The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-07-29
Letter of General Blair Accepting the
Democratic Nomination for the Vice
Presidency.


The following is a copy of General
Blair's letter of acceptance of the
Democratic nomination for Vice Pres
ident. It is q most able document:
General George W. Morgan, Chairman OF the Com
mittee er the National Democratic Convention:
GENERAL: I take the earliest op-
portunity of replying to your letterno-
tifying me of my nomination for Vice
President of the United States by the
Democratic Convention recently held
in the City of New York. .-'
Iaccept without hesitation the NOM
ination rendered in a manner so graf
flying, and give you and the Commit
tee my thanks for the very kind and
complimentary language in which
you have conveyed to me the decision
of the Convention.
1 have carefully read the resolutions
adopted by the Convention, and most
cordially concur in every principle
and sentiment they announce.
My opinion upon all the questions
which discriminate the great contend
ing parties have been freely expressed
on ali suitable occasions, and do not
deem it necessary at this time to reit-
crate them. ......
The issues upon which the contest
turns are clear and cannot be OBJ
scured or distorted by the sophistries
Of our adversaries. They all resolve
themselves into the old and ever re-
cIrring struggle of a few men to alb
sOrb the political power of the nation.
This effort under every conceivable
name and disguise has always char
acterized the opponents of the Demo-
cratic party, but at no time has the
attempt assumed a phase so open and
daring as in this contest. The adVer-
saries of free and constitutional Gov
ernment, in. defiance of the express
language of the Constitution, have
erected military despotism in ten of
the States of the Union, have taken
from the President the power vested
in him by the supreme law, and have
deprived the Supreme Court of its
jurisdiction. The right of trial by
jury, and the great writ of right, the
every citizen, which have descended
to US from the earliest traditions of
our ancestors, and which our revolu-
tionary fathers sought to secure to
their pOsterity forever in the funda-
| mental charter of our liberties-have
been ruthlessly trampled under foot
by the fragment of a Congress; whole
States and comm unities of people of
our race have been attainted, convic-
| ted, condemned, and deprived of their
rights as citizens, without present
ment or trial or witnesses, but by Con-
| greSsionaI enactment of er post .fdcto
laws, and in defiance of the constitu-
tional prohibition, denying even to a
full and loyal Congress the authority
to pass any bill of attainder or cT posi-
.tactO law. The same usurping au-
thority has substituted as electors in
place of the men of our own race,
thus illegally attainted and disfran
chised, host Of ignorant negroes are
supported in idleness with the public
| money, and are combined together to
| strip the white race of their birth.
right through the management OF
! Freedmen's bureaux and emissaries OF
conspirators in other States. And to
complete the oppression, the military
power of the nation has been placed
at their disposal in order to make this
barbarism supreme.
The military leader, under whose
prestige this usurping Congress has
taken refuge-since the condemnation
of their schemes-by the free people
Of the North, in the elections of the
last year, and when they have selec
ted as their candidate, to shield them
selves from the result of their OWE
wickedness and crime, has announced
his acceptance of the nomination. and
his Willingness to maintain their usur
pations over eight millions of white
people at the South, fixed to the earth
with his bayonets. He exclaims-
"Let US have peace - peace reign.
in Warsaw was the announcement
which heralded the doom of the lib
critics Of nation. "The empire j.
! peace" exclaimed Bonaparte wheI
FIRE edom and its defenders expired un
der the Sharp edge of his sword. The
peace to which Grant invites us is the
peace of despotism and death. Those
who seek to restore the Constitution
by executing the will of the peopl,
condemning the reconstruction acts
already pronounced in the elections o
last year land which will, 1 am con
vincetl, be still more emphatically e1
: pressed by the election of the Demo
cratic candidate as President of thu
United States are denounced as revo
lutionists by the partisans of this vim,
dictive Congress. Negro suffrag
. (which the popular vote Of New York
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Michigan, Connecticut, and othe
States has condemned as expressly
against the letter Of the Constitution
: must stand, because their Senator
and Representative have willed it
If the people shall again condemn
these atrocious measures by the elec
tion of the Democratic candidate 70
President, they must not be disturbed
+ Although decided to be unconstitu
| tional by the Supreme Court, and al
: though the President is sworn t
! maintain and support the Constitu
ton, the will of a fraction Of a Con
gress, reinforced with lis partisan EN-
!, issaries sent TO the South, and SUP
ported there by the soldiery, mus
stand against the will of the peopl
/. and the decisions of the Suprem
Court aud the solemn oath of tn
: President to maintain and support til
: Constitution 1t is revolutionary
: execute the will of the, peoplol It-i
I revolutionary to, execute the judg
7 ment of the Supreme. Court ! 1t
: revolutionary in the President to kee