The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-12-31

, teal principles are The reverse Of Van Bu
rem democracy and he, being on the pre-
: sent occasion. by chance placed in the
| power of that Beautiful Jem,'' must. 70,
| opinion sake, be literally annihilated.
Ny Hon. colleague, has told me anc
) this Council that | need not think te
debar him from his course by threats
i that he has long since known what course
he would take in this matter; SO far as
the Hawkeye is concerned his mind is
made up.
II Mr. President, have made no threats
nor do intend making any. The gen
tleman as well as myself will be helc
responsible to the voters of Van Burer
county for our official doings here; and
if we act well our part il will be well
with us I; if not, we mus: abide the con
sequences. But would ask that gen
tleman whether, in taking the course he
does in this matter, if he believes that he
is fulfilling the expectation IF his con-
stituents Did he not, while canvassing
for the seat he now occupies, deprecate
the existence of party strife in the Ter
ritory, and especially i'll our Legislature !;
and did he not by his acts, either ex-
pressed or implied, induce the people to
believe that if he was elected that politi-
tical prejudices should not govern or con-
troll his official acts as their representa-
tives? Let the people Of Van Buren,
county, and especially those of his own
precinct, answer.
The gentleman, tells you, sir, that he
never was democratic candidate and in
sinuales, that he feels himself instructed
to carry out the principles of the party.
He acknowledges, however, that he did
not define democracy, but that he told
the people he was democrat. 1t is
true. he did not tell the people that he
intended to be governed by party feelings
III casting his votes, and it may be we'll
for him that he did not.
Suppose, sir, for arguments sake, that
gentlemen were elected purely on party
grounds and that they consider them
selves the representatives of the demo-
cratic party exclusively. Are they act
ing in accordance with the principles of
their party, by taking hold of and using ar
undue advantage for the purpose of carry
ing their point? If so, then indeed de.
mocracy has dwindled into base syco-
phancy. If gentlemen who seem deter
mined to urge this matter upon US at
present, are actuated by no other feelings
than that of pure democracy, why do they
use the advantage given them by the alb.
sence of members Why are they not
willing to lay this resolution on the table
until the Council is full? MIR President
their intentions are too palpable, too glar-
ing, not to be discerned by the most
casual observer.
What are the objections urged against
Mr. Edwards being employed to print the
Laws OF the present session! | must
confess that was somewhat at loss
to discover their objections until the
very able and eloquent gentleman from
Linn (Mr Greene,) pointed them out.
He says that the manner in which the
paper called the Hawkeye is conducted
is SO degrading, so debased and so di-
rectly opposed to republican principles,
that it is filled up with falsehoods known
to be such by the editor; that its edito-
rials are so scandalous and filthy as to
render it unworthy of any patronage from
the Legislature. And that is not all, says
the Honorable member, but in CONVEX
sation had with him in relation to the
printing he told me that it might be to
my interest to vote that he should have
part of the public printing. This he en-
deavors to construe into an attempt on the
} part of Mr. E. to bride him and arrays
it before the Council in that light and
declares that were there no other OBJ
jections, this one would be conclusive
of his course. TO this malignant charge,
. the gentleman from Muscatine, Mr. Has.
tings, heartily responds; founded too on
the simple remark that it might be to
) Mr. Greene's interest to vote to give him
Mr. E., part Of the printing! The gen.
J tleman from Muscatine, reads, for the in.
formation of the Council, the Statute re-
latlve to bribery and appeals to their mag
! nanimity to put down man who stands
charged by as high authority as he does
of an attempt to bride member of the
Council.
} In reply to those objections and charges
| will briefly remark, that SO far as the
political principles of that paper is con-
cerned, the people of the United States
think very differently from him and in
relation to filthy and unprincipled edito-
. rails of the Hawkeye, think that the
favorite Van Buren, organ the Territory
published in this place has very little to
brag of. This is matter, however,
that | wish the public to Judge of;
do not wish to discuss it here. But to
the bribery. In reply to this, have to
say that do not believe that Mr. E.,
made any such attempt as the gentlemen
conceives of; but if an attempt of the
kind has been made have merely to say
that the gentleman from Linn has been
less fortunate than myself! for, sir, no
man has ever placed SO small an es-
innate on my integrity as to offer me a
bride or prize money, and if such an