American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-01
The Safeguards Of Personal Liberty
BY HON. WIN. D. KELLEY.
LADIEs AND GENTLEMEN /:

, tbis in this heated term is unmstakable
proof of the interest the people of Phil'
adelphia take in the subject proposed 10
be discussed this eveping-HIhe Safe
guards of Personal Liberty" Certainly
no voice familiar as mine is to the people
of Philadelphia could, under ordinary CIR
.cumstances, have attracted such an audi
ence in such season. II is well that the
people are awake to theimportanee OF this
subject, for our generation stands con-
fronting the great problem of the just Or
ganization of Government for million
of square miles of territory and Tor count
less hundreds of millions of happy or
miserable people. A,,m
The Emperor Of the French opens his
biography of Caesar with that brief SEN
tence from Montesquieu, which every
American should read and ponder, apd
accept as governing maxim in these
times TN the birth of societies 1t is
the chiefs of the republics who form the
institution, and in the sequel it IS the ln'
stitution which forms the chiefs of the
republic" 1t is for us, the existing gen
GRAFTON; it is for us, perhaps, before the
next bills of mortality shall be footed up,
TO determine what shall be the character
of the political institutions Of the broad
territory have indicated. We are to
determine whether they shall be malevo-
lent or benefcent, i've, the people of the
States of the Union, whose Governments
have not been dsorganized or overthrowp,
and whose presence has ever been felt In
the councils of tho nation. Ours is a
Government of coordinate departments,
and the people are the direct source of the
Legislative department.
@Ye have JUST closed great war, "a
war, the magnitude Of which has chang
ed the phrascology of history. When, rs
Americans, you read the phrase "'rhe
Revolutionary War;" you at once rccur to
the war of 1776. When, previously to
the recent fearful contest you read the
phrase '''The Great Rebellion" you tho't
of the English Rebellion, and Clarendon
and his chronicles; but when men shall
hereafter read of the Great Rebellion,
they will forget that there was such an
lslaud as England, and think only of that
Rebellion which opened graves to nearly
million of American soldiers, and which
.ccmented by the blood of the slain the
grandost fabric of Government ever Civ
,en to man. tApplausc)
We have closed this war gloriously.--
The graves of nearly half million of
oar brave soldiers attest the valor, patri-
.otsm and endurance of the unassuming
people sof the North. The graves Of
nearly as many Rebels certify in equal
degree to the valor of the American peo.
pie. Our position as a military power is
established, Throw togethera statement
of the resources exhibited by the North
and South, and lay it upon the table of a
council of kings and emperors, and ask
them whether with all the power aud
wealth Of Europe they can propose to put
upon the shores of AMERICA like results,
and they will answer l'No." We have
demonstrated to the nations that the world
combred against us may not, bywar, dis
turb essentially the currents Of our life
(Applause) lIenceforth internal discord
is the sole cause of dread to the Ameri-
can statesman and people and we may
90 on through centuries realizing the Tito.
plan ORGANS of More, if VIC will but be
true to the great principles that underlie
our institutions and should regulate the
administration of eur Government
tnaving closea.this war thus satisfacto-
.rily, we are entering upon the threshold
of another war Of ideas-which in
wolves all the consequences for which SO
much.blood and treasure have been ex-
pended. 1t is for us to say, peacefully,
quietly, in the halls of legislation, in the
Executive Chamber, from the judicial
bench, and when the people assemble in
their majesty, to express BY The silent bal
-
lot their opinions, whether We shall have
the full results of our sacrifices and
achievements whether we, in our own
proper persons, shall enjoy them, or
whether they shall possibly never be re-
.aiizcd, or be attained only by distant gen.
erations after long periods of strife and
agithtion, and, perhaps, of war The con-
test in which we are now engaged is more
difficult than that from which we have
thus come with banners streaming in glo-
ry. Our enemy in that contest was known;
his uniform was Of different color from
that worn by, the national soldier; the
standard under which he fought did not
hear the Stars and Stripes which our