"Well, you can judge for yourself as to whether I have been misrepresented or not. The five planks of my 'nigger' platform are these," said he.
"First, this is a white man's country.
"Second, one drop of Negro blood in a man's veins makes him a 'nigger.'
"Third, public office, neither federal nor state, was gotten up for a 'nigger' to hold.
"Fourth, all money spent on educating a 'nigger,' except to teach him to work, is a squandering of the public funds.
"Fifth, the outside world be d——d. We will deal with the 'nigger' to suit ourselves.
"I will also tell you confidentially that I am one that don't want the 'nigger' question out of politics. We are living side by side with these 'niggers,' and public agitation helps our people to keep in mind that there is an impassable gulf between the races. Such men as I am would be perfect fools for trying to solve this 'nigger' problem. A crazy man can see that the solving of this problem puts my kind out of business. Thousands of Southern men can whip me out of my boots on any issue outside of abusing the 'nigger.' That's where I can go them one better. Haven't you observed the universal lament that we are not up to the standard in point of statesmanship. The trouble is we ride into our kingdoms so easily. It don't take a genius to persuade a people that you can beat a more tender-hearted man keeping a 'nigger' in his place. We machine men in the South don't want this 'nigger' bugaboo put down. It's our war whoop."
"Aside from the political use to which you put your announced views on the race question, you really believe them, don't you?" asked Earl.