The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-17
FROM THE VEST.

Speech of General Frank Blair upon Recon-
structtOn.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 17.-On Friday last q resolu
tion was introduced in the lower house of the
Legislature by Major Pope, of st. Louis, en-
dorsing the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth
amendments to the Federal Constitution aud
the policy of the General Government, and
favoring the payment of the State and National
Indebtedness according to several contracts
upon which the Indebtedness is based. The
resolution was debated during the morning
hour on Friday and Saturday and continued
yesterday.
1t had been stated that the resolution was in
troduced to force General Blair il possible to
sustain his position taken in his famous c ter TO
Colonel Brodhead, in 1868, and upon wb ch he
was nominated in the National Democrat,c Con-
vepton or to recede from it,
Yesterday Gen. Blair on motion to refe Major
Popee resolution to the Committee on Federal
Relations, of which Blair is chairman spoke to
the question, stating that he was in favor of tue
fifteenth amendment aud believed the South
generally assented TO IL, but the reconstruction
acts he declared unconstitutional, and referred
to the decision of the Supreme Court in the case
of Cummings against the State of Missouri; ais
to the case of Mligau and Bowles, who wers
tried by military commission ia Indiana during
the war.
Referring to his letter to Colonel Brodhead
he used the following lapguage:-
Had sir, my letter which has been referred
to the contents that the military should be
made TO undo their uusrpations at the South, |
say so stil and you have only to Withdraw
them from the South, aud their work will be
uudone. (Applause.) That carrion crew of
carpet-baggere who are gorged upon the plum
der and drunk with the blood of the vanqutshed
people of the South will disperse themselves in
an instant If not sustained by the bayonets of
the Federal Government. There is no item in
that letter that l take back. | stand by it.
~ believe in the construction given to the Con-
stitution of the United States by the Supreme
Court, that this reconstruction was unconstitu-
tional. My hope in going to Congress, if 1
ehould attain that high position, is that l may
aid In Withdrawing the troops from those South
ern States, which are held there to saddle upon
the backs of that people parcel OF carpet
baggeTs and scalawags, followed by au igno
rant mass of negroes, and if the people OF the
South, who have shown disposition to abide
in good faith by the arbitrament of arms, renew
their allegiance to the Government, they will
be allowed TO resume self-government among
themselves as we have done in Missouri
and whilst | may not expect to carry with me
the gentleman from st. Louis, believe that we
can surely and certainly count upon the CO.
operation of the large body of liberal men who
assisted us in relieving ourselves from similar
tyranny in the State of Missouri"
The speech concluded with rather savage
assault upon John B. Henderson, a portion OF
whose career during the early part of the wal
Is not very delicatelY handled. He fOrgives all
past misdeeds of the gentleman, however, foi
the position he took in the impeachment trial ol
Andy johnson.