The True Planter
A significant portion of the North argued that after the war ended, a military government should be imposed upon the South. However, Abraham Lincoln, who prioritized national integration above all else, allowed the South its autonomy on the condition that they definitively submit.
I suspect the period of Southern military occupation I recall from history is what occurred after Lincoln was assassinated. Regardless, the benevolent Lincoln forgave the South, but unfortunately, the South did not particularly appreciate it.
If one were to think rationally, they would realize they had lost the war and that the other side was showing mercy, so they should at least pretend to listen. But if they were capable of rational thought to begin with, they wouldn't have started a rebellion under the pretense of building a slave empire.
The South was interpreting Lincoln's magnanimity in an entirely different direction.
Surprisingly, this is a 100 percent true story. The Dixies have a completely different way of thinking than we do. With the situation as it was, naturally, all of the South's institutions, laws, and power were pouring all their energy into suppressing Black people so they wouldn't get too big for their britches.
I had "taken care of" a tailor who insulted Seuret Cotton, but the repercussions weren't as large as I had expected.
"What happened to that tailor shop?"
"As you instructed, they are unable to source fabric from anywhere. Wouldn't they have to close their doors after just a few months?"
"Right. If they manage to get fabric from somewhere else, open a tailor shop right next door. Tell them you'll tailor suits for half the price of that guy's."
"You are ruthless."
"I told you. It's an example."
Usually, even if someone is an animal abuser, one should avoid the dog of a high-ranking official, but perhaps because it's a transitional period where slavery has just vanished, there seem to be many people who can't grasp reality. So, besides this incident, I definitely needed to set more examples, and whether by luck or misfortune, an additional case came up immediately.
"Chairman, I hear Thompson from Cedar Grove Plantation was beaten and injured by three white men."
"...What? What was the reason?"
"He went to town to buy goods, and when he told the white men who were trying to cut in line that he had arrived first, he was beaten on the spot."
"Did he mention he was an employee of Seuret Cotton?"
"He didn't even have a chance to say it."
They didn't know who they were beating, but regardless, it meant our employee had become a victim of a violent crime. Since this happens so frequently in the South, I actually knew a day like this would come eventually.
"Owen, activate the legal team as I instructed before and sue all those bastards."
"Understood. I will charge them with obstruction of business and also claim damages."
"Good. And mobilize all your local connections to treat the judge to some hospitality, and if they want money, put it in their hands. Emphasize that the problem isn't that they took sides against a Black man, but that they obstructed my company's business."
Owen immediately followed the procedures in the name of Seuret Cotton, and the lawsuit proceeded rapidly. As I instructed, there wasn't a single mention of "assaulting a Black man" in the complaint. Instead:
"The defendants assaulted Thompson, a regular employee of Seuret Cotton, without cause, rendering him unable to work for three weeks. Thompson is the field team leader at Cedar Grove Plantation, and the number of employees he is responsible for directing is exactly 13."
"Due to Thompson's unexpected absence, normal operations at Cedar Grove Plantation faced setbacks, and the company had to pay additional costs to deploy replacement personnel."
"...Furthermore, the victim received treatment at the Seuret Medical Center, and the company also bore the medical expenses resulting from this. Therefore, the defendants must compensate for all damages incurred by Seuret Cotton. The specific calculated amount of damages suffered by Mr. James Seuret is..."
Only the concrete facts regarding how much loss I suffered and how this amount was calculated were listed. It wasn't a problem that they hit a Black man. The problem was that I suffered actual financial loss. Whether white or Black, if they cause damage to my company, they have to pay the price.
Of course, as this lawsuit became a full-blown topic of conversation, it began to be reported extensively in conjunction with the tailor shop incident that occurred earlier. It must be shocking. James Seuret, the richest man in Mississippi and a symbol of a successful white man, had sued white people, not Black people.
It was so shocking that local newspapers lined up to interview me.
"Mr. Seuret, the two recent incidents are the talk of the town. You sued white people for the sake of your Black employees; what are your thoughts on this?"
Look at the way they talk. Even though I emphasized it so much, I can smell them trying to frame the narrative.
"For the sake of Black employees? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Pardon?"
"As I stated through my lawyer, I filed this lawsuit for my company."
I continued calmly.
"The tailor shop owner insulted my executives. That is, in effect, insulting Seuret Cotton. So I requested an apology, but they ignored my words. And the perpetrators of this assault incident injured my employee, causing setbacks in company operations. So I claimed damages."
"So..."
"There will be no exceptions in the future."
I love money too much. So, if there is a bastard who causes me loss, wouldn't it be the most James Seuret-like thing to do to chase them to the ends of the continent and make them pay the price?
"It doesn't matter who they are—white, Black, Native American, Asian, German, British, state government, Congress, or the federal government—if they cause even the slightest damage to my company, I will sue them all."
"..."
The reporters stared at me blankly for a moment, then nodded and moved their pens. Do you think I'm exaggerating? If you watch a little longer, everyone will know. Whether this is just a bluff or if I'm sincere.
The day of the trial arrived. The courtroom was crowded with more people than usual. It was an absurd case where a white man assaulted a Black man, but a fellow white man sued him. However, the three defendants were sitting with relaxed expressions.
If justice were alive in this country, a white judge would never rule an excessive amount against a fellow white man. So, the defendants, as well as a significant portion of the spectators occupying the seats, had no doubt that even when the Seuret Cotton side presented evidence, a ruling that was essentially a slap on the wrist would come out. But they didn't take long to realize the problem: the plaintiff wasn't a Black person, but a fellow white man, and that white man had already sweetened the deal with under-the-table money.
"The defendants assaulted a regular employee of Seuret Cotton, causing massive losses to the company."
The content of the verdict was ominous from the very first line.
"Thompson was unable to return to work for three weeks, and as a result, Cedar Grove Plantation had to deploy replacement personnel; medical expenses totaled 35 dollars, replacement personnel costs were 50 dollars, and losses due to operational setbacks were calculated at 100 dollars."
They could have just ruled not guilty, so why are they stating all those amounts one by one? No, wait... they must have cited them to argue that the plaintiff's claims were unconvincing...
"The court accepts this calculation and upholds the plaintiff's claim to demand a total of 185 dollars in damages."
The loss they feared—and at an amount that far exceeded their imagination—turned the defendants' faces white.
"W-what did you say? 185 dollars?"
"T-this is nonsense! Just for hitting one nigger!"
The defense attorney began to protest, his face pale. If it were 185 dollars, it was a huge sum that an average laborer in the South couldn't get their hands on even after working for half a year.
"Your Honor! This is an excessive claim! For a simple assault case, this amount of damages..."
"Counselor."
The judge raised his hand to cut him off.
"This is not a simple assault case."
"...Pardon?"
"This is strictly an act of business obstruction directed at a company called Seuret Cotton."
The judge held up a portion of the thick verdict for the stunned people to see.
"The defendants assaulted an employee of Seuret Cotton, causing setbacks in company operations. This is a clear act of business obstruction."
"B-but..."
"The evidence is also sufficient. Medical records, work logs, and even records of hiring replacement personnel have all been submitted. Furthermore, companies and plantations like Seuret Cotton must make strides for the Southern economy, which has fallen into post-war stagnation, to recover quickly. Since the defendants obstructed the business of such enterprises, their crime can be said to be particularly malicious."
It was a fact even a child could understand that for the Southern economy to revive, the cotton industry had to recover, and Seuret Cotton was the company at the forefront of that. The judge picked up his gavel.
"Accordingly, this court finds the defendants guilty."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Up until now, Black people had reported white people countless times, but this was the first time a proper guilty verdict had been handed down. Shock, bewilderment, and fear. Watching the defendants who couldn't lift their heads, bewildered whispers erupted from the gallery.
"W-what... they really found them guilty?"
"A white man paying a fine for hitting a nigger..."
"That's not it; it became a problem because he was a Seuret Cotton employee. You really shouldn't touch that place."
Other Black people might be one thing, but if you touch Seuret's Black people, your life can become exhausting. It was a lesson that even when you lie down, you have to look at where you're stretching your legs. Most white people took the incident that way, but...
Former Confederate Senator Albert G. Brown watched this trial and felt a threat so profound it chilled his spine.
"...What the hell is this doing?"
No, no. This shouldn't be happening. Strictly speaking, the "Black discrimination challenge" blowing through the South right now wasn't simply white people being petty. Although they lost the war, there was a background operation by the Southern leadership to instill confidence that we white people could handle cheeky niggers anytime, anywhere.
You might ask why they would do such a thing, but the reason was surprisingly simple. Because of the Confederate States' unsightly crushing defeat, the position of extremists who vehemently advocated for Southern independence was gradually narrowing. If the policy of suppressing Black people also became opaque here, the accumulating anger might turn toward them.
'Why did white people fight?'
'Wasn't it to use Black people as slaves?'
'But they lost the war, lost the slaves, and now they even have to pay a fine for hitting a Black person?'
If it was going to be like this, they should have just never started the war. Because of the idiots who shouted for Southern independence, it had come to this. He couldn't help but feel the fact that citizens' dissatisfaction was gradually accumulating on his skin, whether he liked it or not. Before things got twisted any further, he needed to point out a more certain scapegoat. If possible, a big shot on whom the anger of all white people in the South could be focused.
Albert bit his lip as he watched the back of James Seuret, who was walking out of the courtroom with dignity. If it were that turncoat who coddled Black people, he would make an excellent sacrificial lamb.