American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-09-05
AZ lsas ADDRESS
Of the Butler Geary Club to the
Voters of Butler County.

ed have been appointed committee to
address you on the importance of the is
sues involved in the coming election, and
to urge upon you the duty of attending
the polls on the I'd Tuesday of October
next
Each campaign or election in our coun-
try may be said to have its distinctive
features and issues. Lately these issues
have been of great importance, inasmuch
as we were involved in civil war But
important as they were, the main issue in
the present election is Of equal if not of
greater importance than any that has pre-
ceeded it. The party that upheld our
country during all the trials of the late
war aud through whose efforts and en-
couragements our brave soldiers finally
triumphed in the field, now appeals to
you to see that the just fruits OF that
bloody victory be not lost to US and our
children. When the rebels were com
PEELED to lay down their arms the couu-
try had right to look, not only for peace,
but for security in the futnre against the
re eeurrence of similar attempts to divide
and destroy the Nation. This security
we believe, would have been obtained
without trouble If it had not been for the
sudden and unexpected sympathy of the
present Chief Magistrate, Andrew John.
son, n,with the Southern rebels aud ifaitois
The rebels themselves, when beaten,
seemed to accept and understand the
necessary effects and results of the war;
and did not then, as we believe, think or
expect to march from the battle field back
into the seats in Congress that they had
four years before so contemptously left and
deserted. But their apparent acquies.
cence for time in the results of the gar
has undergone great change. This we
believe has been brought about by the
remarkable change in the opinions of
President johnson, and by the words
Of cheer and hope he has and is now
holding out to them. Instead Of "trea-
son being crime" and Of Icing made
"odioHs," as he at one time declared it
should be, he is now apparently doing ali
in his power to make it a matter of small
account. Instead of rebels being com.
PEELED Ito take back seats" as lie form-
erly said they should do, he is now invi-
ting them to front seats And this brings
US to the question that we wish, mere pa.
ticulally, to bring to your notice in this
tlie' ad lres'. Striped OF all false
covering the Eaked question before the
people at the coming election is, shall
traitors be unconditionally restored to
full brotherhood in a Union they, by four
years Of the most cruel aud barbarous
warfare iu modern times, tried to destroy.
Or IN other words is one of those trait
ors still as good as the true man who
spent his time, means and blocd to pre-
serve that Union? Has traitor lost no
rights If he has not, thea ours is the
most singular government on earth, the
like of which never before has existed,
pnd it may be safely said the like of
which never will again exist. True, We
have mild form of government, which
has been, and can be merciful and mag
unanimous, but it cannot afford to treat
treason as a mere pleasant pastime and
still live. Least OF all could it afford to
let defeated treason again rule, in the
land. We are anxious to forgive and
forget all sectional enmities, and to fully
and speedily restore the late rebel States
to their former practical relations to the
Union, but we are unwilling that rebels,
ii they cannot be punished, should come
back into the National Councils with more
representation than they ought to have,
or without any regard t. the changes the
war brought about. For if the rebel
States be admitted to Congress with the
sa'ue number of members they had be-
fore the war, then indeed they will actu.
ally be gamers in that respect and trea-
son will have received premium. You
enquire how this IS we will show you,
that unless the Constitution of the Uni.
ted States be reformed, slavery being now
abolished, the rebel States viii have more
representation than they had before the
war.
The Constitution at present reads as
follows: Representatives shall be appor-
toned among the States according to
their respective numbers, which shall be
determined BY adding to the whole num-
Der Of free persons, three -Gtths of all
other persons" This expression, three
fitths of all other persons" meant the
sldces. This is well known. They, the
slaves, were the only all lother persons then
in the South. But these all other persons
have been abolished Iy The par, and lh,rl
are nolonger any such 'all other persons"
They are now all Stree persons and con.
sequcntly the old slave States will be
hereafter, unless the Constitution be
changed entitled to representation for the
whole .fre: :fitihs of these former slaves
but now Stree people" That is, white
rebels will continue to represent loyal
black mon in Congress, and in greater
proportion than they did before slavery
was destroyed. South Carolina having
as many or more black people than white,
would have double the Representatives in
Congress she should have. Will this be
right? Is one Southern voter equal to
t,ro Nonheyn voters? All that we ask is
equality in this matter that voter in
one part of the Union shall be the equal
of voter in any other part, and to rem
edy this great defect ip the present basis
of representation, Congress before it ad :
journdproposed an amendment to the Con-
stitution, which. when ratified bv three