Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-07-23


solution Of the old whig party, when
self constituted clan Of the most
graceless wire-pullers that ever plan
ed political campaign, undertook to
harmonic the opposing elements Of
the opposition, and put all in working
order under the practical motto-"ev
erything for success, nothing for prin-
ciples or men, Since the adoption
of this motto, the leading Republican
organs have furnished little but a
shameful picture Of disgraceful jour
nalism.
Now for the famous speech Of Mr..
Kirkwood. He wished it understood
that his antecedents we're democratic
-(of course, that he left his party
on the passage Of the Kansas Nebras-
Ia bill-that he hailed from Ohio, the
Buckeye State-was a member of the
late Con stitutional Convention of that
great commonwealth. Well, Mr.. Kirk
wood, you had an honorable start in
life; but how strange that you should
leave your party merely on the pro>
mitigation Of principle which had
been practically acted on from the ear
Hest days of the republic, except in the
single instance Of the application of
Missouri for admission into the Union.
l suppose you have forgotten or never
heard the views of Mr.. Jefferson on
this Missouri Compromise. When he
heard Of its passage he declared it
sounded to him "ike the knell of the
Union" Why? Because it asserted
principle which if followed out must
result in separation OF the State. If
Mr.. Kirkwood will read the Sd vol. of
Jetferson's correspondence he will find
how wide the limits lie between a
black republican OF the present day
and Mr.. Jefferson.
But Mr.. kirkwood was a member of
the Ohio Constitutional Convention in
1912. Any one posted in the af-
fairs of that State at the time, will
recollect that this body was noted for
being exceedingly weak in the knees.
1t was composed for the greater part
of entirely new men-never heard Of
in public life before, there being ON
ly some half dozen men of any note
in the Convention. 1t managed to get
the contempt of everybody by sitting
some five months, without periecting
anything - then taking a recess Of
three months; converting again, and
after spending four months more, ter
minating its labors by putting forth
the new instrumental tame, wordy,
complex, extensively working ma
chine, which suited nobody, in many
OF Its leading features, but was finally
adopted by the people in virtue Of a
clause which provided very easy way
of altering the instrument, which the
old constitution did not contain.
Being a native Buckeye, and hav-
ing taken an active part in the politi-
cal affairs of the State from 1910 up
to 1856, the writer of this, here asserts,
that Mr.. kirkwood was not heard in
Ohio politics, or elsewhere, except in
his own immediate locality, till his
election to said Convention; that he
was not heard Of in the Convention as
member OF any prominence at all !;
that he was not heard of after the
Convention !; and further, that in
Ohio, candidate on the stump, hav-
ing been a member of that Conven-
ton, rather labors to conceal the fact !;
AS its prominence would work a re-
proach instead of recommendation.
What is there in the fact of Mr.. Kirk
woods leaving the Democrats and 60
ing to the Republicans, and the other
fact Of his being a weak member of
that very weak body-the Ohio Con-
stitutional Convention-to entitle him
to the office Of Governor, in opposi-
ton TO the services of the well tried,
able pioneer, General Dodge, who, for
twenty years, whether in public or in
private life, has Iabored for the ad-
vanccment and glory of Iowa.
Now, will the Gazette, which COM
plains so much of the disparaging re-
marks of the Democratic papers as
regards Mr.. kirkwood, turn its atten-
ton to its own illusions to the charac-
ter Of General Dodge. Its overt insin-
nations Of his dishonesty in office
his influence at the very moral Court
OF Spain-high standing in the esti-
nation of the virtuous Queen, etc.
which make up the burden of every
article of the Gazette on the subject,
are, to say the least Of them, most
scandalous, bitter and disagraceful to
the journal which utters them. Hints
OF matters which it da.es not charge
on one so we'll known as Gen. Dodge.