Burlington tri-weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1852-1855, 1855-02-20
For the Hawk Eye.

MEssRs. DUNHAx & BRowN-
You promised me on Saturday last that
should have the privilege Of correcting GER
tain statements made BY you in your issues Of
the 7th and 17tt inst, relative to myself and
the late city election; and that you would
publish the same as On act of justice.
Among other charges of little Importance,
you state ct. at last year there were major
ity Of the City Council opposed to granting
proposition to grant licenses
was made and defeated-that took advan-
tage of the absence of Mr.. Adams to intro
duce and force through the Council an ordi-
nance to license that / have uniformly vo
ted and spoken against every proposition for
the suppression of intemperance-tha was
the open and avowed whisky candidate-that
with set of Aldermen equally calculated to
please the liquor dealers, was run to secure
the whisky vote. That the judges of the cleo
ton were packed expressly to let in alien or
illegal votes-that | am the champion Of In
temperance and look to whisky and to whis-
Ky only for success as Politician" Now
each and all Of these statements are not only
untrue, but grossly llbellous; and their pro-
pagatlon is lnexcusable and unjustifable, even
if believed to be true at tho time of making
such publication. It is not true that ma
jority Of the Council last year, were opposed
to licensing, OR that proposition to license
was made and failed-or that advantage was
taken of the absence of Mr.. Adams. The
vote stood on the passage of tho ord nance 5
to 8, (Mr. Adams PRESENT. was subsequently,
reconsidered, amended and passed by xpts
of 5 to 2, expressly to secure that order,
which the other law had failed to accomplish.
1t is not true that am or ever have been
the friend or advocate of intempsrance. My
whole official service has been devoted to the
suppression Of intemperance; to restricting
and regulating the traffic by such practical
measures and laws as could be enforced; and
can say what few temperance candidates
can-that am not ~ no reformed drunk
ard, but that never have been drunk. Nor
does any Of those who were elected upon the
same ticket with myself, possess this priced
qualification. They are all constitutionally
temperate, and require no pledge to keep
them so. It is not true that courted the
distinction, or was an open and avowed
whisky candidate. No such issue was made
by myself or friends, or by our opponents, or
by yourselves in your paper, pending the
election. Ny object was to defeat the Wool
ly-Know- Nothing Ticket, and those who vo-
ted for me had the same object in view, and
this was the only issue. The charge is equal
ly untrue, that the judges of the election
were packed to secure the admission of lille
gal alien votes. Their character stands above
rsproach, and forbids any such infsrsnce.-
Nor is it true that they did receive, or that
We sought to have them receive any other
class of votes than such as were authorized
under the city charter, and had been polled
at every previous city election. Yet with the
knowledge of this fact before you, you con-
vey the Inference that the judges of that cleo
ton received votes heretofore excluded.
The allegation, ssthat am the champion
of Intemperancc, and look to whisksy, and
to whiskey only, for political success is
preposterous. To Temperance orders and
reformed drunkards, belongs the merit OF
establishing such tests and making such is
sues, and to this Congressional District, the
glory of the first experiment. In conclusion,
permit me to say that the charges have re-
repealed were not made because was in ia
vor Of granting licenses. If 80, why wa.
not that objection urged by you in your pa
per pending the contest The reason is clea,
and evident why you have raised the ;ssu.
now-you have sustained positive defeat
Your course is necessary, or believed to b.
SO, to keep your forces from disbanding, and
by such clap-traps you expect to combln,
and unite your force with whatever other ell
ement may present itself, for future opera
tions. If you take some reformed drunkard
for your candidate you may succeed. If hi.
legs are kept sober, it matters little about
his head. You will have candidate then
who knows all about Blue Ruin-of whom
you may 6e proud, and who doubtless will
be proud Of you, and when you elect him,
We hope to see you embrace each other, and
we promise to be pr ssent at the Inauguration.
And finally, let me say to you, that you
over estimate tie foreign vote; it is as but
one to three-shere being over 1900 legal
voters in this city. Nor is it true that more
than one half of the alien vote was cast for
myself, or believed to have been 80 cast, or
that courted their vote more than my Gem
petitor did. All, and each, and every alle-