Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-21
WHOLE NO. 375.
[coNTINUED.l

LCONiiNOEDI
The right TO assemble to discuss and remonstrato
ia ono Of vital Importance to the existence Of free
government. The Judges Of the Court Of Quarter
Sessions of the Peace, for the City and County CT
Phiadelphia SO admitted il in their public address
to the Grand Jury for they there said, I" If tho
call OF the meeting of the Sd OF May was addressed
exclusively to persons favorable to its objects the
interference ofndviduas hostile to its proceedings
and the breaking up and dispersion of the meeting
oy them, tods gross outrage on the rights Of those
,oto called IL. II uas a riot of a Ragrant kind
Any body ofctizcns, having in view a constitutions
al purpose, have the right peaceably and quietly TO
assemble together for its consideration and discus
sion. Any attempt by another body Of citizens,
opposed to the objects of the assembly to interrupt
1t and disperse It. is not to be tolerated. In this
instance IL has led TO the long train of riots,
ders, and arsons which have disgraccd our city,
and shaken the foundations of social order'"
Having thus shown you, upon the treshhold, tho
solid ground upon which the right of the meeting
of the aforesaid Native American Republican ciu-
zens, was founded, we would next state that we arc
prepared to prove, to the satisfaction Of our fellow
citizens that the members of this meeting having as
scmbled with these lawful motives and designs ard
by virtue of this high authority, conducted them
selves, when met, in the most exemplary manner
They organized, and the speaker was about to adj
dress them, when band Of fierce and lawess
Catholic Irishmen, many Of them aliens, inter-
posed. They were not included in the CALL and
therefore had no right to be there at all. Their
interests and feelings on the opposite side to
those who had called the meeting 1t is easy,
therefore, to perceize that their motives and de-
signs were to Illustrate the meeting, and prevent
the proposed discussion. That such motives ard
designs were unlawful, mast and UiH be admitted
by every unprejudced mind. That their acts were
alike untaafm we will also show. With force
and violence they interrupted the exercise Of an
nestimable right; they broke down their staging;
tore down their flag, and broke up the meeting;
and, so far, prevented american citizens, upon
their own soil from celebrating and demonstrating
notwithstanding the guarantee of the constitution.
The meeting offered not the least resistance,
leaving the redress to the police and the laws Of
the land No meeting of Quakers could have fur
nished stronger example of non-resistance. Such
as we have said having been the state of affairs
on the Sd of May, a question arose mhether AmcY-
lean citizens should eo,cardly surrender to laaC-
less band Of ru7fans an inestimc6tc right, or cali
second meeting, and insist apon its exerciseP An
adjourned meeting was called for Monday the 9th
day Of May, at four o'clock, p. NJ, at the same
place. To this meeting no one was invited to take
arms Nothing illegal was contemplated by its
members. On the 9Th, the Native American Re-
publican citizens peaceabiy assembled. They or
ganized, and they proceeded to business when a
Catholic Irishman, by the name of 0'Neil, who was
one of the opposition, unawfuly and rotously dis
turbed them. This was the first act of violence
committed on the 9th, and it can be traced to tie
opposition by parol evidence and by the VERDICT OF
0'NEIL's Conviction.
At this juncture, a shower Of rain came on when
the Americans, as they had right TO do took
refuge in the Washington Market-house. Here
they we're Immediately assailed and disturbed by
the opposing Irish party That their motives were
to frustrnte this meeting they had done that Of
I<<fA Nav mil L.
sought by force and violence, to prevent Ameri-
can citizens entirely from exercising their right Of
discussion and remons trance A fight ensued,
first without arms in which the Irish opposition
lists struck the first bloso. Soon afterwards a gun
was fred. 1t was from the Hibernia Hose house,
and was discharged by the Irish upon the Ameri-
cans. This the first appeal to arms, and it was
on the side of the Irish.
From these facts, which we contend have been
clearly proven, we contend that the Irish rioters
alone were breakers of the law; that the Native
American Republicans was the assaulted and innC-
cent party. That this meeting of the 9th of Msy
acted throughout in sefdefence alone, and that
their opponents were the aggressors, will be evi-
dent from this, among other circumstances, viz:
that the Irsh rioters were the successful party the
Native American Republicans having been sec
ond time beaten and driven off the ground. Geo.
Shif1er, one of the Americans, was murdered in
this riot of the 9Th Of May. The Native American
Republicans were thrown upon their own resources,
and were obliged either to defend themselves, or
submit to be wantonly butchered.
After the proceedings of the 9th Of May, to
which we have above briefly alluded, but which
might be given to you moro in detail, ifit were
necessary, dilemma again presented ITSELF viz:
"Whether dear and valuable rights should be sur
rendered by American freemen TO lawless mob
of foreign Irish Catholics, or should be insisted
upon ?n It was decided to call meeting for tho
7th Of May, in Independence Square.
Much stress has been laid, in a certain place,
upon the manner in which this call was wordcd.
We will ask YOU, to recolect the honest excite->
ment under which that call was written, and net
to forget who raised that excitement No man
has the right to place the body of citizen upon
| the rack and then expect him to behave with the
| eme GOODNESS as if he was stretched upon bed
of down. He who dams up torrent must not be
surprised at a rush of waters when the obstacle IS
| overcome
You, making due allowance for the circumstan-
ces, viii read the call " Let euery man come pre-
| pared TO defend himself" These were the words.
A call ito come prepared" does not necessarily
mean " to come with arms !" and, in a case like
the one now presented to you, cannot be 60 cor
strued. But It was only g 10 defend himself, whlt n
is lawful for the 2lst section of the ninth article
/ Of the Constitution of Pennsylvania declares that
/ "the right of citizens 10 bear arms IN offence ot
| thmselpes and the State shall not DC qnestionea.
Selfdefence is the first law Of nature. To estae-
ish its rightfulness needs no appeal 10 books; to
maintain il, requires no aid from the laws Of man.
Il has been planted in every breast by all-wise
Creator, and its growth cannot be stifed, no, not
even by the dictates Of our holy religion ITO
| defend himself" TO freeman, is to maintain the
sacred rights Of man" among which las we have
shown) is the fright Of discussion and remon-
STRANGE" Did our forefathers act in selfdefence
Did they maintain the rights Of manG To go still
| further, what was the answer Of our Saxon ances-
ltors when the charter of their liberties was de-
Il m,ndad9 Each man draw n noiOnard from his