The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-19
General BIair's Letter and the Democratic
Platform.

Blair the nomination of the Democratic party,
and which really embodied the political SEN
timent and expressed the real wish aud pur-
poses of that party more thoroughly than
anything else that was said or done in the
National Convention. The "personal honor"
of both the candidates, says the World, binds
them to renounce whatever of their personal
views on any subject is not in accordance with
the platform.
"If there is anything in General Blair's Brod-
head letter inconsistent with the platform he
renounced 1t in accepting the nomination, just
as Mr.. seymour made similar renunciatlon,
II !, there was anything inconsistent with the
dates Of great political party stand Ia repre-
sentative capacity; Their honor, which forblds
them to accept the nomination OF the party
unless they have previously agreed with IL in
essentials, binds them TO sink minor differ
ences."
But there is nothing whatever in General
Blair's letter in the slightest degree inconsist-
ent with the party platform" On the con-
trary, it embodies in its letter and spirit the
full sentiment and political doctrine of the
platform. It only puts its principles into
palmer English. 1t says the same things, but
says them more clearly and more directly;
and it provides practical means for carrying
the principles of the platform into practical
effect.
The platform, for example, declares that the
Reconstruction acts of Congress are "usurpa-
tions-upconstitutional, revolutionary, and
void" This is the principle of the party, de-
clared in the platform. Bair's letter is in full
sympathy with it-reaffrms it, in point of fact
and then proceeds to lay down the specific
action by which these acts are to be annulled
and their results destroyed. The natural and
proper way to do this wonld be by repeating
them, or getting them declared unconstitu-
tional by the Supreme Court But General
Blair knows this to be impracticable. He
comedies that they cannot be repealed be-
cause the Senate cannot be carried by the
Democrats, whatever may happen TO the other
branch of Congress. He says, in 80 many
words, that the repeal of these acts will be
impossible, because the Senate will oppose it.
But he declares that they must not yield to
the Senate in this matter. The President,
in the first place, must compel the army to
"disperse' the State Governments which have
been organized in the Southern States under
these acts of Congress, and then the Senate
must be "compeled'' to assent to the repeal
of the acts themselves. There is nothing in
this in the least inconsistent with the Demo
cratic platform. 1t is the proper complement
of that platform-the practical application of
its political doctrines-the necessary deduc-
tion from its premises. Even if the Worlds
doctrine, that all the previous history, action
and opinions of candidate cease to be of
any Importance the moment he is nominated,
because from that moment he ceases to have
any individual character, and becomes solely
and simply the representative of the party
believing only what 1t believes, and pledged
only to what it says-were literally and
strictly true, it would have no application
whatever to this case. Buchanan, in accept
ing the nomination in 1856, took occasion to
say that he was no longer James Buchanan
with political opinions, principles and pur-
poses of his own-he was simply the en-
bodiment of the Cincinnati platform. Gene
raj Blair may 60 quite as far as this, without
changing his position, or impairing the force
of his letter, or changing his personal prin-
ciples in the least. The letter and the plat
form are thoroughly and perfectly in harmony
with each other.
Everyb dy, indeed, who watched the action
of the Convention, knows that it was the let.
ter of Blair which shaped and guided that
action. The letter not only gave him the
nomination, but it gave tone and character
to the whole Convention. 1t really decided
the character of the platform. Until that let
ter appeared and had been pressed upon the
attention of delegates, the drift of the Con-
vention was in favor of a progressive platform
which should accept the results of the
war and 60 forward, rather than back
ward, in the application of the prin-
ciples of democratic freedom. The Rebel
element in the Convention seized upon that
letter to check that tendency and to turn the
current backwards. Its bold denunciaton of
revolutionary and void'-and its open decla-
ration of purpose to resist, defeat, and over
throw them, and to ''disperse' the State Gov
ernments organized under them by the use of
the army, suited the temper of the Rebel and
Copperhead sentiment Of the Convention ex-
actly. 1t was used first to render the nomina-
tion of Judge Chase impossible, and next to
put the Rebel stamp intellectually on the party.
Wade Hampton, in speeches he has made in
South Carolina since the convention, has de-
clared himself the au thor of the phrase in the
platform which characterizes the acts of Con-
gress as Revolutionary and void," and has
accepted the letter of Blair as embodying the
true sentiment of the Democratic party-the
only sentiment which makes the position and
action of that party acceptable aud welcome
to the ex-Rebels of the Southern States.
Indeed, the tone and language OF the whole
Democratic press, North and South, and more
especially in the Southern States, where the
Democratic party places its sole hope of sue
cess in the coming election, leaves no room for
doubt on this point. In every Southern De-
mocratic organ the Blair letter is regarded and
treated as the real exponent of Democratic
doctrine. 1t the key note of the canvass
Everywhere Blair and not Seymour is the pro-
mlnent and important figure in the contest
Democratic victory would be his victory. Sew
mour, If elected, would be the mere agent and
tool of the men and the sentiments that con-
trolled the Convention. He would inevitably
do their bidding--as he always has done the
bidding OF stronger and bolder men than him
SELF in the public positions ne has held
hitherto. He did the work of the Rebels while
the Rebellion lasted-and he would renew his
efforts, as they are renewing theirs, If he were
elected now. The World cannot repudiate