The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-02-13
. COURIER Presenting you will

- -----1coURIER Presenting you will
I.d6m in the columns of your paper for
aSfew remarks on the so called Union meet
ing, of Saturday last, (held in the Court
House. we propose to give you our opinion
Of the affair.
The call, as we understood it, was for a
Union Meeting of the Democracy, and the
Conservative men of other parties from
Wapello and adjoining counties. We were
told that party preju,lices were to be eschew-
ed and a compromise policy adopted.
After partaking of the Inequalities of one
of your kind citizens, we joined the crowd,
and soon found ourselves seated in the Court
House. We had heard of the speakers in
the late campaign, and from their reputation,
expected upon this occasion to hear calm,
conservative, and well studied speeches, such
as would tend to conciliate, rather than ag-
gravate; TO make enemies, friends, rather
than friends, enemies. But what were the
facts Honest men, Uuion loving men,,
conservative men, men who respect their
manhood, who love truth, who know the
right, and knowing dare pursue it''-these
men, sir, were disguised their,,felings out
ragged their intelligence and integrity in
suited by the foul-mouthed and corruptutter-
ances of Henry Clay Dean, and the con-
temptuous puppy-like whining Of Dodge
Shortly after we took our seat, the President
announced that H. c. Dean would now adj
dress the meeting. The speaker arose, and
was about to begin, when several in the
crowd called out for him to take the stand,
as they wished to see him while he was in
flated they had heard of the prodigy, and
wished to see it while it was prodigious.-
The chair being great parlamentarian, and
also versed in the laws of metaphysics, and
knowing certain facts, brought the power of
his great intuitive mind to bear upon the
question, decided positively the following
points list, That Mr.. Dean would address
the meeting any how I'd. that Mr.. Dean
might take his stand wherever he desired :;
3d. that Mr.. Dean had better speak in front
of the stand, 50 as to give tine chair room to
spread himself; 4th. that Mr.. Dean will now
take the stand and address the meeting, on
the state of the Union. This decision proved
to be an error, as Mr.. Deans speech was
not on the present condition of the country
but merely discharge of slandercus epithets,
that had been pent up in such foul place,
as to partake of the same nature 9TH. that
while Mr.. Dean speaks, the committee on
resolutions, with written instruction by Mr.
Dean, will retire and agree upon report :;
9th. that while Mr.. Dean speaks, the doors
at the entrance shall be prop't open this,
though extra judicial, we assented to with
hearty amen; the chair, we thought, knew
something about ventilation. These are
some of the decisions made just before CON-
mencement of performance.
Mr. Dean began by telling how many peo-
pie he addressed during the late canvass
This we thought showed the egotism of the
man; then he described his feelings upon the
present occasion, which we quietly thought
if any way commensurate to his looks, must
certainly have bad effect upon his appetite
and constitution we wondered if he had
wife, and finally found consolation in the
supposition that he had probably been from
home for some time, and might not have had
regular r.st But SAYS he, laying his Land
upon his heart, ''this anguish is produced by
the distracted condition of our country; in
stead of peace and prosp- rity that reigned a
few months ago, we are on the eve of fiatri-
cidal war, brother arrayed against brother,
and father against son" this he says is a
fact Grant it. What does it show =? We
think it proves that there is not much amity.
But says the speaker this is all brought
about by the action of the Republican party
in general and the members in congress,
from this state in particular, with the Cover
nor, some ministers of the gospel, and local
editors as abettors, and now, |, Henry Clay
Dean, am going to make union speech Up
on them.
Then the speaker, with ranking malice
that strongly urged for vent, like traitor,
turned his back upon his suffering country
to SANDER men, Christian men: men who
have been placed in trus. by the votes of
Union loving and law-abiding people. We
could but exclaim: Oh, pitable man learn
more of Christianity before you call upon
God to witness your infdelity. We were
struck with the applicableness of the lines Ct
Scotland's Bard which ran thas:
SO wad some pow'r The giftie gle us
To see oursel as others see us
1t wad frae monnie blunder frae
.. And silly notion
While the speaker was reviewing the let
ter of Senator Grimes, taking word here
and there, and asking the people what they
thought of such sentiments, an episode oc-
CURED which we cannot but mention on &C.
count of the ridiculous with which it was
tinctured. When he come to that part Of
the Senator's letter in which he speaks of the
present excited condition of the public mind
with reference to calmly considering a plan
Of permanent adjustment, the speaker stops
and, addressing himself to the old men, asks
if they ever knew parallel to that assertion
in the history of our country; the old men
sat mute, they could not see the treason,
though they saw traitor; then turning
to young man by the name of Cloutman