Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1860-08-01
cor. enszss Ar RAearss AA.1.

- - ss T&xd
The fsllowssg which re saIs froH ths 4
Keokuk JsHvnal, pnhlishsd 4 ehe home
Of Caa. Gursis, DO snectuaIEy Mes up sAsI
argaHs used Il ror u his
IN shia section 81 tbs Stasss
that we transfer II TO our columns, with
the request THAI all may read ID, and con-
slider ven shs truths tAerein contained,
assore casting sheiS vose for Col. euxsI
Tsss ST
Ihe Hass GEfs pahlishs~ i latsar fra
Van Bursn county, urging the rs-sIssssd
Of Col. Curtis 10 Gongress. The writer
claims the sappoFs Of the people II this
distries for Col, Carts upon the ground
of his great abilities, and his i.aausnee in |
prom citing the passage of the Paeiac
Railroad Bill. The Gate City fully en-
dorses the views of its correspondent. r
Thus the friends OF Col. Curtis challenge
an investigation of the faet Of his ahifis
ties and hia probable inauence in the g.
sage of thai bill. Nov, We most chear-|
fully admit the premises they assuIas
namely, that no man of inferior abilisss
should be the leading advoeatc Of great
and usomentous national measure like the
Pacific Railroad. Its ehiaf support upon
the door Of Congress should be not only a
man # superior general capacity, bat an
able debatar. The scheme Of Col. Cur
tbs, particularly, Is opposed By some of
the most consainmate debaters Ia the
House, and amoag them by the able and
brilliant Davis Of Maryland, and Lamar,
of Mississippi. 1t Is in VAN to put fors
ward man of mean capacity, ~ = de-
| batter, in opposition to Such men. Nsw,
the friends of Curtis conceded THAI if he
is weak man and a poor debater he is
not fit for the position Of leader in ear
rying through Congress one Of the might
lest projected Of this age. .
| Surely, if any man had eyer right to
cry out In his agony, "sase me from any
friends, }" that man il Col. Curtis. IL
his friends challenge cur respect for his
social qualities, his agreeable manners
even his private worth as man, ws
shoaid at least listen with compiacency /;
but when they undertake to procl aim him
8 man Of talent, and especially an able
dehatcE, il is mare than human nature
can bear. We instinctiTeiy feel that they
insult the public intelligence, and will
fully attsmpt to impose upon the popular
Craaulity. In all seriousness, Is there an
intelligent man among us who does not
know that Col. Curtis, intellectually
speaking, il, In truth, one OF the weakest
Of aen, and that his capacity as a deba-
ter is actually below contempt. That
his irrepressibie loquacitY and twRddle,
have proved TOO much for even the Ysti-
enos Of his political associates In Con-
grass that his efforts have been treated
with good natured ridioule by his politti-
cal opponents. in that body are facts toe
we'll known to be denied by any Eaan OF
intelligence and candor. We unhesita-
tiugly aver that this statement can be
abundantly proved by reference to the
record Of Congressional debates.
| Whenever any gentleman becomes an
object of ridcuIe in alegislative body, his
influence is fatally impaired. Who de-
nies that Col. Curtis has made himself
an object of just ridicule in the House Of
Representatives Was not his QuitmAu
speech read with a shout of laughter
throughout this broad land? Did not
the New York Times, and other papers
i of his party, make Themselves and their
RAIDERS merry over that most absurd Pro
daction, and characterize its author In
derision as "the sententious Curtis'' p
Who does not know that Col Curtis stood
brayely up in Congress, in the presence
of the assembled wisdom of this nation,
and deliver an elaborate and carefully
prepared address which was SO pul riie in
| both sentiment and style as TO excite the
uitying mirth of friend and foe. Indeed
| the friends Of Col. Curtis, TO this day,
yshsn. extracts Eroua iIfs Qultman speech
4 are published, deny that they are genuine,
aud assert that the Democrats hare got
them up as burlesque upon the author
of that speech. It seems impossible fol
them to believe that full grown mar
could have delivered so absurd e speech
upon the floor Of Congress. It Is not
pleasant TO refer to those things in q
neighbor and townsnan. Such objec.
tions TO q candidate are necessarily some
what personal. Our justification is that
the friends of Col. CARTS force upon u,
the investigation of his personal qualities
by claiming from him the public supper
: upon the ground of abilities which thel
must know he does not possess. But i
il asked, IL such is in truth, the ehAsactei
Of Col. Curtis, how happened il that b
was placed al the head OF the comInitte'
on the Pacific Railroad2 This is easil1
explained: Col. Curtis had heel1s hefer'
the meeting Of the sAte session, mem
Der of the committee on Military AHairs
The Col. being military man, nataraIh
expected 70 be placed At the head Of tha
, committee, under the Republican organ
, igation Of the House but the Speake
passed him over, and appointed as chair
nam Mr.. Stanton, of Ohio, q civilian
Who knew nothing whatever ef militar,
. affairs. Moreover, the Speaker did no
2 place Col. Curtis as the head of an,
standing committee whenever although
: the Col. was an did merabeT of IL,
House. What made the slighs NOR,
. DIRECT and apparent was that several new
members who had never served before
: were placed at the head of the COMMITTEES
: Col. Curtis and has friaads eoaplsinss
; bitterly OF this treatment an the part Of Oh
Speaker. These complaints became loas