Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-08-05
Gcn nlair,s letter of Acceptance.

GENERAL-I take the earliest opportunity
of replying to you letter, notifying ME OF my
nomination for Vice Pre- ,idcut OF the United
States by the National Democratic Coiiveli-
ton. recently held in the City Of New 1orF'
| accept without hesitation the nomination
rendered in u manner SO gratifying, and give
you and the committee my thanks ior the
very kind and complimentary language In
which YOU have conveyed to me the declslon
Of the Convention.
l lhaye carefully read the resolutions adopt
ed by the Convention, and most cordially con-
cur in every principle and sentiment they az
nonncc.
Nv opinion upon all Of the questions which
discriminate the great contending parties have
been freely expressed on all suitable occa-
siops, and do not deem it necessary al thls
time 10 reiterate them.
The issues upon which the contest turns
are clear, and cannot be o5scured OR dlstort-
ed by the sophistries of our adversaries. They
all resolve themselves into the old and ever
renewing struggle of few men to absorb the
political power of the natiou. This. effort
under every conceivable name. and disguise,
has always characterized the opponents OF
the Democratic party, but at no time has the
attempt assumed shape so open nrd daring
as in this contest. The sdyersarieS OF ire;
and constitutional government. in defiance OF
the express language of the constitution, have
erected a military despotism in ten oi the
States of the Union, have taken from the
President the powers vested in him by the
supreme law, and have deprived the Supreme
Court of its Jurisdiction. The right Of trial
by Jury, aud the great writ of right, the la
beas corpus-shields of safety for every citi
zen. and which have descended 10 US from
the earliest traditions If our ancestors, and
which our Revolutionary fathers sought to SC.
cure 10 their poserity forever in the funda-
mental character Of our liberties-have been
'ruthlcssly trampled under foot by the trag'
mcnt of Congress. Whole States anl com'
munities of people of our own race have been
attaintcd, convicted, condemned, and.deprlv-
ed of their rights as citizens without present
ment, ur trial, or witnesses, but by congress
sional enactment of er post facto laws and in
defiance of the constitutional prohibition de-
nyinc even to full and legal Congress the
authority to pass any bill Of attainder or &c
post tacto law. The same usurping authority
has substituted as electors in place of the men
of our own race, thus illegally attainted and
dsfranchiscd, host OF ignorant negroes,
who are supported in idleness with thepubhc
money, and combined together to strip the
white race of their trthright, through the
management of Freedmen's Bureaus and the
emissarics Of conspirators in other Statea;
and, to complete the oppression, the military
power of the nation has been placed at their
disposal, in order to make this Joarbarism su-
preme.
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.y year, and whom they have selected
a. ;heir Candidate to shield themselves from
tie rcsull Of their own wickedness end crime,
has anuourced his acceptance Of the nomi0a-
,pn, aud lis willingness to maintain their
usurpa lions over eight millions OF whits peo-
pie at the South, fixed to the earth with his
bayonets. Heexclaims: "Let US have peace" !"
Peace reigns in Warsaw" was the announce.
ment which heralded the doom of the Liberties
of nation. "The Empire is peace" ex-
claimed Bonaparte, when freedom and its de-
tenders expired under the sharp edge CT 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 people condemn
ing the Reconstruction acts, already pronounc-
ed in the elections Of last year, and which
will, am CO vinced, he stilmore empbati-
cally expressed by the election of the Demo
cratic candidate as The President of the Unit
ed States, are denounced as revolulionists By
the par,isans of this vindlctivc Congress. Ne
gro suffrage, which tho popular vote of New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Mich
igan, Connecticut and other States have con-
demned as expressly against the letter of the
constitution, must stand, because their sena-
tors and representatives have wflled 1t. If
the people Shall again condemn these atroci-
Gus measures by the election of the Democrat
ic candidate for the President, they mustno
be disturbed, although decided 10 be uncon
stitutional by the Supreme Court, and although
the President is sworn to maintain and sup
port the constitution. The will Of fraction
ofa Congress-, reinforced with its partisan
emissaries sent to the South ard supported
there by the soldiery, must stand against the
will of the people and the decision Of the
Supreme Court, and the solemn oath Of the
President 10 maintain and support the consti-
tuition.
1t is revolutionary to execute the will Of
the people! 1t is revolutionary to execute the
Judgment of the Supreme Court 1t is revo-
lutiouary in the Presidens to keep inviolate-
his oath to sustain the constitution! This
false construction of the vital principle of our
government is the last resort of those who
would have their arbitrary reconstruction
way and supercede our time-honored institu-
tions The nation will say the constitution
must be restored, and the will of tho people
again prevail. The appeal to the peaceful
ballot to attain this end is not war, is not
revolution. They make wa- and revolution
who attempt to arrest this quiet mode CT put
ting aside military despotism and the usur-
pations of fragment Of Congress, asserting
absolute power over that benign system OF
regulated liberty left us by our fathers. This
must be allowed to take its course. This IS
the only rogd to peace. 1t will come with
the election of the Democratic candidate, and
not with the election Of that mailed warrior,
whose bayoucts are now at the throat of
eight millions cf people in the South, to com
pei them to support him as candidate for
The Presidency, and to submit to the domina--
ton of an alien race of semi-barbarous men.
No perversion of truth o. andacity of mis-
representation can exceed that which halls
this candidate in arms as an angel of peace.
am, very respectfully,
Your most obedient servant,
FBANK P. BLAIR.
@ Leavenworth hello an immense meet
ing for Seymour and Blair Saturday mig ht.
Hiram U. GRAFT passed through the town the
day hefore, and only the postmaster was so
nnnr an 70 dn hin, rerarnnce