The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-23
SENATOR FRANK P. BLAIR
His spesch Of Thanks to the General Assembly
Of Missouri.

1 aln0nOCa-
ment OF the election OF General Blair 10 the United
States Senate had subsidized he addressed tho menu
| bers OF the Missouri Legislature as foows:-
| SEEAroRS AND REPRE5ESrATIvE5-It would Ia
VAIN Tor me TO attempt TO express the thanks that
ieel AT TINS great honor that you nave conferred
| upon me. The charge with wnich You nave en-.
trusted me Is one OF great responsibility. fear ID
VIII bring me In contrast with those great and
illustrlous names which have adorned the history OF
our state IN past Times. | therefore feel deeply the
have nothing to buoy me up In undertaking This
great charge except the devotion that l
and welfare OF this whole people. tJneerPs e''y
believe, II II be not egotlsc for me to refer to my
history IN The past, tnat It would attest Tor lne
| dev0uVp- the sincere devotion with which | have
served this people, SOMETIMES differing widely
from the vast majority Of the people, have not
have not sought honor or emolumens 81 the hands
any time, when might nave aspred to this position
heretofore, nave sought BY trucking 10 the viewa
s ssa y m s@fY sIa s IN.
assertion that have preferred principle 70 posi-
ton; and make this pledge before those who have
entrus ed me with this great charge that II here
after l shall ind It impossible to carry Gus
my own principles without varying from the Views
aud wishes OF my own constituency. VIII adhere to
the principle ana restore to the people OF this State
the position with which they now honor me. 1
have been elected as the democra &c senator; am
very proud OF the title. Ch sers.) But shall be no
partisan IN the ONCE you have given me- | know
that deserves well OF you, who nave aided tho
democratic party OF this state In restoring 10
them the liberties OF which they had been de-
prlved by what believe can den0mnate a. o 1a-
grant usurpatiOn. shall never cease to I've grateful
to those men--to that party who. were our
victory which has restored to Mssoarl ner LOST
liberties; shall never cease TO respect them, and
also, that 1t was by their aid and assistance, well
ny the entire vote OF the democratic party Of TINS
D3as sae L beseseus Sssr s II lie s
ture. The generous aid when the liberals have
given .ne democrats , IN the nSs IN my
heretofore spoken has blunted the edge, II there
listed any Of q desire for retaliation; and believe
now that we are all prepared to Ignore what has
been done IN the past, and to prepare to give our
energies to WORK out the future glory aud welfare Of
our state. Much was said IN the debate previous
to the election VI letter addressed by me TO dis
tnguished citizen OF TINS state In 1868. l desire,
now that this election has been contaminated,
to speak q few words In explanation and by way Of
aliaying the apprenensions expressed oy some gen.
Is be interpreted by the circumstances ATTENDING
It's writing At that time the reconstruction acts,
caed-some Of them mad been passed and were in
process OF executiOn-they were laws Of Congress.
me principles upon which those acts hinged had
Court or the United States The oct by which large
numbers Of tho people OF the South had been de-
prvea OF the suffrage was declared unconstitutional
In celebrated case which went up from this State
that OF Cummings against the State Vi Missouri II
was there in that decision OF the supreme
constitutional. the other principle which
suppOTycu tHOhc ACts, ouu upon WHICH tney TeSLeu
for their vitality, was the power conferred upon the
military arm to try and to execute prisoners who
tune OF peacetnas wSs decared
by the Supreme Court OF the United States in the
case OF hlligan and Bowles Previous TO the time
deration by the Supreme Court the McArdle Casa
case arising under the reconstruction acts-where q
civilian had been arrested and tried by the military
| commission Of VcksDurR. That was taken up
habeas corpus TO the Supreme Court OF the United
| States and the Judges unanimously, subsequent
| to the writing OF the letter spoken Of declared
, that such conviction was unconstitutional. Sub
| sequent 70 this there was the case OF Yer
ger for the murder Of Colonel Craue. Ha
was tired before military commission IN Jackson,
body was taken by habeas corpus from the military
authorities, and their Jacksonville death warrant
was set aside and the case was turned over 10 the
authorities OF the State OF Mississippi be deals
with according to the law and the constitution OF
the United States. held In TINS letter that those
laws being uncOnstltuil0nal aud declared by the
Supreme Court OF the United States tna the Presi-
dent could not, without violation OF his OATH exc
cut those laws; and that II hid been placed In
that position never would have executed any UNI
constitutional law-so declared by the Supreme
have been perjury upon his part to nave done it; ID
I, would have been o violation OF his oath OF Ofiice
sa y s as GS'S Ssss t "as ann ms ~
gentlemen upon THIS floor being acts OF Congressi
II would nave been no usnrpation After the dc.
other alternative But these reconstruction acts
have been put into execution. Inc President OF the
United States who s now In the Executive chair, IS
not called 10 execute them or TO set them aside
either. because their execution has been completed.
moor, that the use OF the military arm-calling
soldiers from quarter OF the country to
be In the city OF New York or the city OF New Or
leans. or in Texas or Alabama, or Georgia, or South
well predict that thete the troops 81 tho
United States Will be carried TO maintain In power
the unconstitutional OF the military force OF The
country. tCheers.) And say now, as said in my
honorable UQntl0mnn
SENATOR say now that will never give my assent
as long as am Senator OF yours or IN any position
in life IN which / may bel will never give my
assent to the Of the military arm to overawe the
orderly and well behaved people Of this country In
you that should make this brief explanation VI
that which seemed to be the cause OF some alarm
denounced that letter as reYolQ lonary, The
reconstruction acts were Revolutionary. (Cheers.)
aud as have predicted, and as many older and
wiser men than myself have predicted, the use Of
ns psGs F & oS x the
the use OF military force which mad been employed
so successfully to maintain the radicals IN power IN
the Southern States would, under That precedent,
be carried elsewhere in our country, aud Il my
liberal friends were so much horriaed-and Justly
SCAT the improper interference on the part OF the
IN the ELECTIONS IN s,o Missouri they v wers
sa&E'qE h epSs Ae fSr
to call forth the Indignation Of all right minded
In the State OF Missouri, ask you what was the
Justification how much greater the outrage Of carry
ing to the city Of New YORK and TO the city OF Pha-
delphia armed troops to overawe the people in their
elections last November Is there any comparison
In the outrage? Was there any Justification for it
1t act to enforce the fifteenth amendment.
There had been an election In the State OF New York
at which the negroes had voted without molesla4
ton. There was no suggestion from any
quarter that there would be any obstruc.
ton placed In the way; and yet we know
that the President Of the United States, az
an immense expense to the country, grded
the city OF New York with gunboats and filled 1t
with troops TO overawe the stern democracy o that
city and make them elect radical Governor Tor the
State OF New York. l will not pursue this topic; 10
looks too much ike controversial one Tor an occa-
SION OF this KIND, and all that influenced me To
pursue It asfar as have done, were the structure!
upon the letter upon which nave spoken, and
which was determined would not explain to any