Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-09-16
The Discussion at the Court
House.
The Great C1sas. TtnssQssjshed

Au0 USCuSSSiOu oetWeeu McSSGN. DOuSo
and Kirkwood came off at the Court House,
Tuesday afternoon, according to appoint
mcnt. Kirkwood was early on the ground,
mingling and conversing with the people, in
the most sociable and friendly manner. By
the time that Dodge made his appearance, the
hall was crowded to excess goodly number
of ladies being present-and some signs Of
impotence began to be shown. An adjourn
ment to the square outside being considered
by the speakers and their friends, it was
mutually requested that, for prudential
reasons, the speaking might be conducted
indoors. The crowd assented, and, Judge
Woodward and Ansel Humphreys presiding,
the General mounted the rostrum, and was
introduced by Mr.. Humphreys, But, before
passing upon his remarks, we offer brief
description of the man who will be renowned
in the history Of Iowa as the worst beaten
man on the stump and at the ballot-box that
ever ran for the Office of Governor:
He is rather tall, of medium corpulency,
stands painfully erect, with slight backward
inclination beyond the perpendicular, with q
face of the 1--WE say it in all due respecD prize
fighter order, his close shaven countenance
wearing scarcely any expression but that Of
combativensss. He struts with courtly pom,
posity, and executes his ''manners" with
amusing formality and stiffness. The tout
ensemblsi is that of constrained and intriguing
diplomat, and we doubt not his skill in the
secret council is vastly superior, and his
influence greater, than it ever has been or can
be in open communion with frank and free
hearted constituency. His voice and gestures,
as we afterward had opportunity to note, are
in keeping with the rest, utterly destitute OF
power or interest. The latter consisted of a
sort of selfapplause, executed by applying
the two first fingers of the right hand upon
the left palm, which, in the absence of all other
demonstrations of the kind, awoke a monoto.
nous and dismal echo from the vacant walls
This movement became excited and rapid in
the closing speech, wherein the General became
immensely heated at the fearful trouncings Of
his antagonist, and barely escaped bringing
another disgraceful scandal upon himself and
his party.
We have now come to the most difficult
part Of our subject. We have not invention
enough to manufacture speech for him, and
too much regard for truth to dignity his
remarks by that name, and too much gentle
manly feeling toward Dodge personally to pass
this part of the entertainment over in complete
silence. The General is confirmed egotist
and devoted fully one-third Of his time to q
recital of the honors and dignlties under which
he has groaned for fourteen long years. We
shall not presume to follow him, however, in
that particular. His next point was Pop
ular Sovereignty" or, as he prudishly styles
it, "Non-Intervention" In this department,
he stands forth the unblushing apologist Of
slavery, and betrays callousness to the
interest of free labor that evidently excited the
supreme disgust of his auditory. The General
talks like simpleton upon this topic. He
is opposed to slavery extension, but thinks
spreading it over more territory will be the
best means of restricting it. He boots at the
idea of slavery aspiring to cross the tropical
line, and yet declares fairly and squarely that
the condition of the slave is better in Missouri
and Kansas than in Louisiana. And so on.
On the Kansas question, he is wilfully
cratic. He thinks the Dem ocracy and the
Kansas Nebraska bill succeeded admirably in
giving liberty to Kansas, when, in fact, they
only gave Lecompton, of which, by the way
he breathed nary t0ord .......-.F
Finally, the General descended to State
affairs. Ignorant as he is, by reason of his
long absence, of the real condition of things
here, he made, as might be expected, bungline
use of his figures, and, after the excoriation Of
Kirkwood, left nobody convinced of Repub.
lican extravaganza. At the charitable and
and other public institutions he bestows
nothing but the most contemptuous sneer
The Agricultural College is the especial object
of his scott, and the butt Of his miserable wit
The speech sums up, II am General Augustus
| Caesar Dodge, ex-Congressman, ex-senator Of
U.S., ex-Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court
of Spain, &C., &C., &C., and-anything, you
know, for changed"
After dwelling upon so prodigious a char.
acter, we have, to our regret, but little space
left for person in every respect infinitely his
superior. Kirkwood spoke for one hour and
three-quarters, with irresistible effect, driving
his opponent against the wall at every point
and completely stripping him of his decora.
tons. We brave tho opinion of every man
and woman in that audience, in proof of what
we now say. A shabby contrast, truly, the
speech and principles of Dodge afforded to
those of the Republican champion. Talk
ABOUT equality"
Among other things, Kirkwood triumph
antly indicated the Agricultural College from
the aspersions Of SO inexperienced a Farmer
as Dodge, and with the knowledge and
| anectlon OF practitioner spoke OF the impor-
lance and advantages expected to accrue from
that institution. But we have not time to
particularize. Everybody was there, and, Of
course, everybody can appreciate in measure
the exultation we are obliged to suppress.
Hurrah for the "Plow-H Handle Ticket"
The rejoinder of Dodge was angry, confused,
contradictory and powerless. At the expira-
ton Of his time, the audience made an indis.
criminate rush for the door, and the General,
sharp enough for once to take hint, incon-
tinently "simmered down." ~
H When we say that, in the discussion
Tuesday, Mr.. Kirkwood ''used up" Gen,
Dodge, we but give the verdict of every