The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-20
Poor Frank {!

cratic nominee for Vice PTesldent, anu tue
notoriously delicate health OF eX Governor
Seymour renders probable his early accession
10 the Presidency in the most improbable
contingency of his party triumphing in the
anproaebine election. His opinions, delibe-
rately expressed, on the gravest question
now demanding the attention of our ooun-
trymen were given to the public with ex-
press reference to his own nomination for the
Presidency. He virtually said to the Conven-
tion, "Here is the sort OF man you will find in
Frank Blair; this is the way he would deal
with the problem of reconstruction:-lt you
would have it so dealt with l am your man."
The Convention nominated him, not merely
in view of this letter. but emPhatically be-
cause of this letter:-and the unchanged Rebel
organs at the South are now quoting and ex-
nlting over it as their strong reason for sup
porting the Tammany ticket. 1t is the key
note of their canvass. Hence the Importance
widely attached to it.
The World is troubled by this letter. 1t
badly wants to have its ticket regarded as
Conservative; while here is its second caudi-
dats's letter of the most Jaoobinic and revolu-
fiouary type-not an old letter, hunted up to
AZ ny him by its untimely "reminiscences; not
a I,.vate letter. betrayed by some friendly in
q Sc elton; but fresh, deliberate letter, writ
ten for the public, and first printed in the
W. 'd-written for the Convention expressly
70 mmend the writer to its favor-as it evil
u
poI explained away
TIE World tries to set back fre-or rather
to Tlise a smoke-by talking of one Gresley,
wl.o has been (and is) an advocate of univer-
sal amnesty and impartial sutfrage-who chose
to lphasiZe his convictions at the moment
Whe. to do so was 70 preclude his own election
to IL United States Senate, which others said
had t SO Ieen certain who defed caution, aud
ale a,ed friends by signing the bail-bond of
Jefferson Davis, etc. etc. This the World
pleals as an offset to B airs JacObinism.
Dr who objects to Blair that he would be
me al to those who have been Rebels Who
has assailed him as an advocate of Universal
An sty 4? Look again at his programme, az
OH ilally put forth by the IVorid;-
"Ihere is but one way to restore the Govern
men and the Constitution: anu that is for the
Pre- ienreect to declare In Sc (RecOnstruc-
tiDil acts nul aud void, compel the army to
and It's usurpatiOns at the South, dsperse the
CIR o. bag STATE Governments. allow the white
o. OplG to reOigAulZ5 their own govern ments,
:tud iect Senators and Representatives,. The
HC' Of Reprrsenta'iv ives will contain q ma
io'l j. of Democrats from the North, and they
W. admit the representatives. elected by the
TLItc people OF the SOUTH and with the CO.
OpeT .tlon of the President, IL VIII not be diff
cult 10 compel tn" nate to submit once more
10 iue obligations of The Constitution. 1t Will
TOT be able to Withstand the pubic Judgment
il & stinctly invoked aud clearly expressed on
1nis fundamental issue; and it is he sure way
10 avoid all future strife TO put this issue plainly
10 tue country"
put this issue p'ainty to the country" He
deems this 'the sure way to avoid all future
strife" He, therefore, natures his pro-
gramme; the World prints it; the Democratic
Convention adopts it, by nominating its
author. If the American people want that
programme executed, they will of course elect
that author There is the whole case in nut
she'll and we are willing to submit 1t on the
instant and without further argument.
The HOTLT. nDabla to Vindicata Blair'S mani
festo, essays the safer task of misrepresenting
Greeley, whose position it thus caricatures:-
"His creed habi ually condensed by himself
into the breVlty OF a motto, was Universal
Amnesty and Impartial Suffrage He remOn-
Strated with great force OF argument and head
strong fervor against the 1mpolcy, and wnat he
then regarded as the futility of excluding the
leading citizens of the South from active par
ticipalion in the politics of their section. Hs
did rot think II essential that all the negroes
should vote, but only such part or tnem as
should be found to possess reasonable quallnca-
tions of intelligence" ...
Mr.. Greeley did not, and does not, believe
that men should be disfranchised to-day
merely because they were Rebels years ago.
All he requires is, that they shall now be
hearty Unionists, loyal to their country aud to
Republican liberty. But if the Ku-Klux
Klan, the asssssins of AshburD, the system
attic burners of school houses for blacks, and
those who, according to her Constitutional
Convention, have made Texas PandemOnium
of murder whenever the presence OF a Cop
perhead as Military Commander rendered the
homicide of Unionists a safe amusement, are
to be- enfranchsed at once, without conditio on
or qualification, it will be on some other
motion than that of Mr. Greeley He would
gladly blot out all remembrance of bygOne
Rebellion, provided those who are to be am
nestled will cease to act as malignant, rancor-
GUS Rebels.
As to suffrage, the World deliberately
and wilfully misrepresents Mr.. Greeley. He
never favored universal sutfrage-that Is,
suffrage without qualification or restriction
He would prefer that light pOll-taX should
be assessed upon every sane adult male citi
zen, and make the tax-list of any election dis
trict its registry of legal voters. But he utterly
condemns and protests against any dscrim-
nation based on color, and insists that nothing
shall disquality black that does not equally
disquality white. II there are TO bl
REASONABLE qualifications of intelligence" (;
very slippery tes), they should apply II
crimipation, it should favor those VIII
cannot read simply because to teach then
was, in their youth, crime against tn
State.
The World seeks to deduoe from its falls
premises conclusions absolutely mOnstrou:
II asks:--
"With what consistency can he (Greeley) dt
nounce as revolutionary an attempt 10 una
what, IN his OPT ION, ought never TO nave bee
done? In his opinion, tue Acknowledgement {
the leading Sou hern whites was an unWise an
reversal? 10 his opininn, the security OF TN
negro race did not require that all of ther
should vote; but only those who are qualified
why then should he regard as n calamity TN
prospect OF restoring things to the basis WhiC