The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-07-17
THE LATE GENERAL FUkaCIS T.
BLAIR.

w. '~''
tho death of the distinguished gen
tleman, whose name heads this ar.
ticlc. This ovcnt took place in st.
Louis, on tho 9th inst. Its imme'
diatc cause socms to have been Il
fall whilo attempting, in tho alb
scncc of his attendants, to walk
across tho room. When found. he
was PROSTATE on the floor, and in
an inscnsiblc condition, from which
he never rallied, but brcathcd his
last somO ton or twelve hours after
being found.
His health, for u long timc prcvi
ously, had been in prccnrious con
-dtion, from soltcning of tho brain
and paral y sis, but after the success
Iul TRANSMISSION of blood into his
veins, from those ola healthy per-
son, it had greatly improved, and
his physicians entertained strong
hopes, if not of his entire rccov-
Org, ut least that his life
would he prolonged several years.
General Blair was born in lex
ingtun, Kentucky, February 10,
1921, and was consequently fifty
toar years of age. lie received his
education ut Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, and at Princeton College,
New Jersey, buing n graduate Of
the latter institution. Having
studied law with LOWS Marshall, of
Lexington, Kentucky, he came to
St. Louis in 1913 and commenced
tho practice of his profession. But
politics had moro attractions for
him, and he soon mado himself con
spicuous as ono ofH small number of
ardent young doctrindires, of whom
Ex-Governor Gratz Brown, his
cousin, was one; who, moro than
fifteen years in advance of their
time, first raised tho standard of
Free Soil, and later of Emancipation,
in Missouri.
In 1852 no was q member of the
Missouri Legislature, and four years
latcr was elected TO Congress from
the st. Louis district. In both these
positions ho was bold advocate Of
the doctrines Of his party, coupling
with his emancipation theory, the
transportation of tho nogroes TO
Africa.
Upon tho breaking out of Tho
War, in 1861 he ardcntly cspousod
the Union cause, and recruited tho
first company o! "loyaI" volunteers
raised in Missouri. From that time
to the close, no continued in tho
military service of tho Union, and
won his way up TO bo q corps COM
mandor In Sherman's army, and
marched with it "tO tho sea-"
In 1858 ho was elected to the SON.
ate of tho United States from Mis-
souri,, and in tho Democratic Ma
tional Convention, held in Now
York on the 4th Of July, 1868, he
received tho nomination for the
sccond office in tho git Of tho Amor
lean people, on the ticket with IIo.
ratio Seymour. This high honor
was an expression of admiration
for his gallantry rs Union sol.
dier, and his glorious magnanimity
to ward tho PROSTATE South, extort-
cd cvon from those, who, SO short n
time boforo, had met him, in tho
smoke of the battle fold, In the
ranks Of thoir enemies. As II can
didatc of cxpcdicncy, his nomina-
ton WAS probably blunder, for in
'GS tho Northern people were still
haunted with the fear of another
"rebcllion," and General Blair's
celebrated Broadhcad letter, pcnncd
in tho iullness of II generous indig-
nation at the spoilation and ruin of
tho South, under bayonct rule, did
much 10 stay the reaction at the
North, in the direction of reconcile.
alton, which was beginning TO set
in; and enable Grant 10 inaugu-
rate a reign Of ncpotism and cor
ruption, unparalleled in the history
%. tho country.
1t is proof OF tho deceased Gen
erals skill in character reading
that ho predicted, whom Grant was
first nominated, that if elected he
would never voluntarily retro from
the White House. Grants attempts
to secure third term have verified
this prediction, for his retirement
cannot by any means be regarded
as voluntary.
In drawing the moral por-
trait Of the deceased General,
his biographer may truthfuIly writc
t him that he was faithful 10 his
friends; magnanimous to his enemies;
an incorporating foe of the op
prcssor, and that he possessed in a
generous measure the true nobility
of the ancient Virginia race, from
which he was descended, which
took no account of life or fortune in
the defense of what he regarded as
the right. May he rest in peace
AuARn-UEARTRD Now Jcrsev iurv