I remember, also, that on more than
one occasion my landlady held an umbrella over me while I ate
breakfast.
At the time I went to Alabama the coloured people were taking
considerable interest in politics, and they were very anxious that I
should become one of them politically, in every respect. They seemed
to have a little distrust of strangers in this regard. I recall that
one man, who seemed to have been designated by the others to look
after my political destiny, came to me on several occasions and said,
with a good deal of earnestness: "We wants you to be sure to vote
jes' like we votes. We can't read de newspapers very much, but we
knows how to vote, an' we wants you to vote jes' like we votes." He
added: "We watches de white man, and we keeps watching de white man
till we finds out which way de white man's gwine to vote; an' when we
finds out which way de white man's gwine to vote, den we votes 'xactly
de other way. Den we knows we's right."
I am glad to add, however, that at the present time the
disposition to vote against the white man merely because he is white
is largely disappearing, and the race is learning to vote from
principle, for what the voter considers to be for the best interests
of both races.
I reached Tuskegee, as I have said, early in June, 1881.
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