The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-04-13
S49l tp~iial ,B .rp' rF't
Fraah niair On RaalssusA and Oar

Ffank blair o0 Ao0A4EII44D ana Tar
pet-BaGgeFSs
General Blair, on Monday, delivered a
powerful speech in the Senate on the eon- |
dition of the South and the policy Of the
Radical party towards that section The
annexed abstract gives the Leading points
Of hia speech
The system of Government under
which the South is ruled is a disgrace TO
our &c. This carpet-bag system Is per-
fectly infamous, by which strangers, adj
ventures, and men Of no character, are
ruling over people whose ancestors made
their States what they are. 1t is to the
interest Of the people Of those States to
repress disorders, because they own prop
erty and pay taxes, but it is testhe inter-
est Of these carpet-baggers to manufacture
and magnify them, because it isthat upon
which they tatteR. These stories Of out.
RACES committed N North Carolin@ which
had been detailed before the committee
with closed doors, with no opportunity
for ~refutation, were the utterances Of men
who would not be believed by any one
Out Of the mouth Of Governor Holden
himself were these falsehoods exposed
In his message to the Legislature, Govern
or Holden said expressly thatno disorders
existed in North Carolina. Abiding to
these reconstruction acts, Mr.. BLAIR said
that whenever the Supreme Court had
any question connected with them, il had
invariably pronounced them unconstitu-
tionAl, and Congress, knowing they were
unconstitutional, passed an act to prevent
the Supreme Court from passing directly
upon its reconstruction measures. He said
the Democratic party, while 1t believed
these acts to be unconstitutional, did not,
as had been charged, intend to overthrow
them by force. The only measures TO
which the Democratic party would resort
were constitutional measures.
Mr.. Scott here i~nterposed, and quoted
from the Broadhead letter Of Mr. Blair
that the President elect should dispense
cArpet-bag governments by force.
Mr.. Blair said he was not the Democrat
IL party, and that the Democratic party
was not Blair, and he repeated that the
Democratic party had never threatened to
use violent means to overthrow the con-
st~itutionai acts Of Congress. BE BLAIR
had believed and did believe that the
President having taken the oath to sup
port the Constitution should stand to that
oath, whether against Congress or againat
individuals, for he believed that Congress
when violating the Constitution was no
O4An = uAODs 44C naa 6aA0 lAuO ~
army should be made to undo its work Of
~usurpation, and he said so now. But no
force would be necessary, for if the army
was Withdrawn the infamous carpet-bag
governments would fall of themselves. ~
Mr.. Blair her referred to an address
alleged to have been issued during the
Presidential canvass Of 1868 to the negroes
Of North Carolina, advising them to burn
the bSrns Of the people who discharged
them on account Of politics, and which, IN
the authority of DR.. Godloe, he said, had
been written by United States Senator
Pool and Judge Read.
Mr.. Pool interrupted to say that the
address bore no such construction, and no
sensible man could put such q construc-
ton on il.
Ar. Blair resumlng, said 1t was SO re-
garded at the time, and the testimony Of
the negroes before the committee showed
that the negroes had confessed that they
were instigated to barn-burning by Gov
ernor Holden, and were pardoned when
convicted. 1t had been indisputably
proved that the origin Of the Loyal
Leagues in the South was for the purpose
Of compelling the negroes to vote the
Radical ticket. These Ignorant, super
stitious negroes" the Senator from Ohio
(Shefrkanl called were initiated into
the Bnion beaRues with blue lights, red
lights, and ever. other kindof lights. and
all appurtenances calculated to bcwilder
their efmple minds, and then sworn to
support the radical party.
kNrGBlalrthen reviewed At length the
condition of Affairs in North and South
CaroEna alleging that corruption. Aaud
mdlyillainye reigned supreme, and that
the people were plnndered Of-their sub
atsnce by an army Of carpet-baggefe, and
that The debt Of the State had been-enor-
monsly increased, etc. The Senator from
Indiana fM. Mcrten) had, the other day,
favored the Senate with extracts from
Democratic papers Of Kentucky he
(Blair9 proposed now TO give, some 1-
tracts from the Radical pepers Of South
Caroline. Mr. Blair then quoted from
Republican papers of South Carolina
verely commenting upon the venalty59oi
the Legislature. He also quotedfrom the
remarks Of Governor Scott, that oneEs0l
the greatest curses affecting South Caro-.
Ina was the horde Of unscrupulous id
ventarefs from the North coming down
there for purposes Of plunder ~ !
ME.Blair further read an Rccoant Q
the personnelo the South Carolin3A leg.
stature Of that whole body but tAHteer
were white, and the remainder all black
but uineteen could read and write gram.
matacalIy. @.G I'll
Mr. Sherman admitted that the Legs
lature Of South Carolina had behaves
~shamefuEy, but he would ask the Senator
what remedy did he propose for it, Die
he favor universal amnesty .BecauaeSi
he did he Shermau) would probably
nh IL ,-N,@nN - k6CEAl-
from the negroes Because, il be did
that would be a subject for debate. But
If the Senator proposed no remedy, he haC
certainly no right to bring these natter
Mr.. Blair gaid he had o right to doit
He hadn right TO arraign this body faa
striking down the voice, the very pFincipli
Of free government. for destroying hca
seli.government. a. zaaF 20 .r.sss
Mr.. Blair continued in the review 8
the condition CT other Southern States
the debt OF which he said had been 81
enormously increased nncer Radical rule
HezSaid1 that he1kneW@ GoRefn0r WGf-
mouth Of houisiana. we'll that hes-Fen
from Missouri ragged andnaked and with
out money 70 pay for his breakfast nov
he lived in q palace and was relhng Il
wealth, and~he fBiair) was informed tina
he never signed a bill without a price. i
regard to tho case of Mr.. Yerger, whicI
had been brought into this discussion b.
the Senator from Ohio mr.. Sherman, b
blair desired to allude to an aspect c
that case as yet untouched upon. H
then read from the statement of one c
the counsel to prove that the case ha
been kept out Of the Supreme Court be
cause Of the fear that the reconstructio
acts, nnder the authority Of which Nj
Yerger was committed, would be declare
unconstitutional. The Radicals had thu
confessed that those acts were nnconstitu
tional, and yet without them they wonl
be in the minority in both Houses Of Cor
gress to day, and a minority 81 L minofit,
The men who came in by virtue Of thei
reconstruction acts had, in caucus, give
votes which deposed the man who ha
built up the Radical party, the Senate
from Massachusetts,, Mr.. SnmnPr.
. lFrom the Bueyrus tohiol Forum, March "a
Pistol Duel fn n CFOWdedBch RoOn
Last Saturday, ia a crowded schoI