The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-07-13
ono ate General Blaar-Some Refec'
lions. NV. ...t.~

11he ate General BlaaT--Sonie kSeleo
~ lions,
we observe that in the New YORK. herata
g o,saiurn sssaera,n , concerning the "ea''
and funeral Of General +. L. BLAIR, o.:
,hnra a nrs re- the u.sende hexorabte OF den-
ora, sHre&AN. TIC Generals dn'e"aes ase
singular. That which be made 70 WADE
H.xr,ss contsseed a new insult, and 90" DC
,,opes 70 General BLks& by doing DIM gus
t;c. .sser he Is dead. 1t is right that ne
sborsa do so; but, 'then, 1t docs ntae TO-
words extracting Tie sting that mao puu.
tuscd General BLxss's heart IS ne ray "po'
bss death.eed. He recks little o. inc a'o"o
xnent that is made after hts dcatn'
The Heratd,s correspondent com""n'.
,..ss Tho fo,,ow,ug tribute patd by General
SHERMAN to the deceased'
a.Yes. toor Frank is gone; poor rfauk
q GORE, Then the Genera musea mc.
mon, and said, with so1se warmth, tna.
some exp acssions OF his bad oeen a'stotUu
;n,n ,efi.e ions upon General Blair's charae-
ter ms a-solder, and that great lnjes'''e "a"
beeudcse to him thereby
az always had most exalted regard lot
Frank Blair" pursued General sherman
wfthmuch forcibleness Of manner. always
reyatacd him as one e. the traest patr'ots,
most honest aud honorable men, and one Oh
thp .nost COURAGEOUS soldiers this country
orb Droducea. I never lost sight OF me
services be rendered the country on tne out'
freak Of the WAT, and i fuzzy conceoe, a"o
akyays have conceded, that to his botdness,
,sromptitude, aud 6rmnesS more than 10 ao.'
thing else tie country !siudcbted LOT tue pre-
serystion Of st. Louis as Strategic po'u.,
and for the salvation OF MISSOURI. ffaua
Blair was noble. generous, honest mau'
He was brave, frank, sincere, ana unseiush'
His virtues will live forever, because tney
reelected good apon others; while his iautls
will be buried with bum, because tney
harmed no one but hlpsself."
Genera, SHERMAN has an indiferently's
apced miad. and mikes some ineXcusae'e
~blunders," to call them by no hafshel
name. His course in the arrangement "
the surrender of JOHNSTON. with bis mo'iFes
consequently explained, was disreputsbEe;
and vet the policy dsyeloped 10 that arrange
ment was emineu,ly wise, and was sufficient
70 have made SIBERIAN President If hyht
had been made uponit; but the opportunity
was lost by folly which is SO unique thai We
know no better name to give 1t than stE4-
NAN pa " SHERMAN folly" And what can
we say Of bis unparalleled confession OF Ms
Injustice to WADE HAMPTON? 1t Is suHicien'
TO disquafify man for position as man OF
honor, and certainly does him no credit as
man of judgment. 1t proves him to be a
man of weak prejudces, great caprice, ana
small mareuyres. 1t was case OF " the
small.tsil movement" SO amusingly illas-
trated In an anecdote so well known. Lastly
comes the amende to " FRANK BLAIR alter
he is dead. "TIop tard."
But we did not commence this article TO
talk about SHERMAN. BLAIR is our theme.
The BLAIR family Is indeed very remarSa-
bile one. In our notice of the death OF the
General we stated that it went from Viz
ginia. The Wing supplies an omission on
our part 10 stating that it was immediately
connected with the higbly-rcspected family
of that nameso long known in this city. The
elder BLAIR (stIil living at the advanced age Of
eiebty.four) was chosen by jackson to edit
the Democratic organ at Washington. JACK
SON knew how TO value men. Mr. BLAIR
was one Of the ablest editors Of his day, and
the Democratic party owes him great deal.
What carried him off with VAN BrRES as
a"Freesoil man " il would be difficult to ex-
plain. We suppose he had an aversion to
slavery, which e may possibly have Inherit
ed FROM Mr.. JEFFERSON, whose disciple he
claimed 10 be. His sons, who, as we know,
were devoted to their father, and relied upon
his )litcal acumen as undcviatingly correct,
concurred with him. 1t is to The father and
his two sons that Black Republication, as it
is called" Freesoiism.'' as the aGAIRs
claimed-was chiefly indebted for their final
victory.
But the BLAIRs wei e southern at heart and
ingrained JtfferSonian in principle, and
could not bear the idea that the revolution
which grew out of slavery should destroy
the conlederated theory Of our Government
and fasten the States 10 the car Of the Gene
raj Government as the mere suhugatedide-
pendents Of Federal power, with no rights
and no powers that the will of the Federal
Executive was bound to respect.
The story of the BLAIRs is one that is; both
Instructive and unpleasant. The ball they
set in motion went too far. They did net
dream that consequences which have for
lowed were to flow from it, aud immediately
after thew themselves into the breach ass
eadeavored TO save the States fren che via
dictiPeness and the tyrannies Of heartless
and needless power. 4~sr
-- 1t was under the xnortifcatioe eagandered
by the onrrent events that Geoeras FRANK
BLAIR wrote his BaeApHEAD letter 10 1865,
just before his nomination for the Viee-Presi-
deney on the ,sEYMeu. ticket. That letter
assisted 10 defeat the ticket, but it's sentiments
were those of an American patriot, and its
views were those Of @ sagacious statesman
They were prompted 10y an intrepid and
honest disposition, but were too early Time
was needed TO smollify the rancors of war
and lift up theclouds that obscured the ludg-
ment Of the people of the North. We are
making history. Times are changing, and
1t may be Instructive to loot; back and see
what in 1868 was said by one Of the great
leaders Of Freesoilism," and hook around
and reflect upon the present attitude of the
country. 1t is also matter Of apparent jus. |
tice to the dead that We should raeur to his
views. No man was more honest or sus-
taioed "Freesoilism with a more deliberate
judgment than FRANK BLAIR, nor than the
BLAIRS. That be should be appalled, at the