The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-02-22
DAILY PRESS.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1871
The Democratic Leader and his Doctrines.
PORTLAND.

Gen. Frank P. Blair, who has once more en-
tered public life as United States Senator, to
assume the leadership OF the minority in the
body to which he belongs His political no.
tions and his social habits are both of the ira
ditional Democratic stamp, and he goes to Inc
extreme at that. 1t was not surprising
therefore, to find him standing up in the oen-
ate the other day to reply to Senator Nioi'on'
while all his older, more discreet ana aDief as
socates kept silence. 1t is not thurman but
Blair who is now to speak the voice of the
Democratic party. We have referred in
previous article to some Of the logical conse-
quences of bis creed, but il is worth while to
consider somewhat in detail the necessary re.
suits OF one prominent doctrine promulgated
by him, and endorsed by the significant silence
OF the other Democratic Senators. We refer
to that famous old doctrine of his that the
reconstruction acts are null and void.
The three constitutional amendments adopt
ed since the close of the war are an integral
part Of the reconstruction legislation. The
first of these abolishes slavery, the second
brings all Lessons born or naturalized in the
United States definitely within the pale of
citizenship and forbids the States to pass laws
abrideing the rights OF such persons, while
the third crowns the iegenerated structure of
our Government with equal political rights
for all adult male citizens. These amend.
ments have all been ratified from time to time
by more than three-fourths of the States: hu.
Gen. Blair and his friends say that the people
of the Southern States did not act freely in
the matter, but under The compulsion OF the
general Government, and that the whole body
OF tie new organic law, constituting the ve1i-
table American Magma Charter, is made void
from this cause and from the fact that it was
not submitted for ratification to Legislatures
especially elected for the purpose of consider
ing it.
1t needs but glance to see the immensely
OF the reaction indicated by Gen. Blairs au-
thorIta.iye declarations To one who has not
narrowly watched the proceedings OF Con.
servatives that have gained power since the
war it may seem absurd to suppose that they
mean all that is indicated in their theories.
power of the general Government, and with
majority of the States under their control,
they would stop just one step short of abolish
ing the democracy of 1871 and re establishing
the olisarchy Of 1860 They would probably
not undertake to restore slavery though they
hold that it still has legal existence, since
they certainly have no more respect for the
unauthorized edicts of Abraham Lincoln
than for the solemn decisions of vast ma
jority of the people of the United States ex-
pressed in constitutional way. But holding
theoretically that slavery still exists, it is to
our mind clear that the planters would claim
and would be allowed compensation for the
slaves "wrongfully" taken from them. As
they have by no means abandoned their no.
ton of the rightfulness of their struggle for
independence, they would claim and would
have conceded to them, as we have before re.
marked, the assumption by the United States
OF tue rebel debt. The reconstruction acts
being "void" there can be no question in any
mans mind that triumphant Democracy
would Instantly strip the newly eniranchised
race OF ITS civil and political rights. No
fraudulent" constitutional guarantees would
stand for one moment in the way of such
reflex wave. From freedman" citizen
and voter the African would instantly find
himself once more degraded to his old place
as servant and "nigger," at the mercy of
such apprentice and vagrant laws as would
reconsisn him to virtuafif not nominal slay.
cry. Under the new order of things the
Southern States would become as unwbol-
some silences fer Northern citizens az thew
were IN 1859. Rebel and not Union soldiers
would receive all the honors, Stale and ma
tional, while the dead Lee and Floyd, and not
Thomas and Farragut, would have their burial
places decked with immortelIes.
Those who will accuse us of puere extrav-
agance on account of these grave but well
grounded apprehensions we refer to what the
Democracy, North and South, have done
while in hopeless minority in the nation
and subject in the Southern States to the in
slant control of the Federal Government.
Georgia expelled the negro members from her
Legislature when their right to be there is as
incnntestabe as now. The rebels of North
and South Carolina are beginning to drive out
the carpet-Oaggers now, though the latter
have the army of the United States at their
back. Gov Holden, in the former State is
fmpeached on charges trumped up by the
rebels who are impatient for his place. they
having already elected to the United States
Senate Zebulon Vance, the most obnoxious of
their number. We need not refer again to
the action of the Virginia Legislature in ap
propriating money to buy portrait of her rebel
general Lee. while contemptuously refusing
to confer the like honor on her glorious son Of
loyal fame, Gen. Thomas.
We think the recital of these facts. take,, in
connection with the Democratic leaders, dec
laration that he would compel the army to
undo its usurpations in the South" will be
sufficient tc clear us from the charge of ex
travagance. So long as these things remain
unchanged it certainly will not be difficult to
find an excuse for the continued existence of
the Republican party. Gen. Blair seems to
have been raised up by providence especially
to save that party from being prematurely
disbanded before its great work is fully done.
THE news of tho fety of the Tennessee
sent back TO editorial pigeon-hoIes good
many elaborate obituary notices of the party
on board that vessel, which were ready to 90 |
into the hands of the compositors the mo.
ment the intelligence of the Anticipated dis
aster was received; and so the leading Jour-
nails of the larger cities are deprived of the
evidences OF their enterprise and of the fruit
of their labor. We commend any legitimate
exhibition of energy on the part of newspa.
pers, but in this instance we rejoice in their
failure.
MR.. NORRIS speech in the Senate yester.
day in support of his resolution for an amend
ment to the Constitution, looking to COM
pete revision of that instrument by conven-
tlon is printed in fullin another column. The
House on Monday voted to indefinitely post
pone the resolution, but Mr.. Morris had bet
ter success in his own branch, the Senate
passing it by the decisive vote of "a toe. Mr..
Morris speech is worthy OF careful perusal.
and the reasons he assigns for a thorough
change in our organic law are sound and well
presented.
In the Dominion Parliament at Ottawa last
Sir A. I. Gait brought forward mo-
ton respecting the fisheries and the appoint
ment of the joint high commission In reply
ng to the question of Sir A. T. Gait if the
government intended to protect the Canadian
fisheries as heretofore, Sir John A. Mcdonald
do n cto ton, ot Ian xla .,,L !