Chapter 309: Alliance of Interests
In fact, when the Civil War just ended, whether it was to win people's hearts or to show the justice of the Civil War, the federal government really worked hard on black voting rights. The Republican-controlled Congress worked hard to expand black voting rights in areas that the federal government could control.
Congress passed a law granting voting rights to black people in the District of Columbia and prohibiting any existing or hereafter organized territory of the United States from denying the right of voting to any person on account of race, color, or previous condition of slavery.
The Reconstruction Act imposed military control on the rebellious southern states, and required the passage of the 14th Amendment to the federal constitution as a condition for the rebellious southern states to rejoin the union. In addition, these states had to convene all adult males, including blacks, to elect representatives to the constitutional convention, who would meet to amend the constitution and include the guarantee of voting rights for all adult males in the state constitution. The new constitution would take effect only after it was approved by a majority of voters and reviewed and approved by Congress.
The passage of this amendment was a milestone in American history, as it theoretically gave black adult males the right to vote.
This was when the Civil War had just ended. At that time, there were black senators and representatives in both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the federal government. After elections every four years, the number of black senators decreased from two to one, and the number of representatives decreased from five to two. In the 1980s, there was only one representative left. Today, in most places in the United States where there are black voters, including the southern states, members of state government are symbolic.
Martin Luther King's father, Martin Luther King II, the previous black butler of the Sheffield family, was a congressman from Texas. He had almost no power except for holding meetings. His power was not as great as that of the mayor of the town where the Sheffield family settled the descendants of the black war camp.
But this cannot change the fact that the Republican Party has a better reputation among the black community. Although there were a few more superficial elections after the Civil War, the existence of black voters was tacitly eliminated. However, the votes were not taken away, and the votes of the black community would definitely flow into the hands of the Republicans.
This time, Sheffield produced the revised statistics to let the descendants of these slave owners know that the threat was imminent, and if they just took it one day at a time, their good days would soon be over.
"Blacks have no concept of family, their population is growing faster than ours, and after the Civil War, those who should have fled to the North have fled, and those who didn't flee will not run away in the future. Now there is a trend that will shake our interests, but in another ten or eight years, it will not be a trend, but a definite end to our good days. You must understand the consequences once we lose the majority of seats in the state, my dear friends." Sheffield's face was heavy, indicating the seriousness of the matter.
At this time, an excellent assistant was needed, and McHale showed up without hesitation. Although he did not look pure white, he explained to the outside world that he was of Italian descent. He followed Sheffield's words and said, "Once the Republicans take over our Dixie hometown, they will quickly amend the state law and repeal all our defense laws. This is a very scary thing. Once the laws that protect us are repealed, it will be difficult to re-implement them."
McHale's parents had migrated to Brazil after the Civil War, so they didn't know much about the laws in the United States. However, they did a lot of work for this day's gathering and learned about the laws used in the southern states to invalidate the voting rights of black people.
The federal constitutional amendment prohibits states from depriving people of their right to vote on the basis of race or skin color. Not everyone immigrated to Brazil because of the defeat. Most of those who stayed behind naturally could not accept this. But since the civil war was lost, it was time to use political acumen to save the country.
So the Democrats in the southern states took advantage of the state legislatures and adopted some measures that had nothing to do with race to deprive black people of their right to vote, while also circumventing federal law. The core of these bills was class, and when nationalism didn't work, the Dixie people used class division to solve the problem.
"William, do you have any ideas in your mind?" Bella, who came from St. Louis, was the first to ask when she saw that some of her partners were in a heavy mood.
"Bella, you are a local farmer in Mississippi, so you should know something about your state's laws." Sheffield smiled, then changed the subject and said, "This is a big deal for all of us in Dixie. The threat is the same for every state, and we need to use the experience of each state to jointly deal with this problem. In fact, I am very optimistic about Mississippi's experience. Of course, South Carolina's experience is more direct."
The Mississippi state constitution deprives people who have committed bribery, robbery, theft, arson, murder, perjury, and bigamy of the right to vote. The South Carolina state constitution explicitly states that criminals do not have the right to vote.
Gail followed Sheffield's words and explained, "Most crimes are caused by two reasons: money and women. Judging from the current situation of the black community in the South, they lack both of these things. Of course, there are also poor people among our Dixie community, but for the benefit of the majority of our compatriots, it is worth sacrificing them. What group can't have two defectives?"
"Now it's back to the problem I just mentioned. Most black people have no concept of family, and the black community is the main source of criminals." Sheffield spoke again, and said to the members of the vested interest alliance this time, "I think all the member states that participated in the Confederacy should pass similar laws, and they must be passed immediately, because the threat is imminent. This requires everyone to work together. Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, as everyone knows, the United Company has been doing business in these places for a long time. I will handle these places. As for other places, I will also provide help as much as possible, but you may also need to be busy."
Just as Sheffield said, even if this is not a threat to the entire Dixie people, it is definitely a threat to these vested interests, and it cannot be ignored.
Gail added fuel to the fire, pointing out another advantage of doing so. "This ensures that the entire South will not be overthrown, and it is also beneficial to the Democratic Party's national election. Only when we unite together can we enjoy victory. If we lose even our own foundation, wouldn't it be more difficult for the Democratic Party to turn the tables?"
No one would have thought that the gathering of shareholders of the United Company and the Allied Company, which attracted the attention of many industry giants, did not mention a word about the company's development and prospects from the very beginning. If one had to say what occasion it was similar to, it was very similar to a group of rebels who fought for the independence of the United States.
"We are not wrong. Sooner or later the Yankees will realize that they are the ones who are wrong." Gail shouted loudly to cheer up these vested interests. The problem still needs to be addressed from the perspective of class. Many state bills are aimed at this issue. There are very few universities in the South that accept blacks. Even if there are, most of them are donated by Yankees. For example, the black university in Atlanta was donated by the Rockefeller family.
"We are not against the federal government, but the federal government is wrong. This country is a republic, and voters must meet certain requirements. You can't just vote when you are born, even if you are illiterate? If you have no assets, you are a tramp?" Sheffield emphasized, tilting his head on the table. "The Yankees are on the wrong path. They want to go to hell. Don't drag us down with them. The Southern states must maintain the soil of the republic and live up to the founding fathers."
For several days in a row, Oak Manor was very lively. At the beginning, some people might have felt that Sheffield's words were alarmist, but the collective was so magical that once most people were talking about a problem, everyone suddenly had a feeling that the truth was becoming clearer and clearer, and they happily came up with a series of plans, showing the true qualities of the southern elite to the fullest.
It was not until the last day that Sheffield symbolically talked about the development of the joint company, as well as its layout and prospects in various industries, although he did not mention the layout of the home appliance industry.
As for the outside world, the citizens who read the newspapers could only receive news about the shareholders' meeting of the United Company. They had no idea that such a large company did not even talk about financial statements and profits. As for these citizens, the reports they saw were naturally false.
"Let's take advantage of the women's rights movement this time. I'll go to Brazil for a while, and I'll keep you posted about what's happening here via the radio." After all the vested interests who had informed each other and vowed not to leak out what had happened in the past few days had left, Sheffield no longer concealed his intention to create an alibi in front of Gail and McHale.
"Going to Brazil is indeed a very legitimate excuse. How long do you plan to stay this time? I have some connections in Rio de Janeiro and I'll give you their contact information when the time comes." Gale nodded and said, "The situation over there is also complicated. It can be said that many people are more hypocritical than the Yankees. But this shouldn't be the case for you, since you are rich and powerful."
"Gail and I will take care of this matter. You just wait for good news in Brazil." McHale sighed and said, "To be honest, I think it's good to leave for a while. It seems that you have become too impatient in the past two years. Going out to relax and adjust your mind can also be considered a rest."
"I'll leave the matters here to you. Remember, don't contact people in the feminist movement. I've already arranged for people in the media to take care of it. This bomb will be detonated by a woman. What we have to do is to uphold justice and fight crime. As for the criminals who have been imprisoned and have had their voting rights deprived, that's very normal." Sheffield wiped his nose and said righteously.
(End of this chapter)
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