The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-04-15

The article Of our Correspondent, Me-
chanic," contains important suggestions
Whether, in copying the article from the Is
la .lder & Argus, the Statesman designs to be
| understood as endorsing the doctrine con-
. tanned in il. to-wit: :that here is nothing in
the Lecompton issue about which Democrats
need TO differ perm nently, as Mechanic seems
to take for GRANTED. or not, we will not UNDER
take to say. The fact IF The publication such
matter, has sguinting hat wav it seems to
Ms. Tho wish may h. farther 10 the thought.
Possibly The Statesman may be Of the opinion
that the Democratic party need not ever differ
about principle, that men Of all 81 AIDES of
opinion, holding antagonistic principles ind-
vidua.ly may and can consistently belong 10
the party, and vote with the party in Congress
and out of it. without regard to the effect of
votes in carrying out the principles of this or
that member.
We think il highly probable that the leaders
and presses Of the Democracy, will try to sat-
isfv the masses of the party that the issue
which has so intensely excited the country
during the present session of Congress, has
been disposed Of by the recent defeat of the
Lecompton bill, and that the article alluded to
in the Statesman, is foresbadowirg of such
design and effort. And we must concede
the possibility of their succeeding in keeping
up the semblance of a party, the skeleton of
an organization, sufficient to keep in operation
the party machinery, .-..,. ..a .
But that they can satisfy the country that
these issues are all settled and disposed Of, we
do not believe. If anybody does believe this,
he must be laborng under strange deluson.
These issues are not settled. and the public
well know it. They will not be settled for
many years. The mistake grows ont of the
gross error Of supposing The question of the
admission of Kansas under the Lecompton
Constitution to be an independent issue, where
as it is but an incident, an offshoot of the lead
ing issue, which is ye; to be decided, pre-
liminary motion in the great cause now pend
ing before the country. ..
1t is passing strange that these presses and
leaders can fatter themselves with the hope of
further deluding the people, in face and eyes.of
recent discoveries and developments. The is
sue it seems to us is explicitly enough made
up, and quite plain to the commonest appre-
hension. 1t is whether free or slave labor
shall prevail on this continent. The relation
of the Kansas question bears to the main Is
sue, is precisely the relation which the terri
tory of Kansas bears to the entire Territory of
the Continent. The Oligarchs of the South
say that slave labor shall have the whole bound
less continent for slavery. To carry this out
they have succeeded in corrupting the present
administration, the Supreme Court and tie
Democratic party. They have veEtured a
skirmish in Kansas, as an experiment, to try
the temper of the American people, to deter
mine how far it will be safe to go, certainly
with no purpose of risking all the vast inter.
ests and designs upon that one undertaking.
The managers are too skilfull gamblers for
that. That they a"e temporarily beat. disap-
| pointed and alarmed. as to future successes. is
| quite apparent. Very many may indeed be
satisfied of the utter futility of all hope of the
ultimate triumph Of slave over free labor. II
is said that such men as Gov Wise. Elk Mavor
Wood OF New York, and other shrewd politi-
Glars, seeing the advancing columns of the free
labor army nenetrating Virginia, Kentucky
ard Missouri; and realizing the rapid change
of sentiment III many of the Slave States, have
concluded to take the free labor shute. and CO.
operate with the great and irresistible free
| labor movement. .... ..... .-
When the late demonstration in Congress
the great and starting ideas and arguments OF
both sides Of the question, brought out during
the progress of that debate, come to be fnly
disseminated and digested in the public mine
and heart. it then will become apparent, we
think, that the claims of free labor, and the
duty and necessity Of vindicating it. have taker
stronger and deeper hold of the feelings and
sympathies Of the laboring men, (and who OF
us are not laboring men?) than will be admit,
ted by interested politicians. "The mud sills
of society and white slaves" which the dem
ocratic chivalry of the South have written OF
the brows of all their brethren of the North
will burn into the brain and inspire thousands
upon thousands of those same laborers. to re
sent so Infamous, insulting and debasng al
imputation fastened by Democratic leaders il
Congress upon members of their own party
who have been elevated to Office and honor
| by the votes of those same 'mud stills of so
ciety and white slaves" ..
MOI the question is not settled, and will no
be until those insulting words and epithets arr
taken back; until the democratic party returns
to democratic principles, and ideas; until thos,
aristocratic oligarchs, who have not one p-in
cple, motive, sympathy or interest in common
with the laborer, the working man, the true
democracy, are driven from the party.
| INDIAN CURIosITY.-Mr. Geo. w. Daily
exhibits 10 us a Medal, having the appearance
of silver, which he found few days ago or
the land of Jonathan Boyce, below this city