Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-08-02

crus,orial Char, Il may be said, com-
meuced his public career at the age Of
twenty years, BY volunteering in the
army TO defend the lives and property
Of the inhabitants Of the territory Of
Wisconsin aud the State Of Illinois,
againsi . powerful baud Of savages
Who had been engaged, aided and
abetted by British means and influence,
and who did commit serious depreda-
tons on the lives and property Of ma
ny innocent aud unoffending citizens
Of the State and Territory.
The gallant conduct Of A. c. Dodge,
rs Aid to his great aud good old father,
in the Black Hawk War, obtained for
him high enconiums from sthe people
Of the Territory. The high order Of
his intelligence with his general good
conduct and gcntlemanly department
from that time onward, has command
ed the respect, esteem and confidence
Of all good citizens, wherever he is
known.
When quite young man he was
sent from Wisconsin AZ . Delegate to
the Congress Of the United Statcs.-
Ills efficiency and good conduct there,
was notorious, and warranted the Pres
ident in comforting on him the office
of Surveyor General Of Missouri and
Iowa. His political career since he
entered Congress a. Delegate, and
more particularly since he entered in
to his United States Senetarial career,
is historically, highly honorable.
The President Of the United States,
with the advice and appreciation Of his
Cabinet, ratified by the vote Of Uni
ted States Senate, endorsed we'll the
high character of Augustus c. Dodge,
by sending him as Minister Plenipo
Tertiary to Spain. which is one of the
highest positions, the highest dignata-
ries Of our Nation could place one Of
our greatest men in.
HE conduct there, so far as known,
seems to have been highly proper and
honorable to our Nation and to him.
The Democratic Convention, which
is the highest authority we have in
this State, has endorsed this we'll tried
and widely known statesman, by Sc
Letting him to fill the highest and most
important Office in the State.
With these incontestible vouchers of
the competency and honesty" Of our
candidate, may we not reasonably ex
pect not only the entire Democratic
support, but is it not certain that
very large number Of the citizens of
the State who are not politicians and
very many who are politicians op-
posed to the Democracy, will vote for
a man, who is so widely known to be
competent and honest, rather than run
the imprudent and fearful risk of elect
ing man for this high and important
office whose qualifications AMI moral
character is (as in the case Of the oppo-
sition candidate) doubtful or unknown?
l have been more than four years a
resident in Iowa, and been making oc-
casional visits to and through this
State and Territory frequently the past
thirty-two years, but never happened
to learn or know until a few weeks
since anything Of the character or
qualifications Of Mr.. Samuel j. Kirk
wood and do not pretend now to know
anythlng OF MIN.
learn from what seems to be good
authority, that he IS renegade from
the Democracy, and that it is but a
few years since his apostacy. l am
assured by respectable gentleman of
this city, that he (Kirkwood) was a
member of the shockingly proscriptive
party called "Know Nothings." lam
credibly informed that Hon. John P.
Cook, who some years since represen-
ted this District in Congress, asserts
boldly that he Cook sat several times
in a Know Nothing Lodge with this
same Samuel J. Kirkwood. l am
credibly informed that Hon. J. P. Cook
says he can and wiH prove that Sam
uel J. kirkwood, the opposition candi-
date for Governor, was an active men,
l'er Of the Know Nothing" party
l am also, credibIy informed that the
said candidate (Kirkwood) has on the
stump publicly denied ever having
been . member Of the said Know
Nothing party. Now there seems at
least to be an important question not
clearly settled, no doubt, in which many
liberal minded voters who are ito the
manor born" feel deeply interested !;
and certainly no naturalized citizen
would like to cast his vote in favor of