American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-08

fOur hunufeu THOUSAND Oi 'ne DttNc
Made this. ransoined soil, their grave,
For me and you
Good friends foI me, and You
THE Round Table.
President and the Colored Troops,
1t should be the merest matter of course
that the President of the United States,
speaking to any body of citizens, and es-
pecially to those who had risked their
lives in the common defense, should ex-
press his faith in equal rights. But so
long has the Government been under the
control IF the party which denies and
insults the American principle that its
plain affirmation by the President is a
striking and significant fact, showing that
the country is rapidly returning to the
simple faith of the fathers, who held that
every man has natural rights which eve
ry other man is sacredly bound to respect.
Such a speech is still more impressive
when made by President who has learn
ed by the most bitter personal experience
that the denial of that principle leads
logically and inevitably to the unimagin-
able horrors of civil war; and who, dur
ing that war, acting as military Governor
of his own State, and holding her back
from completely in the effort to destroy
the National Government, proclaimed
universal freedom, and declared that he
would be the Moses of the erslaved race
to lead them oat of bondage into liberty
And such speech is still more strik.
ing when uttered by President who, it
was hoped by the party hostile to equal
rights, would forget his own life, his own
acts, his own solemn pledges, and join in
the futile attempt to annihilate the rights
which the people had guaranteed.
1t is for such reasons that the remarks
of the President to the returning coltred
veterans of the District of Columbia have
produced so profound an impression, sc
cheering to every man who believes that
the peace of the country can be perma
nently established only upon universal
justice, so confounding to the political
hucksters and wreckers who hope by pan.
dering to the hstreds of baflled rebels tc
obtain a temporary party ascendency.
The colored men who stood before the
President on their way from the battle.
fields in which they had sustained the
Government, were the representatives oi
the race who in all the rebel States were
steadily faithful during the war; of those
whose color was sure sign of loyalty
and to whom every Union soldier esca.
ping from the cruelties of AndersonviIle
of Belle Isle, of Salisbury, turned iu
perfeet confde nee which was never betray
ed of those whom the Democratic party
would now thrust helplessly back into the
power of the jailers of Andersonville and
the Libby 10 troat as they choose. The
President, to the dire confusion of that
party, called them "my friends" He said
to them, "This is your country as well al
any body else's country" He declared
'"This country is founded upon the prin.
ciples of equality" He said "ue that
is most meritorious and virtuous and in.
tellectual and well-informed must stand
highest without regard to color" He
announced that Liberty means freedom
to work and enjoy the products of youl
own labor" lie called them "my coun
trymen," and thanked them for the com
pliment they had conferred upon him by
their call.
Those who have counted upon the Pres
ident's treachery to the principles upor
which he was elected have reckoned with
out their host. Those who hoped to see
in his acts and hear in his words an illus
tration of what they foolishly call tn,
'instinctive antipathy" and "upconquer
able loathing' to my honest men whatev
er their color or condition have been ia
tally mistaken. President johnson who
in bis letter to the unconditional upioI