The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1854-03-23
c rom t'ic Hd" - Z.
The Ieasons for Il

Many of our citizens have made tie in
quiry why the Rev. Simeon Waters declines
the nomination for Secretary Of State! We
have hesitated unit now to make the an
swer. The gentleman has been throwing
summersets, which his recent political ca
reer fully shows. He was the choice Of the
I freesoil and abolition convention for the
high and distinguished position Of chief
magistrate of the State Of Iowa. His
qualifications as a man, every way entitle
him to be the talisman Of the party who put
him in nomination. Strongly opposed to
the institution Of slavery. and the com pro-
mise of 1850, rendered him peculiarly fitted
to be the standard bearer o. that party de-
nominated the abolition party Of the North.
He was satisfied with the position to which
his friends had elevated him, until the call OF
the whie State convention, and made no OBJ
lection 10 canvass the State for that Office !;
but soon as the day came for the appointing
of delegates from .high Henry the rever-
end gentleman expresses some alarm that
he may lose his cast, and contrives to be-
come delegate to that convention, without
signiying to the freesol party that he de-
clined the nomination, and goes up to Iowa
City as delegate to the whig State conven
ton, and at the same time candidate on the
freesoil ticket for Governor. There he
makes a summersct, boiling the freesoii
ticket, and by his speeious intrigue gets the
nomination for Secretary Of State, thinking
the office would less interfere with, or sit
more lightly upon his clerical profession, or
excuse in some degree his religio-political
proclivites. But he no sooner arrives at
his residence, in the banner whig county Of
the State, than he experiences some mis-
eivines or qualms of conscience respecting
his political aspirations not being altogether
what he wished, and makes another sum
merset. declining the nomination made by
the Iowa City convention on the 22d Of
February, and gives no reason, as before,
for his retiring. All these things taken to-
gether, make up quite topic for enquiry
with many, concerning the eceentricltv. Of
character which this clergyman has eShib
tied during the past two months. But it is
all satisfactorily explained. and the gentle
man las the best reason for it, though be is
not manly enough to let the people Of the
State Of Iowa know it, which common
courtesy, if nothing else, would urge him to
make for the interest manifested towards
him. by both these conventions. But he
has not done it, and we undertake to do it
f3r him He is appointed the anti-slavery
agent for the abolition party Of the North,
for the State of Iowa. This is reason
enough, we should think, for boiling one
and declining the other nomigation. This
is the man the freesoil party woui elevate
to the Gubernatorial chair OF State, and the
same gentleman the Iowa City convention
would eject Secretary Of State. We admire
tile hcroism Of the martyr at the stake,
who, rather than dsnounce his creed or his
principles, suffers the flames to devour him;
but at the same time, detest the man whoE
would impose himself upon delegated
body of free citizens, for nomination TO an
important State Office, having in his pocket
at the same time an abolition agency, yet
had not the frankness to avow his senti-
mcn:s on that question when called upon,
but would rather a friend would do it for
him. These are reasons, and they are all
satisfactory.