The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-23


General Frank P. Blair to citizen Of La
fayette.
FORT SANDERS, WYOMING TERRIToRY,
August "A, 1868.
To James Hoaoes, ESQ.,, Lafdyette, Ind ANA:
DEAR SIR have received your letter, IN
which YOU ask mo if would endeavor to have
the constitutlonality of the Reconstruction acts
tested by the Supreme Court before proceed
ing to treat them as null and void. In answer,
I have to say that the vital principle OF the Ke-
construction acts has already been decided to
be unconstitutional, null and void by the Su-
prene Court. the whole bench concurrlnS IN
the case of Milligan and Bowlcs, which went
up from the State Of Indiana on VIII OF hd-
bedS corpus.
In that case it was decided, in the plain
language Of the Constitution, that the gov
crnment could not establish martial law IN
time of peace or try citizen BY military COM
mission or court martial. The Reconstruction
acts, so-calIed, stand on martial law, and moth
ing clse It is the essence OF those acts.
They were prepared and put in execution in
time of profound peace, in defiance Of the
unanimous decision of the Supreme Court, to
which I nave referred, and they, and all that
has been done under them, are null and void.
A clse was made under these acts-the
case of McArdIe, Of Mississppi-and brought
before the Supreme Court; and it is well known
that the court was ready to declare these acts
unconstitutional, whom Congress passed an
other act to deprive the Supreme Court or It's
Jurisdiction, and openly attempted to intrml-
date the Judges by threats Of remodelling the
court.
The Supreme Court, in another case.that OF
Cummings, of Missouri-decided that the dis
frapchisement of the white people OF the South
ern States, by an act OF Congress, was bill or
attainder and an er posi- jdcto law, both OF
which were forbidden in express terms by the
kl1a Doli Ic o0 thor
Chicago platform that the States alone have
the right to decide who shall be entitled to suf-
frage within tho States; and yet Congress has
assumed to take the right from the white peo-
pie and give il to the negroes within the South
ern States.
The Reconstruction acts violate the consti-
tuition IN all these particulars, and 1t has pecn
already so decided by the Supreme Court. Tho
constitution sayst he military shall always be
subordinate TO the civil authority, but these
acts have superseded oil civil authority, and
erected military governments at the South.
Do you want decision OF the Supreme Court
to show that this is unconstltntlonalf Are
those who say that the military is subordinate
to the civil authority revolutionists? Are thoso
who demand the restoration OF the trial by
jury, which has been suppressed In the South
by the Reconstruction acts, revolutlonists?
Are those who cIaim the benefit OF the great
writ of right, the habeas corpus, which is de-
MED to eight millions OF our people by tho IN
famous Reconstruction acts, to be branded as
reyolutionists?
Shall we be called rcvolutionists because
wo proclaim, in the very language OF tho con-
stitution, that Congress shall pass no bill OF
attainder or &c post fdc,o law? Or shall we be
thus branded for claiming what the constltu-
ton comedies in express words, that the States
shall regulate suffrage for thems elves? Do we
want more decisions of tho Supreme Court on
these points2 The truth is, that the Radicals
ave the real revolutlonists, and have sub
yerted the fundamental principles of our gov
crnment, and converted it into mean and
malignant oligarchy, sure to lapse into mill
tary despotism.
10 restore the government and the great
guarantees of freedom contained i'll the constl-
tuition, and inherited from our ancestors, Is
revolution" 70 execute the will OF the peo-
plo, whom the fragmentary Rump Congress
has put at defiance, is ''r5volution:" 10 carry
out the decisions of the supreme Court is ''rc-
volution." This revolution is ut hand. The
peoples will, the judgment of the court OF
the highest Jurisdiction, will be enforced
against usurplng Rump Congress.
am, most respectfully,
Your obedent servant,
FRANK P. BLAIR.
POSE TO KEEP PEooINd AwAY-ADDnESs OF
THE DEMOCRATIC STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
The Democratic State Central Committee
have published an address to the Democrats OF
Ohio. in which they argue that there is moth
ing in the results Of the recent elections to
Justify dcspondoncy. They say:
Although beaten by small majority in
poll of over 5O0 900 votes, the result shows that
the Democracy have gained betwcen ten and
fifteen thousand votes on the State ticict,
while the enemy have been unable to maintain
their strength of four years asO, and have, i'll
addition, lost no less than four Congressman
and their sue cessrul candidates have sucn moa-
gre majoritieS as to justify thu most strenuous
efforts to carry their dist. ict3 at the November
election. In tho Prudential yeat oil 1864 the
Democracy polled $1,000 moro votes at the No.
yember election than they did at the October
election, and We're then beaten over 50,OOO. A
similar gain this year will glvc Ohio to Sey-
mour and Blair-thosc last tribunes OF the peo-
pie and of freedom. The means and energies
OF the enemy. and their facilities for the per
petraton of fraud, corruption and colonization
were exhausted in their desperate efforts to
carry tue October election, and will not con-
front us in November. Those lawlcss impede
ments removed, the ,ree great States of ONO,
Indiana AMI Pennsylvania, which cast more
than 1,50O. 900 vo!es, will be redeemed ana nc
flag of the American Dcmocrlc. :tl.l maintain
it's supremacy as the standard OF liberty, hon
esty aud Justice throughout the world"
NEGRO SUFFRAaE-IrS ADOPTION BY THE SOUTH
ERN DEMOCRACY.
A Washington letter Of the Goth inst, to the
Baltimore Gazette, says:
A prominent politician who returned here
Yesterday from Southern tour, reports that
the speeches Of John Quincy Adlnls have COM
pleteiy revolutionized Southern sentiment on
the subject of negro suffrage, and already have
several Southern State Executive Committees
passed resolutions, and others Will IN few
DAYS issue public addresses recognizing and
advocating negro suffrag; as plank III the
Democratic platform. Tlis movement, 1t is
understood, swamps q very large amount OF
Radical capital at the North, which the party
had been boarding up for the November
contest, The trump card played by thu Ten
nessee Democracy some weeks ago Will be
followed I'D in each of tho other Southern
States, and to the Democracy alone will the
negroes be indebted tor the elective franchise.
Thus will the South, in the great conflict OF
ideas, have done moro than tho North did IN
the war for emancipation. There may be scat
terlng politicians in the South opposed to the
policy which has been determined on by the
States lately in rebellion, but the question is
regarded by those returning from the South as
forever settled, Ind that by this settlement the
power of the Radical party is forever broken.
The last prop seems now to be kicked from uu-
der them, anu no longer can they excite the
preiudcos aud passions of tho Northern peo-
ple by eXclaiming, "Lo! the poor ncgrO!" The
political tourist alluded to above lefl tor the
North on the evening train and carried i'll his
pocket copies Df no less than three addresses,
which are aoon to be published by state EXEC
utiye Committees in the Sou il.