Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-07-09
Pennsylvania American Convsntion u
Reading. tx

In attendance, and the best fteling prevailed. In
the abssnce Of the presiding officer the Hon. John
T. Edie, OF Somerset, was elected President.
The protesting delegates to the Philadelphia
Council made report, stating that they had sue
ceeded in obtaining from the National Council all
they had been instructed to ask Of that body; that
they had protested against the insertion Of the 18th
section Of the national platform, and concluded by
presenting that document together with their pro-
| test, which, on motion, were referred to commit
tee consisting Of one from each Congressional dis
trict. The Philadelphia districts, with the excep-
ton Of the second were not represented on the
committee. The delegates, after having appointed
committee men, withdrew them on tbs arrival of
certain other delegates from said city, whose after
action, am sorry to say, was factious in the ex-
treme, occupying the time Of the convention by
motions to postpone, motions TO adjourn, calls for
the previous question, and for the yeas and nays &C.
| The next morning the committee made three
reports, viz
l. The majority platform, which was signed by
the delegates from Allegheny, Schuylkill, West.
moreland, Beaver, Jefferson, Chester Somerset,
Bucks, and Susquehanna, and Is as follows;
Declaration of Principles Of the american Party
Of Pennsylvania, adopted at Council held at
Reading, ON the Fourth Day Of July, A. d.,
| 1865.
| l. The maintenance Of the national Union.
| III. Faithful obedience to the Constitution of
| the United States
| Ill A revision and modification of the laws reg
ulating immigration and the settlement OF immi
grants offering TO the honest emigrant, who, from
from love Of liberty or hatred of oppression, seeks
an asylum in the United States, the protection of
our flag and our laws, but unqualified opposition
to the transmission to our shores Of criminals and
| paupers.
Nv. /. The essential modification 81 the natu-
| ralization laws
2. The repeal, without retroactive operation, Of
all acts Of Congress- making grants Of land TO un-
naturalized foreigners, and allowing them to vote
in the Territories
v. Resistance to the aggressive policy and cor
! rupt tendencies Of the Roman Catholic church In
our country, by the advancement to all political
stations-executve, legislative, judicial or diplo-
matic--of those only who do not hold allegiance
directly or indirectly to any foreign power whether
civil or ecclesiastical, and who are Americans by
birth, education and training-thus fulfilling the
maxim, I" Americans only shall govern America"
| The protection of all citizens in the legal and
proper exercise Of their civil and religious rights
and privileges; the maintenance of the right of
every man to the full, unrestrained, and peaceful
enjoyment Of his own religious opinions and wor-
ship, and jealous resistance of all attempts, by
| any Sect denomination, or church, to obtain an
ascendency over any other in the State, by means
of any special privileges exemption, by any po-
liticd combination of its members, or by division
Of their civil allegiance with any foreign power,
potentate, or eccesastic.
WI The education Of the youth OF our country
in schools provided by the State, which schools
shall be common to ALL without distinction of creed
or party, and free from any influence Of denomi-
national or partisan character, and opposition to
every attempt to exclude the Bible from the schools
thus established in the States.
| VII AFFIRMING the rOat arieut attachment In
| the union of these States, as the bulwark Of our
civil and religious liberty, and the depository Of
the honor and glory Of the nation and of the citi
zens Of the several States, and avowng our deter
minaton to stand faithful to the Union at all haz
ards, save those of disoyaty to freedom, and dis
honor to ourselves as freemen. Speaking from the
shadow OF free institutions, we desire to make
| permanent record of our sentiments touching sla-
/ very as it exists In the Southern States of this
Union, and as it 10 obtruded on us, and made an
element and condition Of our Conference as a fami-
ly Of States. Slavery, existing only in and by law
in the Southern States s necessarily local thing,
and we ought not in fact, TO have to deal with 1t
in any form. But the present Constitution oft
United States having made 1t the subject Of re-
straint evidently too as the beginning Of mea-
sures for It's abolishment and Congress having
/ subsequently passed laws for the recapture Of
slaves escaping into free States this local nstitu
ton has been constantly forced upon the people
Of the North, until 1t has become the object of a
repugnant and well settled public opinion. The
public opinion of the inhabitants Of the free States
is and has been adverse to slavery, and that opinion
| has been confirmed and strengthened bv recent
events We sympathize with the Northern senti-
ment in regard to slavery, and claim the right on
all legitimate occasions to discriminate by the be-
stowal OF our suffages in favor of the men and the
| measures promising the most to conserve and give
efficacy to the Northern sentiment touching slave
ry, and to reproduce, IN ultimate practice in the
Southern States, the views Of Southern statesmen
who calculated the period which should witness
the abolishment Of African slavery, in the United
States; therefore
Resolved, That we do not propose to interfere in
any wise with slavery, within the limits Of those
States where by the laws il already exists !; but
that to every attempt to bring the freemen Of the
North into new partnership with slavery, to every
attempt to subject new Territory 10 slavery, to
every measure proposed In Congress for the fur
Their protection or extension ofssvery, and for the
admission Of new slave States, declare ourselves
now and immutably opposed and repugnant.
Resolved, That the repeal Of the Missouri Com
promise was an nfraction Of the plghted faith Of
the nation, and that 1t should be restored; and II
| efforts TO that end should fail, Congress should
refuse to admit any State toleratng slavery, which
shall be formed out of any portion of Territory
from which that institution was excluded BY that
compromise.
9Th. That the principles Of the order shall at all
| times be publicly made known, and any member Is
at liberty to declare bis own membership with said
order, and the existence Of the same.
| Cd. The minority report, presented by the dele
gate from the Second district and signed BY the
delegates from Washington, Adams, Clinton, Lam
caster, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Berks, adopts
the whole Of the national platform, with the c1-
ception Of the twelfth article substituting therefor
the following:
That the question Of slavery should not be In
troduced into the platform Of the American party,
being convinced that no such issue was intended TO
be embraced within Its principles and objects That
we believe In and shall everdefcnd the right Of free
dom Of opinion and discussion on that and every
other subject, not intended TO be embraced within
the designs Of our organization. But inssmuch an
the subject has been forced upon us, We regard the
repeal Of the Missouri Compromise as an infraction
| Of the plighted faith Of the nation, and that Il
should be restored and II efforts TO that end should
fail. Congress should refuse to admit any State
celebrating Slavery which shall be formed out of
any portion Of the territory from which that inst-
| tuition was excluded by that Compromise.
4 n A.. I.ful NJ