The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-01-25
Gen. Frank Blair on the Passive Policy.

Gen. Frank Blair on the Passive Policy.
We make the following extract from speech
delivered by Gen. Frank Blair before the Leg
islature of Missouri, on the 4th of January
| 1872, In which he measures Grants ability and
ambition, and expresses the belief that nc
Democrat could be inaugurated as President
His views on public affairs are at least worthy
of careful consideration, although many of oul
readers may differ with him as to the best pol.
icy for the ensuing campaign:
For nv part, 1 left the Republican party be-
cause of its usurpations. / left it because it
asserted powers when at the head of the Gov
ernment and controlling the Government which
did not belong to the Government, and never
will say that these usurpations were right
[Applause.l never will say it, for l do not
believe that they were right. My honest con-
victions condemn them as the seeds which will
yet destroy our republic, unless dug up and e1-
tirpated from our soil. do not acquiesce IN
them; they we're naked usurpations, without
justification of any Kind, and do not acquie see
in them. and never have and never will to OBJ
tain Office or to keep Office. believe that these
amenements were passed by fraud-that is the
word for it, by coercion; three States were told
that they should not be States unless they adop-
ted it; other States were welded by mob OF
negroes who never had right to vote except
by act of Congress and when the white people
in those States were disfranchised by acts Of
Congress which had no right to disfranchise.-
The State of Missouri voted by an overwhelm-
ing majority, notwithstanding one-third of the
people we're disfranchised, against the amend
rnent; yet it was adopted here, and voted for
by the members for Missouri in the House in
violation of the known will of the people OF the
State. I do not believe that there is single
State, outside New England, that ever gave Its
consent to that amendment, yet it was adopted
as part of the Constitution by such means rs
have described, and I am asked to take new
departure, and not only acquiesce but consent
| to these things I protest it is naked fraud ;
that it is what believe it to be. A Demo-
cratic convention ask me to accept the new de-
parture, and with it acquiesce in these frauds
| / tell you, my fellow-citizens, there are thou
sands of Democrats feeling as l do upon this
subject, and who, although they may be out
voted in the national convention by the desire
of the majority to present a fair face and carry
an election, yet they cannot and will not accept
the doctrine which we are asked to accept, and
to saw that these usurpatiOns are law, and IRE
yersably law; but if we take the other course
we can simply vote for gentleman who comes
nearer to our position than the man who may
be nominated by the Radical national conven-
ton we do not pledge ourselves to his princl-
pies we should expect to have some man NOM
| mated who was with us upon some points, or
else there would be no choice between him and
the Radical nominee. We should expect to
have man nominated who was against this
TTI L., CIlIr mi
ting upon the usurpation of these constitution
al amendments, and justified by them. There
are thousands of men in the Republican party
who opposed those Ku Klux laws, who are op-
posed to them still some such man as that may
be nominated some man who is IN favor OF
universal amnesty, and in that sense will COM
mend himself to Democrats more than the
nominee of the Radical Convention. l know
lat this point permit digression) that Gen.
Grant. in his recent message to Congress, comes
out in favor of amnesty. Well, it is precisely
such q case as we had here in Missouri When
Gratz Brown was nominated, you know Nc
Clurp protested he was more strongly in favor
of enfranchisement than Gratz Brown. Gen.
Grant tells us that he is in favor OF revenue re-
form it is the first movement he has made du-
ring his administration in that direction. we
are asked to believe it, and Our President, who
has appointed every relation of his own and his
wife to an Office in the United States is also, in
favor. in his message, of civil service reform:
Well we all know the reason that operated
| upon McClurg: it was because there had been
a bolt in the Republican party, and Gratz
Brown had been nominated by the bolters upon
| the very ground that he was in favor, OF en-
| franchisement; hence it was sought by Nc
Clurp to block the game, to pretend to be In
favor of Observation-Disclosures in favor of it
than Gratz Brownie did not fool anybody
but himself. We knew what such professions
were worth at that hour from McClurg, and ii
is the talk, my fellow-citizens, about the pos.
sum policy, as it is called, in the Presidential
campaign of 1872, that has brought convic-
ton to the mind of Grant and his counsellors
in reference to this very same thing. we
should eometimes learn from our enemies, ana
when we see the alarm and CONSERVATION which
have penetrated the ranks of our opponents,
which have driven their infie1ible President
| from his entrenchment, and compelled hlm 10
deliver message in favor of amnesty In the
Congress of the United States, we cannot nelp
seeing that it is the policy they fear, and that
we ought to adopt it. Applause, Or II we
can 90 q step further, and firmly decline to
make nomination for President, l have no
doubt that Grant will flop plum over to the
Democratic platform. Laughter. Congress
will pass bill for universal amnesty before adj
iournment. We could have got McClurg,
body and breeches. Laughter. He would
have sold out everything in the State if we
would have elected him the last year. But if
we pcrsevere; if, instead of putting forward q
candidate for the Presidency, We simply stand
as we stood last year in the election in Missouri
allow the Liberal Republicans to nominate
they will be very careful to nominate man
who is acceptable to the Democrats. We need
not give ourselves the slightest apprehension
no man need go out of his way to suggest this
name or that name they know they must get
q man more acceptable than Grant in order to
ret the votes which will elect their man. Now,
INV INV fellow.citizens yield to no man in my de-
yotion to the real interest of the people of this
country as I understand their interest, and the
success of the great, pure, Democratic princi-
nles of our Government if believed that they