The Portland daily press., 1871-03-25
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND
SATURDAY, MARCH rs, 1871.


Gen. F. p Blair continues to exercise the
leadership Of the Democracy in the United
States Senate which he assumed few DAYS
after becoming member of that body. His
ascendency seems to be as undisputed as that
OF Disraeli among the Tory Commoners. He
Ia 10 ,iay the representative man of the De-
mocracy Of the United States. What he says
and does may be regarded as done and said
In representative character When uire-
saked by his associates he speaks OF violence
and renewed bloodshed, these atrocious no.
3 tons must DO regarded as orthodox Democ-
racy. *
In view of Gen. Blair's leadership the de-
bate In tho Senate, Thursday, is worthy of
passIag notice. The question arose as TO
whether the bands OF murderers who patrol
che South, killing loyal citizens and warning
State governments, like that Of South Care
lima, to close up their business, are political
organizations. At FIRST the Democrats denied
'Sthat they were political in their character, and
affirmed that the disturbances in the Caro-
lnas, and Kentucky are not different from
those occasioned in Kansas and Nevada by
ssganized bands of horse thieves and other
dssperados. But they seemed TO be taken off
their guard by the remark of Mr.. Scott that
these latter outrages, were not for the over
q throw OF the reconstruction laws-it was not
'law1essness for a system OF purpose. Senator
Stevenson of Kentucky, lately Governor Of
that State, then exclaimed -"That is the on
" redeeming thing about n"-meaning that
the purpose OF subverting the reconstruction
acts as a basis for Ku-Klux work redeems
!, that league from the liability to censure that
might otherwise exist from the unpleasant ma
,tare OF its proceedings. "Yes," chimed in
4 Mr.. Blair, "CoNaREss Is THE ORIGINAL KU-
KLUx."
We claim this as the first fruits Of the New
Hampshire election, and as the fulflmeIit of
our prediction that the Democratic triumph
would be followed by increasing boldness
and dstinitene Is in the expression OF extreme
= Democratic doctrines al the Norlh-docrines
d, that are promptly given practical expression
at the South. The Democrats of tie Senate
= have here placed themselves on record as
: Justify ing the acts of the Southern terroris,s
IN the express ground that their purposes are
hudable. No more effective invitations TO
q yiAlenec, rapine an murder could be given
than Is expressed in the language of Gen.
i. Blair. In his concise sentence, exactly fitted
from it's csmpactness to become the rallyins
cry of . faction, be Gays to the men of the
South, "Go on with your slaughter of loyal
lists. Yon have the right on Jour side The
government is the aggressor. You have the
: constitution, The law and justice OH your side,
and you are only exercising the sacred right
of self defeuce."
This is exactly the sort OF thing that is to
cause the Presidential campaign of1S72 to be
Ought on substantially the same questions as
IN 1858. 1t has been supposed by nearly
everybody that those questions would be Cb.
sofete next year. Unhappily they are not,
and in 1872 as in 1868 the American people
will determine by their ballots whether the
supremacy Of the government shall be upheld,
and whether the constitutional guarantees of
equal civil and political rights shall be en-
forced.