirty minutes, and his famil- 
 arity with the conditions that brought on the war and of the 
 history of the compromises attempted to bring it to an end 
 was most remarkable. His very first sentence struck me so 
 forcibly that 1 resorted to my limited knowledge of short- 
 
 17 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 hand and took down as best I could, his remarkable address. 
 He clearly understood and boldly declared that emancipation 
 was neither a philanthropic nor an humanitarian act, but a 
 war necessity, born of no love for his race, but of the uncon- 
 querable desire of best white men of both section to preserve 
 the union as it was, but without slavery. He told his hearers 
 not to put too much confidence in the assertions of white 
 men, now that they were free, that they were the equals of 
 the white men. 'Equality,' he said, raising his voice slightly, 
 'is not obtained by gift, but by struggle. You must now begin 
 to make yourselves worthy of your new position in the body 
 politic. You must educate yourselves and your children and 
 build up character for yourselves and for those who are to 
 come after you.' 
 
 "When the little old man sat down, one of the deacons, 
 who was as black as the speaker, but a finer specimen 
 physically than he, began to sing a hymn, the words of 
 which, as I jotted them down, were as follows : 
 
 'Gome saints and sinners, hear me tell 
 The wonders of Immanuel, 
 Who snatched me from a burning hell 
 And placed my soul with God to dwell, 
 And this is heavenly union.' 
 
 44 John, I thought when I heard those Negroes sing Moore's 
 hymn, ' Miriam, ' I had heard some singing, but I pledge you my 
 word that the singing of this Negro melody was as far beyond 
 it in volume and melody as grand opera is beyond a popular 
 song. The man lined out this grand old hymn, singing the 
 first two lines himself, and the great throng of Negroes in the 
 audience, every one of whom seemed to know it, took it up, 
 and sang it with a fervor and earnestness that I never 
 dreamed it was possible to put into music. John, I'd give fifty 
 dollars gladly if it were possible to hear that hymn sung again 
 as I heard it then. 
 
 18 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 "Well, when they had finished singing, the little, old 
 black man stood up again and, raising his hand to command 
 silence, said: *I want all of you to come up to the table at the 
 close of the service and give something, if no more than a 
 penny, toward a fund for building a school house for our 
 children, the men and women of tomorrow. I want everybody 
 here to give something/ 
 
 "Then, while the choir sang, everybody, men, women and 
 children, passed up one aisle and down another to their seats, 
 or on out of the church into the street. I do not think there 
 was a single person who did not give something. The man at 
 the table announced when the last person had passed up that 
 the amount thus far given was $375.90. A little girl came up 
 afterwards and gave ten cents more, raising the evening's con- 
 tribution to $376." 
 
 "The little, old man came down from the platform and 
 holding up the baskets containing the money, offered a brief 
 prayer of thanks and afterwards pronounced the benediction. 
 And then the meeting was over. 
 
 "I came away with the feeling that these people these 
 black people ARE a peculiar people in a larger sense than we 
 understand that word, and I could not help repeating the 
 words of Amos IX, 7, 'Are you not as the children of the 
 Ethiopians unto me, 0, children of Israel,' etc. They are a 
 wonderful people, and they are the happiest and most optimis- 
 tic race in America today. White men treated as they have 
 been and are, would become Anarchists. They, on the con- 
 trary, pray for us and trust in God. 
 
 "We cannot, I tell you, permanently keep such a race 
 down. It is bound to rise in spite of us. All of our injustice 
 to it will be cumulative evidence against us on the day of 
 reckoning when that day comes (and I hope I may not live to 
 see it.) No wonder the prophet said, 'And the fathers have 
 eaten sour grapes and set the children's teeth on edge/ I 
 understand the full import of those words better now than 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 ever for I think and believe that I see the end from the be- 
 ginning. Our strength as a nation is our greatest weakness 
 and when we use that strength to oppress and suppress any 
 race, reaching out for larger freedom we do ourselves and 
 that race an irreparable injury which can only be remedied by 
 the lav- of compensation." 
 
 It was now nearly two a. m., and these two old cronies 
 were as fresh and chipper as though it was just 7 :30. The 
 Colonel ordered a whiskey and soda for himself and suggest- 
 ed to the city chairman that one would do him no harm. The 
 chairman was agreeable and they drank in silence and parted 
 for the night, or, rather, morning. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The city chairman ruminated over the story that Col. 
 John Saxe had told him during the evening and once or twice 
 during the ride to his home in the suburbs he said to himself, 
 "We white men cannot allow the Negroes to have equal oppor- 
 tunity. Negroes were born to be ruled, white men to rule." 
 But the chairman had not read his history aright. 
 
 Just before leaving the club, he said to Mr. Sanderson, 
 another member of the club: " Theodore, I want to see you in 
 my office at 11 -.30 to-morrow on a very important matter, if 
 that hour will suit your convenience." 
 
 "Very well, John, I will come. The hour will be quite 
 agreeable, and I will be prompt, as I have another appoint- 
 ment for 12:50." 
 
 "0, we can dispose of the matter I want to talk over with 
 you in twenty minutes," said the city chairman. 
 
 "Good night, Theodore; I will look for you." And as he 
 passed out to enter his car he met in the vestibule two other 
 friends. "Why, hello, Charley; hello, Fred," he called to 
 them. "Ain't going without saying 'goodnight,' are you?" 
 
 20 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 lie asked laughing. They protested they had not seen him. 
 
 "Of course we cannot say 'good night' now, 'Cy,' " said 
 the one addressed as Charley, "but we'll come around tonight 
 and say that. We can now bid you only a pleasant 'good 
 morning.' 
 
 "Drop into the office some time this afternoon," said 
 "Cy," "I want to have a chat with you fellows." 
 
 "All right, Cy," they replied almost in unison. "We'll be 
 around about two, not later than two-thirty. S'long, old 
 man." And they jumped into a taxi and were whirled to 
 their bachelor apartments. 
 
 "Cy" entered his big car and headed for home, breaking 
 all speed regulations for it was early morning and most of the 
 cops were asleep. 
 
 Mr. Sanderson kept his appointment with the city chair- 
 man and when they got together there were serious matters 
 discussed in the thirty minutes the conference lasted. In some 
 way or other it seems the speeches of Detweiller and O'Hara 
 at the private conference got out. (Some such things do 
 leak out), and the echo of them had reached Hezekiah Jones 
 through one of his trusted lieutenants a waiter at a club 
 house where the speeches were being discussed by a group of 
 members over their coffee and cigars. Some of the conferres 
 had gone directly from this conference to their club where they 
 talked over the happenings of the conference in a confiden- 
 tial way as men are sometimes wont to do. 
 
 While Mr. Sanderson and the city chairman were engaged 
 in talking in the latter's office the telephone rang. Taking 
 .down the receiver the chairman asked who it was and what he 
 wanted. 
 
 "Is this Col. Gibbons" was asked. 
 "I am Col. Gibbons. Who are you?" 
 
 "0, hello, 'Cy'!" came back the answer. "I am Paul 
 Brainard." 
 
 21 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 "I didn't recognize your voice. How are you, Paul, and 
 what can I do for you ? ' ' 
 
 "0, nothing, 'Cy.' I've just heard a rumor on the street 
 which gives me some concern and I want to talk to you about 
 it. How long are you going to be in your office?" 
 
 "I will be here until four- thirty ." 
 
 "All right. I will be there at two sharp." 
 
 "Anything serious?" asked Col. Gibbons, city chairman. 
 
 "Well, that depends upon the point of view, { Cy'," 
 answered Paul. 
 
 "I'll wait for you here, Paul. Good-bye," said the city 
 chairman, hanging up the receiver and resuming his chat with 
 Mr. Sanderson. 
 
 The gist of their conversation was that the speeches of 
 Detweiler and O'Hara and their subsequent selection for 
 places on the ticket was going to create a rumpus in the party 
 and alienate the large Negro vote unless something was done 
 for them. 
 
 "If these speeches are repeated and the Negroes learn 
 what resulted from them how those men actually forced the 
 conference to name them they'll resent it at the polls and 
 defeat our ticket," said Mr. Sanderson. 
 
 "This interminable race question is a nuisance. I wish 
 there wasn't a Negro in America," said Mr. Gibbons. "I 
 wonder if Paul Brainard's rumor is in relation to this matter. 
 I shouldn't be surprised if some garrulous fool has had him- 
 self interviewed and given us away. Well, Paul will be here 
 at two o 'clock and I shall learn if we really had a Judas in our 
 recent conference," mused Col. Gibbons, city chairman. 
 
 "You have nothing further to say to me, Colonel?" asked 
 Mr. Sanderson. 
 
 "No, I don't think of anything else just now, Mr. San- 
 derson. If there are any developments I will call you up at 
 your house." 
 
 "Then I'll bid you good day, Colonel." 
 
 22 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 "Good day, Mr. Sanderson/' replied the Colonel as the 
 latter gracefully withdrew. 
 
 The Democratic paper which was published in the town 
 and put on the street for sale a little after two o'clock each 
 day except Sunday was out a little before one o'clock on this 
 particular day with an extra. The newsboys were crying it vig- 
 orously on the streets and from the noise they were making 
 one would have supposed that an atrocious murder had been 
 committed, or that half of the town had been destroyed by 
 fire. The paper was called "The Evening Critic." 
 
 This day's issue was principally scare-head lines in big 
 black-face type on the front page with an editorial double 
 leaded in 10-point type. The news item on the first page pur- 
 ported to give the details of the conference called by Col. Gib- 
 bons, and it was in truth a most faithful record, with, of 
 course, some extraneous embellishments reportorial license 
 of what really took place there. Stress was laid upon the fact 
 that representatives of the German and Irish races had called 
 the hand of the Boss and forced the selection of a member of 
 each of these races for a place on the ticket. 
 
 But, there was not a single representative of the Negro 
 race invited to the conference and no Negro named for any 
 place on the ticket, not even for janitor. With Democratic 
 naivete it asked, Where was Hezekiar Jones, the Negro Repub- 
 lican wheel horse, and what will he think or say when he 
 discovers how the white leaders of the G. 0. P. have com- 
 pletely ignored him and his faithful black allies?" etc., etc. 
 
 The editorial was of the same general tenor with the 
 usual unsolicited advice to the Negro to divide their votes be- 
 tween the two great parties, to stop following the Republican 
 Ignus Fatnus. It played up the hypocrisy of the local 
 leaders, exposed the hollowness of their alleged friendship for 
 
 23 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 the Negro, praised Detweiller and O'Hara for their courage 
 in demanding and securing merited recognition for their class 
 and said Hezekiah Jones ought to have been among the con- 
 freres and asked him how it happened that so good and useful 
 and influential a Republican as he had not been invited to this 
 important party conference, etc., etc., ad nauseam. 
 
 Colonel Gibbons called a newsboy and bought a paper. 
 Going back into his office he sat down in a comfortable rocker 
 and read both the news item and the editorial. His face flush- 
 ed and his eyes snapped with anger as he read the indictment 
 by the Democratic organ. As he sat there musing and trying 
 to figure out how the secret got out, his messenger anounced 
 Mr. Paul Brainard. 
 
 1 'Oh, come right in, Paul," he said as that gentleman ap- 
 peared at the door of his private office. "Sit down, old man." 
 
 Brainard found a roomy arm-chair, and sat down. He 
 opened his cigar case filled with fragrant Havanas and offered 
 one to Colonel Gibbons, which he accepted and lighted. Brain- 
 ard lighted one himself. 
 
 "Have you seen to-day's Critic?" he asked Brainard, 
 shoving the paper which he held in his hand toward him. 
 
 "Yes," said Brainard, "I bought a copy on my way down 
 here. It is about this matter that I telephoned you today and 
 I am wondering if you had given it out." 
 
 "Why you certainly do not imagine that I would do 
 such a thing as that, Paul," retorted the Colonel hotly. 
 
 "No," said Brainard, "I do not, to be frank with you. 
 Yet, I was inclined to think that if you did not give it out 
 directly, you may have authorized some member of the com- 
 mittee to make a statement, and that he had overstepped the 
 bounds and said too much." 
 
 "That is a reasonable and proper inference, but I have 
 not authorized any one to mention anything that occurred at 
 the conference. I supposed that all who were there and took 
 
 24 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 part in it were men of honor and therefore incapable of divulg- 
 ing to outsiders what was said and done, Brainard." 
 
 "Why, who could it have been that gave out this story, 
 Colonel?" asked Brainard. 
 
 "I haven't the slightest idea," he replied. "But it is no 
 use to grieve after the milk that is spilled. The damage is 
 done and we must make the best of it. We have now got to 
 move heaven and earth to keep those darkies in line. Between 
 us, Paul, I blame that Dutchman, Detweiller, and that Irish- 
 man, O'Hara, for getting us into this mess. They raised the 
 race issue, and race issues in politics are always to be avoided 
 if possible. If they cannot be they must be met and handled 
 tactfully and diplomatically just as we handle the cranks, 
 and the faddists and the reformers who are constantly demand- 
 ing something out of the ordinary reaching out for the impos- 
 sible and asking for new legislation for this, that and the 
 other. Give them all the legislation and the law they ask, but 
 be sure to see to it that they are unconstitutional, and we can 
 always get their votes. 
 
 "If these darkies get it into their wooly heads that they 
 ought to have a representative on the ticket because the Ger- 
 mans and the Irish have each a representative, ^e will have to 
 placate them in some way. Now that the nominations are made 
 and have been ratified what method would you suggest as a 
 way out, Brainard?" 
 
 "Have you seen Hezekiah since the conference, Cy?" 
 
 "No, I have not." 
 
 "Have you heard from him or that he knows anything 
 about this matter, and what has been done?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then suppose we send for him and have a heart-to-heart 
 talk with him about this matter? What do you say?" 
 
 "Decidedly, yes. I think the play a good one," answered 
 Colonel Gibbons. 
 
 "If," said Brainard, "Hezekiah has found out what we're 
 
 25 
 
THE AWAKENING OF.HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 up to, and is disposed to make trouble by swinging his vote to- 
 the Harris crowd it will put all of us in bad, for with the 
 darky vote left out of the equation we shall not be able to 
 elect our candidate for mayor. Dr. Hedges and the other local 
 candidates won't have a look in. I say if Hez has found out 
 what we are up to we will have to, for self-preservation, try to 
 induce him to take an appointive office with a salary of say, 
 $1,500 or $2,000, in which we can put a white man as a deputy 
 to keep an eye on him and keep him straight. " 
 
 "I think that some such arrangement would satisfy Heze- 
 kiah and his followers. It would of course be a new departure 
 for the party in this State and the darkies would imagine 
 that the millenium is approaching." 
 
 "But we may not have to go so far, Cy," said Brainard. 
 "We will hold this as our trump card and play it strong if 
 Hezekiah is disposed to be ugly." 
 
 "Capital, capital!" said Col. Gibbons, pouring out four 
 fingers of the juice that made the Saints keep the faith. "I'll 
 telephone Hez at once and have him meet us here in conference 
 and we can make the dicker this afternoon, and if successful, 
 as I know it will be, it will make the cold chills run down the 
 back of that little Democratic editor who is trying to divide 
 our darkies." 
 
 o i 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Hezekiah was accordingly 'phoned at the bank and was 
 requested to come at once to Gibbon's office to a conference. 
 He answered that he would come at once. And he did. In fif- 
 teen or twenty minutes from the time that he got the 'phone 
 message Hezekiah was seated with Col. Gibbons and Brainard 
 in the latter 's private office. 
 
 After the salutations and exchanges of a few common 
 places about the weather, about the political outlook, the 
 health of Mrs. Jones, about which the Colonel appeared to be 
 extremely solicitous, Brainard made a bluff of reaching for his 
 
 26 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 hat and coat and rising as if about to go, which the Colonel, 
 observing, checked by saying, "You need not go, Brainard. 
 We are all friends, and I am sure Hez won't object to your 
 staying. Besides, we shall want you to act as judge in the 
 matter about which Hez and I are going to talk after we have 
 all had some refreshments and a fresh cigar. 
 
 Well, you old rascal," said the Colonel, filling his own 
 glass and passing the decanter to Hezekiah, who courteously 
 transferred it to Brainard, "how have you been I haven't 
 seen much of you lately." 
 
 "Oh, I keep pretty busy these days, Colonel, I don't have 
 much time to get around or to loaf. We are pretty busy at 
 the bank now, as you know." 
 
 "Yes," answered the Colonel, "we are all busy busier 
 than we will be two years hence if Bryan is elected. By-the- 
 way, Hez, I was very sorry I couldn't get around to your 
 mass meeting. Several of my friends were there and they 
 tell me it was a rattling good meeting, and that you. had a 
 splendid audience and that you made one of the best speeches 
 of the evening. You colored folks have the g?.ft of oratory." 
 
 Hezekiah was tickled at this compliment, but he did not 
 give any outward sign of the pleasure it gave him. He told 
 the Colonel that he, too, was sorry that he had not been pre- 
 sent as he was sure that he would have enjoyed it as much 
 as the other white friencis who came; that he did not believe 
 that Bryan would get a single vote of the crowd that was 
 there. 
 
 "Yes, I heard all of the particulars. One of my friends, 
 Major Bostwick, told me that your characterization of Mr. 
 Bryan as the 'long-haired faddist and dreamer* was vocifer- 
 ously applauded." 
 
 Hez chuckled and said, "Well, Colonel, that's what he is, 
 ain't he?" 
 
 "I don't know but what you are right, Hez" said the Col- 
 onel guardedly. 
 
 27 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Brainard's face was a study. It seemed to question the 
 right of a black man to say such a thing about a white man 
 even thought he is a Democrat. What effect, thought he, would 
 the application of the Bryan financial policies to the govern- 
 ment have on the whole Negro race? W T hat had the Negroes 
 to lose? How much capital had they invested in stocks and 
 bonds and commercial enterprises to be affected by this threat- 
 ened change in the financial scheme of the government. A 
 cynical smile overcast Brainard's face as he sat gazing at the 
 Negro leader and sipping his whiskey. 
 
 Then with mock seriousness he said, "Mr. Jones, I have 
 heard several of my friends speak of your splendid speech the 
 other night and I have several times felt like kicking myself 
 because I did not go to it. Your speech, I am told, 
 was one of the two or three practical speeches delivered 
 there." 
 
 This also tickled Hez's vanity immensely and in reply to 
 Brainard, whom he had been reading African fashion he 
 said : ' * Mr. Brainard, I am glad to learn that the little talk I 
 made was so well received and I hope it will do good" (and as 
 if reading the thought, then passing in the mind of his flat- 
 terer) he continued: "What I said about Mr. Bryan and his 
 policies (perhaps nostrums is a better word) was said in be- 
 half of your arce, not mine. Particularly, the 
 thought was not original with me, but one can 
 not put quotation marks in a spoken address. It is 
 generally asserted by business men opposed to Mr. Bryan's 
 views on the money question that if they could be put into 
 practice, it would reduce values one half, cheapen our money 
 and cheapen labor as well. The men who have large capital 
 invested in stocks and other securities would feel keenly any 
 sudden radical change in the present monetary system, and we 
 who have to make our bread and butter by working for you, 
 would feel more keenly the cut in our wages; hence we are as 
 much opposed to the scheme of the long-haired faddist as you 
 are, and for the same selfish reason." 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 " Bravo! Hez," cried the Colonel. "You reason like 
 Cato." 
 
 "It is difficult," says Schiller, "to understand men, but 
 still harder to know them thoroughly." After having passed 
 through the ordeal of flattery heaped upon him by the super- 
 serviceable Brainard and of hearing himself praised in fulsome 
 phrase by the crafty and artful Col. Gibbons, and listening to 
 his Uriah Heep explanation and apology for his remissness 
 in forwarding to him the invitation to the conference, Hez- 
 ekiah had to listen once more to the Brainard outgivings, not 
 more sincere than those he had previously emitted. Hezekiah 
 had just assured the Colonel that he accepted in the spirit 
 in which it was made his explanation and apology, and that so 
 far as he was concerned the incident was closed. Here 
 Brainard, with the ineptness of his peculiar type vouchsafed 
 the unsolicited opinion that Hezekiah 's attitude in the cir- 
 cumstance was "magnificent and manly," whereat he sub- 
 sided, after slyly winking at his accomplished accomplice in 
 duplicity, and double-dealing, who with mock seriousness re- 
 sumed the thread of conversation with Hezekiah and ex- 
 plained with much particularity of detail the circumstances 
 which had brought about the nomination of Detweiller and 
 O'Hara. 
 
 He told Hezekiah, with tears in his voice, how he had re- 
 gretted that the race issue had been injected into the cam- 
 paign, and said that since it had been raised how earnestly he 
 had wished he had been present at the conference to see 
 that his race might have been represented on the ticket nomi- 
 nated, or rather selected, by the conference for submission 
 and approval by the party managers. The Colonel said all 
 this so unctuously and with such evident sincerity that Hez- 
 ekiah almost believed it. He was actually on the point of 
 swallowing it bait, hook and sinker but, as he looked over 
 in the direction where the Colonel sat twirling a paper cutter, 
 he observed him telegraphing with his soulful eyes to Brain- 
 
 29 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 ard. It was only the work of a second, but, Hezekiah saw 
 and understood it all, and he refused to swallow the bait, al- 
 though it was sugar-coated, so he made this characteristic reply 
 to the Colonel, the significance of which he did not grasp, "I 
 see you, Colonel, and I understand you perfectly.' 7 
 
 On the West Coast of Africa they have a proverb that 
 runs like this: "He who knows a matter can confuse a liar." 
 
 "So," said the Colonel, continuing, "I have sent for you, 
 Hezekiah, to talk over with you the question of some recogni- 
 tion by the party for yourself or for some member or mem- 
 bers of your race. We cannot now place a colored man on 
 the ticket, tho' I would be delighted, personally, to show my 
 interest in your people, by doing so. You see, the nomina- 
 tions have now all been made and ratified, but, we can give the 
 colored people one place, perhaps several; or we can compro- 
 mise and give them one good appointive office in one of our 
 city departments, and two or three janitorships. There is the 
 office of City Weigher, which carries a salary of $1,500, and 
 that of Superintendent of Streets, which is under the Mayor 
 and pays $1,200, but I do not imagine that any of your fol- 
 lowers are qualified to hold one of these places, so that we 
 would have to even up things by giving you a number of small 
 places that your men could fill, such as messengers, laborers 
 and teamsters and street cleaners." 
 
 "Colonel," asked Hezekiah, "how much patronage is 
 your organization willing to accord the Negro voters You 
 know our vote is the balance of power in this city and 
 county." 
 
 "Yes, I am aware of that. The Negro vote is a very 
 potent force in this city and county, and I am sure that the 
 organization is disposed, or will be, to treat your people fair- 
 ly in the distribution of city and county patronage if we are 
 successful at the polls. And if you will leave this matter to 
 me, Hez, you may rely on it that their interest will be fairly 
 protected." 
 
 30 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEXEKIAH JONES. 
 
 1 'Of course," said Hez, "I cannot answer off-hand just 
 what we will do about this matter. You know we have our or- 
 ganization, just as you have yours, and we have some bright 
 young men in it college graduates, boys who have been to 
 the public schools, and young men who will compare favorably 
 in mental ability with the average young white man who 
 feel that, advantage for advantage, they are just as capable as 
 they. Only about two years ago a young man came up here 
 from the South and took a position as steward of the Arragona 
 Club. He had been a teacher in a Southern College, and would 
 very probably be there now if his own wishes were consulted, 
 but he made a speech on Emanciptaion Day the year before he 
 came here which aroused the indignation of the white peo- 
 ple, although what he said was the truth, and they would not 
 allow him to remain in the school nor in the town where the 
 school is. He was instructor in mathematics in this school and 
 I have been told by those who know of him that he is a man 
 of superior education. He has come here where, he believes, 
 he can be a free man, even if he has to do menial work. 
 
 "Now, 1 reckon," said Hez naively "indeed, I am sure," 
 he went on, fixing his gaze on the Colonel and Brainard, who 
 were all attention, "I reckon this man could hold down either 
 one of those positions you mentioned a few minutes ago, or 
 even a bigger one." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "Umph!" said the Colonel, reddening perceptibly, while 
 Brainard frowned as though undergoing some severe mental 
 strain in an effort to solve an insoluble problem foreign to the 
 subject under discussion. 
 
 Clearing his throat and lighting a fresh cigar he tipped 
 back in his chair and sent a volume of smoke under Hez's 
 nose which caused him to remark: "That's a pretty good 
 cigar, Mr. Brainard." 
 
 SI 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Whereupon, Brainard drew forth his cigar case and 
 passed it over to Hez, saying, ' ' Help yourself. ' ' 
 
 "Now, Mr. Jones," said Brainard after Hez had lighted 
 his Havana, "don't you think it would be a wiser policy for 
 the organization to recognize fifteen or eighteen colored men 
 by giving them small places paying them from $35 to $50 per 
 month than to give one colored man a job at a salary of 
 $1,500 to $2,000? Wouldn't your race be better satisfied with 
 those appointments than they would be with a single ap- 
 pointment carrying a large salary, and wouldn't the appoint- 
 ment of a colored man to a big job be likely to excite enmities 
 and jealousies in the rank and file and thus promote discord 
 and dissatisfaction among your people?" 
 
 Brainard having put his question sat back with a smile of 
 triumph on his face in the comfortable wicker arm chair with 
 one leg thrown over an arm and awaited the answer. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Brainard," said Hez, "you have asked me 
 several questions and I will try to answer them. As to the 
 wisdom of giving small positions to my race as rewards for 
 party service, I may say that that depends on the point of view. 
 I see no reason, since you and the Colonel concede that the 
 Negro is the balance of power in the city and county, why he 
 should not be the preferred creditor after he has delivered 
 the goods, and, as you both know, he has done this at every 
 election here in the past dozen or more years. He is fairly 
 entitled 10 an equal share of the large as well as the smaller 
 places not because he is a black man and a Republican, but 
 because he is a MAN and a Republican voter and competent 
 to fill the positions he seeks. I should say that it would be a 
 fair proposition to offer the Negro voters one of these larger 
 places and his pro rata share of the small ones. Such action 
 on the part of the organization, Mr. Brainard, would heighten 
 the respect of the Negro for the Republican party and go a 
 long way toward convincing the great mass of them that its 
 professions of interest and friendship for the Negro as ex- 
 
 32 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 pressed by our party platforms are after all more than plati- 
 tudes coined to catch our votes and lull us to sleep after we 
 have won victories for it in close States and put the party on 
 the map where all the world can see it. 
 
 "I think this covers all your questions, sir. All of them 
 are of the same nature, though differently phrased." 
 
 The Colonel and Brainard looked a trifle obfuscated. 
 They had not expected such a critical and analytical answer 
 to their trick questions. Clearly it wasn't what they wanted 
 or expected. It was not encouraging nor satisfying. If Hez 
 should insist on the appointment of one of his followers to one 
 of the higher salaried places it would create a very ticklish 
 situation. 
 
 "Well, Hez," said the Colonel, "we wanted you to say 
 what you think and you have said it forcibly and well, but I 
 do not believe you will adhere to all that you have so well 
 and properly said after you have had time to reflect upon it. 
 You, of course, understand as well as we whites, that the time 
 isn't ripe for placing colored men in these higher offices in the 
 North. It is an experiment which has not yet been tried, at 
 least, in this part of the North. 
 
 "Then," said Hez, "that is a greater reason why it 
 should be tried. Northern men have encouraged us in the 
 Southern States to aspire for public office. They have told 
 us that if we get education and character we would be eligible 
 to any position which whites of equal ability, or less, are 
 given by appointment, or the votes of the people. I believe 
 our Southern professor knows as much about the routine of 
 office work as any white men the organization will name, and 
 for this reason I think he should be given a chance to show 
 what is in him. Of course I merely speak for myself. 
 I cannot say what our organization will decided upon 
 after I report to it the result of our conference today, but I al- 
 ways vote with the majority, Colonel as you know." 
 
 "Yes, yes, I understand, Hez," he answered, sorrowfully. 
 
 33 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 "Well, we can go no further, then, until we hear from your 
 organization. ' ' 
 
 "Exactly so; I am only its servant. I cannot speak for 
 it in these more important matters without its expressed au- 
 thority. And now, gentlemen/* said Hez, bowing first to the 
 Colonel, next to Brainard, "I must be leaving. I have remain- 
 ed much longer than I had anticipated, but that is what a 
 chap gets for mixing in exceptionally good company," he 
 said with a meaningful little laugh which concealed more 
 than it revealed. "I have enjoyed every moment of my visit, 
 Colonel. I have been greatly benefited by what I have heard 
 and learned from both you experienced politicians. Our or- 
 ganization will have a meeting on Monday night, Colonel, and 
 on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock you will know exactly what 
 course we have decided to follow. Good afternoon, Colonel, 
 and to you, Mr. Brainard." He stepped toward the door, 
 opened it and disappeared. 
 
 "I say, Colonel," said Brainard, two minutes after Hez's 
 departure, "that's a pretty shrewd darkey that fellow." 
 
 "I guess you are not far wrong," said the Colonel 
 wearily, pouring out four fingers of old Scotch. 
 
 "I felt sure that he would bite at the bait you threw out 
 with the minor offices attached, but he avoided it as cleverly 
 and as skillfully as a seasoned politician. Why, down where 
 1 came from (Brainard was a South Carolinian) a darkey poli- 
 tician would have jumped at that proposition, and his club 
 would have passed a set of resolutions thanking you for of- 
 fering it." 
 
 "But he avoided it, Brainard," said the chairman reflec- 
 tively, "and that brings the organization nearer to the 
 psychological hiatus when it must declare itself either for or 
 against the advancement of the Negro to elective and ap- 
 pointive offices of importance. 
 
 "I have thought much about this phase of the question, 
 Brainard, and I have tried my d dest to discourage the com- 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 ing of any more Negroes into this State. Of course, they 
 make good servants, and we need their labor. They are 
 tractable and loyal as domestics and are easily satisfied and 
 managed, but when they get book-learning in their heads they 
 become unmanageable and are uppish and sometimes over- 
 bearing." 
 
 "These literary darkies ought all of them to be colonized 
 on some of the unoccupied land of the United States. They are 
 a menace to our servant class," said Brainard, thinking possi- 
 bly of Vesey's insurrection in his beloved State many years 
 ago when the servant class under his (Vesey's) direction 
 made a bold attempt to free their class from bondage, only to 
 be betrayed by a traitor Des Verney. 
 
 "These darkies with a smattering of education," went on 
 the city chairman, "these college graduates, put foolish no- 
 tions into the heads of their more ignorant brethren and they 
 begin to have visions of social and political equality and de- 
 signs on big offices. Now, if we begin to encourage them to 
 hope for the realization of their dreams, Brainard, and if 
 they insist on getting their pound of flesh, the defection from 
 the party will be astounding. We will practically have no 
 party at all. 
 
 "I admit that their votes under our present system give 
 us big and safe majorities and that we can always count on 
 the solid darkey vote. Loyalty is its one redeeming virtue. 
 The darkies never scratch the ticket. I have often wished 
 that our white voters were as conscientious. If they were, we 
 would not be so dependent in close elections on this darky 
 vote which has so often saved us from defeat in State and 
 nation. We owe these people some gratitude for their fidelity 
 and devotion, and I for one am willing to express it not only 
 in words, but in deeds. But I am unwilling to change the sys- 
 tem under which the party in this State has existed for so 
 many years, and let down the bars to permit a darkey to run 
 for an elective office." 
 
 33 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 4 'That is the very reason," said Brainard, "that we white 
 men in South Carolina disfranchised the niggers. You know 
 what Kipling says: 
 
 'For East is East, and West is West, 
 And never the twain shall meet.' 
 
 Well, we of the South have slightly paraphrased it thus 'For 
 white is white, and black is black," etc. We found the South- 
 ern nigger making dangerous inroads politically, education- 
 ally and industrially, and we were not slow to see that if left 
 io his own devices in our beloved Southland he would soon 
 be a dominant factor politically and industrially, which would 
 mean the breaking down of all barriers of color and caste with 
 the white man at the tail end of the procession. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 "From a moral point of view it was not the proper thing 
 for us to have done. Still we checked the nigger by depriv- 
 ing him of his vote and getting rid of some of their dangerous 
 leaders as an example to the timid and fearful among them. 
 One of our Southern rhy rasters summed up the matter in this 
 wise: 
 
 'A naught's a naught, 
 A figger's a figger, 
 All for the white man 
 
 And nothing for the nigger.' ' 
 
 Whereas, both of them laughed immoderately at the 
 brutal wit of this Southern poet-laureate of the mob. 
 
 "But," said the city chairman, "we cannot inaugurate 
 rach a method of elimination here in the North, for we have 
 gone too far with our sentimentality on the Negro question. 
 "We have made these people feel that everything in the realm 
 of political possibilities from the presidency down to village 
 dog-catcher, may be theirs, and the pathetic thing about it is 
 that they believe us." 
 
 36 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 "I can sympathize as a white man with the white man of 
 the South, and I do not condemn too severely the methods 
 which they have employed to save their civilization from 
 alien hands and to safeguard the traditions of our proud race. 
 Brainard, we are facing a tremendous problem in America. 
 This Negro question is of greater significance than the wise 
 statesmen who are in a measure responsible for its existence 
 in its present delicate and aggravated form ever dreamed it 
 would be. But, we have got to face it." 
 
 "Yes," answered Brainard, "it has got us in a fix. We 
 are really in a muss. If we begin, as it now seems we must, to 
 recognize the claims of the darkies to political preferment 
 other than that which we have always, in a small way, 
 granted them (and their claims are perfectly just and reason- 
 able) where will it end? These people do not seem to realize 
 that while what they demand is lawful, it is not expedient, 
 and will be retroactive if carried to the point at which their 
 badly advised leaders aim. ' ' 
 
 "I think I'll go and hunt up Hez tonight," said Brainard, 
 rising and placing his hand on the city chairman's shoulder, 
 "and have a heart-to-heart talk with him and try to make 
 him see where his race in this county will be placed indus- 
 trially if his organization insists on getting one of the big 
 places; and that such a demand will array every white em- 
 ployer of Negro labor against his race and produce a decided 
 slump in the Negro labor market." 
 
 That night Brainard took a cab and called at Hezekiah's 
 house. His wife answered the ring of the door bell and 
 when he had announced his name and told her the nature of 
 his errand she informed him that her husand and taken the 
 7 :15 Local for H . 
 
 ' ' Do you know when he will return ? " he asked somewhat 
 anxiously. 
 
 "He will return late on Saturday night and leave very 
 
 early on Sunday morning for S , or he may go directly 
 
 37 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKJAH JONES. 
 
 from H - to S , in which event he will telegraph me," 
 
 said Mrs. Jones. 
 
 4 'Too bad I missed him/' said Brainard sorrowfully. "Good 
 night, Mrs. Jones." 
 
 "Good night, sir. Sorry you have been disappointed." 
 "So am I," said he as he entered the cab after directing 
 the cabman to drive him to 82 Phillips Street, the town house 
 of the city chairman, Col. Gibbons. 
 
 Arriving there in about twenty-five minutes, he paid the 
 cabman, ran up the steps rapidly and rang the bell. Henry, 
 the uniformed butler, opened the door and admitted him. 
 
 "Hello, Henry," he said. "Is the Colonel in?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied the suave Negro. "He is entertain- 
 ing some gentlemen in the smoking room." 
 
 "Tell him I am here, Henry." 
 
 Henry announced him and returned with the message, 
 "The Colonel says 'come right up,' Mr. Brainard." 
 
 Brainard, who had now divested himself of his coat and 
 gloves, followed Henry to the smoking-room on the third 
 floor back which the Colonel called his "den." The walls of 
 the room were hung with mementoes of the chase, signed 
 photographs of his personal friends, a steel engraving of Lin- 
 coln, curiously fashioned pipes, a musket used by one of his 
 Revolutionary ancestors, a collection of swords, sabres, dag- 
 gers, and, over the mantel, the head of a deer which the 
 Colonel had shot on one of his hunting trips in Maine. A 
 score of autograph letters from presidents, senators and for- 
 eign dignitaries completed the novel and interesting collec- 
 tion and attested the popularity of the distinguished city 
 chairman. 
 
 As Brainard entered the room, which was blue with 
 smoke, the Colonel greeted him with, "Why, hello, Brainard; 
 come in, sit down and have a cigar." 
 
 Brainard responded promptly to all these requests and 
 
 38 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 shaking hands with the Colonel he saw through the fog of 
 cigar smoke many gentlemen whom he personally knew and 
 greeted them cordially. He was then introduced to the few 
 whom he had not hitherto had the privilege of meeting 
 socially. 
 
 After this formality was over he said, addressing no one 
 in particular, "This looks like a meeting of the City Com- 
 mittee." 
 
 "No, not exactly that, Brainard," said Major Dewees. 
 "It's just a little conference and we are glad you came in." 
 
 "Yes," said Col. Gibbons, "we are very glad you have 
 come, Brainard, for when Henry announced your name we 
 were discussing how we could placate these pestiferous dar- 
 kies in our midst." 
 
 "Oh, I see," said Brainard. "Well, I have been on a lit- 
 tle mission myself, but my plans miscarried. I've been hunt- 
 ing Hezekiah. Went to his house where I learned that he 
 is out of town." 
 
 (Several of the confreres exchanged glances and shook 
 their heads.) 
 
 Contining, Brainard said: "I wanted to have a heart-to- 
 heart talk with Hezekiah and tell him a few things and I 
 was sorry I missed him. I think he is away in the county 
 putting the local darkey leaders wise to the fact that we have 
 consulted him about patronage for his race; and that he will 
 urge his followers to stand out for one of the big jobs with 
 the power of selection and appointment." 
 
 "I haven't any doubt, for he is a most clever darkey, and 
 he has the vision of an experienced and far-seeing statesman." 
 
 Henry, the butler, happened to be in the vicinity of the 
 smoking room while Brainard was speaking and overheard 
 this much and some more and remembered it. 
 
 "Oh," said Major Dewees, "we could not think of giving 
 a Negro one of those high-salaried positions. Our citizens 
 of all parties would rise up in revolt against us if we did such 
 
 39 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 a thing. It is preposterous to think of it. Now, I ain a 
 friend of the Negro and I want to see his race do well, but 
 I am unalterably opposed to members of his race holding 
 white men's jobs. You were saying, Colonel," said he, ad- 
 dressing Col. Gibbons, "when Brainard came in that you had 
 made a proposition to Hezekiah. What was it?" 
 
 "I propose," said the Colonel, "to apportion fifteen or 
 twenty minor places to members of Hezekiah 's organization, 
 such as porters, messengers, watchmen and street-cleaners ; and 
 I told him that I thought that this arrangement would be 
 better and more satisfactory to the rank and file of the 
 Negroes than the placing of one of their race in some big 
 job which might excite enmities and jealousies among them 
 and possibly disrupt his organization. I also said to him that 
 there would be two places at the Negroes' disposal neither of 
 which I thought could be filled by a colored man, as in my 
 judgment none of his race in the city is mentally qualified to 
 hold either of them. 
 
 "Imagine my surprise, gentlemen, when he replied to 
 me and swept away all my objections by saying that his peo- 
 ple were, as the statistics show, the balance of power in this 
 city and county, and should be treated in the same way that 
 the other elements of the party are treated in the disposition 
 of the patronage in reward for party service. More than fif- 
 teen hundred of them are property owners and pay taxes for 
 the support of the government. The remainder rent their 
 homes and indirectly are also tax-payers; that there is a 
 tmember of his organization a Yale graduate, recently an in- 
 structor of his race in a Southern college for Negroes, but now 
 a steward in one of our clubs, who, he was certain, could fill 
 acceptably either of these offices." 
 
 "Well," said Mr. Thornton, who had been an attentive 
 listener, "the situation is a rather ticklish one and we must 
 handle it diplomatically. The colored man is right in his de- 
 mand for better representation in the matter of patronage, for 
 
 40 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 we cannot go around the fact that it is the colored vote that 
 gives us the majorities. If they divide their votes or scratch 
 the ticket, or even refuse to vote, it would greatly embarass 
 us in the coming, and perhaps future, elections, if we do not 
 do something to counteract their vote. 
 
 "It seems to me that we ought as a measure of safety for 
 the future of the party, gentlemen, let down the bars and let 
 the colored man in to one of these larger places, provided, of 
 course, there is one of his race sufficiently qualified to fill it." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 "Oh! no, no, no," exclaimed several voices at once. 
 
 "That will never do, Mr. Thornton/' said Major Dewees, 
 deferentially. "I must confess to a feeling of surprise at your 
 wanting to place the darkies on a plane of equality with our 
 race by giving them positions where they will perforce be 
 brought into social contract with our wives and daughters 
 who may have occasion to visit their offices." 
 
 Mr. Thornton smiled and asked Major Dewees, who was 
 one of the owners of a big department store, if he sold goods 
 to Negro customers. 
 
 "Why, of course," was the answer. "It is a business 
 enterprise and caters to the general public regardless of race 
 or color." 
 
 "So is a public office," said Mr. Thornton, "a business 
 enterprise in which all the people are interested. A colored 
 woman could with equal reason (which is really no reason at 
 all, but pure, unadulterated race prejudice) object to paying 
 her taxes to a white tax collector, or his clerk, on the ground 
 that to do so would be forcing social equality upon her. Every 
 shopkeeper and other business man in this city has some 
 business relations with our colored citizens, and I do not be- 
 lieve that because of these relations they feel as you do about 
 this matter, Major Dewees," said Mr. Thornton testily. 
 
 41 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 The Major subsided, and Brainard ventured to say: "Of 
 course, it is hard for these people, Mr. Thornton (he wanted 
 to say darkies, but he realized that he was addressing not only 
 a gentleman of education and culture, but of wealth also), "to 
 understand that acquiescence by us whites in their preposter- 
 ous demands would greatly embarass us. It would bring these 
 Negro officials into social contact with white men and women 
 and such relations would not be conducive to the establish- 
 ment of good feeling between the races. " 
 
 'I beg your pardon, Mr. Brainard/' answered Mr. Thorn- 
 ton, "but, really, I do not follow you. I am unable to grasp 
 your meaning or to understand what you are driving at. 
 Speaking for myself and for my family I may say that neither 
 I nor any member of it fears the bugaboo of social equality; 
 neither are we afraid nor ashamed to treat the Negro justly. 
 That is all he asks or expects from his white brother and it is 
 as little as any of us can do to treat him that way. I am 
 afraid that those who most strenuously object to social 
 equality with the Negro have had most to do with the pro- 
 duction of our large and growing population of mulattoes, 
 quadroons and octoroons. Its presence in this country is suffi- 
 cient proof that the objection to Negro social equality was not 
 always as strong and bitter as it now seems to be." 
 
 Brainard reddened to his ears at this thrust. Continuing, 
 Mr. Thornton said: "If we as Republicans do not mean to 
 treat our black friends squarely, why do we continue to ac- 
 cept their friendly aid their votes. We admit that their 
 vote is a valuable asset and ever since they have had the bal- 
 lot we have used them to keep white men in office and grudg- 
 ingly awarded them the most menial places within our gift. 
 
 "I say this isn't fair, gentlemen. It isn't honest, and 
 I sincerely hope that our friend Hezekiah has acquired some 
 practical political wisdom and will use it to his own and his 
 people's advantage." 
 
 There was a buzz in the room when Mr. Thornton took 
 
 42 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 his seat. Brainard's face was still red, and he chewed vig- 
 orously the end of his cigar and tried to appear calm, but his 
 face belied his feelings for he was genuinely mad. 
 
 Presently Mr. Thornton left the meeting to go to another 
 at which he was to respond to the toast, "The Republican 
 Party/' He apologized to his host and guests for having to 
 leave so abruptly. His host, of course, understood his rea- 
 sons for going and thanked him for lending his presence at 
 this conference, an honor which he said he would long re- 
 member. 
 
 Then Mr. Thornton took leave of this company of two-by- 
 four politicians. 
 
 After he had left the room Major Dewees, who had recov- 
 ered from the solar plexus blow he had received from him, 
 irrigated his burning aesophagus with four fingers of Scotch, 
 and began to dry it again by lighting a fresh Perfecto. Tilt- 
 ing himself back in his big arm chair he put this question to 
 Colonel Gibbons: 
 
 " Colonel, how much is Thornton worth? " 
 
 "I really cannot say definitely, Major, but he is easily 
 worth $800,000 or probably $1,000,000. He owns valuable 
 coal lands in "West Virginia, and oil lands in Oklahoma, and 
 I think he has a big block of New York Central stock. Cer- 
 tainly, he has no cause to worry for Dame Fortune has been 
 kind to him." 
 
 "I should say so/' said Major Dewees. "He's a remark- 
 able man, is Thornton. I don't agree with him on the nigger 
 question. He's too liberal in his views. This Negro problem 
 of ours is the biggest thing we have ever tackled, gentlemen/ 1 
 addressing his colleagues, at the same time relieving the de- 
 canter of three or four ounces more of old Scotch to lighten 
 its weight. "Yes, gentlemen," said the Major, "it's a big pro- 
 position, and must be handled carefully and cautiously, for 
 if we ever make a false step we shall lose our grip and the 
 Negro will get on top and push us down and out. I believe 
 
 43 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 in keeping all we've got, and in getting all we can, but I 
 want to see the Negro treated fairly. 
 
 "Of course I have always, as I have said, been his friend, 
 but I am a greater friend of my own race. Blood is thicker 
 than water. I do not believe that it will be a good thing to 
 give any Negro an important office. I think it would be the 
 most dangerous thing the party in this State could do. I 
 think the wiser plan would be to give them the smaller 
 places and I would agree to give one or two of them clerk- 
 ships, if any are found capable, in some one of our public de- 
 partments. This would satisfy them a great deal more than 
 would the appointment of some member of their race to a 
 big office." 
 
 Henry, the butler, entered the room as the Major ceased 
 speaking bearing a tray of sandwiches and he looked like the 
 proverbial heathen Chinee. He sat down the tray and left the 
 room returning in a few minutes with a dozen bottles of cold 
 Milwaukee beer. At the direction of his employer he served 
 each gentleman who wished to satisfy his hunger and quench 
 his thirst by partaking of this refreshment, after which he 
 left the room. 
 
 Brainard broke the silence which reigned for the space of 
 sixty seconds, with: "I do not know," said Brainard, prefac- 
 ing his solution, "how our people would feel about the appoint- 
 ment of a Negro to a representative position, but I think they 
 would resent our action in some future election by turning 
 the government of the city and county over to the Democrats 
 and relegating all of us to the limbo of private life. And we 
 could not blame them if they did this for the ideas which 
 have been advanced by some gentlemen in this gathering are 
 preposterous and out of harmony with the best traditions of 
 our race." 
 
 Mr. Brainard 's line of argument soon won over the ma- 
 jority of his hearers, for it was in the nature of an appeal to 
 their race pride and they liked to feel the touch of superiority ; 
 
 44 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 and that their race was born to the purple and destined to 
 rule, especially all races not colored like their own. But, evi- 
 dently, they were not all of them students of history, other- 
 wise they would not have been so unanimous in their opinions 
 as to its supremacy as voiced by the cunning and crafty 
 Brainard. Had they refreshed their memories a little by re- 
 verting to the history of their race they would have read this 
 little scrap of history which is a faithful account as recorded 
 by Oscar Ameringer in his "Little History for Big Children," 
 which is more than a little history because it is very much. 
 
 He says, speaking of the early settlers of America, the for- 
 bears of the present inhabitants of this country: "Another 
 class of involuntary immigrants were the criminals and pros- 
 titutes sent over by the English authorities. But these people 
 either died on the passage over or soon after landing, for I 
 have never heard of a single man whose ancestors were con- 
 demned to emigrate. Whenever a ship load of emigrants was 
 landed the buyers of white slaves flocked to the harbor to 
 pick out bargains. Sometimes, not all could be disposed of 
 m the seaport so the remainder were turned over to agents 
 who chained them together and peddled them from one town 
 to another. " 
 
 If these exclusive and discriminating gentlemen, legislat- 
 ing to exclude the Negro from practical participation in party 
 politics, had been as familiar with the story of the early set- 
 tlement of Louisiana, as told in Monon Lescaut as they, per- 
 haps, were with the history of reconstruction in the South, 
 they would, doubtless, not have been so chesty and so insis- 
 tent in their efforts to exclude the Negro, after using his vote ; 
 to get the power they were now attempting to exercise in an 
 underhand way. 
 
 Brainard repeated himself, saying again: "I have the solu- 
 tion of this problem, gentlemen, and it is this: that every em- 
 ployer of Negro labor in this city and county be circularized 
 and asked to get rid of their Negro servants and to replace 
 
 45 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 them with white servants. This will eliminate the Negro as 
 a political factor, and bring their leaders to such terms as we, 
 not they, propose. "We can here draft a confidential circular 
 letter outlining the dangers which threaten us the menace 
 of Negro domination typewrite it for the printer. If Hez 
 and his Yale graduate insist on their pound of flesh when their 
 organization returns its answer to the Colonel here on Tues- 
 day, if the darkies are obstreperous, the Colonel can show 
 Hez this letter and there will probably be a called meeting of 
 the black brethren on Wednesday night to reconsider their 
 action, assuming that they have acted along the lines which 
 Hez's talk with the Colonel and myself lead us to believe they 
 have done. 
 
 "I don't believe we will have to print a single copy of 
 the letter other than the typewritten copy. The Negro is 
 easily bluffed and when Hez is made to see that hundreds of 
 his race will lose their situations in private families and in 
 clubs and stores throughout the city and county, he will not 
 be willing, if he is as wise as I think he is, to make the sacri- 
 fice for one Yale graduate. He will gladly compromise by ac- 
 cepting the Colonel's proposal to take care of fifteen or twenty 
 members of his organization in the smaller positions." 
 
 " Capital, capital, Brainard!" they all said in chorus. 
 " You write the letter, Paul. Mark it confidential and mail it to 
 me and I will pull the wool over this colored gentleman's 
 eyes as I did in the matter of the invitation to the conference 
 at the club some weeks ago. You remember that little trick, 
 Paul." 
 
 "Do I! It was as much as I could do to keep from laughing 
 outright while you were smoothing down the African gentle- 
 man." 
 
 Henry, the butler, who was dozing (?) near the door, 
 had heard this entire discussion. The door bell rang and pre- 
 sently he returned to the Colonel's den with a silver platter 
 in which lay the card of Mr. Robert May, a man about town. 
 
 46 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Henry knocked on the door, was told to come in, entered ancl 
 handed Mr. May's card to the Colonel. "Show the gentle- 
 man up, Henry/* 
 
 Mr. Mays was shown up at once. Being well known to 
 all the gentlemen present, he was cordially greeted and was 
 soon a participant in the informal discussion, the gist of 
 which was given him, and he fell in quite naturally with the 
 majority view. 
 
 "I hear," said he, "that Hez has been up to H - and 
 
 S seeing the boys. Hez has gotten to be quite an active 
 
 and prominent politician, Colonel," said Mr. May addressing 
 Colonel Gibbons. "He is a pretty shrewd and resourceful 
 Negro. My waiter was saying this morning that if the Re- 
 publicans win in this election the colored man will be given 
 more recognition than he has ever had before. Have you gen- 
 tlemen been making pledges to the colored brethren?" 
 
 "No, not pledges," said the Colonel, "only propositions. 
 We have proposed to Hez, their leader, to give them a few of 
 the smaller positions if we win, as a reward for their support. 
 They may want more, but it will be a long felt want. That is 
 all," said the Colonel. 
 
 Here the Colonel pressed a button and Henry, the butler, 
 entered the room. "Henry," he said, "we have talked our- 
 selves hungry and our throats are all parched. You may fetch 
 in some refershments for these gentlemen small salads, sand- 
 wiches and some beer. The Major drinks Port wine. Bring a 
 couple of bottles of that old Port from the cellar, a fresh box 
 of cigars and two bottles of V. 0. P.." 
 
 "Very well, sir," answered Henry. 
 
 In less than half an hour he returned wih his tray well 
 laden with such refreshments as are productive of brilliant wit 
 and repartee. The friends of V. 0. P. brightened up as old 
 John Barleycorn entered the room on the arm of Henry. 
 Jokes were made at his expense and many compliments paid 
 
 47 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Mm by gentlemen who afterward put themselves on the out- 
 side of his liquid body. The feast was as generous in quantity 
 as it was excellent in quality and so eager were all the gentle- 
 men there foregathered to do full justice to it that all reference 
 to politics was eliminated from the conversation and each in 
 turn endeavored to excel the other in praising their host and 
 the excellence of the toothsome viands set before them. 
 Nothing unlimbers a man's jaws so quickly, especially if he 
 be hungry and thirsty, as a well prepared chicken salad, a re- 
 freshing glass of beer or a well-made cocktail. 
 
 The company at a late hour broke up and Major Dewees 
 was quite considerably broken up for his short fat legs would 
 not behave. He had been dallying in private conference with 
 V. 0. P. whose age he had disputed, and V. O. P. had gotten 
 on his nerves and settled in his legs. So, Henry had to escort 
 him to his cab and even close the door of it for him for the 
 Major was all in. The fresh air, however, would soon re- 
 store him to his naturals and his pride would do the rest. The 
 Colonel's other guests shortly after left for their homes per- 
 fectly undertanding each other, and resolved to, at all hazards, 
 crush even at the sacrifice of defeating their party, the move- 
 ment which they were convinced was taking shape to force 
 a Negro into an office in which they did not want a Negro 
 placed. As Puck sapiently observes, "What fools these 
 mortals be." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 On Monday night Hezekiah's organization held a special 
 meeting, notice of which had been sent out before he left 
 town, on the Saturday previous, and foregathered with the 
 Ibeal brethren were representatives from the towns that Hez- 
 ekiah had visited bright and intelligent young men they 
 were, too. No white people Were admitted and no reporters. 
 "It was purely a business meeting and could hold no iriter- 
 
 48 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 est for the general public," was what Hez told several white 
 persons who applied for admittance. 
 
 At eight o'clock sharp every man who had been invited 
 was present, and at 8:15 Hez rapped for order and opened 
 the meeting. Deacon Adoniram Harris, of the Baptist 
 church, offered prayer. He invoked divine guidance over the 
 deliberations of the gathering and plead for the exercise of the 
 greatest wisdom and common sense in the utterance and action 
 "of our brethren tonight." 
 
 Hezekiah then arose and stated "that as this is a call 
 meeting, he would ask the secretary to read the call. This 
 was headed that no business other than that stated in the call 
 will be transacted. ' ' He then gave a brief but clear and suc- 
 cinct outline of his interview with Col. Gibbons and Mr. 
 Brainard, and cited the former's intimation of the intention 
 of the regular organization to recognize members of the or- 
 ganization in the event of the success of the party in the 
 forthcoming election. He said his own idea about the matter 
 was that to give fifteen or twenty members of the organization 
 positions paying from $600 to $720 per year would be more 
 satisfactory than giving the race one big job carrying a large 
 salary; that the chairman had expressed a doubt as to 
 whether "we had a man competent to fill one of these higher 
 positions," and that he had dispelled this doubt as he thought 
 by naming several members of the organization if called on 
 to meet it. 
 
 "He asked by opinion as to this and 1 frankly told 
 him that since it is conceded by the party leader that our vote 
 elects, we ought to be treated in the matter of patronage with 
 the same consideration which is shown other elements of the 
 party ; that we ought to have one big office and our fair quota 
 of minor positions under the city and county government ; that 
 we had one man in our organization, who I believed to be 
 fully capable of filling any city or county office which might 
 be offered him ; that he is a Yale graduate and perfectly fain- 
 
 49 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 iliar with office routine. I could see, gentlemen," said Hez, 
 with a twinkle in his eye, "that this was not pleasant news to 
 the city chairman, who is a very fine man, and who, I have rea- 
 son to think, is a friend of mine. From the expression on his 
 face (and I am a pretty good reader of faces) I could see that 
 he had regretted mentioning the larger offices. He and Mr. 
 Brainard wanted me to commit myself on this subject, but I 
 told him that I was merely your servant and that I could 
 enter into no agreements or understandings without your ex- 
 press authority; that I would bring this matter before you 
 tonight and report to him at 10 o'clock Tuesday the report of 
 your action. 
 
 "Now, it is for you, brethren, to act, and I hope you will 
 do so with sound judgment and with prudence. We are all 
 of us Republicans here, and we are all poor men; all citizens, 
 so-called, who are robbed of the right to representation even 
 when we earn it in a fair and open fight. We are tolerated at 
 the polls because our votes make majorities for white men 
 who want the offices we cannot get. Our handicap to this 
 larger recognition in these committees is our black faces. 
 Neither Democrats nor Republicans want to see Negroes in 
 elective or appointive offices that carry large salaries. In 
 these smaller cities where white men of all parties and creeds 
 are at one socially such an innovation as the elevation of ~a 
 Negro to a conspicuous position would not be conducive to the 
 political well-being of the Negro. 
 
 "I would like to say in closing, that while I personally 
 would prefer to see one of our men elevated to a high office, 
 that I think it would be neither politic nor wise on our part 
 to insist at this time for such recognition. Our organization is 
 still young and it is not yet strong enough to make such a 
 demand. We are not as strong as we hope to be two years 
 hence when a president is to be elected. I think we should 
 approach the consideration of this question with care and act 
 upon it with deliberate and sound judgment and practical 
 
 50 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 common sense. If we can secure twenty or more appointment* 
 it will mean that twenty Negro families will be provided with 
 breadwinners. If we make no demand for one of the higher 
 places at this time we may be able to secure more of 
 the minor ones for our deserving voters and one or two 
 clerkships for some of our men who have had superior ad- 
 vantages of education. 
 
 "Think well before you decide what your answer is go- 
 ing to be. I am for the greatest good to the greatest number, 
 and I shall second my vote with the majority for I believe 
 most of you feel as I do on this question, ' ' said Hezekiah taking 
 his seat. 
 
 Up rose Mr. Fleming, the Yale graduate, whom he at once 
 recognized. "Mr. Chairman/' said he, "I have listened with 
 interest to your sensible advice in this matter and I most 
 cheerfully endorse your sentiments and the practical views to 
 which you have given utterance as to the course which you be- 
 lieve we should follow. I am heartily in favor of accepting 
 the proposition made to our leader, brethren, that this organ- 
 ization agree to the placing of a number of its members in 
 minor places under the city and county government if our 
 ticket wins, and I agree to this proposition for these reasons: 
 
 " First, as a race, we are losing out economically, indus- 
 trially and politically. Second, the great influx of foreigners 
 to these shores is crowding our people in the large cities out 
 of domestic employment, lowering wages and increasing the 
 hours. Third, numericaly, we haven't the numbers, intellec- 
 tually and commercially. We haven't the men to successfully 
 meet and combat the conditions which hedge us about, but we 
 can afford to bid our time, to be 'as wise as serpents and 
 harmless as doves. ' Fourth, it will show wisdom on our part 
 to meet the regular organization half way and to consider and 
 act upon any reasonable proposals it offers us. Fifth, we can- 
 not afford to sacrifice the happiness and the future of twenty 
 or thirty families for the benefit of one or two men who may 
 
 51 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 be ambitous to break ice and pose as the first Negro to hold 
 an elective or appointive office in this city. 
 
 ''The interests and welfare of the many is of more vital 
 importance than that of the few. Being consumers and not 
 producers we could not successfully enforce a demand for 
 such recognition as has been suggested. Should we do so, 
 the reaction would be disastrous to many innocent working 
 people of our race. The acceptance of this proposition will 
 open the way for more of our laboring people for such work 
 as they know best how to do, and, thus, enable them to educate 
 their children and fit them for the larger opportunities which 
 it is now suggested that we shall seek for some of our mem- 
 bers. 
 
 "I think you all see the drift of my talk, brethren, and I 
 hope you will act upon the advice given by our chairman, and, 
 as he suggests, with good judgment and discretion/' 
 
 When Mr. Fleming finished Mr. Henry Jackson, one of 
 
 the visiting delegates from H s, a graduate of the high 
 
 school of that place, btained the floor and spoke as follows: 
 14 We are met here to-night under circumstances most pecu- 
 liar to discuss a phase of the problem of race which accen- 
 tuates the depth and breadth of racial antipathy. On paper 
 and in campaign speeches, in party platforms and in private 
 converse with the white party managers we are classed, labeled 
 and accepted as American citizens. But, the moment we lay 
 claim to the 'rights, privileges and immunities' which that 
 title carries we are brought face to face with the fact that 
 we are Negroes, and, therefore, are DIFFERENT. 
 
 1 ' I have been talking with one of our brethren here and 
 he has informed me that the white leaders in this city are very 
 much exercised over the probable action of our meeting here 
 tonight ; that he has heard dark rumors to the effect that if we 
 insist on having a representative of our race appointed to a 
 higher office than that named originally as the political heri- 
 tage of the black man reprisals will be made on the race by 
 
 52 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 white employers of Negro labor throughout the city and 
 county and that hundreds of our men and women will be 
 thrown out of employment and will be replaced by Slavs and 
 Poles and other cheap foreign labor now crowding into the 
 state and county. 
 
 "As I see this question, we must meet it manfully and 
 tactfully. I am in full agreement with the view of our chair- 
 man and our distinguished friend, Prof. Fleming, as to the 
 course we should follow, and I do hope that we will all come 
 to see the wisdom of agreeing to the proposition made to our 
 chairman and of endorsing the recommendations of those who 
 have spoken here tonight on the subject. I am unqualifiedly 
 in favor of any honorable proposition which will bring the 
 greatest good to the greatest number. I am tired of seeing our 
 race made a stepping-stone for demagogues, white or black, to 
 get into office who forget to remember us after they have used 
 us. I want to see the plain people recognized because they 
 deserve to be, and, therefore, I shall vote for the measure." 
 
 These three addresses had the desired effect on the assem- 
 blage, and no other speech was made. 
 
 Moses Hopkins "Wheeler, a waiter at the Democratic Club, 
 submitted the following: "In view of the fact that Mr. Hez- 
 ekiah Jones, our President, has been approached by the chair- 
 man of the Republican committee with a view to ascertaining 
 the wishes of the colored Republican organization of this city 
 and county with regard to the patronage to be given colored 
 voters for party services in the approaching election, 
 
 "Resolved, that it is the sense of this meeting that Mr. 
 Jones, our chairman, be and he is hereby authorized to secure 
 for this organization, through the proper representativss of 
 the regular organization, their guarantee in writing of a fair 
 proportion of the patronage for members of our race in city 
 and county offices ; and, that we place no restriction upon him 
 as to terms other than that they shall be honorable and in 
 keeping with our self respect; and be it further, 
 
 53 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 " Resolved, that the sum of $250 be, and is hereby appro- 
 priated as our contribution to the campaign fund." 
 
 The resolution was quickly adopted and the secretary was 
 directed to draft a letter embodying the gist of the resolution 
 and the treasurer was ordered to draw a check for $250. 
 These were duly turned over to Hezekiah to be presented to 
 his "fr'en* Cy" Col. Gibbons the next morning at 10 o'clock 
 sharp. 
 
 The meeting then resolved itself into an informal gathering 
 and light refreshments were served. The conversaiton car- 
 ried on between these men, many of whom occupied positions 
 in private families, stores and clubs, disclosed the fact that 
 the white leaders throughout the city and county were really 
 very much afraid that the Negroes were scheming to make 
 embarrassing demands upon the organization which would 
 threaten the success of the ticket. 
 
 Hezekiah also learned some things about his friends "Cy" 
 and Brainard which did not strengthen his confidence in their 
 professions of friendship for the colored man. He learned 
 that the "invitation" to him to attend the recent conference 
 was a "frame-up," and that there really had been no inten- 
 tion to invite him to that gathering where the German and 
 the Irishman raised the race issue and finally forced their 
 nomination ; that it was the crafty Brainard who suggested to 
 the Colonel the trick of writing the "special invitation" to 
 the conference and that the Colonel willingly and gladly ac- 
 cepted and put it into operation. Henry also gave him a pretty 
 accurate account of what was said at the last conference in 
 the Colonel's city house. The information moved Hezekiah 
 to say: 
 
 "Well, I didn't think that of Col. Gibbons, but I'm glad 
 to know what sort of a man he really is. I guess he is no 
 different from the majority of men in his day who play one 
 man against the other and promise them the earth for a few 
 votes. I always was suspicious of that man, Brainard. He is 
 
 54 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HBZBKIAH JONES. 
 
 a Southerner and he protested too much, but I never dreamed 
 that the Colonel would play me false. When I mentioned to 
 him that we had a Yale graduate who could fill any position 
 within the gift of the party organization, I was figuring to 
 secure just such a bargain as we have voted on tonight. I 
 knew that what I said to him would alarm the leaders and 
 that rather than appoint a Negro superintendent of streets or 
 to any other position of prominence they would compromise 
 by offering us all the smaller places we had the men to fill. 
 I knew what I was about that time/' and he chuckled im- 
 moderately. 
 
 In a little while the meeting broke up and Hezekiah and 
 Henry walked home together as they lived near each other. 
 What they talked about is as Rudyard WKipling says : ' ' An- 
 other story." 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 At ten o'clock on Tuesday morning Mr. Hezekiah Jones 
 entered the office of Col. Gibbons in Wadleigh street and 
 found that gentleman and his Fidus Achates, Brainard, and 
 several others of the committee waiting for him in the inner 
 private offices. 
 
 "Good morning, Colonel," said Hez cheerfully. "Good 
 morning, gentlemen," addressing the Colonel's visitors. 
 
 The Colonel arose and shook his hand warmly. "Good 
 morning, Hez." He always addressed him as "Hez" this is 
 the privilege of the high born. "I see you are a man of your 
 word," he said. "You're on time to the second." 
 
 "What's the use of being a man if you haven't honor enough 
 to stand by your word?" answered Hez. 
 
 "That's right, Hez. Honor, truth and punctuality are 
 valuable assets to a business man to any man who is a man. 
 Sit down, old man; have a cigar and tell us about your meet- 
 ing last night." 
 
 55 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 Hez took the chair offered him, lighted his cigar and said 
 in a leisurely sort of way: "Well, Colonel and gentlemen, we 
 had a largely attended and very interesting meeting last 
 night. There were present men from all the smaller towns 
 near by. Of course it was a business meeting and we could 
 not admit outsiders nor reporters as the proceedings would 
 not have interested them." 
 
 "I see/' said the Colonel. 
 
 "I laid your proposition before the meeting and invited 
 discussion. There was a strong sentiment in favor of demand- 
 ing a representative position for a member of our race under 
 the city or county government/' said Hez smiling and looking 
 directly at Brainard, who flushed, stood up for a second or 
 so and then sat down again, "but I made a brief talk and 
 was followed by two other members, who spoke as I did 
 against that idea. The trend of our talk was that your pro- 
 position to recognize us by giving us a number of minor 
 places was a wise and practical one and that we ought to ac- 
 cept it. The matter was finally put to a vote and was un- 
 animously adopted, and so I was deputized to report to you 
 our action and directed to secure from you your proposition 
 in writing 1 duly witnessed by members of your organization 
 to be submitted to a meeting we have set for Thursday night." 
 
 "Bully for you, Hez!" exclaimed several of the committee. 
 "" Bravo," said Brainard. 
 
 "Thanks, gentlemen," said Hez. "By-the-way, Colonel, I am 
 also directed to hand you this," passing the resolution and the 
 check for the two hundred and fifty dollars to the city chair- 
 man. 
 
 "The Colonel took the letter and read it aloud. The check 
 for $250 interested and pleasedJ him. It was something the 
 colored political organization had never done before, and it 
 argued that they were learning practical politics with avidity. 
 Heretofore, they had solicited funds from the committee ; now 
 
 56 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 they were contributors to the party's war chest and their rea- 
 sonable demands would have to be recognized and granted 
 when humanly possible. 
 
 The check made a great impression on Brainard and he 
 revised somewhat his impression of the "darkey." These 
 " darkies " were an enigma he could not solve. 
 
 " Gentlemen, " said Hezekiah, when the hubbub caused by 
 the gift of the check had subsided, "we Negroes are Repub- 
 licans and we are too loyal to the traditions and principles 
 of our party to take any advantage of the party leaders be- 
 cause we happen to have the opportunity to do so. We realize 
 that this is an important election and that it is going to be 
 a close one. We have the votes, as you well know, to throw 
 it the other way. Two hundred and twenty-five votes will beat 
 the Republican candidate for mayor, and you, Colonel, know 
 how many votes I can muster, so we need not discuss that 
 point. I merely wish you gentlemen to understand that the 
 Negro voters in this election are not disposed to play you 
 false, but we want a guarantee of a square deal if we win 
 and we want a guarantee in writing that you will not play 
 us false when the election is over. 
 
 "We do not wish to embarrass you by making what you 
 regard as unreasonable demands for patronage for our race 
 though by every right we are justified in making such demand 
 by reason of our voting strength. You have all had proof 
 of its efficiency and potency in past elections and you know 
 insulting speech at the Clef Club on the night before election 
 that it was our vote that defeated the last Republican candi- 
 date for mayor of this city after he had tacitly refused to 
 make concessions to the Negro voters. You remember his 
 in which he alluded to the Negroes as the people whose high- 
 est ambition is to vote the Republican ticket and 'get their pay 
 for so doing in advance !' He said this jocularly, but we took 
 it seriously, and enough of us voted against him to defeat 
 him." T 
 
 57 
 
THE AWAKENING OP HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 The committee exchanged looks while Brainard coughed 
 slightly and lighted another cigar. 
 
 "Hez," said the Colonel, "we are all glad that your peo- 
 ple have decided to act sensibly on the suggestion I made 
 you the other day in the matter of patronage and I am will- 
 ing and ready to reduce to writing what I then said to you. I 
 will go a little further, and promise you two or three minor 
 clerkships for some of your bright young men, and you can 
 submit this amended proposition to your meeting on Thurs- 
 day. So far as I am concerned the colored boys shall have 
 the preference in all the city work such as laborers, messengers 
 and porters, and I believe these gentlemen will back me up in 
 this statement. " 
 
 "We will, Colonel " they said almost in unison. 
 
 "There is no reason, " said Brainard, "why these loyal 
 colored Republicans should not have the pick of the jobs to 
 be appointed and we will insist that they get their full share 
 of them," he said with a finality which disclosed the secret joy 
 he felt at the turn affairs had taken. 
 
 "Drop in in the course of an hour, Hez," said the Colonel, 
 "and I will have the guarantee you want ready for you and 
 signed by all the leading members of the committee." 
 
 "Very well, Colonel," said Hez. "I will call here about four 
 p. m. Now I must go up to the bank and do a little work to 
 earn my salary. Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said with a 
 sly twinkle in his eye, as he bowed himself out. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 As Hez wended his way to the bank he chuckled several 
 times and said to himself: "I have gotten the thin edge of 
 the wedge almost under the city committee, and have paved 
 the way for many of the faithful to good jobs. * First the 
 blade, then the ear, then the full corn/ " he muttered. 
 
 58 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 He had learned a lesson which he never forgot, a lesson 
 which too many black men rearly learn or will not learn, viz: 
 that as between a black man and a white man in a struggle 
 for points in the political game "blood is thicker than 
 water "; that familiarity, free dinners, rich wines, and ex- 
 pensive cigars, front-porch tete-a-tetes and all the usual tricks 
 of cunning of white politicians are simply employed as means 
 to an end, and to befog the black brother; that, when the 
 end has been served the black man is still a black man. He 
 enjoys no privileges, holds no exalted positions except by the 
 sufferance of the white man, or from motives of political ex- 
 pediency or necessity. Hezekiah had this advantage over 
 the city chairman and his fellow conspirators he knew what 
 they knew and what they were attempting to do; knew their 
 every move and their hopes and aims, while they were 
 ignorant of the fact that he was in possession of this knowl- 
 edge which discovered to him their rank hypocrisy, deceit, 
 double-dealing and treachery. He knew that the concessions 
 they were willing to make were born of political expediency 
 and the fear of a revolt among the Negro voters which might 
 result in the defeat of the ticket. 
 
 It was too near election and there was too much at stake 
 for the party to issue a defi to its black supporters and so with 
 bad grace and in the desperation of despair the Colonel and 
 his colleagues took counsel together and decided to yield to 
 any reasonable demand made by Hezekiah for his supporters, 
 who, be it said to their eternal credit, were as steadfast and 
 loyal to him as are the Tammany legions to their big Boss. 
 And they let it be known everywhere that they intended to 
 stand by Hezekiah in this fight no matter what happened and 
 they said this so earnestly and seriously that the little two-by- 
 four white politicians all over the city and county realized that 
 the Negroes for once in their political lives were playing the 
 game like themselves, and were terribly in earnest about it. 
 Hezekiah was their leader, not only in name, but in very fact. 
 
 59 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 When Hezekiah returned to Colonel Gibbons' office he 
 found the chairman in a state of mental pertubation and in 
 the act of framing the letter promised which to contain the 
 pledged words of the party organization to the Negro voters 
 on the matter of patronage. 
 
 "Glad to see you back, Hezekiah," said the chairman. 
 
 "Yes," spoke up several members of the committee who 
 had been discussing the matter since Hezekiah left and try- 
 ing to figure out just what would be considered a fair "shake 
 down" for the colored brethren. 
 
 "Before we close the letter, Hez," said the Colonel, "we 
 had better decide among us just what the organization will 
 agree to do and what your organization will abide by if agree- 
 able." 
 
 "Now, what do you want us to do!" asked Brainard. 
 
 Without paying the least attention to this impertinent 
 question, Hezekiah turned to Major Dewees and said: "I 
 hear you have leased your house in Carpenter street, Major. 
 It is a fine house and I hope you have secured a tenant who 
 will take as good care of the property as Mr. Morris did." 
 
 "Yes, I hope so, Hezekiah. I was sorry to lose Mr. Morris 
 for he was excellent pay and took as much interest in the pro- 
 perty as if it was his own. He and his wife are going to settle 
 down in Italy. Since they lost their boy they have not seemed 
 quite satisfied to remain in America." 
 
 "They are very fine people," said Hez, "and it is too bad 
 they are going to leave the country. It seems as though all 
 the best white people in America or either dead or gone to live 
 in Europe. The Morrises were particularly good to our col- 
 ored people here and were liberal with their money. They 
 are educating two of our boys and one girl in a Southern 
 college.' 1 
 
 "Is that so?" queried Brainard, determined to be noticed. 
 
 But before he could receive an answer, if any were in- 
 
 60 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 tended, the Colonel attempted to put to Hezekiah a series of 
 questions as to his wishes in respect to the character of the 
 recognition he wanted. 
 
 Hezekiah drew from his pocket a paper which he handed 
 to Colonel Gibbons, remarking as he did so: "I think, Col- 
 onel, that this is a reasonable demand." 
 
 The Colonel read aloud tis contents which were as follows : 
 ' ' Two Clerks in Water department, Messengers and labor- 
 ers in City Hall, Clerk in City Court, Deputy Superintendent 
 of Street Cleaning, ten laborers in Street Cleaning Depart- 
 ment, two messengers in Board of Public Works, two watch- 
 men at City Park, Four laborers in Dock Department (26). 
 
 "This isn't a bad beginning," said the Colonel, smiling. 
 
 "No," said Hez, "it isn't. If the party comes back I'll 
 hand you another list for there are a number of places I have 
 found which colored men can fill and ought to have. Now 
 if you and your associates are prepared to guarantee these 
 places in writing we stand prepared to deliver the solid Negro 
 vote for the entire ticket. I need not tell you, for you know 
 it, that the Negroes of this city never scratch a ticket that 
 I endorse. They have confidence in my judgment in these 
 matters and where I give the word they act." 
 
 Every man in the room looked at Hez when he said this, 
 because his manner was impressive and the words were utter- 
 ed with earnestness and vigor. "If you want to win and 
 want us to help you win this battle, give us a square deal af- 
 ter the victory has been won." 
 
 "That is a fair proposition, gentlemen," said Major Saxe. 
 "Mr. Jones has not asked too much of us and I think it will 
 conserve our interests to grant the requests he has made." 
 
 "It is not a request, Major," spoke up Hezekiah bravely, 
 "but a respectful demand for what is our due as political 
 integers, a demand based upon the percentages of the Repub- 
 lican vote in this city and county for the past dozen years. 
 
 61 
 
THE AWAKENING OF HEZEKIAH JONES. 
 
 We ask no favor, but we do demand our rights." 
 
 The committee looked at each other. Brainard nodded 
 to Col. Gibbons and the latter, taking up again Hezekiah's 
 memoranda and placing it before him on his desk, incorporated 
 its entire contents in his letter to be submitted to Hez's organ- 
 ization. 
 
 Signing it as chairman he read it aloud for the benefit of 
 his colleagues who endorsed and signed it as the sentiment 
 of the regular organization. The Colonel folded and placed it 
 in an official envelop which he addressed to "Mr. Hezekiah 
 Jones, President Negro Republican Club," blotted it and 
 passed it over to Hezekiah. 
 
 Then everybody took an ounce or two of Scotch and a 
 fresh cigar, and shook hands all round. 
 
 Hezekiah Jones had not been the only one to experience 
 an awakening, for the white brethren had also been aroused 
 and awakened to the fact that the Negro is rapidly arriving 
 and is on his way to political independence of thought and 
 action. The awakening of Hezekiah Jones, it is hoped, will 
 teach a lesson to black men everywhere who seem to have 
 lost faith in the self -redeeming power of the race and in the 
 honesty and integrity of those whom they have chosen to be 
 their leaders. The moral is: Follow your leader, give him 
 your confidence and your loyal support. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 62 
 
SS!