The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-10-26
GEN. BLAIR ON RECON
STRUCTION.
His Former Letter Explained md
Elaborated.

His Former Letter Explaineu anu
Elaborated.
The Layfaette Qndiana) Courier, OF
Saturday last, publishes the following
letter from General Frank p. Blair to
citizen of Lafayette
"FoRT SANDERS, WYOMING TER,
August "a, 1868.
"To James Howes, Esq, Lafayette, Ind.
"DEAR SIR: l have received your
letter, in which you ask me if l would
endeayor to have the constitutiOnality
of the reconstruction acts tested by the
Supreme Court before proceeding to-
treat them as null and void. In answer,
| have to say that the vital principle OF
the reconstruction acts has already
been decided to be unconstitutional,
null and void, by the Supreme Court,
the whole bench concnrring III the case
of Milligan and BowleS, which went up
from the State of Indiana on writ of
hdbeGs corpus.
ain that case it was decided, in the
plain language of the Constitution,
that the Government could not estab-
lish martial law in time of peace, or
try a citizen by military commission Or
court martial. The recOnstruCti6na acts,
SO called, s stand u' 22 martial law, and
nothing else. 1t is the essence OF these
acts. They were prepared and put IN
execution in time OF profound peace, III
defiance of the unanimous decision OF
the Supreme Court, to which l have re-
ferred. and they, and all that has been
done under them, are null and void.
ga case was made under these acts
the case of McCardle, of Mississippi
and brought before the Supreme Court;
and il is we'll known that the Court
was ready to declare these acts uncon-
stitutional, when Congress passed an
other act to deprive the Supreme Court
ofits jurisdiction, and open ly attempted
TO iptimidate the judges by threats OF
remodeling the Court.
"The Supreme Court, in another case
that of Cummings, of Mlssourl-de-
eided that the disfranchisement of the
white people of the Southern States by
an act of Congress was bill of attain.
der and an er post fdcto law, both of
which were forbidden in express terms
by the Constitution. Even the Radicals
admit in their Chicago platform that
the States alone have the right to decide
who shall he entitled to suffrage within
the States; and yet Congress has as
sumed to take the right from the white
people. aud give it to the negroes with
in 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
saws the military shall always be subor'
dinate 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
unconstitutional Are these who say
that the military is subordinate to the
civil authority revolutiOnists Are
those who demand the restoration of.
the trial by jury, which has been sup
pressed in the South by the recOnstruc
ton acts, revOlutionists Are those
who claim the benefit of the great writ
of right, the hGbedS corpus, which is de-
MED TO 100000 of our people by the
infamous reconstruction acts, to be
branded as revolutionists
"Shall we be called revolutiOnists be-
cause we proclaim, IN the very language
of the Constitution, that Congress shall
pass no bill of attainder or or post tdctO
lawi Or shall we be thus branded for
claiming what the Constitution con-
cedes IN express words, that the States
shall regulate suffrage for themselves
DO we want more decisions of the Su- |
preme Court on these points The truth |
Is, that the Radicals are the real revo-
lutionists, and have subverted the fun. |
damental principles OF our Government
and converted it into mean and ma
lignaut oligarchy, sure to lapse into n
military despotism.
'To restore the Government and the
great guarantees of freedom contained
in the Constitution, and inherited from
our ancestors, is revolution To exc
cute the will of the people, whom the
fragmentary Rump Congress has put at
defiance, is revolution To carry out
the decisions of the Supreme Court, is
revolution This revolution is at hand.
The peoples will, the Judgment OF the
court of the highest jurisdiction, will
be enforced against usurping hump
Congress.
81 am, most respectfully, your ODE
tent servant, FRANK L. BLAIR