The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-07
Convention of Southern Loyalists.

COuBThtuHttlnK tho convention upon the
favorable auspices under which the SOS
sions were being hold. II WAS received
with great applause.
Mr.. Sidney offered Il rcSOlutionIOl
til" appointment OF II committee of five
To raise funds for dofrHying tho oXpEn'
Sos Of the Convention, which was
adopted.
\ resolution for tho appointment a
committee OF five to prepare an nd
dress to the Southern people, WIS OfiOr.
Cd and rOfcrrCu.
Mr.. Bingham, of Alabama, offered Il
resolution declaring that Congress
should appoint u committee to inVCSti.
Ent" the alleged frauds of officers con.
ncctcd with the Treasury Department
engaged IN the collection of COnfodor.
mto cotton. On motion of MIR. BOro.
man tho above was referred to the
COmnaitiOc on RESOLUTIONS.
Tho co:ImiItCO of five appointed VcS,
t"r'lny To take action ON tho welcome
extended to tho southern delegates, by
the Mayor of tho city of Philadelphia
made report, expressing their high
appreciation of tho hospitnhlO and gen
erous manner i'll which they had been
received by the citizens and authorities
of Philadelphia.
MIR. Crcs~"ii, 6! Mnrylnni!, presented
the report OF the committee on tho ud-
dress.
MIR. Bolts desired to know how tho
reports of the committee were to be re-
ceiVcd. lie thought it proper to settle
the question as to how tho votes were
to bc taken, whether by yeas or nays or
otherwise.
The ChHir suggested that the question
of voting should not bC raised until il
was seen whether there was anything
Objectionable to amy delegate on tho
address.
Mr.. Bolts suid that with the under
standing that If there was anything OBJ
icctionable to him or to any other delo-
gate in tho address, vote would bC
called, and he would waive his q question
for the present.
Mr.. CreSweli then proceeded to road.
He read from tho Presidents desk
introducing it with the remark that ii
had been unanimously agreed upon by
the committee appointed to prepare it,
the appeal OF the loyal men of the
South 10 their fellow citizens of the
United States.
ADDRESS To THE COUNTRY.
The Representatives OF eight mil
lions of American citizens appeal
for protection and justice to their friends
and brothers in the States that have
been spared tho CrueltieS of tho rebel.
lion and the direct horrors of civil war.
Here, on the spot where freedom was
the Republic, we implore your helr
against reorganized oppression whose
sole object is to remit the control 81
our deStinieS to the contrivers O.
the rebellion after they have been van.
pushed in honorable battle thus nj
once to punish us for our devotion L
our country, and Cntrench themselves
II ihe official fHrtitcatiouS of the Gov
eminent. Others have related the
thrilling story of our wrongs, from
reading and observation, We come
before you AS unchallenEed witnesses
and speak from personal knowledge
our sad experience. If you fail us, W.
are more utterly deserted and betrayed
than If the contest had been decided
/ against us. for, i'll that case, even vic
| toTlouS slavery would have founC
prht in the speedy pardon o
those who had been among it.
| bravest foes. unsupported pCrtidy il
| the highest place of the Government
accidentally filled by one who add:
cruelty to ingratitude and forgiveS tn,
| guilty AS he proscribes the innocent
has stimulated the almost extinguishet
revenge of the beaten Conspirators, nnt
/ now tho rebels who offered to VielC
everything to save their own lives ar
I seeking to COnSign us to bloody graves
/ Where we expected IL benefnCtor w
I find prosecutor. Having lost on
champion We return to you, who car
| invoke Presidents and punish traitors
Our last hope, under God. is the unit,
/ and iirmness of States that elected
! Abraham Lincoln and defeated JciIer
son DAvis-the best statement OF on
case Is the appalling yet uncon
| sciOus confession of Andrew John
son, who, in savage hatred of his rec
ord. Proclnims his purpose to clothe fOu
l millions OF traitors with the power I,
! impoverish and degrade eight million
Of loyal men: our wrongs bear alike oil
] all races, and our tyruntS unchecked
[ by you will award the same fate t,
| white and black. We can remain II,
/ we are only as interiors and victims
| We may fly from our homes, but W,
should fear to trust our tate with thos,
/ who, after denOuucing and defcatint
I treason, refused to right those who hav,
| hravely assisted them III the good work
/ Until we are wholly rescued there il
! neither peace for you nor prosperity TO
us. We cannot better define at OnCt
our wrongs and our wants thRn by de
| ClRring that since Andrew johnson nf
tiliated with his early slanderers anC
| our constant enemies, his hand ha!
been laid heavily upon every earnes
| loynlist in the South. History ant
| the just judgment of the presen
and certain confirmation of the future
| invite and command us to declare tina
/ inter rejecting our own remedies for re
! storing the Union, he has rcsorted /,
the weapons of traitors to bruise nnt
| beat down patriots; that after declaring
that none but the loyal men shoult
govern the reconstructed South, he hn
! practiccd upon the maxim that non,
but traitors shall rule; that while in thu
! North he has removed consideration
men from office and filled many of tn,
vacancies with the sympathiZers o
]
moved the proved and trusted patrio
and selected the equally proved unC
convicted traitor; that after brave mcl
| who had fought for the old flag hay,
! been nominated for positions thei
names have been recalled and aVOweC
| rebels substituted; that every Originu
| Unionist in the South who stands
| fast to Andrew JOhnSon's covenants
from 1861 to 1865, has been ostracised
| That he has corrupted the local courts
by offering premiums for defiance o
the laws of Congress, and by openly
disCOuraging the observance of the oatl
against treason. That while refusinI
! to punish one single conspIrutor
though thousands had earned the pen
atty of death, more than u thousand de
| voted Union citizens have been muir
dered in cold blood since the surrender
| of Lee, and in no case have their aSsnS
| sins been brought to justice. That II,
has pardOned some of tho worst rcbe
commanders North and South, inclu
ding some who have taken human lift
under circumstances of unpnralelle,
attrOcIty. That while denOuncing ant
| lettering the operations of the freed.
mems bureau, he, with full knowl
edge of the falsehOod, has charged
that the black men are lazy and rebel
liOus, and has concealed the fact tina
more whites than blacks have beer
protected and fed by that noble organi
cation, and that while declaring that i
was corruptly managed and expensive
to the Government, he has connived a