American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-07-18
B@H The following call is gotten


B&" The following call is gotten ur,
We presume, as counter movement of
the August convention. 1t will doubt
less gather around it the loyal sentiment
of the country, both North and South.
1t is vouched in no unmeaning phrases |:
To the Loyal Uniontsts Of the Souh
The great issue is upon u.s. The ma
jority in Congress and its supporters firm
ly eclare that the rights of the citizen,
enumerated in the Constitution and estab-
lished by supreme law. must be main
tanned inviolate. Rebels and Rebel sym
pathizers assert that the rights of the
citizen must belong to the States alone,
and under such regulations as the respec-
tive States choose voluntarily to prescribe
We have seen this doctrine of State SOW.
ereignty carried out in its practical re-
suits, until authority in Congress was de-
MED, the Union temporarily. destroyed,
the constitutional rights of the citizens
Of the South nearly annihilated, and the
land desolated by civil war. The time
has come when the structure of Southern
States Governments must be laid on con-
stitutional principles, or the despotism
grown up under an atrocious leadership
be permitted to remain. We know of no
other plan than that Congress, under its
constitutional powers, shall now exercise
its authority to establish the principle
whereby protection is made eoextensiye
with citizenship. we maintain that no
State, either by its organic law or legis-
lation, can make transgression on the
rights OF the citizen legitimate. We de-
mand, and ask you to concur in demand
ing, protection to every citizen of the
great Republic on the basis of equality
before the lazy, aud further, that no State
government should be recognized as le-
gitimate Under the Constitution in SO far
as it does not by its organic law make i'm
partial protection full and complete
Under the doctrine of State Sovereignty,
with Rebels in the foreground controlling
Southern Legislatures, and embittered by
disappointment in their schemes to des-
troy the Union, -there will be no safety
for the loyal element of the South. Our
reiiancy for protection is now on Con-
gress, and the great Union party that has
stood, and is standing by the nationality,
by the constitutional rights of the citizen,
and by the benifcient principles of free
government. For the purpose of bring
ing the loyal Unionists of the South into
conjunctiye action with the true friends
ct Republican government Of the North,
we invite you to send delegates in goodly
numbers from all Southern States, includ-
ing, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware, to meet at In
dependence Hall, in the City of Philadel-
phia, on the first Monday of September
next. It's proposed that we should meet
at that time to recommend measures for
the establishment of such government in
the South as accords with aud protects
the rights of all citizens. We trust this
call will be responded to by numerous
delegation of such as represent the true
loyalty Of the Sauth-that kind Of gov
ernment which gives full protection to all
the rights of the citizens, such as our
fathers intended, and we claim as our
brthright. Either the lovers of consti-
tutional liberty must rule the nation, or
rebels and theip sympathizers be permit
ted to msrule it. Shall loyalty or disloy-
atty have the keeping of the destinies Of
the nation? Let the responses to this
call, which is now in circulation for sig
natures, aud is being numerousIy signed,
answer, Notice is given that gentlemen
at distance can have their names at
sached to it by sending request by ,et-
ter, directed to d. w. Bingham, esq,
Washington, D. q: