Not long ago, when passing through the streets of
a certain city in the South, I heard some brick-masons calling out,
from the top of a two-story brick building on which they were working,
for the "Governor" to "hurry up and bring up some more bricks."
Several times I heard the command, "Hurry up, Governor!" "Hurry up,
Governor!" My curiosity was aroused to such an extent that I made
inquiry as to who the "Governor" was, and soon found that he was a
coloured man who at one time had held the position of Lieutenant-
Governor of his state.
But not all the coloured people who were in office during
Reconstruction were unworthy of their positions, by any means. Some
of them, like the late Senator B.K. Bruce, Governor Pinchback, and
many others, were strong, upright, useful men. Neither were all the
class designated as carpetbaggers dishonourable men. Some of them,
like ex-Governor Bullock, of Georgia, were men of high character and
usefulness.
Of course the coloured people, so largely without education, and
wholly without experience in government, made tremendous mistakes,
just as many people similarly situated would have done. Many of the
Southern whites have a feeling that, if the Negro is permitted to
exercise his political rights now to any degree, the mistakes of the
Reconstruction period will repeat themselves.
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