The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1868-07-22
FRANK r. BLAIR, Jle.

Frank b. Blair, IT,, is selected as
the Democratic candidate for Vice
Presidency, to balance Seymour upon
the same principle that our forefath-
er. In caffslng their grain to mill,
having put the grain into one end ofa
sack, found it necessary, to keep it
from sliding of, to put u stone into
the other. Seymour, with his peace
record, is the grain, and Blair, with
his war record, is the stone. Seymour
represents the North East, and Blair
the SOUTHWEST. Seymour represents
the men who didn't fight, and Blair
represents the men who fought, but
were sorry for it. Not to leave the
figure incomplete, the ass that carries
the sack is the Democratic party.
Frank p. Blair, Jr., has record much
more national and conspicuous than
Seymour. Frank p. Blair, jr., was
born at Lexington, KY, Feb. 10,
1921, was educated at Princeton Col
lege, N. j., and removing to st. Louis,
adopted the profession of the law.
Entering upon political life, he became
leader of the Free Labor or Eman-
cipation party of Missouri. lie serv-
ed as a private in the Mexican war.
In lS48 he sustained Van Buren, and
the Free Soil party, opposing the ex-
tension of slavery into the Territories,
and advocating its abolition in Mis-
souri,. In 1852 he was elected from
st. Louis County to the Legislature
of Missouri as an abolitionist, re-elcc-
ted in 1854, returned to Congress in
1856, edited The Missouri Democrat,
II Radical Republican paper, and con-
tinuel in Congress until the outbreak
of the Rebellion, and was Chairman
of the Committee oa Military Affairs.
Entering the army in 1861, as Col
onel of volunteers, he was soon after
appointed a Brigadicr General by
President Lincoln. He divided his
services between Congress and the
army to the great disgust of his pres
ent political associates, who tried hard
to have him either deprived of his
seat in Congress or of his commission
in the army. He served with average
credit in some of the earlier campaigns
of Grant and Sherman, commanded a
division of McPherson's corps in May,
1862, and was appointed a Major Gen
eral late in the same year, resigning
his seat in the XXXVIIIth Con
gress to devote his entire time to the
command, but by the action Of the
House subsequently, the sect was as
assigned to his contestant, Samuel
Knox. The Democratic party stead
lily reviled him as a civilian general,
or military polimau, indebted for his
position to political iavoritism. After
McPherson's assignment to the Army
Of the Tennessee, Gen. Blair succeeded
to the command of the 18th Army
Corps, formerly McPhersons, and
continued to command it with credit
during Sherman march to the sea,
and in the subsequent march to Rich
mond. In 1866 he was appointed by
President johnson Collector of Gus
toms for the port of St. Louis. To-
ward the latter days of President Lin
coins administration the Blair family
fell into disfavor with the Republican
party, who, at their Convention in
Baltimore, requested the removal of
Montgomery Blair from the Cabi-
net. Since then Frank p. Blair and
the rest of the family have ranked as
Conservatives or "soured Radicals"
and supporters of reconstruction on
the rebel basis. The grist which the
Democratic party is carrying to the
mill is not Blair but Seymour.-Ti-
b,lne,