The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-07-28
SLAVERY IN KENTUCKY
Mass Meettng at LexlDgton.--Speech
II OF Gen. +. r. Blair-..Chief Justice
Chase and Mr.. stanton Stirred nm.
Telegraphic Correspondence of the Cincinnati Com.

LEXINGTON, KY, July 10.-A Union
mass meeting was held here. to-day.
Speeches were made by Mr.. Kasson, of
Iowa, and Gen. Blair. Among other
things, Blair said ~ do not agree with
the gentleman who has just addressed YOU
(Mr. Kasson, of Iowa) on this topic, that
there Is not a serious intention to give the
right of suffrage to, tbs negroes in these
Southern States. believe there is seri-
GUS intention to do it., There has been q
plan harbored at the North among poll
ticians of a certain class to enforce that
upon the South before recognizing their
States as restored to the Union I speak
words of truth and soberness to the people
among whom was born and reared. You
aid and abet this plan the more y0u prolong
this struggle about thing which Is dead,
which can ldo9you no, good, and which
will certainly do you harm. 1t keeps up
among you q, condition of uncertainty and
perplexity which prevents the people of
this State from settling upon any plan of
future prosperity and welfare for their
State; Which not only keeps up the spirit
of discomfort and discord among you here
but gives your enemies q handle which
they can and will use against you. If the
question of slavery is only once settled BY
the assent of the people of Kentucky; if
the people of this State and the other Dor
der States and Southern States consent
that slavery shall be abolished by the
adoption of this amendment, then the
question of negro suffrage comes up for
discussion upon its own merits. Parties
as they at present exist, will be broken up
and new parties formed Men will assume
the sides to which they feel that they ma
turally and properly belong, They will
not be carrying the Republican flag under
q Republican organization, nor the Demo-
cratic flag under q Democratic organiza-
ton, upon questions which have long since
been decided ' -'.i@as gla..r52
The question of negro slavery, whether Ken
lucky asseuts or not, 10 in the process Of death
and decent burial, and why should the PEG.
pie OF Kentucky, who have high, great and
solennen interests to attend to, things that AZ
feet your welfare here and hereafter. engage
their attention about this dead and buried car
cass, this obsolete issue, this thing which,
whether you will or not, Is to 20 ont Of sight?
Why should you engage your attention on this
when there are other things that demand your
attention, and upon which you can call to your
oc0loSouCC uouy VIII, upOu tulS IbSu0, al6
against you and will be against you? If those
Of Us who have gone through the controversy
of four years can be assured that vestige Of
slavery yet remains in this country, do you
suppose we will be willing to disband that
great and powerful organization which has
pursued 1t now almost to deaths door, Don't
You believe that we viii stand firm, no matter
what NAV be our disagreements on other SUBJ
jects?, Don't You believe that we will stand
firm until We carry IL out and put it under
ground3 Think you have seen enough to con-
vince you that we will.
Mr.. Blair then said that Chief Justice
Chase was at the head of this negro euf-
frage scheme that he stepped down from
his high position on the Supreme Bench to
travel in the Southern States, in govern
ment vessel, and urge the negroes in Vicks-
burg, and elsewhere, to protest against
the appointment of Judge Sharkey IS
Governor of Mississippi. "a man here
said, Blair is much better Union man
tEan the Chief Justice.')
In conclusion Mr.. Blair favored gen.
sral amnesty. He wanted to see A. II.
Stephens 60 to the Supreme Court and
submit to bis trial, and urged in bis behalf
that, while he was doing bis best to keep
the South in the Union, the present head
of Military Justice was holding q truce
with rebel commissioners, which resulted
In the fall of Sumpter; that, even after
Lincoln's Inauguration, every Cabinet Off
Ger but one was in favor of separation that
the present Secretary Of War was MEM
Der of James Buchanan's Cabinet, that
was making no resistance to secession,
while A. 81. Stephens was making Union
speech in the Georgia State Convention.