New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1859-10-07
Political.

Sketch OIL INC Speech OF Gen. A. T.. Dodge,
+ DEMoCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, Il
III Joint Discussion with Mr. Kirkwood, at
a. '....,.. Dubuque, Sept. 10th, 1859. ......
Gen. Dodge came forward and was intro
duced to the crowd by Hon. Ben NJ. Sam
uels, and after the cheers had subsided the,
the speaker proceeded: vel p. -a .sar.o-r
He said that he now stood before them can
ddate for the highest office in the gift of his fel
low citizens, an honor, the bestowal of which was
without his knowledge his wishes and
wholly unexpected to him. and one conferred be-
fore he reached his western home He said it
awoke feelings which he could not find language
to express-it was a kindness as unexpected as
it was complimentary. He stood in the very
presence of those who had elected him four
times as their delegate and twice as their SEN
ator to Congress, oil of which honors had been
conferred upon him without q dissenting voice
they were all given him as was the present one,
without his solicitation, and we're, for that rea-
son, to him so much the more gratifying. He
found many changes throughout all this country
since his return. Everything had changed ex-
cept the kindness with which his old friends ev-
erywhere treated him; everything save the warm
welcome with they greeted his return to his ma
tive country-his own loved land, of which, now,
more than ever, he could feel in all it's force the
patriotic sentiment of the poet: ilt5s't@2 2I
"Breathes there a man with soul SO dead
aa5 Who to himself hath never said ; Nui
,.,g This is my oson my native landw ttrsusle}.
(Applause.) }. ...f ,.e....e.3 -..r ~, 6,a.
Yet, in view of all these manifestations Of par
tiality to him, he did not think that these gave
him any claim upon their suffrages, nor did he
assume any such position. He claimed their
support and their sufrages upon broader grounds
upon principles-upon reasons addressed to
their interests and their patriotism. He stood
before them the representative of the down -trod-
den minority Of this State; yet, a minority
whose principles run parallel with the existence
Of this Republic and which have carried it
through all it's trying ordeals, and placedD in
the prond position which it now occupies before
the world. .-.f'. -.,,..,..cr ,,,.. ...,e, ..,..
He then proceeded to speak of the beginning
Of Republican rule in the State, and character
lied as unjusti6able and outrageous, the issues
and arguments presented by Gov Grimes, which
had temporarily misled the people He had
urged upon them continually the negro question
had appealed to their worst passions by mis-
statements relative to slavery-had aroused
their apprehensions of the spread of this great
evil and the degradation of free labor-had ex-
cited their fears by asserting that Nebraska,
Kansas, and even Iowa. would be .overrun by
negroes and slavery. This, the speaker. said,
was brief outline Of the plan whereby Grimes
had started false issues and revolutionized the
State. & &o +h1 As.l.'.@A az ~ + Ia" u
He said that he had at the time denounced
this course; he knew that such could not be the
case, and the present condition of affairs in those
Territories, demonstrated at once the truth. Of
his and the desperate falsity Of Grimes position
There are not now in Kansas 200 negroes, and
in the entire Territory of Nebraska but L rsoI
His competitor (Kirkwood,) would probably
arraign him for having voted against free labor,
but this also was a false charge; he hated sla-