Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-07-31
BLAIR AND THE RRBsL11oN.

ocratic eyes, than the man of New York.
An intense Abolitionist while slavery
was in its power in Missouri; a Fremont
man; a bitter opponent of the Price and
Jackson plot to carry Missouri over to
the Confederacy; a bold General in the
war against the rebellion; one of Sher-
mans Lieutenants, aud in tho saddle
until he saw Southern humiliation and
degradation. All these memorable and
praiseworthy principles and actions
ware, unfortunately for him, subordi-
nate to another, to wit, that this nation,
its institutions, its Offices, its policy,
were created for the elevation and pos
session of the Blair family. \ direct
quarrel between one of '!the family"
whose arbitrary conduct had become
too offensive to be borne, led the other
Blairs away from Repu~blicauism, and
Frank held his constancy and fidelity
to "the family" superior to all earthly
ties, and so he went Off with these. To
the Democratic party, this was really
nothing. Perhaps that party would be
justified in taking to its arms II deserter
from the opposition, if his abandonment
was caused by an honest change OF
| opinion. But when Frank Blair with
drew from the Republican party he went
selfshly, and for no other reasons than
those which were narrow, sordid n
| discrcditable. He had no fault to find
with the Republican party or its princi-
Piles. His disagreement was with mem
bers Of that party, because they would
not consent to be henchmen, obedlent
to the domineering orders Of "the
family \ detection like this is really
| worth no more, in moral value, to any
party, than the single vote which it
brings. Hence, General Blair, since his
withdrawal from Republicanism, had
subsidized into obscurity. The reason
why he became so immensely popular
| before the New York Convention was,
because he was the highest and best
| bidder for the votes Of the rebels Of the
| South and the anarchists Of the North.
| Only nine days before the meeting OF
the Convention he threw out his bait
for a nomination for the Presidency, in
the shape of n letter to a certain Col.
B~roadhead. In this epistle Gen. Blair
comes up to the question of the future
policy Of the Democratic party with an
earnestness and force which excels all
the outgivings of any statesman belong
ing to tho pa rty-unless we except
Brick Pomcroy-instructing his friend
Broadhead what he would do if he was
elected President. After speaking of
the Reconstruction Acts and their
effects, General Blair says:
There is but one way to restore the Gov
crnment and the Constitution, aud that is Tor
the President to declare these acts null and
void, compel the army to undo its usurpation
AT I1G OOuLuk ulSDGAoC khS SoAPSk oe6 ShShS
| governments, allow the white people to re-
| organize their own governments. and elect
| Senators and Representatives. The House
of Representatives will contain q majority Of
| Democrats from the North, and they will ad-
nit the Representatives elected by the white
people of the South, and, with the co-opera.
| ton of the President, it will not be difficult
to compel the Senate to submit once more to
the obligations Of the Constitution. II will
not be able to withstand the public judgment,
il distinctly invoked and clearly expressed,
on this fundamental issue, and it is the sure
way to avoid all future strife to put this issue
plainly to the country:
repeat that this is the real and only
question which we should allow to control
us, Shall we submit to the usurpations by
which the Government has been overthrow,
or shall we exert ourselves for its full and
complete restoration 1t is idle to talk Of
bonds, greenbacks, gold, the public faith, and
the public credit. What can q Democratic
President do in regard to any OF these, with
a Congress in both branches controlled by
the carpet-baggers and their allies? He will
be powerless to stop the supplies by which
idle negroes are organized into political clubs
-by which an army is maintained to protect
these yagabonds in their outrages upon the
ballot. These, and things like these, eat up
the revenues and resources Of the Govern
ment and destroy its credit, make the differ
ence between gold and greenbacks. We
must restore the Constitution before we can
restore the finances, and to do this we must
have n President who will execute the will OF
the people by trampling into dust the usur-
pations Of Congress, known as the Recon
struction Acts. I wish to stand before the
Convention upon this issue, but it is one
which embraces everything else that is OF
value in its large and comprehensive results.
It is the one thing that includes all that Is
worth a contest, and without 1t there is moth
ing that gives dignity, honor, or value to the
struggle.
General Blair, therefore, declares
himself in favor Of O new cirR Tdr, in
order to restore the ex-slayeholders to
a domination over the whole South and
tho country. 1t is ~dreadfully% inconsist-
emit in Blair, the Abolitionist, Blair,
the Yankee hireling and cut-throat,"
Blair, who fought for the niger"
throughout the war, to speak in this
manner; but among politicians the
only questions are, not what a man
said or did once, but what does he say
now, and will he be steadfast long
enough to do what he says? With q
| direct statement that if he were Presi-
dent he would resort ~ force to bring
| about civil war and q revolution, it is
no wonder that General Blair was the
strongest candidate before the Demo-
cratic Convention for the Vice Presi-
dency. 1t was no wonder that, under
the circumstances, the rebel General
Preston, of Kentucky, nominated him,
that Wade Hampton, Of South Carolina,
~"extended to him the right hand Of
friendship" that Kemper, of Virginia,
accepted and ratified it "as Il token Of
the perpetuity of this Union" that is,
Of the Union that is to be, when
the reign of the master-race in
the South is restored; that Fort
Pillow Forrest "took great pleasure in
ratifying the nomination" and General
Smith, of Texas, somewhat in braggart
style, promised that "the Confederate
soldiers of Texas, who fought through