The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-06-05
An Effective Speech.

II
The Montgomery Mail reports the fol
loving as the substance Of an effective
sheech, delivered BY Gen. James Fl. Clan
ton. of Montgomery, Ala, in reply to Sen.
ator Wilson, who challenged any South
arn man to reply to him. The speech
was delivered without preparation, but
speaks out plain facts: -
50 Friends. and Fello,o-G Citizens: l returned
from the: country:a few minutes since, and
was. informed that some colored men mad
called at my office, to invite me to attend
this meeting. / appreciate this act OF
Kindness, confidence and friendship on
their part. Ny colored friends, we are
Southern men, born upon the same soil,
live in the same country, and will sleep in
the same graveyard when lifc,s troubles
are over; and our destiny is the same.
If You prosper, the white race OF the
South will prosper; and if the white race
prosper, YOU must prosper; and whatever
misfortune is visited upon the South, must
be borne alike by both races. 1t is alike
your duty and interest to cultivate friend
. iytrelations with your neighbors and your
former owners, who are to-day, and ever
have been, your best friends. For one, l
can proudly say that no one in this as.
sembly can assert that ever oppressed
him when he wasssa slave. On one oeca-
sion I fought, for one of you in these
streets. On another, when white man
had been waylayed and murdered, and
his neighbers had assembled, and taken
the law in their hands with the avowed
pnrpose OF. executing the two leaders, who
were colored men, lnterposcd, with 9TH
ers, and succeeded in having them placed
IN iail, and fair trial given them: One
: was. convicted land hung, the other ac-
quilted, and still lives.
The Senator from Massachusetts,, who
hasjust addressed you, and who lives sew
eral thousand miles distant, has explained
aeozyou the object of his political pilgrim:
age South. He has challenged any one
present1to meet HMM discussion tonight,
and has offered to divide time with any
/ one who would accept. was born and
raisedinSthe South, and hope to buried
in n.hersoiI..sI have met the brave men
pfsthe North. .lon many fields; they out
numbered and sovercanse us; and / cer-
tainly,.have; no fear5 Of their. politicians.
But for my family, life would bave but
fsw.charms for me. Neither the fear of
the. gallows, the. gib5et,. or the bayonet
will eyer cause me to desert my people,
Gorsake this bright Southern land which
eaye mo birth, or deter me from the ex-
preston Of my honest sentiments under
any circumstances. Some young South,
err Radicals, who have recently address
= ed you, say.that the Sherman bill which
they are advocating, would disfrancbisc
HEM. and hence theirsefforts were purely
unselfsh, whilst at the time their applica-
tions TO be relieved from the disabilities
Of that measure are pending at Washing
ton, a.d:they are doubtless. expecting to
: call on. YOU for your votes at the next
election for. this State
:. Twill here state my own position brief
" on this point.
: I believe that bill is unconstitutional
Ibelieve is oppressive to certain class
: Of our best men.
Aszsoon as that bill passed Congress, a
high Federal official with the kindest
feelings for me personality said to me:
You were not an original secessionist
]. Congress will remove your disabilities
.rnder the Sherman Bill You must send
on an application, and / will approve It,
and help You to get it through" I cre
-plied-that the Republican purity had .;no
right uaaer the Constitution to dlsfran.
chise me, and / would never ask for RELIEF
at their hands, and that is my position
tonight. -
The honorable Senator. from Massachu-
sets has said some things which evlnce
good feelings on hispart, and which ap-
prove. He has also said many things
from which, I must dissent, and made
many assertions which the political .histo-
ry. and particularly that OF our recent
unfortunate war, proves to be untrue. He
commences with the history of slavery in
the South since he came upon the stage OF
action. and sendeavors- to fix the responsl-
bility. of tile existence of that institution
upon the Southern people, with all OF Its
:; horrors as depicted by his vivid magma
ton. I will carry the. gentleman back to
.sthe starting point of the institution on
this contipent, and before take my scat
[ will prove to you that the North is re-
sponsible for the existence ofslavery with
whatever evils attached to it; and am
frank to say that there were featurel In
slavery which were wrong.
Many years ago, my friends, beforethe
United States had an existence as ANA
ton, your forefathers inhabted.th homes
of your, race-Africa. The Northern
people, who were then as now conner
cial people, owning manyaships, went to
the coast Of Africa and bought some, and
stole or kidnapped your grand-fathers and
mothers, placed them in the hold Of their
vessels in great numbers, and in chains
took some few to their Northern homes,
and sent most of them to be sold to the
/. Southern people for slaves. In this work
they had valuable co.laborers in the En-
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