The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-18
Senator Frank Biair's First speech
He Talks Like Man,

In the United States Senate, Wednesday,
after Mr.. Morton had concluded
Mr.. Blair said the Senator from Indiana
fifty represents the Administration in the
open and bold manner in which he eX-
presses his contempt for representative
government. Last summer it was said that
the Senator was to take high office under
the Administration, but after the election,
and the Democrats carried that State. the
Senator concluded not to accept the office,
| for the ayowed purpose, rs was said, Of
preventing Il Democrat from being sent
| here to represent the State. Mr.. Morton:
Misrepresent the State.] He (Mr. Blair)
| would not use so harsh term. and say the
| Senator misrepresented the people of III
| diana, and kept his seat here to prevent
| them from sending one here who did more
| nearly represent them.
| In the Chicago platform the Republican
party promised the people that this prin-
ciple involved in the fifteenth amendment
| was entirely in the control Of the States.
| They carried the election on this promise.
and yet, when Congress came together, it
Immediately proposed this amendment and
voted down Il proposition to submit 1t to
| the Legislatures to be thereafter elected,
and the Senators and Representatives from
| the States Of Missouri, Kansas, Michigan,
l
ment, although the people Of those States
had voted down negro suffrage at the pre-
yious election by immense majoritieS, and
| the Legislatures OF some OF these States
elected at the same time-ratifed this
| amendment. In his own State of Missouri,
where the people had voted it down by thirty
| thousand majority, the Legislature adopted
one-half of the amendment on telegram.
| The vast body of the people of the North
were opposed to this thing, and it was
forced upon them by perfidy aud fraud, and
we EXPOSE it. IT thisi is the way that amend
ments are to be put through, what amend
ment cannot be put through by the aid OF
| these carpet.bag States and the frauds
| which may be practced? What is to pre-
vent the adoption of an amendment MAX
| ing the President and the Senate hold office
| for life?
! MIR. Morton asked whether the Demo
cratic party had not gone into the presl..
| Dental election of 1868 on the issue that
the reconstruction acts were null and void,
and was it not Overwhelmingly beaten on
| that issue!
| MIR. Blair said it had gone in on that is-
sue, and, in his opinion, it had been beaten
| because some of it's members had doGged
on this question. Congress, in its recon-
struction acts, went outside Of the ConstI-
tuition, and when it did that its laws were
Of no force-it was no more than mob
no more than a mere debating society. he
did not believe there was single paragraph
| in the Constitution that was not violated
| by these reconstruction acts. You could
not find one single sentence OF these abom!-
nations that was not violation OF the Con-
| stitution and you, gentlemen, know 1t.
The unparalleled occurrence OF Congress
taking away the right Of appeal to the SUI
preme Court to prevent decision in the
| McArdle case proved that they knew that
they violated the Constitution.
| If the rebels violated the Constitution, as
they undoubtedly did, they should haye
been punished by the Constitution, and
going outside of the Constitution to punish
| Them made Congress as guilty as they. And
| he (Mr. Blair) thought that the President
should have refused TO execute these acts
which he knew to be unconstitltion The
Democratic Convention OF two years ago
did not proclaim for the first time that the
President must himself judge Of the con.
stitutionality of law. Thomas Jefferson
had proclaimed that doctrine, and Andrew
jackson had reiterated It.; and If one of
Them had been President he would have
communicated his views to Congress In such
] a way as to make them pause II their geck-