Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-07-21
From the Eastport Sentinel.
ISLAND OF GRAND MENAN, J
Province of New Brunswick,
,Julv I. 1865.

ISLAND OF GRAND MENAN, }
Province of New Brunswick,
July l, 1865.
At meeting of American citizens res
ident upon this Island, convened for the
purpose of appointing committee to
wait upon President johnson concerning
reconstruction, it was found that sufficient
funds could not be raised to defray the
expenses Of such committee. The un.
dersi gned, the most eminent person in the
assembly, therefore, having been appoint.
cd to draw up an appeal to our quondam
fellow citizens, issues this
To A. johnson, and MyouyA him IN The
Peo ie Of the United States:
! The civil war which has afflicted our
country is past, and reconstruction is the
order of the day. We wish to be recon-
structed, But there are certain grave
questions WHICH come up in connection
with our acceptance Of pardon and res.
toration. Fanaticism not content with
the destruction of slavery now seeks to
enthronc the negro above the white. If
We consent to return, are we to be pro-
tected in our rights so as not to be COM
PEELED to fec again from oppression or
are VIC expected to yield to an inferior
race? These are questions Of moment to
the country.
We hear great deal about the right
Of negroes to vote; but nothing is said by
the Internal abolitionists, when American
citizcns-yes sir, American citizens, are
driven from their homes and deprived of
all their rights! There are thousands of
such in this island and province. Listen
to our woes and when you have redressed
them talk of negroes.
1t is held in the Declaration of Inde-
pendencc that all men " (that is all
white men-unfortunatcly the color Of
the hair and eyes was not mentioned; ours
are all white and we think the declara-
,ion applies to such only,l :" that all men
have certain inalienable rights that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit Of happiness" &c. To this dc.
claratioD, as we understand it we cling.
But when tyraut was hurrying US to
the bloody battle ield-did this look like
lie? When he was putting us in the
power Of such blood thirsty monsters as
Grant and Shcrman-was this securing
to US liberty? When he would force US
from cur hVmes, and the safe and quiet
service of our country in trying to ex-
haust the resources Of craftsmanship,
and compel US to shoot our southern breth.
ren-was this the pursuit of happiness
No!
We hold these rights to be iaa}ienable
and therefore when the fatal draft came
we put ourselves under the Queens pro-
tectlon-Alas. alas that any American
statesman should have sought the protec.
tion Of crinoline in vain! But it is not
my purpose to alude to the unhappy past.
let it be forgotten. am willing to for
get the past and since death has closed
the career Of our oppressor, | am willing
with the Machias Union to " cast broad
mantle of charity" over his crimes
Again, | say, let US bury the past. But
now that ce hare obtaincd peace, are We
not to be protected i'll our rights To Sc.
cure them We left our homes clandcstne-
ly-wc traycrsed the seas III the darkness
of III ght---we Landed Oh the cold and bar.
rem shores among strangers. Our houses
ard goods were left behiud--our weary
wives and hungry babes were at our sides.
In cold and nakcduess some OF US sought
employment. But laborcrs were plenty
there was little to do. To keep from
starving we cleaned out stables we dug
rocks we drew muck from the swanps /;
we took the entrails from fsh-and if
there was any other dirty work, we did
that. For food We took such as the kird
inhabitants could spare; and for the rest
we eat fish. And after all, what do we
tnd on returning TO our own country after
peace is restored ? We are prescribed
We are disfranchiscd! Aud can Ameri.
cans thus cast out those who have suffer-
cd so much to obtain their rights and at
the same time talk not only of giving
those negroes their liberty, but even Of
allowing them to vote! o, consistency!
We are American citizcns-native
born-thcy are not citizens-born slaves;
we are white men, they are negroes; we
have enjoyed free schools, and, orer half'
Of us can read-it has been unlawful tor
them to be taught, and only one in ten
can read we understand and ralue Amer
lean institutions, see our devotion to them
they hare beem opposed to the government
under which they lived When troubles
came, We counsellcd peacc-they were the
means Of war; we supported by all safe
and quiet means the conservative officers
Of the govcrnment-Buchanan and his
cabinet, aud later Mcclellan and Sey-
mour-they admired and almost worship
ed such radicals as Lincoln And when
the opportunity offered they bctook thcni-
selves to arms and even killed their own
crs--can such persons be trusted? We,
unwilling to see greater eifusion of
blood, betook ourselves to our heels and
suffered on a foreign shore. They inter.
fered with the policy and military laws OF
the country where they were, carrying
aid to prisoners of war, guiding them
when escaped, feeding them when starv-
ing, and acting as spies for the enemy who
had invaded their couptry-tuus prolong-
ing the war-we, in common with many
OF you who have not been called to like
sutfarings, zealously contended for the
right of free speech and habeaS corpus,
only attacking men and measures whose
influence tended to war upon the harmless