New-York tribune., 1879-04-21
ALE-HON EhON HLNTORK


The determination of the Democratic party
10 overthrow the system of equal and impair
,ial suffrage upon which the emmcipatcd
Union has been reconstructed is not a new re-
solve. 1t has been pursued with remarkable
snglmcSS of purpose ever since the rCadmis
sion of the States of the late COnfcicracy,
and there has been 10 day during this long
period when the Democracy would not will
lingy have plunged into a revolution for the
sake Of accomplishing this object, and making
ours what they were fond of calling ga white
"mau's government" At the time Of the nom
ination of Seymour and Blair i'll 1868 excite
ment on this subject ran high among them
They fancicd that the victory was almost
within their reach; and they were much more
frank in their utteTanCes than they are now
The plan of Reconstruction which gave the
ballot to the negro was denounced as an
atrocOuS invasion of the rights of the white
man, and the whole Democratic party, North
and South, swOre, with a big, big d, that there
should be no more niger voting, even if they
had to resort to force to stop it. Free suffrage
had already been established in the South
The administration of the ex-Rebcl States
was in Republican hands. An overwhelming
ate made 1t certain that the DemOcrats. even
if they captured the Presidency and the
House OF Representatives, could not repeal
the Reconstruction laws. And thereupOn they
openly announced that what they could not
do under tho Constitution they would do by
armed revolution.
In June 1865, Mr.. Francis p. Blair wrote
his celebrated letter to Colonel Brodhead, in
which he said
We cauuot undo The Radical plan Of Reconstruction
by Congressional action the Senate will continue to bar
It's repeal. Must submit to Iti II tho Presi-
dent elected by the Democracy enfOrccs or permits
others TO enforce. these Reconstruction scts the
Radicals. by the access Of twenty spurious Senators
ana ny Representatives, viii control bOth branches Of
Congress, and his administration viii he as powcress
as tie present OF Mr. johnson. There Is but
way 10 restore the Government and tho Constitution
anil MO Is (1r e Pre.det elect 70 dee!are h6se act, r
and ssid c2mpc1 ne 4rrty 20 undo ITS usrld,a ms at he
SOUTH diSDctte he cdyEst64g htafe GoFerrmSnts allow
tie trhjtc peopie reOrs.Lzo their governments
aud o!cet Senators and Representatives. The HO1Ae Oi
Representatives VIII contain majority of Democrats
from the Moth and they will admit the RepTe.enta
uyos elected By ,he whus pe3ple Of the South and with
the co0y Grafton of tho President It VIII not difficult
10 compel Le Senate - submit once 10 tie OBJ "a
tlons Of the Constitution
For writing this revolutionary letter, Cen
eIal Blair was enthusiastically nominated the
Democratic candidate for tho Vice Presidency.
In case of the success Of the ticket it was
thought TO be highly probable thar, as Mr..
Scymour's health wax feeble Blair would
become tho man on horseback to carry
out his own programme Of subyersion. Under
the standard Of revolution then the Democ-
racy fought the campaign Of 1868. Their
orators promised the forcible overthrow Of
the reconstructed Southern State govern
ments 10y the use of the Army commanded by
Democratic President, and in spite of
Congress one branch Of which at least was
safely Republican for many years to come.
And the purpose for which they pledged
themselves to this revolutionary plan was
that only the white people" of the South