Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-09-18

] platform. by the oeleoslona OF seymour
you determine just tho opposite of all tho
things wa have done; aud the State Gov.
ernments erected In the South shall be
overturned. By his election. web deter
mine in favor ofirevoluiiop; we determine
in favor Of undeng all that has been done;
we determine Ia favor of making war the
chronic condition of this country. We
shall have no united people, but we shall
be 0 people forever at war among them
selves (which will certainly resul, in their
hnal destruction. yllai 1f4df t4 asti
'Thir, my friends, IL the only issue pre-
sented, and l submit IL TO the Democrats
~ we'll as,the Republicans, for they have
one interest in this country. They have
Just rs much interest in tho peace and
unity of tho,iiepublie as wa have, and /
Submit 10 their consideration, the true
questions to beldoeided. Nov, in their
I platform, upon which stand Mr.. Seymour
and General Blair as candidates, they de-
olaro tho. demonstration laws unconsti-
tutioDal, revolutionary and void. Ifyou
consider the full purport Of that language
that the reco nstruction laws of Congress
are Unconstitutional, revolutionary, null
and yoid---you will see that in their view
nobody is bound to obey them. 1t is right
! for men to resist them--that Is TO say, give
every support to the doctrines inculcated
in the declaration that they are unconsti-
tutional and void. Therefore these people
are not bound TO standl by them or yield
them any obedience. The colored man
who hashis rights guaranteed shall be de-
lpriyed Of all protection. This is the dec-
laration Of the New York platform. 1t
declares unconstitutional these laws Of re.
construction, and says that these State
Governments shall not be maintained, and
would restore this power to the rebels
themselves. In a word, it is the loss of
ALI we have done. The men that Wayne
county lost in those rebel States are to be
lost in vain. The Eve Thousand millions
of dollars we have spent to put down this
rebellion are to be in vain. If this one
cause be gone, allsis lost. Itwere ten
thousand times better that at the begin
ming we had said as the Democratic lead
ers said "Go 10 peace" aud permitted
them to erect their Confedcracy the chief
corner stone of which was tlavery. d. ~,
We have gone through the war; We have
suffered its losses, its deaths and its fear
ful waste of treasure. Millions of house.
holds have been made sad. Millions Of
hearts have been made to bleed; and we
are now in n position to lose all, If We
shall fail IN this selection.
FRANK BLAIR's LETTER
1 But there is still more significant
declaration than the New York platform.
talthough it means all l have said, aye, and
more than j can tell you. There Is the
declaration sof General Blair, their candi-
date for Vice President. He wrote let
ter to Col. BToadhead, and sent copies to
every delegate to that Convention. In
that letter he declared these reconstruction
acts null and void; that the State Govern
meBts were unconstitutional, and he went
on TO say how we shall get clear Of them:
.'fou cannot change the character of the
Senate Of the United States under four
/, years" This is true. Though they
might elect President aud majority of
I the House Of Representatives they could
I not get possession of the Senate for four
years., anrff - ssas a 1o
The President must trample the laws
into the dust, and must call upon the army
to overthrow what is called the carpet, bag
goyernpents OF the Southern States. l
want to 90 before the Convention upon
this policy, and upon no other. This is
the only issue, said he. All questions OF
finance, of tariff, and questions of cur.
reney, are uniipportant beside it. There
is but one great question, that is the oy-
erturning OF the policy adopted by Con-
gress, destroying those State Governments
thar have been called into existence, bring
ing the power back iuto the hauds of the
rebels, or the men who caused the loss. OF
SO much blood and treasure. General
J Blair went before the Convention upon
! that letter, and he was unanimously nom-
mated upon the first ballot, placed in nom :
ination By rebel from Keppcky, Gener-
, al Preston, the nomination Seconded by
Wade Hampton, of South Carolina, and
, every rebel in that Convention seconded
the nomination enthusiastically. This
letter Of Gen. Blair's is In accord with the
! platform Of the Democracy, upon which
, he stands to-day. 1t is the same in sub
} stance with that resolution, but more clear
, y defned, more fully adapted to the pub
! lie understanding.
TUE COMPONENT ELEMENT OF THE DEM
s.eq -i. ocRATIc PARTY. III - 50
nj Ny friends, consider for one moment
how the Democratic party is composed
what are the elements Of it. A great
party, like nan, has certain constitu
tional elements which govern its action n
Men act from the controlling elements oi
their temperaments aud dispositions, and
cannot act otherwise. so a party acts
from the constitutional elements aud char.
} sciers Of the men who compose it. ash
you TO consider briefly, who are the men
} that compose tho Democratic party. Ii
the iirst place, in the South are the mel
who conducted the rebe lion, and the mer
} who opposed the war TO put down the re-
bclion. These are the men who sympa
5 lthized with the South in the struggle, and
many going further and giving aid anc
comfort TO the enemy. Wejudge men by
> their actions, aud hold them responsible,
for what they do. When We proposed {,
. provide money during the war for tn,
: purpose of putting down the rebellion
Q we were told in Indiana, in Wayne coun-
Q lty, and everywhere else, that we had n,
e right to issue greenhacks or legal tender
; notes. Theyto you that the iye-twen-
: ftyabouds were unconstitutional, and tina
! the people would not lend their money Il
4 the q oyernment. To use the expression