The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-07-16
WHATDID THE BUSINESS.
Frank Blair Proposes to undo Re-
.cOnstruo ION with the BaI Ionct.
A DBLARE r
An Extraordinary Bid for tho
Democratic NOmin alton. -
WASHINGTON, juno 80.

Democratic N0,nin alton. Y
WASHINGTON, June 80.
" Colonel James O. Broddhead; o |
M"DEAH CotoNEn:-in reply to
your inquiries i beg leave TO say
that ! leave You Ia. determine, or
consultation With my friends from
Missouri, whether my name shall
be presented to the Democratic
Convention, and to submit the fol
lowing, as what / consider the real
and only issue in this contest,
"The reconstruction policy Of
the radicals will be complete be-
fore the next election; the States so
long excluded will have been adj
mitted; negro suffrage established,
and the carpet, baggers installed in
their scats in both branches OF
Congress. There is no possibility
of changing the political character
of the Senate, even ifthe Demo
Gratis should elect their President
and a majority of the popular
branch of Congress. We caanot,
therefore, undo tho radical plan Of
reconstruction by Congressional
action; the Senate will continue o
bar to'its repeal. Must we submit
to it2 How can it bo overthrown2
1t, can only be overthrowp by the
authority of the Executive, who is
sworn to maintain tho Constitu-
ltjon. nUd- wJbo.NIL foilIn do his. DO
perish under series of Congress,
sional enactmonts, which arc in
palpablc violation Of its fundamen-
tai principles. v9r aga
"1f the President, elected by the
Democracy, enforccs, or permits
others 10 enforce these reconStruc.
tion acts, tho Radicals, by the ac-
cossiOn of twenty spurious Sena-
tors and fifty Representatives, will
control both branches of Congress,
and his administration will be as
powerless as tho present one Of
Mr.. johnson. I,mUo. e0I ,
ad"Thcre is but one way to restore
tho government and the Constitu-
ton, and that is for the President.
elect to declare these acts null and
void, compel the army to undo its
usurpations at the South, dispense
tho carpet bag State governments,
allow tho white people to rcorgan-
ize their own governments and
Representatives. Tho House Of
Representatives will contain ma
jority of Democrats from the North
and they will admit the Represen- :
tativos elected by tho whito peo.
Iple Of tho South and with tho co.
operation of tho President it will
not DO difficult to Compol the Sen.
alto to submit once moro to tho OBJ
legations OF the Constitution. 1t
will not bo able TO Withstand the
public Judgment, if distinctly in,
vokod and clearly expressed on
this Fundamental issue, and tits the
suro way 10 avoid all future strife
to put this issue plainly to the
country. u s''"'7'' u 'l' ,I
~ repeat that this is tho real
and only question which we should
allow TO control us: Shall we sub,
init to the usurpations By which the
government has been ovcrthrown,
or shall We exert ourselves for Its
full and complete restoration? 1t
is idle to talk of bonds, grcenbacks,
gold, tho public fnith and the pub,
lie credit. What can a Democrat.
ic 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 powerlcss to stop the sup.
plies by which tho idle negroes are
organized into political clubs--by
which an army is maintained to
protect these vagabonds in their
outragcs upon the ballot. These
and things like these cat up. tho
revenues and resources of the Gov.
ernment, and destroy its credit,
make the difference between gold
and grcenbacks. We must restore
the constitution before we can rc
store tho finances; and TO do this
We must have President who
will execute the will Of tho people
by tramplins into dust the usurpa.
tions of Congress, known as tho
Recoustruction acts. l wish to
stand before tho Convention upon
this issue, but it is ono which en-.
braces every thing else that is of
value in its large and comprehen.
sive results. 1t is tho one thing
that includes all that is worth a
contest, and without it there is
nothing that gives dignity, or value
to tho struggle. n .rr ,.,.
Your friend, FRANK P BLAIR.
Cut This Out---Preserve 1t.
Al ~