The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-13
SILHOUETTES OF
 STATE CAPITAL.
fstata Capitel Rursaul

MONTGOMERY, Ala, May 12.-Of the various types of Alabamians whose silhouettes fall athwart the portals of the state capitol, none is more num- erous than that which reflects the image of some dignified and more than likely, office-holding, citizen of the Black Belt. This is by means wholly to be accounted for by the fact that the, capital of the Alabama is situated in the belt referred to. A reason of even greater significance in considering the prevalence of citizens and natives of the Black Belt around the capitol corridors is their natural aptitude for politics. A large proportion of the "Elder Statesmen" of Alabama today are denizens of the Black Belt and many scions of renowned families in the famous lime land area take to g political career with the unassumed ease and grace manifested by the new ly arrived immigrant from the Levant in opening a hog dog stand.
 It must be remembered that the white people of the Black Bel are typical dominant minority" Before the War" that is, the Civil war, the Black Belt citizen was the undisputed ezar of his broad acres. After the war, he was forced to dominate the situation, or see his race go down in the trials of reconstruction. The black belt politician thus learned to be force full, and at the same time diplomatic ; and since, the African negro peril was laid to rest, he has through force of habit and training, extended his sway more or less completely over the rest
 | t-I
 The rest of the state has the votes, but the black belt furnishes an, ex- tremely liberal proportion of the ap- pOintees and other office holders. Its counties show up wonderfully well in their representation in the legislature, voting strength considered. Its white school children lead the state in the per capita funds available for their ed ucation. Whenever there is a gather ing of the political overlords to form ulate some policy within the party, the black belt is sure to be there; and it is some policy within the party, the black belt is sufe to be there; and it is around the white plume of some black belt parliamentarian that the badly added, well meaning, unsophisticated or in other words green" representa- tives of the rest of the counties rally at the close of legislative session when the time is short and laws of the land are enacted.
 From, an economic standpoint, the black belt visitor to the capitol today is apt to be rather pessimistic, certain ly not as much of booster as the Baldwin county product described in these columns in the past. Neverthe- less, your typical black belt has a sturdy pride in his native heath, or rather prairie. He will cite you to the fact that even the cattle produced on lime land are better than those from the piney woods or other sections In recent years, black belt owners who have tried the experiment of go- ing to work, instead of wishing Gods blessings from a distance on an over seer and 8 crops of negroes, have found that the stiff and intractable prairie soil has real possibilities. Al falfa and dairies, permanent pastures and sleek herds, are the order in many sections where cotton was once king :; and the black belt is hailed as the Promised Land by northern immi- grants who know how to make use of it.