The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-20
GEN. PETTUS
 AT THEATRE Made Strong Speech For
 Ratification. NEW ORGANIC LAW NEEDED Senator Criticised Johnston for Changed Position. Insists That Proposed Constitution is Democratic Measure and That
 It Stands for White Su-
 premacy in Alabama
NEW ORGANIC LAW NEEDED

Senator F. W. Pettus made a Demo- cratic speech to a Democratic audience at the Montgomery Theatre last night Being Saturday night tie crowd was not near as large a sit should have been to hear such strong and convincing argu- ment for the new constitution and for the continuance of white supremacy in Alaba-, ma yet it was an enthusiastic and intelli- gent audience and the speech will do much good for ratification in this city and county. Senator Pettus was in splendid trim and he made a most vigorous and telling argument for the new organic law, and pointed out very plainly It's superiori- ty over the old constitution, which has served it's usefulness ard the time for changing which is at hand.
 The meeting was called to order prompt ly at o'clock, there being on the stage, George W. Jones, member of the State Democratic Campaign Committee: Charles B. Teasley, the chairman of the Mont gomery County Democratic Campaign Committee, Captain B. H. Screws. Hon. Gordon Macdonald, Judge A. D. Sayre, Hon. Tennent Lomax, Hon. A. D. Winter, Hon. Temple seibels. Hon. J. w. A. Sam ford and Pat McGauly.
 Introduced by Capt. Screws
 Captain B. H. Screws presented Senator Pettus in his eloquent and attractive way, saying:
 This audience on Saturday night, is an assurance that the hearts of the people of Montgomery are ardently in favor of the proposed constitution. As everybody knows ,at the last session of the Legisla- ture a law was enacted which provided for the holding of a convention to revise the Constitution of this State. The white men Of Alabama selected the delegates to the convention, who, in the discharge of the responsible duties thus imposed upon them framed the Constitution which will be submitted to the people on the 11th of November. for ratification or re- jection.
 'The new Constitution has it's devoted friends, and it's unreasonable enemies. From amongst the former we have with us tonight a gentleman who can better, perhaps than any other man living, give us from his profound learning and eXpe- rience a just interpretation of the new Constitution, patriot and a statesman, fin whose magnificent reputation we be- hold one of the richest jewels of the American Union, a jewel which requires no setting of office to exhibit It's rare brilliancy and its priceless value. That high station which he occupies, seat in the Senate of the United States, does not add one cubic to the stature or hls fame His heart is entirely and thoroughly American, and his aim mas ever been the advancement of the inter ests. the glory and the happiness or his people and his State.
 Ihaye the distinguished honor or in- troducing to this audience him to whom
 in Alabama, the noblest Roman of them all. Generai Edmund w. Pettus."
 Senator Pettus Begins Speech.
 Senator Pettus was received with much enthusiasm and spoke with vigor and power He said it was a real pleasure to speak to the people Of Montgomery He spoke here first in 1S47, when the Legislature first met here, ana rom tneh until now had never met with anything hut kindness from this people. This is fhe centre of the government. he said. and he hoped that it would continue 10 be so as long as Alabama is State He had lived all of his life in Alabama ana fifty-hve years in Selma In the mlost or the Black Belt, and all that time he nad been a member of the Democratic party and is well acquainted with various parts of the State and had taken an active part fin every canvass, but this time he felt an especial interest in the success Of the movement Wnlcn ne regarOeQ TOT thS OSSt interest of all the people.
 He said he had seen it stated in Dem ocratic newspaper that he had said that any white man who did not vote for the new Constitution had the instincts of negro This had been stated in a Demo- cratic paper. and for that reason he would deny it. He had never said any thing like that and it did him a great injustice Some of his best friends, he said. are against the new Constitution, one of them he had served with all through the war. What he had said was through desire to convince and persuade all to come out and help and have the Constitution ratified. All who read his tory knows that the Anglo Saxon people were never and never will be governed by the negro race. It is impossible in itself No Anglo-Saxon has ever sub mitted to social or political equality with that race.
 The Days of Reconstruction
 In 1s61 Senator Pettus continued, this country engaged in what was called a rebellion. and we had thrust upon us a government of the inferior race. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were thrust upon us as a punishment for our conduct during that war. All re- member the scenes of those days, when negroes met in wonder capitol to make the laws for us The waste of money was nothing to compare with the degre- dation of the surroundings. In lS'4 our people made a second declaration Of in- dependence and took possession of their own affairs again. The Republicans pass ed law in 1874 that no man should vote in Washington, the District of Columbia having been overrun with negroes, to get rid of negro rule and yet they say that We have resorted to methods-that is what they call tito do that very thing in the States of the South All want to get rid of those methods or the charge even of those methods.
 General Pettus told how Governor John Eton in his first message to the Legisla- ture in 1896 endeavored to get rid of such methods and of the negro vote He read