The Placer herald., 1866-08-18
Extract from Speech of Gen. Frank Blair


servative State Convention, at ST. Louis
composed of 1000 delegates, representing
the patriotism and intelligence of that i'm,
portant commonwealth. Upon the Consti,
tutonal amendment Of the Rurnp Congress
he spoke as follows:-
must now speak few words Upon the
affairs presented by the latest action of the
Radical majority in Congress in the presen-
tation of the joint resolution and amend,
ment to the Constitution which is about 10
be submitted 10 all the States for ratifica.
ton. voice-"They can't do il; thew
say the Union is dissolved"] They consider
that the Union is dissolved, but we maintain
it is not dissolved. They hold that Jeff.
Davis did his whole and perfect work in dis,
solving the Union, and what little he could
not accomplish they have done for him
Applause. They propose that the South
ern States, and all the States of the Union,
shall give negro suffrage, or else that the
negro population in these States shall be
subtracted from the representative basis Of
those States in which they reside. That is
the proposition. That is clearly and une.
qulvocal'y the presentation of the question
OF negro suffrage. That is the sole and only
question now, as conceive, presented to US
in national politics. am aware that B.
Gratz Brown, one Of our United States Sen.
ators, comes out in paper and declines TO
be candidate for reelection to the Senate,
for some reasons that be gives, and some
which he does not give; some which think
have more to do with his declina,ion than
those which he don't give. He undertakes
to chide the party With which he has been
acting for not taking stand in favor of ab
soIute negro suffrage. think he berates
his party unnecessarily, and that he evinces
but little disappointment in singing back at
the party bis power, because they have, ac'
cordng to my understanding and thinking,
come up fairly and squarely to the question
presented, that either the State of Missouri
for instance, shall lose one of its representa-.
tives in Congress, or else they shall concede
negro suffrage 10 all the adult negroes with.
in the limits of the State. The same thing
is demanded Of all the States in the Union.
1t does not, as matter Of course, affect the
Northern States, where the negro population
is SO infinitely small, but it will subtract one
third Of the representation from the South
ern States, including Missouri-not so much
from Missouri as from others, but taking the
whole of them, en- mosse, it will either de-,
prve the South and the States that every,
where held slaves Of one third of their rep.
resent alton, because they altogether con
tained 100000 of white men against 5,OOO,,
oc 1,lo H. !.
negro suffrage they will lose portion of
their representation. so that you cannot have
the question more directly presented to you
than it now is. know that there are thou.
sands and thousands Of Radicals in the State
of Miss uri who declare that they are op
posed to negro suffrage. [voce-"Eyery
white man is"
Well, it does not so much as und rsl and
iI it depends upon color. Some of these
men have white faces and they advocate ne
gro equality, but they are the best judges
whether the negroes are their equals or not,
and shall not dispute with them on that
point; but do dispute the fact that these
negroes are the equals Of our race. tell
you that the leaders who are attempting to
force negro suffrage upon the country do not
regard these negroes as their equals. They
think they can maintain themselves in pow
er 10y getting negro suffrage and by deprv.
ing the white men of the country Of the
right Of suffrage. They wish to use the ne
gro as the instrument Of their own ambition,
regardless of its effects or it's results, and re-
gardless of the degradation which they im>
pose upon their own race; regardless Of the
conse equences which will flow from the Bit
terness Of feeling which that act will engen'
der in the white race against the black race;
regardless of everything except their own
unboIy ambition. These men are driving
forward this scheme in order TO maintain
and defend themselves in power, regardless
Of every other interest OF the country in
which they live, and of the real interests of
both Of the races. II is for us to meet these
issues, and to meet it and not blink at it, but
to present it to the people Of the State of
Missouri. Will you lose your power in the
National Government Will you surrender
your power and representation in the Ma
tional Government TO the Northern States
and the New England States, and give them
the power Of taxing you, and extracting from
your labor the expenses Of this Government,
whilst they enrich themselves by special
laws? Will you surrender your authority in
the General Government and your represen
tation in Congress, OF will you take this ne.
gro element and mingle it with your own
and share your Government with them9-
That is the question which the people of this
country and Of this State must meet and
That is the question which
you must put to your neigbbors. At the
same time these very men are arguing for
the disfranchisement Of the one half Of the
white men of our State and the entire white
population Of the eleven Of the revolted
States, they ask these men Of Missouri it
they are willing to put down their own race
and let the negro rise on top of him, and
that n order to administer to party OF men
who are composed Of few miserable dema-
gogues in your midst, and also TO confer
~ IT, Ckntna