Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-10-08
Political Meetings, Speeches and Dis.
cushions at Northfleld, Rice Co.

= NoRrHFlELD, Sept. %, 1859.
DEAR SIR On Monday evening the Re-
publican Club of Mortified had good gath.
ering, but were disappointed in the non.arri
val of Hon. M. S. Wilkinson, who was ex-
pected. Brief imprornptu speeches, however,
mere made by Messrs. North, Gibbs and
Frost and the club adjourned in good spirits.
On Tuesday evening, the goth, our Demo-
cratic friends had their time again, and the
Republicans turned out to help them fill Ly-
ceum Hall to listen to Messrs. Graham and
Shields-the first stumping for a seat in the
House of Representatives, and the latter for
the U. S. Senate. Mr.. G. proved clearly to
his own satisfaction that the Homestead Bill
was, in the first place, Democratic measure,
for the introduction of which Mr. Grow was
entitled to no sort of credit, and in the second
place, that it was very poor, miserable thing
any way-"a bird without ieathers'-and of
no sort of consequence to the people of Min
neSota.
Gen. Shields rehearsed the antique glories
of the Democratic party, from the deluge
down to the Mexican war, which, as usual, he
logged in to perform military service in this
Campaign. He not only endorsed Mr. Ora
hams denunciation of the Homestead meas
ure, and his claim to its Democratic paternity,
but assured US that he made speeches in the
Senate in its favor, voted for it always, except
when he paired off with his Democratic friend,
Chestnut, and when the Republicans factious-
ly brought it up in antagonism to an appro-
priation bill, (viz, the $50, 200, 900 Cuba bill,
though he was quite careful not to tell US dis
tinctly that it was not bill to appropriate
monies for the ordinary expenses of Govern
ment, but on the other hand an iniquitous
scheme to plunge our bankrupt treasury still
deeper in debt for the purchase of more slave
soil.
The gallant general adroitly waxed terribly
indignant over being blamed for absenting
himself on account of illness, and talked in
lachrymose tones of the meanness of denOun-
cling him in such circumstances for pairing off
with his South Carolina friend Senators, he
assured us, are subject to like infirmities
with other men. No condition of life
is exempt from the attacks of disease.
think have heard so before; that they are
liable to both physical and moral inirmities.
argue that if any Republican blames the
General for pairing off with Mr.. Chestnut
on that occasion, it is real mean" Not on
ly that, it is green. wish, however, they
had paired off on the 25th of February, when
they both voted twice against the bill And
that the rest of their Democratic colleagues
had adopted general system of pairing off
with each other.
have not time to give synopsis of the
Railroad policy of the late President of tho
M. & c. V. R. r. Co. will only present
the conclusion, which was, that the Demo-
cratic party propose to unite all the four Land
Grant and Loan Companies upon one Grand
Trunk line from Iowa to Lake Superior
How the act of Congress, the Constitution
al Amendment and the Charters of the Com
panies were all to be bent to this scheme he
did not explain to us; nor where the Demo-
cratic party had proposed any such plan.
have left little space to tell you of our
rich treat yesterday in the speeches we list
encd to from Gov. Ramsey, his gallant Lieut.
Mr.. Donnelly, Judge Goodrich and Hon. j
w. North. The Methodist Church was filed
afternoon and evening to hear them, by an
intelligent audience, who went away feeling
that they had listened to live men, awake to
the living issues of the day. s
Of the grand Mass Meeting of our County,
at Faribault on the Goth, said to have been
the largest yet held in Minnesota, you will
have heard from other quarters.
Set down Rice County as sure for the right.
FIf Mortified township gives Republican
majority much short of one hundred, we shall
have failed to do our duty. REPUBLICAN,.