American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-11-07
The Right to Bear Arms.

more important consequences. than the
enlistment OF negro troops. Nearly two
hundred thousand of these we're actually
in service. and did well for their country,
a country which by that act, for the first
time in her history, acknowledged them
as her people Most of them were raised
in the South, in the very worst of all the
Y~belious States, where their masters
were in the field doing their utmost to
destroy the republic, and they were lib
Grated from their letters to 20 out like
the Greek bondmen in the Persian war,
and fight the battles of freedom. 1t was
bold step 70 make soldiers of such men
in a region where they had been SO long
held to belong to an inferior race, and
against their own oSpressors. But twas
successful! one. The stubborn prejudi-
ces of northern whites gave way, and
recognized these black soldiers as breth-
rem in good cause, while even southern
contempt was overcome, and the negro
raised himself immeasurably in tic eyes
of the southern whites BY fighting against
them, and fighting well, too.
The real importance Of the act, how
ever, lay in the recognition thus afforded
of the right of the blacks to bear arms,
always disputed previously, ,notwithstand-
ing the guarantees of the national Con-
sttution. Not only were they conceded
the RIGHT to bear arms but arms were
placed in their hands, the national uni
form on their bodies, the national colors
confded to their care, and they were
ranked and paid as soldiers of the repub-
lie. This service performed and the need
of their aid no longer existing, it now
seems that the government chooses to
ignore both them and their rights. The
very men who were deemed fit to be SOL
diers of the Union are now disarmed ty
rebel State officials all over the South.
acting by he connivance Of Andrew
johnson and his rcaotionary cabal This
il no guess work The statements rest
upon military authority, and prove con
clusively that those who fought for the
Union when it was in peril are now al
lowed to be disarmed by disbanded rebel
troops who have solzed possession Of the
State uowers, elected each other to Office,
"a are now engaged in endeavoring to
crush out all unionism both Of blacks and
whites.
The second articles of the amendment
made to the Constitution in 1889 says
explicitly that "a well regulated militia
being necessary to the security of a fee
State, the right Of the people to keep and
, bear arms shall not be infringed." Now
what is here meant by "the people ?-
Webster defines It as 'the body of per-
sons who compose community, town
city or nation; the vulgar, the mass oI
iilitcrate persons; the commonalty as dis
tinet from men of rank; persous in gen
eyal " and so on. Whichever one Of
these definitions we take, not black
person in the South, or anywhere else il
the country, can be excluded under il
from the right to bear arms, though the
rebel oligarchs who are now engaged il
disarming them could be.
Recurring, however. to the language
oil The Constitution, we find that it cou-
pies this great right with the necessity
for militia, showing obviously enough
.hat the people to be allowed to keep anC
bear arms are those of whom militi;
can be composed OF course, we shall
here be answered that the militia is
State institution, regulated by State laws
and as no blacks are included in it b,
the laws of the Southern States, none o
them are designed by this article of th'
Constitution. " by, then, does the Con
stitution deem it necessary to throw thi
safeguard around it? IF the militia b.
wholly State institution, why SHOULD
national Constitution look after it thus
Moreover, if the militia belong wholly t.
the State, where is the republic to lool
for soldiers when the State orders th
militia to rebel ?
This is exactly what led SO many south
ern Union men to sustain their States il
rebellion. They held the theory that tn
militia belonged of right to the State, ant
were bound to obey the orders of tbl
State authorities even against those o
the national government. When tn
conscription act was passed, the nationa
authority took complete possession of al
the arms-bearing population of the coun
try. Where, then, was the State author
ity over the militia? IF that authorit
had been superior tho conscription ac
never could have been enforced, and th,
war must have been arrested for the wan
of men. To recognize the rebel theory
now as valid would render us liable t.