Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-08-16
TIE FUTURE STATUS OF THE RE.
CONTRIBUTED STATES.

Outslde OF the financial question the next lead
lug feature Of discussion in the pending PresI-
Dental campaign is the letter of General Frank
Blair on the status Of the reconstructed South.
ernState governments, in the event of the cleo
ton ofthe Democratic ticket In his letter TO Col
Brodhead. dated Washington, June 30, General
Blair said that "there was but one way to re-
store the Government and the Con stitution,
and that is for the President elect TO declare
these Reconstruction acts null and void COM
pei the army to undo Its usurpations ut the
South" and ALLOW the white people to reor.
ganize their own governments and elect Sena-
tors and Representatives" But few days be-
fore this letter appeared the leading Democratic
journal of this Countrywide New York World
took up this very question and discussed it in
logical and legal light, and arrived at con-
clusiOns satisfactory, least to ITSELF if not TO
msJority of the party which it represents
On the 18th OF June that journal declared that
one Of the objects which the Republicans would
accomplish by the admission of the Southern
States would be- 10 secure the Federal guaranty
to the new State governments. The provision
OF the Constitution respecting guarantees is
this: sThe United States shall guaranty to
every State in the Union a republican form of
government, and shall protect each of them
against invasion, and on application of the Legis-
Idture, or Of the Executive, lcAen the Legislature
cannot be coHrened against dome site riOIence.r BY
the admission of those States their existing
governments are placed within the operation
of the last clause Of this guaranty. The first
section Of the act Of 1885, passed to carry out
this guaranty, Is In these terms: I'm case Of an
insuTTectIon IN any Stdts against the government
thereof, il shall be lawful for the President of
the United States, on application Of the Legis-
lature CT such State, OF Of the Executive when
the Legislature cannot be convened, to call
forth such number Of The militia as
he may Judge sufficient TO suppress such insur-
rection."
The World proceeds 10 say sthat the act of
1877 authorizes the President 10 sc the army
and navy for the same purpose" and that in
the celebrated Dorr case-known as the Rhode
Island ease-''it was decided by the Supreme
Court Chief Justice fancy delivering the
opinion, that the state Government entitled to this
protection as tie one gIieh is recognized by Con-
gTess By the admission Of senator's and representa-
tires chosen unferu. The guaranty of the Con-
sutution, the laws for enforcing it, the decision
of the Supreme Court, and the fact of the ad-
mission OF senator's and representa- yes chosen
under the lie governments, make a complete
chain Of legal obligations, binding tse federal
authority TO Sustain Ia HeU governments dgdinSt
any attempts to change them UiGsozt their consent
1--WE should be glad" continues the World,
$50 see this argument refuted, ut do not Jeliere
that 1t can be. II not, all further opposition 10
those governments tcip be idle and migratory, and
can have no other effect than to prevent the
democratic party getting control OF them by
success in the southern elections"
IfGeneral Blair receives some Of the electo-
al votes OF the Southern States, cast as they
will be by virtue of the acts Of Congress under
which they are reconstructed, it is not too
much to anticipate that he will then acquissce
In the above views of the World.