The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-28


 Read before the Tuscaloosa Histor- teal Society. June IS, 1908, by Warfield Ereath Richardsoh.
 In ls4l. on Market Street; at the foot of Perry. Montgomery. Ala. a platform was being erected I asked my friend. wiliiam B. Moss, of the State of Pike" the purpose of it. He replied that Henry ". HiIliard had un- sxpectedly returned from Belgium. and that his fellow citizens were prepar- ing 10 greet fitn on the morrow with e rousing ovations
 Before night the news was in every body's mouth. Hand bills were struck and posted on every corner, "HiIliard has arrived" Henry VI. Hiliiard, charwe d'Affaires to Belgium, is in town" etc. Meantime the stage went up till the last plank was laid, the last spike driven. certain pot-house poll itfcian who had been grooming himself for Congress, was observed to turn very blue, for he knew that Hilliard's advent had effectually spoiled his chances for the nomination. That night noisy bells rang and blinking torches Nared for Hilliard. People stayed awake, or slept lon their arms"
 Next morning the sun was slow in rising. Folks predicted that 1t would rain: a fairer day never dawned- At daylight the drums began to beat the fife Co squeak Marshals of the day went flying around. crying Fall in. Fall in!'' By 10 o'clock the streets were blocked. and then such another stamping and shouting and hurrahing
 Arrived at the stand. the immense procession surged around the platform. where already stood the idol of his party, "the observed of all observers" the respiendent paladin, the knight '.sans peur ct sans reproche," beam ing, smiling. smirking, his gloved hand extended. his mouth absolutely bubbling ard gurgling with pride and satisfac- tion, as he contemplated "the sea of uptufned faces" before him.
 He required no introduction. He be- gan.
 eFsellow Citfzens--I am with you once agaih. T stand on my native heath and my pame is McGregor.' I rejoice that I ant once more in the land of the free and the home of the brave.' Like An- tacpS, I gather strength as I touch my own. my native land. No wonder the Kpilgrim of every cline turns hts 1ace hitherward, as to a sacred shrine 1t b sacred, for liberty is here, toler- atibn is here, the means of an honest Livelihood are here. the path of a noble cateer. No sooner does the victim of foreign oppression touch these shores 6t aid he walks forth the peer of kings There are no gyves here, no knouts, no wheel of torture to compel him to 10rego his rights of citizenship or for swear his religion. His privileges are Jnehallenged.s the ballot is freely ac- corded him. He cannot be taxed with. yut Representation, he cannot be. con- Yicted without a fair trial. Happy, happy America. Philosophers have told sf the new Atlantis, poets have sung of the Saturnian Age, and behold. both aie here"
 How long this apostropb3 would have been extended no mortal can tell had dot policeman cbliared n half-grown Soy and dragged him from the plat 4orms explaining that boys were not wanted up there. The boy" proved to be sam Beman, the stunted haif-broth- Ter of William Lowndes Yancey. and JOne of the most brilliant orators in the State. The scene was too Iudicrous: ahe crowd went wild. They whooped and yelled till Hilliard was greatly perplexed. Driven to his wits end. he resorted to playful diversion. He af- fectingly reoited:
 .Hky name is Norval on the Grampian My father feeds his nock-A frugal
 swain"
 He extolIed the American flag. He said that in Europe there were no flags worth talking about, and no eagle ex- cept the royal black eagle of Russia that European eagles were of an infe- / rior breed, that they could not raise them over there, for they had no Rocky Mountains for them to roost on. That the stripes of the flag were on the backs of their subjects. the stars on Their coat of arms. That they had no