The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-21

Letter from General BlRir-The Meaning of
the Brodhead Letter Explained.
The following letter has just made its appearance
in the Lafayette und.) Courier:-
FORT SANDERS WYOMING TERRIroRY,l
To Mr.. JAMES HowEs, Lafayette, md -
DEAR SIR.I have received your letter in which
you ask me II would endeavor to have the consti-
Supreme Court before proceeding to treat them as
null and void in answer say that the vital prin-
cipe OF the reconstruction acts has already been
decided to be UNCONSTITUTIONAL null and void by the
Supreme Court, the whole Bench concurring In the
case OF Miligsn and Bowes, which went up nom the
In that case i was decided in tho plain language
of the constitution, that the government could
try citizen by military commission Or court
martial. The reconstruction acts, so-callcd stand
on martial law and nothing eise It Is the essence
Of these acts. They were prepared and put in exc
unanimous dlcison Of the Supreme Court, to which
have referred and they and all that has been done
under them are null and Void
A case was made under these acts-the case OF
Court and i II we'll That te o sf
was ready to declare these acts unconstitutional,
when Congress passed another act to deprive tho
Supreme Court OF its Jurisdiction, and openly
attempted TO fntimidae the judges by threats OF re-
modelling the court.
The Supreme Court, In another case-that OF Cum
mings, OF Mssouri-decided that the disfranchise-
ment OF the white people Of the Southern States by
sa post acso law. both Of which were forbidden IN IN
express terms by the constitution. Even the radi-
Gals admit In their Chicago platform. that the States
alone have the right to decide who shall be entitled
to suffrage within the States and yet Congress has
assumed to take the right from the white people and
give IL to the negroes within the Southern States
The reconstruction acts violate the constitution
In all these particulars, and it has been
already SO decided by the Supreme Court.
The constitution says the military shall always
be subordinate to the civil authority but these acts
have superseded all civil authority, and erected
military governments at the South. Do you want
decision OF the Supreme Court to show that this Is
unconstitutionap Arc those who say that the mill
tary Is subordinate 10 the civil authority revolution
trial by Jury, which has been suppressed IN the
South by the reconstruction acts, revoutiOnists7
Are those who claim the benefit OF the great writ Of
right the habeas corpus, which IL denied to eight
millions OF our people by the Infamous reconstruc-
ton acts, TO be branded as revolutionstsg
Shall we be called revoluti0nists because we pro-
claim In the very language OF the constitution, that
Congress shall pass no bill OF attandcr or e post
Jodto lawa or shall VIC be thus branded for
claiming what the constitution comedies in
express words-that the States shall regulate
suffrage for themselves Do we want more deci-
sions OF the Supreme Court on these points The
truth Is that the radicals the real revoutlonsts
and have subverted the fundamental principles OF
malignant oligarchy, sure TO relapse into military
despotlsm.
TO restore the government and the great guaran-
tees OF freedom contained In the constitution and
inherited from our ancestors IL revolution" To
execute the will OF the people, whom the fragmen-
tary Rump Congress has put at defiance, Ia Tevolu-
t0n.n To carry out the decisions OF the Supreme
Court Is "revoluton.r This revolution Ia at hand.
The peoples WILL the judgment OF the court Of the
highest jurisdiction, win be enforced against q
am, most respectfully, your obedieut servant,
FRANK r. BLAIR.