American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-09-05

| lntlhe North AhaH count for as much as
a man in the South, that the adysntape
shall be on neither side, but that one shall
be considered as good voter as another.
EaiWe say TO, these men at the South. we
intend to amend the Constitution In this
manner, and if you d,sire more reprer
sentasiiion the Constitution gives it to YOU.
There is away by which you can have il
How is that? Make more voters, and.
Then you will have more representation.
You can do that by enfranchising certain
men, If you do not, it is noue of our
business. You have a right to do SO or
not, just az you see proper. IF you en-
franchise your negroes they will have
representation. If you do not, you are
entitled to the same representation pre-
cisely as the people Of the North are, ac-
cording to the number of votes polled at
the election-no more.
And this is the issue upon which we
propose to make fight Now, my follow
citizens, can there be question as to
which side we ought to be on in this great
time Why, it does seem to me that
there can be no doubt at all as to the
side which the people of Chicago ought
to take. This constitutional amendment
is in favor of loyalty as against treason,
in favor Of justice as against wrong, why
then ought not each and every man to be
for it 4. 1t seems to me that no soldier
ought to hesitate for moment which
size of the question he would be on. I
want to ask soldier who has fought in
this war, who has crossed many bloody
plains, and stormcd many arugged height,
who has planted the banner of his coun-
try upon any rebel stronghold, we'll forti-
fed. and leld by rebel guns, why he
could be opposed to this proposition that
we present as the platform Of the party.
Sir, if you were soldier, with whom do
you act, whom do you support, is it your
brothers in arms and the loyal men who
stood by you while you we're sleeping on
the cold ground, while you were pene-
trating thickets, marching through pines,
in the storms which came from the heav-
ems day after day; while you were on
the battle plains; while perhaps your
blood was flowing freely, while perhaps
you were raising the flag that your brotA-
er had dropped because his last blood was
issuing out Of his veins? The men that
prayed for you, sympathised with you,
wept when you wept, and sang songs of
joy when you achieved victory; who
glorifed in your success and wept at your
defeat, and over the graves Of your "a.
theirs and brethren, are the men today
standing by this proposition and this con-
stitutional amendment,-they are the
ones.
Why is it then that the soldier at this
time has doubts as to where his duty calls
himY Why is it that he can ask for
moment where he shall go? Will that
brave man who was willing to risk his
life that the country might live, turn bis
eyes to the White House to-day and say,
Perhaps if | turn against my friends,
if | repudate the men who stood by me
in my hour of trial, in the lonely moment
when | had none to console me, COM
mission may be placed in my hands by
which, if kept for two Aeeting years., I
may be Postmaster at some cross roads,
collector, or an assessor. But shall T..
war-worn veteran, repudiate the princi-
pies for which fought, and the interest
that l have in my friends, aud grasp for
the shadow of power when the substance
is not there z" ,Vo} 40 % AIres
say no, / believe no soldier will do it.
They may accept Office. OF that l do
not complain. They can do that if they
choose, but at the same time the true
veteran soldier says, when he comes to
the ballot box and goes % vote, e / vote
as fought-on the side of loyalty against
treason" lie can say that, but he can
say nothing else.
There is no reason why we should not
succeed aud insure the triumph of the
right We can do i. If that policy of
right conquers-if we go forward in the
same line that we have marked out for
ourselves-then we will finally attain the