The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-10-28
GENERAL c BLAIR!
HIS SPEECH AT CHICAGO.


LFrom the Times, October, 2G.l
General Blair began by referring to
the monstrous claim set up by the
Radical party that they are the party
of great moral ideas and of progress,
and proposed to review their acts in
the administration of the Government
by the light of this arrogant claim.
He had been denounced for some of
the views that he had taken in refer
ence to these measures, and especially
for declaring them unconstitutional
and null and void. For these views
he had been denounced as a revolu-
zionist. C'That's so."1 As one of the
Democratic candidate he desired to re-
pei that allegation, 1t was the duty of
the President to trampIe these laws
in the dust, because they were uncon-
sttutionsl and had been declared so
by The Su'Jreme Court. But he did
not mean TO sag that any armed force
tUollLd be necessary for this purpose
The Constitution 41ds supreme, and no
Lat0 that i,lfringed it could stand. The
| Supreme Court was established to try
the validity of all acts of Congress,
| and, 1t having declared the measure
unconstitutional, 1T was the Presidents
duty to prevent the execution of them.
One instance of unconstitutiCnality
on the part of the Government was
the case of NIilligan and Bowles, in
| the neighboring State of Indiana, the
proceedings in which were set aside
| by the Supreme Court. These recon-
! structiOn acts were precisely similar
| to that case in form and essence. At
| Vicksburg, AN editor who had written
| disrespectfullY of military court 4;
and when the case was appealed to
the Supreme Court, Congress passed
an act taking away the power of the
| court to review such cases.
| All the acts of the Radicals pointed
towards despotic power. In speech
| he General Blair) lately made, in
the city in which he lived, he said he
believed that General Grant would
use the Presidential Office as a step
ping stone to permanent despOtiC
power, and that he would never leave
| the White House while he lived
Some man had reported him as say
ing that General Grant would be as
sassinated. The meaning of what he
actually said was, that General Grant
would assassinate the liberties Of the
country. (Cheers.) Four years more
would not roll over our heads, il
Grant was elected, before military
rule would be established all over the
country. ("We won't let him do it" ~
| He had seen military deSpOtlSm eS-
tabIished all over these States. Even
the last Presidential election was car
ried by the bayonet in the doubtful
States. Newspapers were seized and
destroyed, and the rights of the citi-
zens invaded. These men had famil-
iarized themselves with the idea OF
governing by the bayonet. If, with
these examples before them, MAORI
ty of the people could be found to
vote for Grant as President, the day
had passed when any resistance could
be made to that system of govern.
ment. If the Democratic party failed
in this election, the republic would
| fail with them. We were now in the
last struggle to defend and maintain
the free Constitution established by
our ancestors, (Cheers.)
Three cheers were given for General
Blair at the close of his speech.