Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-07-12
Speech Of Gem. II. n. Blair at Lex
ingtOn, Ky.-Chase and Stanton
m Ventilated.
Especial TO Cincinnati Commercial.l
T,ExINGTON. KY. July 10,

Especial TO Cincinnati Commerciall
LEXINGTON, KY, July 10.
A Union mass meetinG was held here to-
day. Speeches were made by Mr.. Kasson,
OF Iowa, and General Blair. Among other
things, Blair said IL 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 the negroes in these Southern
States. / believe there is a serious inten-
tion to do It. There'has been plan har-
bored at the North among politicians of n
certain class, to enforce that upon the South,
before recognizing their States as restored
to the Union. l speak words of truth and
soberness to the people among whom | was
born and reared. You aid and abet thisplan
the more you prolong this struggle about a
thing which Is dead, which can do you no
good, and which will certainly do you harm.
1t keeps up among you condition of un-
certainty 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 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; ii the
people of this State, and the other border
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 up
on Its own merits. Parties, as they at pres
ent exist, will be broken up, and new par
ties will be formed. Men will assume the
sides to which they naturally and properly
belong. They will not be carrying the Re-
publican flag under Republican organiza-
ton, nor the Democratic flag under DEM
ocratic organization, upon questions which
have long since been decided.
"The question OF negro slavery, whether
Kentucky assents or not is in TIE process
of death and decent burial, and why should
the people of Kentucky, who have high,
great and solemn interests to attend to,
things that affect your welfare here and
hereafter, engage their attention about this
dead and buried carcass, this obsolete issue,
this thing which, whether you will or not,
is to go out of sight? Why should you en-
gage your attention on this when there are
other things that demand your attention
and upon which you can call TO your assist
ance many who, upon this issue, are against
you and will be against you. If those Of
us who have gone through the controversy
of four years can be assured that a vestige
of slavery yet remains in the country, do
you suppose we will be willing to disband
that great and powerful organization which
has pursued it now almost to deaths door?
Don't you believe that we will stand firm.
no matter what may be our disagreements
upon other subjects? Don't you believe
we will stand together until we carry it out
and put it under ground? Think you have
seen enough to convince you that we will"
Mr.. Blair then said that Chief Justice
Chase was at the head of this Negro Suf-
frage scheme; that he stepped down from
his high position on the Supreme Bench to
traverse the Southern States in Govern
ment vessel, and urge the negroes in Vicks-
burg, and elsewhere, to protest against the
appointment of Judge Sharkey as Governor
of Mississippi. A man here said, "Blair is
a much better Union man than the Chief
Justice."l
+ In conclusion, Mr.. Blair favored a general
amnesty. He wanted to see A. ii. Stephens
go to the Supreme Court, and submit to his
trial, and urged in his behalf that, while he
was doing his best to keep the South in the
Union, the present head of the Bureau OF
Military Justice was holding truce with
rebel commissioners, which resulted in the
fall of Sumter; that, even after Lincolns
inauguration. every Cabinet officer, but
one, was in favor of separation; that the
present Secretary of War was member OF
James Buchanan's Cabinet, that was max
ing no resistance to secession, while A. IL.
Stephens was making Union speech in
the Georgia State Convention.