The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-19
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA

1865-1874

late us. The general commanding ha
thrown General Withers and all the cit.
government of Mobile out of office, L
put in negro influence. The villas
of Uniontown had been extinguished a
a municipality The town government o
Greensboro had been set aside Th,
mayor and council of Tuscumbia, jus
unanimously chosen by the people, ha
been arbitrarily ordered out of office
So reasoned the whites.
The campaign opened The bureau or
dered a great barbecue to be prepared
at Greensboro, for the freedmen On tn,
day appointed they came from place.
remote many miles And from differen
counties Nearly all we're on foot. TIL,
weather was intensely hot and through
the long lanes of the plantations entire
ly shadeess and without water thou.
sands had plodded their way. Speaking
by black orators and their white nativ,
supporters, occupied tho forenoon. Dinner
was announced The comparatively few
who first reached the tables, took all
The vast multitude that arrived fasting
took up the way home still fasting ant
suffering intensely
The campaign ripened General Pop,
heard some things that failed to com,
within his ideas of loyalty. Thereupon h,
issued an order commanding the mayor
and also the aldermen of every town II
Alabama to attend in person every pub
lie meeting within the town limits anc
to report to him what was said or done
If public meetings were held wlthou
munimipal limits. then the sheriff anC
his deputies must attend and report
Frank Williams. white man. killed
a negro at Selma. He employed Gen
John T. Morgan as his attorney before
the civil court. The jury acquitted him
General Swayne sent soldiers. who imme
diately arrested him without warran
and returned him to Jail to be tried again
Morgan applied to Judge Busteed for ths
writ habeas corpus Busteed issued tn,
writ. Williams thus released, brought sui
against General Sway~e for 100000 dam
ages because of the arrest. Swayne al
once removed the CLERK of the court VIII,
had docketed the case
General Grant was now general,
consld ered the candidate of the repub
lfcans for nomination the next year t.
the presidency. Pope appealed to him
as head of the army to take a hand
in Alabama and Georgia politics. Grant
advised that B. Fl. Hill and others
who were advocating white suprem-
acy, be sent into exile.
After protracted considera ton pub
lie sentiment among the citizens of the
state seemed to favor public meet
ing to discuss the question, what part
shall the white man take In persuad-
Ing the negroes to elect white dele
gates to the constitutional conven-
tion2
The executive committee of the con
sentative union party therefore or
dered Chairman clanton to invite the
people by their representatives to as
semble for elaboration at Montgom-
cry. September 4. 1867.
Clanton called the meeting to or
der. Gen. Micah j. Bulger was chosen
chairman. Clanton and Bulger had not
been secessionists.
As If to force a decision on the mair
questions Clanton had arranged to seal
IA negroes in the meetings. More thar
this, he had brought to Montgomery
from Tennessee, Joseph E. Williams
and Benjamin Holmes, well known no
In the meeting
The news got out that negroes were
to attend this white mans political
movement and the Montgomery chap
ter of the Loyal League" took violent
umbrage. Open threats were made on
the streets by members of the league
to disband the meeting by force. Seeing
this, a few negroes of the city offered
their services to General Clanton to
ganized themselves as a special COM
mittee on the situation" After sew
eral days they were loud in boasts
that but for them the whites would
have been dispersed,
The meeting organized and Clanton
moved committee on resolutions TO
be 10 members. Among the Il select
ed was the negro. Wade Potter. An
other committeeman was Joseph w
No. rlAr- 81 xr~v Il
Eutaw. Yet another on the committee
on resolutions was the young Ken
lucky newspaper editor, Robert Nc
Kee, now from Selma
Taylor had come determined to make
a stubb orn fight for unconditional an
nouncement that Alabama was a white
mans state and that no manner OIL
degree of negro influence should enter
into party or government. Taylor. sup
ported by Mckee, fought with utmosi
zeal to place in the resolutions pre-
pared by the committee this PROPOSE
ton. They failed. Clanton opposed
them. No notice was taken by the
committee of the Taylor motion.
Before the IA negro members of the
meeting left Montgomery to return tc
the plantations. everyone took the OATH
and was received into the fold of ths
Loyal League"
IN the course Oh the TWO udys VI tue
meeting a negro member requested
General Clanton to offer this resolu-
tion: THAT this convention is in favor
of the advancement and education OF
all races and co1ors." Passed, nemins
contra. on motion of General Clanton
Wade Potter, a negro member and
the two invited negro orators from
Tennessee. We're appointed ito address
the colored people of this state as gen
orally as practicable"
Upon this flattering assurance OF
public confidence. Joe Williams of Ten
nessee, negro, on the afternoon of the
final adjournment of the meeting. took
position in front of the Montgomery
hall. famous tavern at the intersec-
ton of two streets (the present site
of the postoffice) to speak to men OF
his race in support OF the resolutions
of the meeting The crowd was large
and mixed. AT first Loyal League men
listened In disgust, they took them
selves away. Presently, in heat of an
ger, many returned. Williams finished
his speech. He was in the act of en-
tering a hack that had been kept wait
ing to watch the event. A mob of NO
groes grasped him. General Clanton
in apprehension. had taken hts stand
all alone. nearby. He sprang to the
rescue and by his familiar boldness
drove off the assailants while the hack