Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-08-12
VOL. XI--NO. 6. !.

was all the time perfectly cool, courteous and
good natured,, saying not single ungentle-
manly word With master hand he laid
bare the iniquity of slavery and the fallacy Of
the Dred Scott decision. He was frequently
and enthusiastically applauded.
DODGE GOES IN Fox SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE
" TRADE. - II
By the time Mr.. K. had finished, Gen. D.
seemed ready to burst with exciteaent and
rage. He mounted the stand with all the
emotions exhibited in the afternoon intensi-
fled. He was literally rampant. lie seemed
in state of uncomfortable frenzy. lie said
that Mr.. Kirkwood had depicted slavery in its
worst aspect, and that he had appealed to tho
meanest and lowest of human passions Gen.
D. declared that slavery, in its influence on the
blacks, was christianizing and civilizing; that
the negroes were brought from the heathen
| jungles Of Africa, and in this country were
enlightened, christianized and prepared for
heaven! In old times, continued the General,
when slave ship from Africa reached our
shores, the negroes were welcomed with open
arms, because the people realized that another
cargo of human beings was saved from heath
enism and perdition! 1t may seem strange
to the reader that Gen. Dodge, the Democratic
candidate for Governor of Iowa, should thus
speak in favor Of slavery and the slave trade.
In this report of his remarks on this subject,
we have not misrepresented what he said in
the least. No man of the South could have
employed the argument in favor of slavery
and the slave trade, founded on the supposed
christianizing influence of that institution OH
the negroes, more forcibly than did Gen. d.
lie seemed to forget entirely that he was
talking to an audience i'll Iowa, and not in
South Carolina.
GEN. DODGE GETS BELLIGEKKNT.
Gen. Dodge asked Mr.. K number Of
questions, one Of which was that, in the event
of his (Mr. KS election, and the passage Of
personal liberty bill like that Of Massachu-
sets or New Hampshire, would he veto it9
Mr.. K. replied that he was not familiar with
the details of those bills, and could not say
what he would do until he was acquainted
with their provisions. 'In fact" said Mr.. f.,
81 have not read those bills to which my
attention is called" Then, turning blandly
to his competitor, he said, "Gen. Dodge, did
you ever read them p The General sat bolt
upright, clothed in his sevcrest dignity, but
said not one word in reply. He did not move
muscle of his face or incline his head. Tho
audience very naturally came to the conclusion
that the General hadn't read them, and they
roared with laughter. 1t is but justice to
Gen. D. to say that he subsequently told the
audience that he had read the New Hampshire
bill.
Mr.. X. remarked that those present in the
afternoon would remember that he had pre-
dicted that, before long, the Democracy would
be urging the revival of the slave trade,
because slavery, as they would affirm, is a
christianizing institution. But, said he, 1 did
not expect my competitor would commence it
so soon. This fair and legitimate inference
drawn from Gen. DIS remarks on slavery
fairly reused the lion within him. As soon
as Mr.. X. sat down, the General sprang to his
feet, and declared savagely that if Mr.. Kirk
wood said that he or any of the Democratic
party was in favor of the slave trade, he was
a liar, and that, if he repeated it, he would
cram the lie d0.o,s his threat. Mr.. K, per-
tectly calm and good natured, waited until the
General had relieved his choler somewhat,
when he remarked that, if Gen. D. spoke
fguratively in regard to cramming words
down his throat, it was all right, but if he
attempted it practically, it would be quite a
different thing. Gen. Dodge declared that he
was ''ready to give his antagonist sati.tac-
tion."
At this time the audience were crowdins
round the speakers. Gen. Dodge was swing
ing his fists, and gesticulatiug with his head
very savagely and menacingly. Had Mr..
Kirkwood been half as much excited and
enraged as Gen. Dodge was, a disgracefui
quarrel would have been the result. Mr.. e.,
on the contrary, was perfectly self-possessed,
and did not exhibit the least signs of agitation
or i'll -humor. By his coolness and ,self-pos-
session, the State was saved from the disgrace
of shameful personal encounter between her
two candidates for the highest Office in tho
gift of the people. Soon after this, and with
out further demonstrations, the meeting dis
persed.
We have thus given rapid outline of this
most extraordinary contest. During the
whole of it, we are glad to say, Mr.. Kirkwood
acquitted himself as a man and a gentleman
should On the other hand, it has never been
our fortune to see a candidate for any office
make himself SO superlatively ridiculous as
did Gen. Dodge on this occasion. Indeed, it
is almost impossible for a man to imagine
another in more unpleasant position than
that voluntarily taken by Gen. Dodge. Dem
ocrats themselves admit that he made a most
wretched and shameful failure. This account
is already longer than We intended, and We
shall reserve our comments on the remarkable
doctrines enunciated by the exMinister for
another occasion. lars ~ .a
AGuN SILENcED- Several Locofoco cotem-
poraries started out on the present campaign
with the assertion that the Republican doc
trine of the power of Congress over the ques-
ton of slavery in the Territories was identical
with that of the "Ultras" of the South. The
mock seriousness with which this point was
urged ought certainly to be taken as very
strong proof of the doctrine of the original
depravity of mankind, and especially Of the
present depravity of the Locofoco party of the
North. In thus attempting to cast contempt
on this doctrine, they are impugning the
patriotism and intelligence Of the fathers and
of the Republic, who for the first
seventy years of our existence as nation not
only believed the doctrine, but practiced it,
with such effect that slavery was excluded by
acts from all the then North
Western territory belonging to the confederacy
what is now the most populous
and prosperous portion of our country.
Who is there in all our broad domain that
regrets the position taken by our ancestors.
when they passed the ordinance Of 1872 Is
there single Democrat in Iowa who does not
rejoice that there was no demagogue there to
propose, and no party corrupt enough to
the contemplate dogma of squatter
sovereignty, by which the frst hundred or +.
settlers might introduce and fasten
forever upon all that magnificent stretch Of
country the curse Of slavery? Rejoice, then,
o Democrats, that Republican men were at
the helm in that crisis, and hide your dimin-
ished heads in view Of your shameful apostacy
from the doctrines they proclaimed. Linn
County Register. f ss
HT The Ioaoa Journal, Democratic State
organ, suggests that the reason Dodge would
not canvass with Kirkwood is that Thousands