Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1867-11-27
The American Bastile Prisoners.
UNION PACIFIC HOTEL,
New YoIk, Oct. 80, 1867,
TO THE EDITOR OF TUE WORLD.

TO THE EDITOR OF TUE WORLD.
SRI have read with great pleasure
your notice of the proposed convention of
T" Prisoners of State" in your columns of
yesterday, under title The Bastile Busi
ness" You suppose that the convention
will entertain "the purpose of concocting
some measure of redress, and drawing up
catalogue of loyal outrages to be pub
lished in form of solemn manifesto to the
world" You are quite right as far as your
lecture has led you. As a victim of the
late despotism, and since the suggestion
touching the convention originated with
myself | entreat small space that may
intimate briefly what are some of the pur
poses which, in my judgment, should en-
gage the earnest attention of all those who
have suffered outrage at the behest of ar
bitrary power. Redress, in the ordinary
acceptation, very few, if any of US, seek for
or expect. We have borne long enough
the load of obloquy which the myrmidons
of a most despotic power have heaped up
on us, while we were languishing in filthy
and disgusting classmates and could not be
heard one word in our defence against any
kind of accusation which it suited the pur-
poses Of our enemies to make. Some of
us have only recently learned who our &C
cusers were, and what were their motives
and what their remurds. Some of US are
regarded with more or less suspicion, as
though we have been expected to speak
long since and say that We are innocent"
Some of US are free to say, awe did that
whereof we are accused, but in that we did
no wrong, but, on the contrary, we did that
which every good citizen should do" All
of US are willing to declare the reasons for
our actions, which our consciences will ap-
prove, and then to accept the judgment of
honest men, whether we have merited our
sufferings All of US have opinions in re-
gard to the momentous questions of the
hour, which, we think, have been well ap
proved by late experience in the result of
the indulgence of usurpat'on. We would
declare those opinions and ask our fellow
citizens to consider them well. All of US
have loved our several States, and our
whole country-its Institutions, and espe-
ciaily, its once grand and beautiful natiOn-
alisna and now, more than ever, if it were
possible, when her supreme peril comes
nearer and nearer by each passing day, we
love our country, and would band together
to save it, though the old Bastile gates
should open to US again.
We would hold up to the scorn Of indig
nant humanity certain individuals who have
since the accession of the late Abraham
Lincoln, through their usurpation, welded
energies of arbitrary, absolute power, and
would consign them to the iLfamy they
have earned. We would not be moved by
any spirit of revenge or malice, but will
ever respect the behests of justice, aud if
we shall bring to light some dark and dam
ming deeds of the oppressors of confding
people-some atrocities, the announcement
of which will suffuse every manly cheek
with the blush of shame, men will learn
that even in our day men in high places
are capable of crimes which find no paral-
lei in the black records of infamy! We
haze the proofs! II we shall make plain
to the American people what are the pur-
poses of the regnant despohsm of today,
which We propose to do, we shall do our
country some good service at last. In fine,
We ask justice, and shall pursue justice IN
til We shall stand in the opinions OF honest
men acquitted of all wrong, and more than
that, justified in that we have done and de-
sired for our country in her first great
peril.
P. G. WRIGHT.