The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-18
FROM THE WEST.
speech of GeneI nj Frank Blajr upon &, cOn-
nIrucIl0n.

speech of GeneI nj Frank Bair upOu 81 con-
structton.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 17-On Friday last n resolu d.
ton 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 and
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 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 letter to
Colonel Brodhead, in 1868, and upon which he
was nominated in the National Demo ratio Con-
vention or to recede from IL.
Yesterday Gen. Blair on motion to refer Major
Popes resolution to the COMMITTEES on Federal
Relat ons. of which Blair is chairman spoke to
the question, stating that be was in favor of the
fifteenth amendment and believed the South
generally assented to IL, but the reconstruction
acts be declared unconstitutional, and referred
to the decision of the Supreme Court in the case
of Cummings against the State of Missouri; also
to the case of Milligau and Bowles, who we're
tried Oy military commission In Indiana during
the war.
Referring to his letter to Colonel Brodhead
he used the following language
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 30 bblll, anu you nave only 10 WllnuTaW
them from the South, and their work will be
undone. (Applause.) That carrion crew
carpet-baggers, who are gorged upon the pluu-
der and drunk with the blood of the vanquished
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 take back. / stand by it.
81 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
should attain that high position, is that ! 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
baggers and scalawags, followed by an igno
rant mass of negroes, and IL the people of the
South, who have shown a 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 l 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 war
is not very delieatelv haadled. He forgives all
past msdeeds of the gentleman, however, for
the position he took in the impeachment trial of
ANDY johnson.