The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-09-20
Curtis and Coles Joint Discus
sion Mt Ottamwa.

The joint discussion between Curtis and
Cole, candidates for Congress in the first
district, came off last Tuesday The result
was as anticipated. Cole did not do as well
rs usual, that Is, if we can jldg. properly
from the accounts his efforts already pub
lished. lie has been representatives. shrexd,
cunning stumpcr, able 10 make a good
point where he had the material, and able
t, divert the attention of his audience from
those facts an honest explanation of which
cannot be given. If this be the character
of the man, he did not do himself justice on
on Tuesday last. Any one, unin1uenced by
party bias, would say that Cole is no match
for Curtis, all things considerable fact that
he was literally annihilated by his opponent
five had time We would give the speeches
of the candidates, in full, but We will have
to content ourselves by referenc, to some
Of the principal points.
Cole, in the outset, mounted his squatter
beast, and like Dean, Bennett, Dodge, and
in fine, like all the Bob-tail stump,rs of the
State, labored hard to show how the people
of territory could coastitutionally do a
thing which Ct it's very self was unconstitu-
tional. He said that the people ola terrific
ry could legally exclude slavery from terri
tory, notwithstanding the constitution
OF the United States established it there be-
yond the control of the p@oplc-and ne said
that this was one Of the fundamental prin.
cip!es to which the National Democratic par
tywere pledged and on which they relied
Mr. Cole elso spoke Ct the Homestead
policy and endeavored TO prove that thu
Democratic party were in favor of Home
stead law, because they had said nothing
about it in their national platform. He
could not, though, explain this matter te
the satisfaction of his own frienls. Perhaps
he might have done so. had he referred, by
way of Illustration, to the Irishman's dream
Pat expected to get what he didn't dream
about, and Democrats expect to do things
about which their platform is silent. Sucl
is Democracy!
When Cole was through his leading friend.
had sense enough to see that Curtis woult
soon annihilate him, and so they got togeth
er the soeak ones and marched them off thu
ground. They remained away till Curti.
was about closing when they returned
Curtis made good Republican speech
which is equivalent to saying, his speech ua
good and true in e0ery respect When Cur
tbs had closed the Republicans quietly march
ed away. leaving Cole surrounded bv SOM
forty Elins and perhaps an equally larg
number of Soap Creekers.
1t rained and blew through coasi,le abb
part of the afternoon. which very mucl
dampened the enthusiasm of all parties.
In the evening, the Wide Awakes an,
the Douglas Invincibles paradel The Wild
Awakes numbered about two hundred. The,
were finely drilled and their parade was mag
nficrnt. The Invincibles had some wha
more in their ranks than the Republicans
but they were, at least, one fourth boys
They went through with their drill Just a
they do every thing-the sqnatter end frs,
We should judge there were present, o,
the occasion, three thousand in all. Every
thing passed off as pleasantly as c,uldfb
expected. The results of this meeting vii
he recorded in November As We state,
last week, Curtis election is now sure.