Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-08-03
LOVE FINDS A WAY

understand clause OF the Constitution when
it has been read to you, and ii you could
you can't vote because neither your father
nor your grandfather could read and write, -
was the verdict of an election clerk at vOt-
ing booth in the state of Mississippi, where
the coored population outnumber the white
as 60 to 40 per cent. The colored man who
had presented himself to vote was modestly
educated and who was neither black nor
white, but half and half, partaking how
ever more Of his white than his black an
cestor Owing to his coal black, drake tail,
hair and swarthy complexion, in any other
section of the United States except the
South he would have been taken for a
foreigner, and never as Negro, but in the
South such completed persons are more or
less common and of course are always classed
as "colored persons" This young man was
known as Allen Davis, name his mother
gave to him because she did not dare to tell
his real name though no one who was ac-
quainted in the community had any doubts
as to his real name. In form, face and
features Allen Davis was not only very
handsome young man, but a perfect beau
brummel He was heart smasher among
the colored girls in his bailiwick and many
of the young white girls watched him from
behind screened windows as he passed. and
one more desperate than others was seen
to come out on the veranda and bow to
him, smiling as she did So "But l can
understand anything you read, not only I'M
derstand anything you read, but | can read
it just well as you can, and moreover
not only my father can read and write, but
my grandfather could likewise do so, in
fact both of my grandfathers could read
and write" and he continued his protest
by relating the names Of his grandfathers.
You, dear reader, may be puzzled to
know how colored man at that time could
have had two grandfathers who could read
and write, when it was a penal offense to
teach colored men letters, but Allen Davis,
be it remembered, belonged to that class
Of homogeneous mixtures so common to the
South. His mother was the daughter of
prominent white man and a colored woman
which left no doubt about his grandfather
materially being able to read and WRITE
and his father was his mothers master and
in that case his parental grandfather was
also quite able to read and write and there
fore the grandfather suffrage law could not
be legally applied to him. Allen Davis real
father took more than passing interest in
him and behind the scenes he put up the
money to keep him in school and when he
was tWenty-fOur years Of age he was
university graduate and handled the dead
languages like adept. No wonder it
incensed him when the election clerk in
formed him that he was too ignorant to
understand a clause of the Constitution
when read to him.
gentle mother, however, was responsible
for Allen being perfect gentleman to
everyone, but especially to white folks and
realizing the odds against him, he quietly
left the voting booth, but not before the
members of the election board had unani-
mousy informed him that "smart niggers
like you are out Of place in this community
But Allen being well connected he paid
little or no attention to what they said
though it implied dire threat At home
that night he related the incident to his
mother and later on she related it to Mistah
Wilson, who the community believed was
the real father Of Allen Davis, but he had
little to say on the subject Soon after
that he and Allen were going to town and
the young white woman who in the past