Gabriel's Hope Plantation
Chapter 10
Gabriel and Joshua hardly had time to celebrate their thirtieth birthdays, but they weren't worried. The constant in their lives made celebrations unnecessary. That was their continued great love for one another. Very few people that knew them were in any doubt that these two men loved each other like brothers, not knowing the reality. But when these two men had almost single-handedly dragged the county out of war torn desolation into a vibrant and booming economy, almost unheard of anywhere else in the South, they weren't about to think about it overly much.
On the day that Grant became president, Gabriel, now with so much more time on his hands started considering the idea of running for political office to try, on a bigger stage to effect changes that would help reconstruction of the South. Now was the time to call in a favour, so he made contact with Clinton Grant.
The telegraphed message was received in Washington and Clinton wired back.
`Come to Washington, Gabriel, meet my father, I'm sure he will be very interested in securing you a seat in the congress. I will leave a message with the station master to direct you when you arrive.'
Gabriel showed this to Joshua and asked what he thought.
"If I go to congress Josh, I'll be spending a lot of time in Washington."
"Go for it Gabriel. Matthew and Jess will be able to run the bank in a year or two and I will be able to spend more time with you in the Capital."
Bags packed and Gabriel was on his way to a new adventure. The station master in Washington gave Gabriel his instructions. He was most surprised that it was to go to the White House. The cab was waved through the gate when Gabriel offered his name. A liveried servant showed him through to a pleasant salon where he was joined a few minutes later by Clinton Grant.
"Gabriel, welcome to Washington, it is so good to see you."
Gabriel was quite taken back by the enthusiastic welcome but replied in kind.
"Thank you, Clinton, it's good to see you as well. I can't thank you enough for fast tracking me to the White House."
Both men laughed. "Come, I have rooms for you next to mine, the servants have taken your bags up already. We'll join father for dinner, tonight you are lucky, he actually doesn't have any engagements."
Thus began Gabriel's new adventure. The President was most impressed with Gabriel when he had finished quizzing him about his life and his post war achievements.
"I have heard much about you, Mr. Sinclair, initially from my son who you impressed when you held a gun to his head to protect your plantation and all of your workers."
Gabriel blushed and Clinton laughed.
"He was a demon, Dad. I think you can be glad he wasn't in the army, you might have had one hell of a fight on your hands to take South Carolina."
"My thoughts, Son. Mr. Sinclair, I think it would be a very good idea for me to ask the senator for South Carolina to stand down at the next election and allow you to take his place. I am sure you would romp home just on your record with York County. We are all talking about your success and wishing more of the South had applied themselves as your fellow plantation owners and business men have."
Gabriel was pleased but wanted to keep the record straight.
"Thank you Mr. President, but I have achieved so much because I hid all of my gold assets away from your troops and was able to use it to the benefit of all that wanted it, and were prepared to work for it."
The President laughed, "Yes, I've heard. There were many in congress that wanted your wealth confiscated for war reparation. I think even our Northern Court Judges might have baulked at allowing that when we knew your circumstances and your views on slavery and the war."
Gabriel remained as a guest of the president for several days, meeting influential politicians from both sides of the house. When he returned to Gabriel's Hope, he had a very good idea of what his life would be like as a senator. Mixed was a good way to sum up his feelings. The relatively easy life of the southern business man would go and be replaced with the hustle and bustle of the Capital and the cut and thrust of politics. In his heart he knew he had to do it for the sake of his beloved South.
With one year to go before the next Senate elections, Gabriel set up a campaign headquarters in Charleston, booked a permanent suite of rooms in the best hotel and with much help from party headquarters set about recruiting staff and most important, fund raisers.
Time spent at Gabriel's hope now was for relaxation.
As yet, no blacks had a vote so Gabriel knew he would have to pitch his campaign towards helping the regeneration of the South by harassing congress to make more funds available. His own wealth would be brought up he was quite sure, but he had facts and figures to hand to show how he had used that wealth to help many other businesses and plantations in York County by funding the bank, and that he wanted to go to congress to try to broaden that aid.
"We aren't asking for charity, just the means to rebuild the whole of the South, like we have with York County," was how he intended to pitch his campaign.
His use of blacks in high profile positions would be his biggest drawback but he would have to show how they had more than justified his faith in them. He wasn't wrong in that assumption so he developed a story, telling his audience about his early life and how the only friends he had coming from the poorest part of town, were the free blacks.
"I was never shown anything but support and friendship from these people who didn't take the colour of my skin into account when they helped me. Their reward when I became a wealthy plantation owner was to help them in the same way by ignoring their skin colour and focussing on their abilities, and they have justified that trust. The blacks outnumber us whites, we will need those numbers if we are to rebuild our beloved South. We can't do it by ourselves. If you look after your black workers they will respond, as they have in York County. Now I want you all to share in that future, I'll even instruct my bank manager to lend to plantations and businesses outside York County, but I don't have enough money to do it all. That's why I want you to send me to the Congress so that I can fight for you there."
"And line your own pockets as well no doubt."
That comment at one meeting really hurt Gabriel, he had never given a thought to his own status and possibilities for garnering more wealth and power. He just wanted to see his South regenerated. He had to make his reply robust so he looked at his accuser, not really seeing him while he focussed his mind.
"You're right. I will have the knowledge to further increase my wealth and influence. Now look at York County and tell me that is what I have done. Look at my bank's loan book and see how many plantations or businesses we have foreclosed on so that I could take them over. See how many loans we have made on top of the initial funding to help struggling businesses rather than take them over. If I wanted more power and more wealth I wouldn't need to go to Congress, I can multiply my wealth much more easily right on my own doorstep. What I want to do, I want to do for you. Reject me and York County will still be an oasis in this desert instead of the oasis spreading."
That was the tone at many meetings and Gabriel sailed into Congress on a massive tidal wave of support.
Washington was frightening for Gabriel and without Clinton's help and support he may well have run back to Gabriel's Hope. The Congress was a home for bickering and endless debate with very few constructive laws being enacted. Furious at the lack of progress in rebuilding all of the States, not just the South so infuriated Gabriel that he asked Clinton to get him in to see his father.
"Mr. President, I have sat for one year listening to endless, pointless debate about almost everything that the congress should have passed into law even before I came to Washington. They appear to have forgotten they are here to represent the people and to implement laws that will help those people. I feel I have achieved nothing and would only consider reversing my decision to resign if I could give the rest of the congress a collective kick in the butt.
I'm sorry, Sir, but I am going home to help my fellows because it is quite obvious congress isn't going to."
Both Grants were disappointed with this news and tried for hours to make Gabriel change his mind to no avail. Clinton was the most upset, he had found a new and interesting friend in Gabriel Sinclair.
"You will both be more than welcome in my home if you ever make it to South Carolina, but I doubt you will see me in this city again."
The next day Gabriel headed for home, Gabriel's Hope and his beloved Joshua.
"I should never have gone, Josh, I have wasted a year of my life. Now that I know the congress is no friend of the South I am going to devote even more time and money to rebuilding what the war destroyed.
I will start work tomorrow in the bank. I want to go through our loan book carefully, check the state of our deposits and the value of my personal holdings. Then I'm going to do the same with the plantation, the transport company and the trading company. Have Mattie there as well because if we can afford it I'm going to start expanding our loan book to other counties."
Joshua knew that Gabriel had the bit between his teeth and there would be no stopping him now.
Their lovemaking that night was as satisfying as ever. Gabriel showed his soul mate how much he had missed him and left the pair of them soaked in sweat and adding to that wetness with tears of happiness at their reunion.
One week later Gabriel sat down with Josh and Mattie in the study of Gabriel's Hope to discuss their findings.
"Stripping out other depositor's money and if I had to write off all of the loans we would still have more than $500,000 to play with, and the companies are contributing all the time. I want to keep 20% of that for re-investment if we need to but the remainder I want to use as loan money for an expanding area. I thought I would start speaking to the electorate that sent me to congress and tell them my bank will look at loans to any that need it and can generate income from the loans to pay them back. Mattie, you and I to investigate each applicant by doing on site checks. We'll make it a condition that they buy through my trading company and use my transport company to deliver whatever they need. We have a double check then making sure the money is going where they said it was and I'll look at young Dick going round occasionally to check that things are going as expected. He can be spared from the transport side for short periods, Fernando is very capable. Bad loans should then become a rarity and we'll have collateral anyway, not that I want to run any more plantations or businesses."
The reality was that outside of York county many loans did go bad and Gabriel ended up owning several more plantations and businesses that he hadn't planned on. The result of this was that his management team was sorely stretched and the end result was his senior foremen from Gabriel's Hope being put in charge of other plantations and Dick was put in charge of two of the failed businesses to turn them around with excellent results forthcoming, running them on Mattie's plans. Zeke's co-foremen ran the new plantations the way Gabriel ran Gabriel's Hope with similar results.
Another five years passed with Gabriel building an even bigger business empire. Disadvantaged whites didn't like what they saw, successful blacks stuck in the craw of too many to ignore the possible repercussions. Intimidation resulted and Gabriel had no choice then. To protect his black managers outside of York County, he placed white men in the position of boss in each of the plantations. To keep his black overseers in charge in reality he brought young men in from England and the Northern States, gave them training at Gabriel's Hope before placing them in the other plantations giving them this instruction.
"My estate managers are all black, as are the overseers. That isn't going to change. You will continue to learn how to manage the plantation you are sent to, but you will make all decisions in consultation with the manager. Every week you will present a report of the week's work to myself or Dick Turner. All requisitions will be signed by you and the estate manager. The paperwork will be collected and on weeks when it is me collecting it I will take a tour of the plantation. To the outside world however you will behave as though you are in charge completely. Learn well because the next plantations that I take over will be run by yourselves as proper managers, so two of you to each plantation."
These young men had been recruited from organisations both in the States and in England that promoted equality for the Negroes.
By the time Gabriel and Joshua were forty, Mattie had virtually taken over the running of Gabriel's empire from his headquarters in York County. Dick Turner was General Manager of the group, Jess was manager of the bank and Fernando ran the transport company. Jason was now effectively estate manager of Gabriel's Hope and Missy had her own fashion complex in Charleston.
Gabriel felt he had worked hard enough and long enough with Josh and he was going to ease back and enjoy life more.
"Josh, I have one more project to develop and then I think we might do some travelling. On the strip of land to the South of the river, close to the water hole, I want to build an estate of houses. They are going to be the retirement presents for my four original overseers, Jess, Mattie, Missy, Fernando, and Jason if he wants one. If Dick Turner will live among Negroes I will build one for him as well or he can purchase in the market."
Oprah and Landon had retired but continued to live in the house Gabriel had given them the day he became master of the plantation. Sarah had trained Molly to be senior housekeeper and remained at Gabriel's hope until she died.
Josh, as always accepted Gabriel's word without comment. He had grown used to Gabriel's generosity and just continued to grow his love for this exceptional friend.
The children on all plantations continued to be educated in keeping with the original idea with Joshua's siblings.
The Grants were regular visitors to the plantation, particularly Clinton who at last admitted to Gabriel that he was gay as well and had loved him since they first met. That love never took the shape of a sexual relationship because Gabriel and Joshua had become monogamous. He remained a loving friend until his early demise in a hunting accident.
Gabriel created a Trust for all of his assets and made Mattie the Chairman of the trust with Dick as his deputy. The provisions for distribution of funds from the trust were kept secret for fifty years after Gabriel's death because the foundation was set up to be run by, and look after the needs and well being of the descendants of Joshua's siblings. Mattie's Grandson was the first Negro to sit openly as chairman of the Sinclair Foundation, overseen by Mattie until his death in 1941 at the age of eighty eight.
The End
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