Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-10-01

Piercetcn, Ind, September I'd, 1sGs.
After few preliminary remarks, Mr..
Ball spoke as follows:
In his letter 10 Col. BroadlIcad, dated
June 30ih, 1865, Frank Blair says: 1T is
idle tn talk of bonds, grcenbacks, gold.
The public faith anc The public credit"
repeat that this i: the real and only
preston which we should allow To control
US. Shall we submit to the usiIrpaiions
by which the government his been over
thrown. or shall We exert ourselves To IFS
full and complete restoration.
Ialopt this part of Mr.. Blair's letter as
kind of text, or starting point, for my
remarks, and in order TO get the points
fixed upon the minds of my audience. !
will read il again.
.'Shall we submit to the usurpations by
which the Government has. beer over
thrown. or sh I'll we exert ourselves 10 lis
full and complete rcstorliionf'
There are two principal points or decla-
r,,i, ms contained in the text. They are:
rsi. The usurp1iions of Congress. md,
Tha: the Government has been ovcrilrown
and that The Democracy shall exert them
selves To It's full and complete rcstor 'iion.
These declarations of Mr.. Blair having
been made but four days before the sitting
Of the Democratic National convention at
Tammany Hall, -Vew York, it is safe TO
say. were we'll understood by the delegates
of that convention. That they coniribu-
ted largely, if not wholly to his unaaim
nomination, and that the Democratic p r
fy. i'm nominating Mr.. Blair, accepted q
indorsed the principles as enumerated ID
this letter. rs a part of their creed, d
this. says Mr.. Blair, is ''ihe real and c y
question which we should allow % con-
troll US"
Upon the first proposition The question
is asked. shall we submit TO these usurpa-
TORS? This question evidently refers 10
The acts oc Congress. as believe that Mr..
Blair agrees that his friend ''the iccidcn-
cy" in all his spirited executive acts has
committed no usurpa,ions. What is usur-
patton? Webster sells us tha, il is IAN uu.
authorized arbitrary assumption OF power,
especially as infringing on the rights of
others" Now The usurpations referred to
are either real or imaginary. If real, then
VIC arc presented with a terribly sad state
of affairs, such rs wou Id well cause The
psirio, and sage TO weep for the future
prospects of our glorious nation. Ii I'M.
aginary, then we look upon it as the
flighty conception oi the mind of an inla
nous dcmsgoguc. In the language of
Spencer,
False es rand knight,
. Infamous aud Ercsworn,
To br revealed 10y rowing ~irislt-
Who are the subjects upon whom tic
visitation OF these imaginary usurpa,ions
have fallen? Blair in his letter fails To In
form us directly upon this point; therefore
we are left 10 form our cwn conclusions,
by existing, surrounding facts. 1, is not
claimed that Congress has usurped author
iiy in the Northern States. The loyal
white population OF the Southern States
have never compiained Sf the usurpations
of Congress. The four millions of freed
people, whose clanking chains of slavery
have so recently fallen fiom their limbs,
who have so recently stepped forth from
the dark ard gloomy position of slavery,
into The bright sullight of freedom they
have never complained of usurpaiion.-
There is but one other party-the rebels oi
The South who are to- day more bold, im-
pudent and defiant than they were al the
close OF the war. Frank Blair claims thai
Congress has infringcd upon their rights.
Treating the Congressional rcconstruc-
tivn policy as an unauthorized, arbitrary
assumption of power. Mr.. Blair gives Us
his views as to where the power lies ~
reconstruct the States. lie saws, 'allow
the white people To organize tl.eir own
governments That is just what the white
people of the South did when they organ
lied the governments under the Confeder-
ale Constitution. That is what they did
when they became the most powerful or
ganizatisn of rebels on earth. To allow
them then 10 organize their own govern
mcnts as they wish, is to place them back
again under the Confederate constitution,
and BY that TO allow them to gain .sy legis
lation what they failed to accomplish by
the war--the. disruption and total over
throw oi the Union, and the reduction of
four millions of loyal negroes again TO
slavery so
1t would be singular feature in the his
tory of our constitution that our forcfath-
ers so framed that instruments that the
rebel who but recently threw off the Con-
fedefate gray, who but recently slcaihed
his sword, because compelled toby. the
overpowering armies of General Grant
who but recently washed his blood stained
hands, made so by inducing them with
the blood of Union soldiers, it would be a
singular feature say. that this instrument
so wisely framed by our patriots zlhthers,
gives the right TO the traitor to dictate
terms to the government, the right to re-
construct the States accordinI, to his own
rebellious notions, but that is an unauthor-
] lied, arbitrary assumption Of power, for q