St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-09-19
Speech of GOV. KirkWOOd.

| ~ CaHulualc LOT UONcFHOT, was I'D DcS
Moines at the same time, and was also
invited to address the citizens but he
declined on the ground that the public
mind was too excited We should be
pleased to publish Gov. Kirkwood's
speech entire, but owing to the crowd,
ed state of our columns, we can only
find room for the following extracts:
! / again find myself, what once
thought l never again would be, q
candidate for the Office office of Gov
crnor and confess l find myself in
peculiar and unpleasant circumstan-
ces. The unpleasantness of my posi-.
ton arises from two causes First, the
country is in condition such as ii
was never in before. We have had
war, but never civil war. We have
had strife before, but never intestine
strife. Many of the good people who
are in favor of pressing this war thor
oughly, vigorously, and triumphantly
to an end, believe that an error was
committed in making party nomina-
ton at this time. They think that the
gentlemen who have placed me in
nomination have erred. That is one
thing. Another is, and / am very sor-
ry to say it, some of my own politi-
cal household think that | am not the
man-that we should have some other
one for Governor. Now / intend to
say a word upon each of these points.
Did the Republican party err in
nominating Republican ticket at
this time! What was the condition
OF the country and of your own State
of Iowa when your Legislature ad.
journed in May last ? The larger mass
of the people of this State were in fa-
yor of sustaining the Administration
They were in favor of prosecuting
vigorously, thoroughly and to sue
eessful termination, the war inaugu-
rated by the South. This was true of
the entire body of the Republican par
ty 1t was true, and | am sorry to
say it was true, that a portion of the
Democratic party were not in favor of
that course. Now you know and
know that political nominations are
necessary in government like ours.
Without political organization you
cannot concentrate public opinion.
We have always had political organi.
cations, or parties, since the founda-
ton of our Government. The COM
mon sense of the country has accept
ed this truth, and acted upon it and
from that period until this day, politi-
cal organizations have been the means
of giving tone to the popular will, and
they always must be. They are
necessity in a Republican form of
government like ours. Here, then, is
political party in this State, a party
which is earnest, united in favor of
the prosecution of the war. The only
other political party was divided upon
this question. Now these parties act
through their party organizations, and
when the Republican Central Commit
tee OF Iowa called together the Con-
vention, they exercised the power
which was delegated to them to exer-
else no more, no less. They had not
power to do aught more it was their
duty to do no less. They had not
power to propose a union Of parties.
They could only call Convention to
nominate candidates. Your State
Central Committee of the Republican
party did its duty in calling the party
into general Convention. Shortly af.
ter that had been done, persons who
claimed to represent the Democratic
party, whether truthfully or not can
not say, called State Democratic
Convention at an earlier day than that
for the assemblage of the Republican
Convention. After this call had been
published, certain other persons. de-
string, as they claimed, to give a
hearty support to the prosecution of
this war and the maintenance of the
Union, issued call for what they de-
nominated a [" Peoples Union Conven-
tion," and fixed the time of holding
the same either the day before or the
day after the Democratic Convention
had been called to assemble. They
showed no desire to affiliate with the
Republican Convention They show
ed no disposition to act in any way
with the Republican organization Of
the State. Now they had their choice
to determine whether they would
place their Convention in position to
act with the Republican party, or with
any other. They chose the other Con-
vention, and attempted to act in con-
junction with it. They called their
Convention to meet the next day
after the Democratic Convention which
met a week in advance of the Conven-
tion of the Republican party. Both
Conventions were held, and no agree
ment between them could be effected.
Why the +" Peoples" party made that
choice, thereby placing it out of their
power to act with the Republican or
ganization, it is not for me to say.
They chose to do it and did it. They
went to the Mahony Convention for
their allies. They would not or did
not attempt to affiliate with the Re-
publican Convention. | was not here
at the time, but understood that con-
situations were had, and that no agree
ment could be effected The Demo
cratic or Mahony Convention met, act
ed, and adjourned. They let the Re
publican Convention meet and pass
by, as they had a perfect right to do
but they did not intimate to them in
any way whatever that they had any
desire to affiliate with them.
In the course Of events, two more
conventions were held in your city
last wcek--on the one day a Union
Convention, and on the next a Demo-
cratic Convention. If you can take
their acts as indications, my friends,
our Democratic and Union brethren
have shown they were unwilling to
act with the Republicans. Twice
have they met in Convention on sue
ceeding days and while they were
willing to thus act in conjunction, they
were unwilling to attempt to act with
the Republican organization.