It will become apparent that the white man who begins by cheating a Negro out of his ballot soon learns to cheat a white man out of his, and that the man who does this ends his career of dishonesty by the theft of property or by some equally serious crime.
Washington warns that dishonesty, particularly in denying voting rights, inevitably escalates to broader societal corruption and crime, affecting all individuals.
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More from Booker T. Washington
The more I come into contact with wealthy people, the more I believe that they are growing in the direction of looking upon their money simply as an instrument which God has placed in their hand for doing good with.
In the economy of God there is but one standard by which an individual can succeed—there is but one for a race.
We try to keep constantly in mind the fact that the worth of the school is to be judged by its graduates.
What is equally important, they are exhibiting a degree of common sense and self-control which is causing better relations to exist between the races, and is causing the Southern white man to learn to believe in the value of educating the…