Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-07-19
Gail for a National Convention by Southern
Radicals.

Gail for a National Convention by Southern
Radicals.
The following is the call for q convention of
Southern radicals to be held at Independence Hail.
in the city of Philadelphia on the first Monday of
September, 1866 -
To THE LOYAL UN1oNIsTs OF THE SOUTH -
The great issue is upon The majority in
Congress and its supporters firmly declare that the
rights of the citizen enumerated in the constitu-
ton and established by the supreme law must be
maintained inviolate. Rebels and rebel sympa-
thizers assert that the rights of the citizens must
belong to the States alone, and under such requ-
lations the respective States choose voluntarily
to prescribe. We have seen this doctrine of State
sovereignty carried out in its practical results
til all authority in Congress denied, 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 the Southern State
governments must be laid on constitutional prin-
ciples or the despotism grown up under an afro
clOus leadership be permitted to remain
| We know of no other plan than that Congress,
under its constitutional powers, shall now exer-
else its authority to establish the principle
whereby protection is made co-extensive with
citizenship. We maintain that no State, either
by it's organic law or legislation, can make trans
gression the rights of the citizen legitimate.
We demand and ask you to concur in demanding
protection to every citizen of the great Republic
on the basis of equality before the law and fur
ther that no State government should be recog-
nized as legitimate under the Constitution in so
far it does not by its organic law make impair
tial protection full and complete. Under the doc
trne of State sovereignty, with rebels in the fore
ground controlling Southern Legislatures and en-
bittered by disappointment in their scheme to de-
stroy the Union, there will be no safety for the
loyal element of the South Our reliance for pro-
lection is now on Congress and the great Union
party that has stood and is standing by the
nationality, by the constitutional rights Of the
citizen and by the bene&oert principles of free
government.
For the purpose of bringing the loyal Unionists
of the South into conjunctive action with the true
friends of republican government Of the North,
we invite you to send delegates in goodly num-
bers from all the Southern States, including Mis-
souri,, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and
Delaware, to meet at Independence Hall in the
city of Philadelphia, on the first Monday of Sep
tember next It is proposed that we should meet
at that time to recommend measures for the es-
tablishment of such government in the South as
accords with and protects the rights of all citizens
We trust this call will be responded to by numer-
Gus delegations of such represent the true 10y
atty of the South and that kind of government
which gives full protection to all the rights of the
citizen such our fathers intended and we claim
as birth-right. Either the lovers of constitu-
tional liberty must rule the nation or rebels and
their sympathizers be permitted to misrule it.
Shall loyalty disloyalty have the keeping of the
destnies of the nation Let the responses to this
CALL which is in circulation for signatures
ana Is Delng numerOusly signed, answer. NOtlce
is given that gentlemen at a distance can have
their names attached to it by sending request by
letter directed to D. W, bingham, Esq, Wash
ington, D. G,
w. B. STOKES, of Tennessee.
| JOSEPH s. FOWLER Of Tennessee.
| JAMES GETTYS, of Tennessee.
A J. HAMILTON of Texas.
| GEORGE W. PASCHAL, of Texas.
LORENZO SHERWOOD, of Texas.
G. w. ASHBURN, of Georgia.
HENRY G. COLE, of Georgia.
J. W. McCLURG, of Missouri.
JOHN r. KELSO, of Missouri.
| J. F. BENJAMIN of Missouri
GEORGE W. ANDERSON, of Missouri.
JOHN B. TROTH, of Fairfax county, Va.
J. M. STEWARD, of Alexandria, Va.
ALLEN c. HARMON, of Alexandria, Va.
LEWIS MCKENZIE, of Virginia.
]. W. HUNNfCUT, of Virginia.
JOHN c.. UNDERWOOD of Virginia
BURNHAM WARDWELI, of Virginia.
ALEXANDER M. DAVIS, of Virginia.
BYRON LAFLIN, of North Carolina.
DANIEL r. GOODLOE, of North Carolina.
GEORGE REESE, of Alabama.
D. H. BINGHAM, of Alabama
NJ. J. SAFFOLD, of Alabama.
J. H. LARCOMBE. cf Alabama.