The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-03

TUESDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 8. 1858.


GEN. BLAIR's SPEECH AT NEW YORK.
We present our readers with the following ex
tracts from Gen. Blair's speech 81 New York, on
the 9th ult, which they will find interesting:
have been srraigned, my fellow.citizens, her
and all over the country BY all the orators, great
and smsl Of this Radical party. for certain expires
sioDs OF opinion which fell from me some time ago
in reference 10 the reconstruction acts. declared
that in my opinion they were unconstitutional and
therefore null and void. Applause and Bully for
you.") For this saying, my fellow citizens. tor
holding and expressing this opinion, have been
held up to my connirymen as revolusionist and
one ready TO renew the rebellion. Now il is a
received doctrine and has been the undensd doc
trne OF al persons in this country. far back as
my memory goes. that any law 10 violation of the
Consii uiion was null and void. A voice-"That's
SOY Nobody denies this. You cannot find even
the hardest IF these Radicals who will deny that
proposition, naked and simple that If unconst-
tutional they are null and void that Congress has
no more power to pass a law In violation OF the
Constitution than the same number Of gentlemen
selected out of this assembly and sitting ia this
hall. (Applause.) If that be true, then, the ques.
ton to be inquire of before am set down as a
revolutionst is. whether these acts are unconsti-
tuiional or not? whether they are in derogation
of the Constitution or not? / contend that they
are, and think can prove to you not only
tfat they are pslpsbly SO upon their face, but
that the Radicals themselves confess them to be
by their acts and that the supreme court Of the
United States has decided the principles of those
acts to be unconstitutional in several cases
brought before the court. Now, In the first place,
it would seem to me preposterous to argue the
question that this establishing of military des-
potism in the South is not an unconstitutional act.
Where do they get the authority to make mill
tary oespotism TO supersede the civil governments
in the States and in their place to put military
despotism, an arbitrary military authority! Where
do they find il in the Constitution? Well. my fell
ow citizens, there are some Of them silly enough
to say that they have this right under that clause
Of the Constitution which says, "The government
of the United States shall guarantee republican
forms of government to each of the States 10 the
Union" should think if anything were neces-
ssry in addition to the palpabie violation Of the
Constitution in erecting military despOtism. that
the argument used In favor Of it would suffice to
supply all other proof that it was unconstitutional
The idea that Congress can, under the clause
authorizing the government 10 guarantee republic
can forms Of government, establish military des-
potism, they can go forward and do the thing
which is Numerically opposite to the thing that
they were required to do. A man might as well con-
tend that when they are required by the Constitu.
ton TO guarantee republican forms of government
they can set up monarchy. What Is the differ
eDce between a monarchy and military des-
potism. except in its duration, Perhaps the mill
tary despotism is the most arbitrary form Of des-
potism of the two, but probably the monarchy
would be of longer duration. The argument which
they use shows it to be OF longer duration. say,
my fellow.citZens not only are these acts in
palpsbe violation Of the Consultation, but they
are admitted TO be so by themselves, and have
been declared 10 be SO by the Supreme Court of
the United States. They say / am exceedingly
leIient 10 all these rebels, and want them all par
doned. II ia not So am willing that the gov
eminent should come forward aud prosecute le-
gslly, under the existing laws, any of them who
are dangerous 10 the republic, or have offended,
aId if they ind them guilty that they should be
punished. would like to see man by the name
of Edwin NJ. Stanton (hisses) tried under these
laws, and in his case think would undertake
the prose myself, Qaughter,) and | think
could prove that when he was cabinet officer under
President Buchanan, receiving salary from the
govern ment, and with the oath TO maintain the
Constitution still on bis lips, he met one Albert
Gallatn Brown, Of Mississippi, who was coming
out in obedience to a call of the government of
his State to fight against the government of the
United States, and he said: "Mr. Brown, go
home r; be with your people; stand by them.
and | think l can promise you that these black
Abolitiopists of the North will concede every
thing you demand" Now, here was man, an
officer under the government, going to a man who
declaring his Intention Of kinding war
against the United States, and patting him on the
back and telling him il would be ssuccess. (aisses
and laughter) On another indictment / woulf
prove that be became secretary OF war, and that
in the fortunes of this war thousands upon thou
sands Of cur soldiers fell into the hands of the
rebels captured unless the Southern government
sgreed to exchange also the negroes they had
taken. More than that, men at the South actually
came forward and offered 10 give US our wounded
who were in their hands without any compensa-
ton or exchange whatever but he refusedit, ami
then they asked that our government would pro
vide medicine and food and supplies for those
wounded men, and Edwin NJ Stanton refused that
also. (Hisses) Now, If any of those soldiers
were on this Jury against Stanton what do you
u0nld ha fhair vqrdietf (Vaiaaa-
Guilty guilty! guiltypo In the two cases
there is this difference, however-there is law
standing which prevents the bringing OF any suit
against Mr.. Stanton or any indictment against
him. and If that were laid aside would like to see
this case tried. If you recollect this man Alex
ander Stephens was imprisoned and thrown into
Fort Warren and Stanton turned the key Oh
him. should like to see on which side Of
the door the traitor stood when Stanton turned
that key on him. (Appause.) In these remarks
have tried to show the effects of this bill of at
tsinder, and will say that under 1t trial might
also be had OF this man Butler (uprosrioas shouts
of spoons" spoons" and sughter)-on this
snit. But am opposed TO this principle or method
Of Trying and coDdemning our citizens, because It
is Unconstitutional and because If a man can be
punished by legislative enactment then no man,
woman or child is safe. There Is nothing to in
tervene and shield us from malice If our enemies
are in power, If by legislative enactment men can
be punished in this way and attainted. ! should
be against it even in the case of Stanton, whom |
regard as the greatest felon in America. | would
not have il done in this case, because would NOT
strip myself and fellow-ctizens of that shield
which che Constitution guarantees TO Us, and
which inhbits any man from being punished with
out fair and impartial trial, according to the
law as il existed at the time OF its commission be-
fore jury of his connirymen. For this reason
my fellow Citizens have gone to this extent in
illustrating 10 these cases. This reconstruction
bill is unconstitutional, because IL Furnishes by dis
francbisemeDt more than three hundred thousand
white men st the South, and that principle has
been declared in the cases which have mentioned
to you. But if it be the case that these laws
are palpsbly in violation OF the Constitution
and confessed 10 be go by the Radicals them
selves and prevented the courts from deciding a
case which came mp before It under the law it
self, and shown to be so by the two cases have
mentioned, then, | ask you, who is the reyou-
tieDist? Those who held that these laws were
null and void and think they should not be exc
cuted, or those who have passed these laws 10
oerogstion Of the Constitution and put them in
execution ia defiance Of the will Of the people and
of the pledges Of the United States to the people
under the Constitution, and is not upheld by the
Supreme Court itself? Are not the revolu.iooists
the malefaeors and is it not the greatest piece
of sudscity and mendacily to turn around and
charge us, who desire 20 maintain the Co1stit1.
ficn with being the TeyOlu,iOnists. when they