Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-09-20
From the New York Evening Post. ]
A POLITICAL FREE LANCE.

Mr. Montgomery Blair is speaking through
New Eng land, and seems to be under the
impression that he is supporting President
johnson. Whatever he may intend, how
ever, if we may judge from the reports of
his Boston speech, he is in reality DISCUS
ting all sensible and liberty-loving men.
He abuses without stint one of the Pres
ident's most important and highest advisers,
Secretary Stanton. Now, it is settled that
the President is responsible for his Cabi-
net, and when Mr.. Blair speaks against Mr.
Stanton, he speaks against Mr.. Johnson,
of the most important places under the
Government.
Again Mr.. Blair declares, with great ve-
hemence, that if the blacks are suffered to
vote there will be war Of races. Mr.
Blair attempts to make the lored people
odious by asserting that they helped the
rebels and were not faithful to the Union,
and he winds up with the assertion, "Uni-
versal suffrage will create a war of races"
and insinuates that those who favor gen.
eral suffrage are guilty of an attempt to TO-
ment new and cruel war But the Presi-
dent has repeatedly and most positively de-
clared his desire that large part of the
colored men should vote, as witness his
despatch to Governor Sharke, of Mississ-
ippi.
Again, Mr.. Blair tries to bolster Alexan-
der Fl. Stephens into popularity, and asserts
the right of that unhung traitor--who de-
serves hanging as richly as JEFF Davis, for
he sinned with his eyes open--to a seat in
the United States Senate But this is fiat
ly opposed by what is called the "Presi-
dents policy" of claiming the admission of
members who can take the oaths prescribed
by Congress, which Mr. Stephens cannot
But the relations between Mr. Blair and
the President interest us less than tho SEN
timents to which Mr. Blair gives utterance
We say nothing of his indecent attempt
to whitewash the Vice President of the reb-
ell Confederacy. If Mr.. Stephens were an
angel he would still, for decency's sake,
having held the prominent place he did in
the rebellion, be set aside, at least for a
time, and in our opinion for ever He
should be grateful that he is not hanged
for his crime.
But we think of greater Importance Mr..
Bairs assertion about the suffrage He is
opposed to colored suffrage He asserts
emphatically universal suffrage will bring
on a war of races" and he condescends to
use some very stale clap-trap about placing
negroes over whites to enforce his remarks
Now we take occasion to say that we dis
agree entirely with Mr.. Blair on this sub
ject.
The question of extending the suffrage
was not brought into the present canvass
by either party ; so that it is not generally
discussed. But let no one suppose it is
therefore forgotten or abandoned. We
shall not cease to urge it at any rate. We
could not persuade the last Congress to de-
clare impartial suffrage in the District of
Columbia, where it had a right to do so :;
but we hope its first act, on reassemhling,
will be this one. And if it shall then be
found that the President is of Mr.. Blair's
mind, and vetoes an impartial or universal
suffrage bill for the District of Columbia,
we shall demand of Congress to pass it ov,
er his veto, as we demanded that it should
pass the civil rights bill over his veto. We
hope this question will hereafter be dis
cussed in all the States, in Connecticut
New York, Illinois, and Indiana as we'll as
in the Southern States and we shall give
an earnest support everywhere to the move
ment
| This great reform must be carried by ar
gument by appeals to the justice, the com
mon sense, and the interest of parties anC
individuals 1t will be carried and WE
are in the more haste to see all the States
represented in Congress, because then the
time for argument and discussion will have
come everywhere.