The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-10-23
Republican Club Meeting.
Henry Clay Denounced:
Gen. Shields declared q Traitor

Gen. Shields declared q Traitor!
The great Otter Greek Orator, o. c. Gray,
Esqr, fairly spread himself before the Re
publican Club last Saturday evening. He |
had been kept on bran Cor brandy mashes
for as much as whole week, during which |
time he was not allowed even to blow at the |
street corners, so that he could let off full !
blast at the Club. No other speaker was !
named for the evening. Gray was to have |
it all to himself Otter Creek was to have
chance to do his pre;,iest.
To go over all the points of speech thus
deliberately prcmeditated, and which took
some three hours in the delivery, would be
pilng upon our readers greater amount of
obsceni,y and triviaIity than they could be
expected 20 stand. We can give but pass,
ing notice of few of his.extraordinary say.
ings.
lie started out with the announcement
that his object was to reply to the speeches
Of Judge Dickey and COL Reddick at the
Democratic Club on Friday evening; and
proceeding on this plan, he first pitched into
Judge Dickey. He reviewed, at some
length, or rather talked about Judge Dick
ey's exposition Of tie bred Scott decision,
then undertook to comment on Judge DIS
present position, and contrast it with his po-
sition two years ago as q supporter of Ere
mont, ana from the whole came to about
IL:
Wing, Judge Dickcy had been inconsistent
in his support Of F.emont; that Henry
Clay's principles and those-of tine Republi-
can party were totally antagonistic-tha he
| Gray had never pretended they were any
thing else-and that Dckey, in standing on
the Clay platform, was now consistent in his
support Of Judge Douglas. And having got
to this point, he launched forth in a general
denunciation of He ry Clay and all his fol-
/ lowers, and wound up with the expression,
that if there were any more admirers OF
Henry Clay in the Republican party, be
hoped to God they would leave it at once,
and no longer disgrace that party by their
connection with it.
Having thus disposed Of and kicked the
/ Clay Wings out Of the Republican ranks as
a disgrace to them, he turned his attention
to Mr.. Redoick. lie was not prepared to
dispute single word Of what Mr.. r. had
said about the great services Of Judge Doug
las in promoting the prosperity of our State,
by procuring our splendid railroad grants of
land But what Of that? Judge ID. had
proved a traitor to freedom, by advocating
popular sovereignty" instead Of Congress
ional domination in the Territory. This was
all the sin he was able to charge Douglas
with, as an off set for his great services and
craftsmanship, which he was unprepared to
deny.
But he next undertook to deny that Judge
d. was entitled to the credit Mr.. Reddick
had given him for throttlirs know olhing-
ism. He could not deny bu; that Douglas
was the first prominent man to make pub
lie speech against the monster, for that is =
matter Of history, and no respectable man
now denies that the frs, cffectiv blow tha,
was dealt know nothingism was dealt by
Judge ID. in his speech at Independence
> Hall in Philadelphia, in 1854. But he said
, VIM. II. Seward had done more to ,hro,,l,
the monster than Judge -. Ibis is pro
= babe story indeed, in view Of he fact tina
Seward, in 1856, was returned to the L. S
Senate ny the know-nothnS vote in ths
, New York Legislature. But although ht
admitted that Judge d. had made the frs
speech against know nothingism, and de
nounced the order from that day to this or
, every stump, yet both he and GENERAL
= SHIELDS had proved TRAITORS to the for
eign born citizens, by voting for the Clay
ton amendment" TO the Nebraska Bill
Shields a traitor to his own countrymen -
c This was the pass to which Gray was re
!; duccd, in his attempt to arraign Douglas
- consistency in opposing Hinduism.
It Gray must presume largely indeed on III
j. ignorance and guilibility of our foreign bor
2 citizens if he thinks he can blindfold then
{ by subj talk about the famous Clayto
:, amendment. Judge Douglas and Gen. Shield
both have SO often and so fully explane
;, their vote on that amendment, that We wer
D. to it. The history of that mrtter is this
:. The Nebraska Kansas bill as introduced b
e Judge Douglas allowed unna.uraliz.d for
It eicners in Kansas and Nebraska to vote a
10 ter being IN the country two years. Jus
(, rs the Nebraska bil! was about TO pass tn
E. senate, Clayton introduced his amendment
s. requiring foreigners to be naturaized befor
E. they could vote. The question was take
- on the Shields, Douglas, an
20 other Senators voted against 1t, and
for it. So the amendment was adopte,
What was to he done? Should Douglas an
Shields vote against the bill because it cor
tanned an obnoxious clause The vol
~ threatened 10 be close. Clayton and oths
know nothings in the senate would vote fc
the bill with this amendment. Withot
t.er votes it would be defeated. The 6eu
ocrats held a consultation, and they conc.,
J." ded it was best to let the amendment go in
to the senate bill. and they could get
!. struck out in thesHouse SO the bill passc
the senate.
The House took it up, Clayton ameHdmer
. was stricken out by the house, and thel
y when the bill got back to the Ssnats, Clay
ton and his X. N. brethren were compeile
," to vote for the bill as amended in the hous
r or stand the responsibility of its defeat
Is They chose to vote for the bill. 1t was
- ruse to get their votes, snd it sucecede,
and the Clayton amendment was not adop
'e ed. This is the true and simple history
n the matter.
The Prospect.
i The republicans Of this county are so we