American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-06
NUMBER II.

titled revolution, or were such as could not
be overcome By the patriotism, honor and
interest of the country; that the Consti-
tuition, expressing the combined wisdom
} of the founders of the Government, was
still adequate to every emergency, and en-
titled to the support of every good citi-
zen that if however, any portion of the
people believed that they ought to have
their rights more exactly defined or more
fully explained in the Constitution, it was
their duty to seek remedy by amend
ment and the equal duty of all the States
to consider the claims of those who tho't
themselves aggrieved, and to concur in
such amendments as might be found nee
essary to insure exact justice to all. The
resolutions following this preamble declar-
ed, First, That the Constitution gives no
power to Congress or to the Federal Gov
ernment to interfere in any manner with
Slavery in any State, and that neither of
the great political organizations existing
in the country contemplate any violation
of the spirit of the Constitution in this
respect Second, That if the people of
any State were or should be deprived of
the benefits intended to be secured to them
by the Constitution, or their rights were
or should be disregarded their tranquility
disturbed, their prosperity retarded, Or
their liberty imperiled by the people of
any other State, full and adequate redress
should be provided, and Third, That the
Convention would recommend to the Leg
islatures of the several States of the Union
to follow the example of the legislatures
of the States of Kentucky and Illinois in
applying to Congress to call Convention
to propose amendments to the Constitution
of the United States, pursuant TO the fifth
article thereof. Upon this substitute,
which contained every concession that
slavery should haveasked for or the North
should have submitted to, the question was
taken and it was rejected by the following
vote:
AYEs-Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New York,
New Hampshire, Yermont-9.
NAYs-Delaware, Kentucky Maryland,
Missouri, New jersey, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tenn,
Virginia-11
Every Republican State represented in
the Convention except three voted for the
substitute, while all the pro-slavery and
Democratic Statesrepresented voted 'gatnst
it.
At the time the substitute above recited
was submitted to the Convention by the
Republicans and rejected by pro-slavery
and Democratic votes, Seoen States had Sc
ceded from the Union, and jeff. Davis had
been inaugurated President of the new
Confederacy; the war against the Union
had already commenced, as Stephens had
demonstrated, withom cause james Bu-
chanan had made no effors to prevent it !;
and Pryor of Virginia had sent his famous
message, "We can get the .Crittenden
Compromise, but won't take it," And
yet, because the North would not humble
itself still further at the feet of the slave
power than it proposed to do in the reject
ed substitute, the Post, belieing history,
says that "Abolitionism prevented set
tlement of our troubles by the Peace Con-
ventionW The statement does not con-
tain one grain of truth. 1t was the pro
slaUery and Democratic side of the Con-
vention that prevented that settlement"
if, indeed, that could have been called a
settlement which even Southern States,
by declaring war against the Union, had
taken the most deliberate and determined
way to show to the world they would not
aceept-PHs Gazette
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