Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-24
THE POLITICAL SITUATION
Speech of Hon. Montgomery Blair to
the Scrending Party, Washington,
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Speech of Hon. Montgomery Blair to
the SerendinE Party, Washington,
ID. C.. October i6.
Mr.. Blair said: 1 thank you, gentlemen,
for the honor of this cali. 1t is because
you know how heartily join in your con-
gratulations upon the results OF the recent
elections that you call upon me Tonight.
Never had the true friends of the country
better reason for congratulation. The
triumph we rejoice in is no partisan vic
tory. 1t is not the elevation OF any party
chief to power that calls forth the deep
feeling of gratitude to God which pervades
the land from ocean TO ocean. 1t is calm
er and holier joy than belongs to any mere
party struggle. 1t is because we accept
the recent emphatic declaration of the
people for the Constitution as fraught with
blessings to every human being in
our broad land that we receive it with such
profound emotion. And if it be true, as
stated, that General Grant has express
ed the greatest satisfaction at the result, it
only shows that his heart still beats in uni
son with that of the great nation to which
he has rendered such signal service. L do
not know whether the fact stated be true
or not, but believe it is true; and nv
faith is not shaken by the unauthorized
obvious. The late deluge has drowned the
whole litter of their candidates. so that
their place hunters are trying to "a ye them
selves by seizing Gen. Grant,and they have
no better sense than to suppose that the
way to make him useful to them is to rep
; resent him as a participator in the crime,
which the people have condemned-a con-
federate of Stanton, and as being in collu-
sion with that worthy, even when he was
kicking him out of the War Department.
How would the mighty have fallen if this
were a true picture of Grant! But so far
are they from being capable of justly con-
ceiving or truly representing the hero of
Vicksbarg. that they cannot even do just,
ice to Mr.. Stanton. Mr.. Stanton will stand
kicking, and with great, meekness, too, |
have heard; but it is, nevertheless, very
unjust to him to suppose that he likes it, as
they would have us believe. His own let
,, ter shows, indeed, that he would not haYe
left the War Department except for the
" force" applied to him by Grant, and that
he did not relish the part taken by Grant
in turning him out.
1 wish could believe that the desperate
junto, who, not satisfied with exercising
the whole powers of Congress when they
are but fragment of that body, have us
urped the Executive functions and super
seded the, Judiciary, would forego their
revolutionary designs in Difference to the
rebuke they have already received. But
they are conspirators against popular gov
ernment. They have kept up the howl
about the rebellion long since suppressed.
and affected so much horror lest the gov
ernment should fall into the hands of the
rebels only to cover their design to destroy
the government altogether, and substitute
for it military despotism. To this end
they sent their emissaries to the South to
create the riots which formed the preUeXtS
for setting up the military governments
now established there, and they are secret
ly organizing military forces all over the
country, and will not long want
pretexts to set up similar govern
ments throug hout the land. They foresaw
that the time would come when their prot1i-
gate waste of the public money, and their
blood-sucking system eof banks and tariffs,
through which they have conciliated the
Northern aristocracy to their schemes.
would turn the Northern people against
them. That time has come, and therefore
4he isame reason exists for disfranchising
the North which induced them to dsfran-
chise the South. The philanthropic preteXt
upon which they subverted the popular
governments set up at the South under the
auspices of Lincoln should deceive no in
telligent man. Unless you can believe that
Louis Napoleon perjured himself; subvert-
ed the Republic; prescribed, eXiled, and
executed his political opponents tor philan-
thropic motives, you cannot believe that
the Radicals subverted the government of
the white man at the South, and substituted
that of the negro, supported and directed
by the military, for pure philanthropy,
and not in the interests of their unholy
ambition. Men do not perjure them
selves and subvert constitutional govern
meut out of philanthropy. Nothing but
the lust of power induces such crimes The
negroes themselves ought to see that these
men seek only to make them instruments
of their tyranny over both races when they
see them openly disregarding their oaths
to support the Constitution. If they were
fit to share in the conduct of free govern
ment, they would know that men who sac
rificed its Constitution cannot be the
friends of popular government in any
sense, or of any portion of the people, for it is
only by adherence to that great charter of
freedom that any man, black or white, can
be secure in his person or property. Those
who disregard such sacred obligations can
no more be called philanthropistS than
those who disregard the Holy Scriptures
can be called Christians.
| cannot detain you now to go further
into the scope of the plot or the modes of
procedure which the plotCers mean to pur-
sue. They contemplate the subversion OF
the Government, and they have supplied
themselves literally with the appliances of
force, in secretly armed and organized
bands. to withstand the popular will and
continue themselves in power Independent
of it.
Some of the wisest men of the country
suppose that they will stop short at the
command of the people; that though the
leaders of the Thad. Stevens type would
would quail. l hope it may be so, but yet
l fear they are mistaken. The so-called
Conservatives have no better principles
than the uitras; they first hung back and
then went forward for the same motive
to wit, power; and if they now think they
can secure it only by wading in deeper,
they will still go on. Having abjured the
Constitution. have they any principle
to sacrifice in going as far as Stevens
goes? The recent elections demonstrate
that they can only retain power by apply
ing the same despotism to the North which
they have so remorselessly and cruelty put
upon the South. They are hunting for a
preteXt and are ready to seize upon the
| baldest to proceed to impeachment, in or
der to possess themselves of uncontrolled
| military power with this purpose. 1t is
| only because this power is necessary to this
| purpose, and they contemplate using it to
carry it into effect, that the leaders have
| insisted so strenuously upon impeachment.
Let every patriot brand this detestable con-
spiracy as it deserves, but let us give no
preteXt for the violence meditated. Let us
call down the Indignation of the country
upon these conspirators for their violations
| of the Constitution, and for the revolu-
tionary designs which they plainly have in
| view.
If New York will echo the thunders OF
the keystone and the Buckeye States, and
the old Bay State shall join in the rebuke
these wicked men may quail; but if they
succeed through insane partisanship in Sc
curing any sanction to their designs from
the people, fear the worst is not yet.
Mr.. Bair again returned thanks and bic
them all good night.
At the conclusion of Judge Blair's re-
marks, the crowd gave him three cheers
and then quietly dispersed to their homes
GEN. Pope has ordered that Capt. Morris