The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-21

ALONGSIDE of Fremont and the .anti.sla-
very men of the land, one of the very
first. if not the first, that ever had the
.boldness to attempt the agitation of this.
question upon slave soil.
What more? am speaking now to my
Democratic friends who are appealed 70,
in the name of party to sustain him, and
who fear they will be charged with Incon-
sisteucy if they do not sustain him. What
did you and in common oppose? What
made us anti-radical after the war and
during the war; Who is more RESPONSE
BILE for the radicalism that began shortly
after the war than Gen. Blair? The war
opened by firing on Sumter in 1861. In
February, 1862, Gen. Blair was a mem
Der of the Congress of the United States
and Chairman of the Military Committee
of the House.of Representatives, and as
such Chairman reported and advocated a
bill adding an additional article of war
Furnishing by court martial every man in
the land or naval service who should re.
turn to his master fugitive slave. L
voted against the bill and for. that my
Republican friends denounced me at the
time and my Democratic friends cheered
me and sustained me and now because
L do not intend to vote for the man who
was theauthor ofthese measures that drove
me to separate myself from the party
with whom / had acted in the earlier
stages of the war and brought me the ap-
probation of the Democratic party, can
not be charged with Inconsistency II L
refuse at the bidding of that party to
vote for the man who may De justly stSleu
the author of iadicallsm- -,
What more did he do? In 1864 again
as Chairman of the Military Committee
of the House of Representatives he re-
ported and advocated and had passed q
bill authorizing the enlistment of the me-
groes of the South in the regiments of
other States-enrolling them in the army
putting them there to shoot their mast
ers-proyiding for bounties to support the
negroes families while they were in the
army. (Applanse.l
What more did he do? In 1865 in the
meeting at New York he endorsed negro
suffrage. Now mark me: Gen, Blair has
never to this day recauted q single one of
those acts. Gen. Blair has not taken
back or attempted to take back or even
been asked to take back anything. he has
done or said heretofore. Then if party
present to you men whom you have OPP
posed all their public lives, and have OPP
posed at the bidding of that party,
how can they expect you as consistent
and honest men, if you believed you were
doing right in the years that are gone, to
sustain them in the. support of men who
are the authors of the measures you have
been warning against and denouncing all
your lives. ...-..,-..a
l have briefly alluded to some of the
prominent points of Mr.. Seymour's histo-
ry which recommended him to the con-
trolling element at New York-thnt con-
trolling element being as i have said to
you, aud l wish you to bear in mind, not
the Democratic party, not the Union por-
ton of the Democratic party not the
| Douglas Democracy-but the rebel elo-
ment, represented by the men who nomi,
mated Frank p. Blair and carried him
through the Convention by reclamation.
| How does it come? Forty-seven ballots
and n Presidential candidate not nomina'
ted. And yet the moment the rebel
| Preston proposed Gen. Blair for Vice
President and the rebel Wade Hampton
seconded the nomination and the rebel
Gen. Forrest followed it with a. second
second. 1t went through by reclamation,
every man i'll the Convention voting for
it. What was it recomme hded General
Blair to that Convention? Surely moi
his Democracy, for as l have shown you
he had none of it; not his Radicalism,
tons of Democracy is opposition to Rad
icalism; not his endorsation of negro suf
frage, for to that understand you are
bitterly opposed. 1 am talking to iner
who like myself opposed these measures
of Gen, Blair, opposed this Radiealism
opposed this enlistment of negroes, thi!
voting of bounties to support negroes
families in order that the negro mer
might shoot down their masters, iopposeC
this thing of making the army of the
United States O refuge for runway slave:
reversing the policy of Gen. Mcclellan
inaugarated when he came through hert
in the beginning of this war, as you re
member, and that never was reversed un
til this article of war was introduced anc
adopted at the instance of Gen. Blair
To you, gentlemen, who thought will
me, who think with me to-day, that We
were right, / appeal, how. you can con
sistently, how you eau in the discharge o
your duty, although it may be hard for you
to sever the connection with party bear
ing the name you once hOnored-hov car
You at the bidding of that party give th'
lie to your past life. slllf 81. rsa.-ass
But, my fellow.citizens, these are bu
n few outposts in this contest. Higher
considerations far should influence u!
even if there were none of these. ] have
referred to them only to show my homes
Democratic friends that they cannot con
sistently sustain characterization, although
it comes to them in the name of the party
to which they have been attached proba
bly, for the greater, if not the entire por
ton of their lives. But there are othel
considerations which should influence u!
in this contest that are higher, nobler anC
holier, and more sacred and binding upoI
us than considerations of party. Yol
may say, however, "ANell; if I do no
i vote for them, how can ] vote fo
Grant?'' 1t is one of the evil influence
of all party organization that it limits thu
choice of the people. 1t is an oligarchy
in our midst. And these party orGaniza
tons are in violation of the very funda
mental principles of our Government
1 The people of the United States now are
compelled to choose between Seymour
and Blair on the one hand, and Grant anC
Colfax on the other. Is it possible there
are not two men equal to them within tht
broad limits of this land? Surely no
only two, but thousands. And yet you
and / are limited in our choice by virtue
of this party tyranny, and this seifconsti
tuted- oligarchy to choose between these
two tickets. Partisan politics, as have
said for years, arc the bane of the, Re.
4 public. How to be relieved from fheil
! evil Influences should be the consideration
of every lover of his country who is moi
influenced by nything but q sincere de;
sire to promote the peace and happiness
of his fellow man. / think see the way
now, if we will only accept it.. think
see the way now for a restoration of good
fosliDo erch a q Rbis no1,,4,-,, I,,,-.,,,t so.r