American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-01

provided by the Constitp ptions of the re-
spective States, each one citizen of
some other State; that is, by virtue Of our
citizenship here we have a right to emf
crate to any other State, and, BY the lapse
of the time Gone or two years at most)
fixed by the Constitution of that State,
will be invested, not by specific act, but
by the mere lapse of time, with citizen
ship in that State. And in the interim
we are constitutionally entitled to the full
lest protection of its laws. ~
Now; let me challenge your memories.
| [ shall not attempt to startle you with any
new facts. | have not been exploring
classic or ancient history for illustrations
of my views. am going to appeal to
the recollections of this generation, and
to events that have happened within gen
eral notoriety and our own observation. -
I / begin first with the city of Boston. 1
was there in that period Of transition
when passing from youth to ,manhood.-
A native of Philadelphia, | had gone
counteg to the general current of Ameri-
can emigration, and sought employment
in New England, instead of upon the
broad fields of the West.
remember to have seen, while in that
city, a large assemblage of the wealthy,
intelligent and enterprising business men
of Boston, in front of small printing of
fee. l saw them take down by violence
the sign from the trout of it, and direct
ly afterwards bring from the Office a pale,
calm-lo looking man and when they were
about to perpetrate violence upon him,
two rough men, in their shirt sleeves,
pressed through the throng of merchants
and other well-dressed gentlemen, and
carried him safely away To wha5 place?
To one of the public buildings near by,
the old State House. Some time af-
terwards | saw carriage drive up, the
police gather around, and Theodore Lay
man, the Mayor of the city, with his bat
on of office, putthat pale, thoughtful man,
William Lloyd Garrison fer it was he
into the carriage; and hurry to Leverett
Street jail, that its thick walls and iron
bars might protect him FROM riotous
mob of tie intelligent. cnterprising, veal
thy people of Boston.
And what crime did they allege against
him "Wby, this man." said they, "will
think, and, still worse, will, in accord
auce with the Constitution Of the State
of Massachusetts and that of the United
States, say and print what he thinks
the vile rascal" | Witnessed the sight
His only crime was that he stood by the
cardinal text and the underlying princi-
pie Of the Constitution of Massachusetts,
and that of the United States, and exer-
cised freeman's right to think ..andspeak;
and for thet he went to prison; while the
fragrant and well-known violaters of the
law went peaceably home to dine.
But again. In that year, the sover-
eign State of Georgia, by the deliberate
and unanimous action Of both branches
of its Legislature, passed bill, which
met the approval OF the Governor of the
State; and ia printed in its statutes, offer
ing reward of $4,000 to the man who
would bring the body OF that same Will
liam Lloyd Garrison, dead Or alive, into
the State of Georgia. For what? Be-
cause he had ever violated law of Geor-
gia !? Not at all. lie had never been
there; he had never been south of Balti-
more. 1t was because in the distant
and, according to Southern doctrine, SOW
ereign-State Of Massachusetts, he would
stand by the seminal principle of the Con
stitution of the States of Georgia and
Massachusetts, apd the United States OF
America; in other words, he would yiudi
cate the right of the citizen to think and
speak freely, aud the right of the people
to assemble peaceably and petition for
redress of grievance. | do not think
that William Lloyd Garrison, or the rights
he vindicated, found adequate safeguards
in legal Or constitutional provisions.
1
Let us come now to a period little
later. In 1888, having met with an ac-
cident which disabled me from the pursuit
of my business, / returned to Philadel-
phia, to the land of William Penn, the
City of Brotherly Love. Let me remark,
my friends, in passing, that as Americans
owing supreme allegiance to the Cousti-
tuition of the United States, our highest
pride should be that we are Americans
but we are for the time being Pennsylva-
mans, and as "one star difereth from
another in glory, and citizen may feel
| his cheek glow with pride or blanch with
shame as ne reviews the history of his
native State or that of his adoption. /,