The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-02-24

road to anv point on the Des Moines i,
pleased. We have not seen the letter, and
may not represent its contents with strict
accuracy, but such is its reported purport.
The Great "nass Meeting NJ Dab
lOneGa."
j. ". NORRIS:
DEAR SR:-The miserable sh-
ortion o! R. r. Convention held at Dahlon-
ega, on the 10Th inst, gotten up BY two or
three pennilcss town-rats and small-becr pol
iticians at Dahlonega, and composed of two
or three dcluded regulators from Highland
and COMPETING townships. some three or four
sore headed office-hunters from Ottumwa af-
flicted and dsinterested gentlemen God save
the mark y who are sufferingin the flesh to
have the all-healing jew David's plaster-of-
Office applied to their broken cranums; ma
jority of whom, having used the same amo;
ever since the country was first settled, can
testify to its efficacy. These men, who are
ever ready and willing to 'sell their birth
right for mess of pottage," together with
all the town-loafers, and very thin sprink-
ling of honest men, who wouldn't repudiate
4 private or public obligation if convenient
opportunity offered, from Dahlonega and Vi
sinity, making, all told, twenty-five or thirty
persons, as am credbly informed, constitu-
ted this sstute body, the proceeding of which
we have in the last No. of your paper as a
large and enthusiastic "Mass Meeting Git
would have been nearer the thing to have left
out the NJ, Judging from the proceeding) of
the citizens of Center, Agency, Competine,
Highland, and Dahlonega Fps" This thing
would have been treated with the silent con-
tempt its Misrepresentation, personal abuse
and the character of the men who originated
It deserve, but for the fact that they are pub
lished and will be read probably by persons
unacquainted with the authors and their sin
lister motives Within the range of their
limited acquaintance this public notice and
branding of all their assertions as false is en-
tirely unnecessary.
They say in their preamble that the con-
tract is forfeited with the B. & NJ r. R.
Now, this is false, in tito, and the men who
drew up the resolutions knew it. There is
no time specified in the contract, or in the
proposition which the people ratified, nor in
the stock books, when the r. R. was to be
completed Ito Ottumwa; and because the
Company submitted to Judge Flint propo-
sition, last summer, to lessen the amount of
tie bonds and increase the interest and he
saw fit to change the proposition before sub
hitting it to the people, which change they
refused TO acquiesce in before taking the
vote: why, these Solomons tell us the orig
inal contract is forfeited! They tell us in
the next resolution that they are opposed to
contracting debts for their children and chill
dren's, children to pay, and opposed to build
ing up railroad monopolies, &c. Now, gen
tlemen, it is entirely too late to talk this way ;
the debt is entered into, we have the road at
our door, and if it has not been built as soon
as irresponsible parties promised, it has most
certainly gone ahead with remarkable de-
gree of promptitude, considering all the cir.
cumstances, and doubt very much whether
nine tenths of these "bone and sinew'' tax
payers have met their obligations during the
panic, or any other time, half as near to the
scratch as the B. & NJ r. r. Co. They as
ssrt another characteristic falsehood in say
ing that we are using every means "honora-
BILE and dishonorable," to influence the coun-
ty Judge to issue the bonds. At large r.
r. n estins, held at TINS place on the 18th ult.,
resolutions were passed, requesting the
Judge, after being satisfied that there was no
legal impeachment in the way, to issue them,
rs we believed the interest and honor of the
county demanded it. Couched in the most
respectful language, reiterating their coni,
dence in his integrity and Sgood intentions,
this was before the Dahlonega affair.". howev-
er, and before he had voluntarily participa-
ted in disgraceful conglomeration Of agita
tors, political soreheads, and regulators, and
assisted in creating this sentiment in favor
of regulating fair and honest contract, I'M
der the more specious pretext Of retrench
ment and reform, with the ostensible pur
pose Of riding into Office on the hobby, rs ev
idenced by his nomination for reelection by
this ''tax-paying" convention.
They say they are opposed to three or fou
hundred paupers, who pay no tax, bein.
bribcd or cajoled into voting tax for tn
farmers, the bone and sinew of the country
to pay; and, since this matter ha. been in
PRODUCED, propose to show who are TIN
paupers, who pay the taxes, and will SUITE
the heaviest in paying railroad taxes, and
my delectable Dahlonega friends find in it
verifcation of the old adage that ''compari
sons are odious," they must blame them
selves for furnishing me the suggestion. W
find that
NJ NJ. Lane pays into Co. Treas. '5s. s2l,3
j. @. Ilinsey OF
J.C. johnson I" !" "a
n