Year: 1867

The following remarks were made in Montgome'
ry, by Gen. James H. Clanton, of Alabama, at q
meeting of citizens collected together to hear Sen
ator Wilson, and in response to the Senator, who
had challenged any Southern man to reply tohim
Friends and FelloU- Citizens.


I returned from the country few minutes since,
and was informed that some colored men had called
at nv Office, to invite me to attend this meeting.-
appreciate this act of kindness, confidence and
friendship on their part. My colored friends, we
are Southern men, born upon the same soil, live
in the same country, and will sleep in the same
graveyard when life 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 prospers 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 friendly relations with
your neighbors and former owners, who are to-day
and ever have been, your best friends. For one, !
can proudly say that no one in this assembly car
assert that ever oppressed him when ne was
slave On one occasion l fought tor one OF you IN
these streets. On another, whena white man had
been waylayed and murdered, and his neighborE
had assembled and taken the law in their OWL
hands with the avowed purpose of executing the
two supposed leaders, who were colored men, In
terposed, with others, and succeeded in having
them placed in jail, and fair trial given them
One was convicted and hung the other acquitted
and still lives.


The Senator from Massachusetts,, who has just
addressed you, and who lives several thousand
miles distant, has explained to you the object Of
his political pilgrimage South. He has challenged
anv one present to meet him in discussion tonight
and has offered to divide time with any one who
would accept. 1 was born and raised in the South
and hope to be buried in her soil. l have met the
brave men of the North on many, fields; they, out
numbered and overcame us ; and certainly have
no fear of their politicians. But for my family
life ' would have but few charms for me. Neither
the fear of the galows the gibbet, or the bayonet
will ever cause me to desert my people, torsake
this bright Southern land which gave me birth, OF
deter me from the expression Of my honest sentl'
ments under any circumstances. Some young
Southern Radicals, who have recently addressed
Won saw that the Sherman bill, which they are ad
yocating, would disfranchise them, and, hence
their efforts were purely unselGsh, whilst at the
time their applications to be relieved from the dis
abilities of that measure are pending at Washing
ton, and they are doubtless expecting to call OF you
for your votes at the next election tor this State


Twill here state my own position briefly on this
point. .,.


IL Is Oppressive W CeItdu Cldoo VI oui DSo.


As soon as that Bill passed Congress high
Federal official with the kindest feelings for me,
personally said to me "You were not an original
secessionist. Congress will remove your disabili'
ties under the Sherman Bill. You must send on
an application, and I will approve it, and helpyou
to getit through" replied that the Republican
party had no right under the Constitution to dis,
franchise me, and would never ask for relief at
their hands, and that is my position tonight.


The honorable Senator from Massachusetts,, has
said some things which evince good feeling on his
part and which I approve. He has also said
many things from which I must dissent, and made
many assertions which the political history, and
particularly that of'our recent unfortunate war,
proves to be untrue He commences with the his
tory of slavery in the South since he came upon
the stage of action, and endeayors to tx the re-
sponsibty of the existence Of that institution up
on the Southern people, with all its horrors as q de,
picted by his vivid imagination. will carry the
gentleman back to the starting point OF the nstl.
tuition on this continent and before take my seat
I will prove to you that the North is responsible
for the existence of slavery with whatever evils at
tached to it; and am frank to say that there were
features in slavery which were wrong.


Many wears ago, my friends, before the United