American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-01
NUMBER 4e

man; it is mankind. and not any single
race or class of men. fApplause)
i Our fathers, when they gave the world
new political system, disputed all the
old foundations Of government, and pro-
claimed new principles. They declared
first, the equal rights of all men. Thew
said, "We hold these truths to be self
evident,-that all men are created equaln
Did they mean equal in stature, in com.
plexion, in intellect, in morals?" I an
swer the question by saying they were not
fools, nor were they blind they knew
that men differ in all these respects
They were speaking on political subjects;
they we're announcing tho foundation
principles of political institutions, and
they proclaimed that, in respect to right
all men are equal, and are alike entitled
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness
Again, they denied the legitimacy of
eFeFy Government then existing on the
face OF the globe, and laid the axe at the
foundation of every throne, by affirming
that the object of governments is the pro-
lection OF human rights, and that thew
"deriyed their just powers from the con-
sent of the governed 2 and, further, tha.
If any form of government violates the
rights of the people, it is not only their
right but their duty to reform, or, if ne
cessary, overturn it. Upon these propo-
sltloas they rested not only their defcncs
of tho Revolution they inauguratod, but
the theory upon which they determined
to establish their Government.
Pennsylvania, to bring her Govern
mept into harmony with these principles,
IN March, 17S0, less than four years af-
ter that Declaration, proclaimed the
emancipation of the slaves, having pre-
viously secured by constitutional provis-
ion the right of suffrage TO every free
man without regard to color.
Had all the States of the Union been
organized on these principles. there new
er Woald have been day when. you
could not have written letter amour
cling the general doctrines of The Gospel
into any State without bringing its re-
clpient into bodily danger, because those
doctrines would have prevailed in the
South as we'll as in the North. If the
equality of man had been recognized all
over the country, there would baye been
no war during the last fopr years, because
no man, not even the pardoned Rebel,
Genes that the war wos made to perpetu-
ate Slavery and secure the degredation
of tho laboring masses.
No man will tell you that our newspa-
pers were excluded from Southern mails
for any other reason than that it was
feared they would endanger the system
of inequality that prevailed and was
cherished in tIs South 1t was this that
made it dangerous for us to travel there;
it was this that fred Pennsylvania Hall;
it was this that mobbed William Lloyd
Garrison, and disgraced Boston by disclo-
sing tho fact that Lexerett Street jail
was the only place in that city stong
enough for his protection 1t was this
doctrine of human inequality, this viola
tion Of the principles that underlie our
Government, this want of harmony be-
tween our usage and prejudices on the
one hand, and the theories which animate
our Government, and which we all profess
to believe, on the other, chat disgracea
qs before the world, and converted what
should have been our peaceful life into
restless sea Of ae eitation, in which Con-
stitutional safeguards were abandoned or
disregarded. r-sm obs NJ r.
Let me show you how thoroughly we,
in Philadelphia, are governed to-day by
concession we made to the South years
ago, in the vain hope of securing peace
and prosperity by promoting injustice and
inequality; let me show you how COM
: pietely we allow our prejudiccs, not nat
ural, but thus engendered, to override
the law of Pennsylvania; how some of us
who are in this hall join in demanding
that the State shall accept our prejudices
as its supreme law. There is not, within
the wide limits of Pennsykania, q jurist
OF standing who will risk his professional
character by denying that, according to
| the law of Pennsylvania, every man and
woman who is well behaved, and can pay
> the fare, has right to ride in our street
cars That Is the law of tho Common
wealth, as expounded by our courts no
professional man of reputation will dis
! pute it,
We are liberal people; as have
} shown, our most cherished traditions in
dicate our love of human freedom and