The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-06-08
SPEECH OF HON. FRANK P. BLAIR
NEGRO EQUALITY AND RADICAL HONESTY.
Hon. Frank i. blair. of Missouri ra,a;It ]

Hon. Frank =. Blair, of Missouri, made
a speech at Waterbury, Connecticut, to d
meeting ofthe Democracy, from which VIC
extract the following:
In my judgment, the American peo-
pie, in an evil hour, have surrendered the
power of their Government into the hands
of party whose design il the overthrow
Of our Constitution and orr liberties
And this design is not something which
is hereafter to be accomplished, but which
has already been consummatcd by the act.
The measures of the last Congress-
that could be called n Congress from
which so many Of tho States, aud those
especially upon which the measures pass.
ed were intended to affect .aerc shut ont
destroyed every yesligs the old Con
.stitution. There Is not, seems to me,
IA single paragraph of tiat Constitution
that has not been auuhilatcd by .ho leg
slation Of the last Congress. II seems as
il they had tried their ingenuity in the
last measure adopted, by which military
governments over the Southern States,
are established, TO see il they could not,
in one single measure, destroy every pro
vision Of our Constitution, aud | think
they have accomplished their object; aud
in SO far are dcseryiug Of admiration
But | invoke the deuunciation Of the
whole country upon them for their betray-
al Of our liberties. lApplause. The
chief excellence Of the Government under
which wc live. aud that in which it was
moro favored than other. was the securi-
IS TO every citizen Of his lie, liberty. and
property. Our ancestors, IN the Consti-
tuition which they-tormcd for this Govern.
ment, secured To Us politicalrighls over aud
above any that wero secured 10 individuals
in any other Government on the face Of the
carthgiying to each iuiiyidualad direct share
in the Government itself. making them
cgatIug their power as 10 them might ap-
pear we'll at limited periods Of time by
| the election Of those who were 10 control
/ their Government Every right euarau-
+ tecd by the Constitution 10 the citizen,
| of the Union has been Obliierated by the
/ last Congress, so far as they refer 10 ten
States Of that Union. They have denied
q u
taxes them. They have even gone 81
far as to deny the people Of those State.
the security of their lives. liberty, and
property guaranteed 10 them under the
!. Constitution under which they were born
aud under which they have lived, aud
which was formed By. their ancestors q
well as odrs. Instead Of allowing ths
people Of those State the right Of iTia
by jury. the last Congress has scl up mil
itary sasraps who can take Tie lives, libpr
ties. or property Of any oue 81 those n'n'
millions OF pe9pie. i 90. pot saisaase tht
ipT0Ylsious 0i this measuFe-ii uJglh.ng,
lundcrstatc them in their atrocliy, for
: believe there ere few men in tie couatr,
who possess the eloquence TO give tonga
to the multiFarious and mullludiuous 4
trucilics which are combined in tha, on
little measure. What is alleged in orde
to justify this acty 1t is alleged tha
these men have been disloyal to the Gov
Iernmont, aud therefore should be disfran
chised; and, secondly, that the colorel
men have been loyal, and should be en-
, franchised. ] c0uiroyert both PROPOSE
tions. though, even if they were true, ia
Z Congress has no power, under the Con
! Isiilulion, to do the thing they have done
Ii these men have been guilty Of treason
there is "A legal method By which the
,, could be punished, under ;hc laws exist
! ing when the crime was committed. ]
found guilty, they could be punished wit
. disfranchisement-f3r that is part Of th
punishment for felony--or with DEATH
: But the fact that this legitimate course
not pursued, shows that the Radicals d
, not believe that all Of these people ar
e guilty of treason, as they charge The
G prefer to bring in bill Of attainder-
bill defining crime and conyictinga grea
number of people without the interpos
, tion Of judicial trial; they prefer TO do
in an off.hand and shorthand manner
i placing the whole people of the Soutl
e under the ban ofa legislative act, for an u
| legged crime, with no noopportunity OF defens
/. But, the Radicals say that the only loyi
men of the South arc the negroes. Tn
: 5 negroes had no idea Of loyalty to any Coy
: crnment-the only idea they had was ,
4 loyalty and affection for their old MASTER
o and they acted on that throughout th
o war, remaining with them, and givin
, their work to them. Was that loyalty
All, but say the Radicals, the negrot
were coerced TO do these things. The
are quite wiling 10 admit this plea in til
: case Of the negroes, but scout it in cas-
l of the white Unionists. vTGheers.] Th
: Abolitionists had proclaimed, up to tn
: breaking out of the war, that it would /
: a signal for general uprising Of the nj
{ groes, and We all shuddered at the though
T OF the blood Of innocent women and chi
o dren that might be she'd When we wcr
e proclaiming their freedom, and declarin
e that we were fighting for their freedom
. it was quite natural that they should ris,
: and perhaps, guided by ignorance an
e british instincts, fall upon the wome
{ and children ofthe combatants in the fell
G But there is not single such instance RI
t corded On the contrary, tho negroc
0 protected the families of their old masters
{ and supplied them with food, and | Gel
: tainly do not say this in derogation of til
: negroes. On. the other hand, JEFF. Davis
r you remember, complained of the desel
: tions of white soldiers from the ranks
e Men who had been forced into the rank
: took tho first opportunity to abandon th
!. cause to which their hearts never wer
: given. But the negroes who, We are tolt
S were the only loyal persons during til
0 war. were raising food fer the support {