The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-07-15
The New Declaration of wa
SPEECH OF SENATOR MoRrox

49, "n"1 hS sdiu III Ine oenaIe upon Lne lem
ocratic nominations and platform;
nave read the resolutions adopted bv that
III i' 'nS Platform OF principles it has
L u I"n Io", II, anu upon which its candidates
nave Deen placed; and 1 wish TO call the at
tention OF the Senate to the issne that is pre-
sented 10 the country by this platform and by
the character of these candidates
General Grant, in his letter OF aceeptance.
said, let us have peace; : but the Democratic
party by their convention ia New York have
said, "let us have war; there shall be no
peace" They have declared ia substance. 1
might say perhaps in direct terms, that the re-
construction OF these States under the sever
al acts OF Congress shall not be permitted 10
stand, but shall be overturned by military
force II they get the power. They have an
nounced that there shall be no setthment OF
our troubles, except upon the condition Of
the triumph OF those who have BEEN IN the
rebellion: Let me call your attention % a
part OF the ei nth resolution IN regard % the
very question. In speaking of the recon
struction OF the States. they - on 10 SAY that
the power 90 regulate suffrage exists with
each state, making no difference between ioy-
al States that have been at peace and states
that have been IN rebeiiign, Putting them all
upon the same footing.
And that any attempt BY Congress on any
preteXt WhsieFersF
That ). upon tl,s'-pretsxt- Of the rsi-liou.
n you pleass,
10 deprive any STATE ef thls risht. sr inter.
iere with H. exerciss. j. a haeranf usurpaiIan
Of power WhArh can fnd 30 warranf In fhs
Constitution; aud. q ssnetioned ~ tie uea-
pie, wiz subxsrt urr iorun 81 sascrnmsntR
theJ deciarr thai he intefisreuos of Con
gress with Suffrage Ia Sfaics thaf have hecn
M rebellion. thuleh tiat interierenee uaag o.
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, a. ue have iouBd if %
The Heconstruction 0f ths Staies 4 uncstsfi-
tutional, and that no justification can D.
bound ior q, aud that ID via snlxer our form
oi government, and must eud IN = sinele cen
tralized Rud consolidated Goverument. In
which The separate existence 81 the states
viii D. entirely alsofhed and an uraualifsd
desp0tism BE- established IN place OF a FEDERAL
Union Of c0-egusi STATES. and that We re.ard
the reconstruction acts go eaiicdl OF Con-
gress a. sueh-ane usaTpations aud uncOusti-
tutiOnal, revolutionary aud void.
This convention has called upon the rebels
OF the South 60 regard these governments or
ganized by authority OF acts Of Congress by
the people Of those States as usurpatiOns. un-
constitutional, and void, and has thereby
invited them aeain 10 instruction and re-
beIlion. That IS what the resolution means.
That IS where the Democratic party has
placed itself and its candidate, that there
shall be no acquieseenee in the action Of
Congress, but that continued resistance IS aud
shall be their policy. They have replied to
General Grant by saying, there shall be no
peace, but the war shall be renewed There
can be no other policy for that party unless it
acquiesces. Ii it does not accept these re-
construction acts, there can be no policy but
that of resistances and a renewal OF the war.
They declare these reconstruction acts to be
unconstitutional and void. Being void, no
body is bound to regard them; they have no
authority over any one to coerce or to punish;
h. saN,I - n.
ity. That is not the language of this resOlu-
ton, but it is the substance and the meaning
oil it; and in consequence Of this it received
the endorsement and the appreciation OF the
hundreds OF rebels who were in that cOnven-
tion from the South. men who organized the
rebel government, and organized and led the
rebel armies in battle. This, then, is the
issue, a continuance OF the war; a renewal of
the rebellion; because it is either that or it is
submission and acquiescence to what has
been done
But, Mr.. President, we are not left even to
| seek for it by inference. We have a letter of
General Francis p. Blair, written, believe
less than one week ago, and this letter has
been endorsed by that convention this after
noon by his nomination as their candidate
for the Vice Presidency.
After reading Bair's letter which we have
already published, Senator Morton continu-
ed.
Mr.. President, that is the Democratic
platform. General Blair whatever you may
say OF him is a bold, cut-spoken man, and
he spoke the sentiments OF that convention.
He says, upon these sentiments l want to
stand before the conventions" and upon
those sentiments he was nominated. There
fore. say that the language Of the DEM
ocratic convention at New York to the whole
country is, war; resistance by foroe OF arms to
Congressional legislation; the overthrow by
force OF arms OF the governments that have
been erected in the rebel States under the
laws enacted by Congress; the continuance
OF this rebellion; continuance of this strug-
gle, in somewhat different form, but still
the same struggle cOntending for the same
principle. 1t is now announced formally, not
at Montgomery, not at Richmond, but at
Now York. The country need not be at
any loss to understand the character of the
contest upon -7hich we are entering. 1t is
not one of peace and acquescence, of con-
solidation whereby the ravages of war may
be repaired; but it is a new declaration of
war, a new announcement of the rebellion
under somewhat different circumstances, but
under circumstances formidable, dangerous
and solemn. Let the country look the strug
| gle in the lace.
General Blair has said truly that all that
| is said about greenbacks and bonds and ques-
| tlons OF finance is mere nonsense. The great
| issue is the question of overturning the new
State governments by force, the restoration of
| the power of rebels, or as they call it the
white mems government in those States and
all the rest is leather and prunelIa. We owe
a debt OF gratitude to General Blair for his
frankness. There need be no deception prac-
ticed now, and there can be none. There
can be no other issue presented substantially
to us. but that of the future peace of this
country. IfSeymour shall be elected upon
that platform, he stands pledged to use the
army of the United States tor the purpose of
overturning the governments that have be IN
established in the South by the voice OF the
whole people, ard by that army to place the
| power back again into the hands of the rebels.
| They were there with him in that convention.
| They have given to them their counsel. They
| have endorsed Mr.. Seymour, and the conven-
tion and all have endorsed General Francis
| p, Blair.
The great issue underlying the whole con-
test, and we have the solemn declaration
OF their candidate for Vice President
to that effect, will be the renewal of the
war, to overturn the State governments that
have just been established under the acts of
Congress. General Blair has relieved the
Republican party of gaeat deal of labor. He
has unmasked the enemy with whom we
have had to deal, and he has paced before
the country the very issue, peace or war.