Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-31
Speech Of General Blair.

We give. below an eloquent extract
from the speech of Gen. Blair, at Mat
toon, Illinois, on Saturday. How any
man, claiming to be honorable or human,
can hear such arguments and be con-
scious of the truth of the facts on which
they are founded, without deserting a
party which compels them, passes COM
prehension. 1t would bring the blush of
shame to any man who desired at all to
be and do right to be found in such COM
pany: HE
FELLOW CITIZENS: Many years ago in
the State in which / live, a great man,
whe had been for many years the Sens-
tor from Missouri, had been driven from
his seat after thirty years service in that
body. The people in the Congressional
District 10 which he lived took him and
elected him to the House of Representa-
tives; and to the multitudes of his re-
ioicing friends who hocked around him
and congratulated him he uttered, in my
opinion, the nobest sentiment that ever
fell from the lips of an American states
men. He exclaimed, Exultatlon, my
friends, is natural, but moderation is the
ornament of victory" In that phrase,
it seems to me, there was more of politi-
cal wisdom than is to be found in the
same number of words that ever fell
from the lips of statesman or orator. 1t
represents the free genius of our Constr
tution-that Constitution which blazes
all over with the sentiment of federation
/ 10 all 1t is the sentiment that i COM
mend to al my felow-countrymen,
because it dedicstes the triumph of the
people to the public good, and not to the
mslignity of few.
Never in the whole history of persecu-
ton and prescription of nations by their
conquerors, has there been invented such
an excruciating species of humiliation
and degradation as that which has been
prepared by the malignancy of the Radi-
Gals for our people at the South. The
nations have been subjugated, have been
| harassed, and have suffered in their per-
sors and in their property; but never in
| the tide Of time, never since history be-
| gan, has the white race been subjected by
| their own brethren of the same race to a
semi-barbarous and alien race of negroes.
That is a-humiliation and degradation
| left to the malignant ingenuity OF these
Radical professors of God and humanity.
IA voice, The white people will never
submit to it," and cheers Now, my
| friends, we stand here to-day upon the
soil of this great empire of Illinois-l
call it an empire-with one or two mil
lions, perhaps fully two millions, of white
people, with its noble cities, some OF
them rivnling the most magnificent OF
the new or of the Old World, with its
vast extent of fertile soil, and it's salubri-
Gus climate, it is now vast empire in
| itself, and destined to become one of the
mightiest in the world Associated with
it are the States Of Indiana and Ohio, and
on the north lie Wisconsin, Michigan,
and a part of Minnesota. Ny fel-
low citizens, the whole site occupied
by these great States-these no.
| bic empires-was the bounty OF
the old State OF Virginia to the confed
crate Government to pay the debt Of the
revolution. il was the gift Of old Vir-
einia. These great and magnificent
States, containing at this time 10, 600. 900
Of population, are the bounty OF old Nr-
einia to the Government. The soil
upon which your wealth and prosperity
have arisen she gave you BY the ordi-
nance Of 1857, drawn by the pen OF her
most illustrIous statesman, Thomas Jsi-
ferson-an ordinance which dedicated
this country to the white race aud TO
freedom. That Old Dominion, weak
eued and torn herself by the inheritanes
Of slavery, yet with a vaichful care aud
a ncble foresight-with q wisdom aud
craftsmanship which have characterized
no other people-iook care to shield hsr
children, the young States spriuging
ON her loins, from that iuEtitution,