The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-02-12
the Mercury AID ::se Germans.

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The last number Of the Mercury is COM
Elementary to Republicans and our Ger
man Fellow Citizens, particularly the latter.
1t brings wholesale charge Of corruption
Of the g,ossest character, against the Rcpub-
Iican Party and the entire German Republi-
can popula.ionof the State, who voted at the
last Presidential election. The charge in
substance is that the Germans were induced
to vote for Lincoln by the promise Of 100
acres Of land, the said land to be the best in
Iowa, and to be confiscated from Democrats.
OF course we do not allude to this charge
for the purpose Of attempting a serious re.
futation of it, for it seems to US that it car
ries with it its own sufficient refutation at
least to the minds of all sensible people, but
simply for the purpose ofexpressing our
surprise that the editors of the Mercury
should deem it important to tie accomplish
ment of any object,tbey may have in view,
to thus insult any party, and especially SO
grossly insult so numerous, intelligent, hon.
est and industrious o. body of men rs our
fellow citizens Of German birth eonfessedly
are. They need no vindication from us,
being everyway competent to defend them,
selves; hat we will say that we have seldom
noticed an accusation so impolitic and at the
same time so selEcyidentIy absurd. The
idea Of German, of all men in the world
the most independent and conscientious in
all personal dealings, and in the discharge
ofall public and political duties, being bribed
to vote this way or that, and that too with
the promise of land, to which the promiser
had no title, is about as ridiculous as any
thing could be. That German should buy
land, and pay for it in advance, upon such a
show of title, is an insult to the provcrbial
caution and sagacity Of that people, which
must strike every one at the first glance
And then, again, about tile German who
quit work and spent all his money after
Lincoln was elected, on the strength of the
farm be xas to get for his vote Did any
body ever hear Of a German quitting work
two months It is foreign to their nature
Ifthey are distinguished for any one trait
of character more than another, it is their
regular and persistent application to some
useful employment. 7f SD 10 2fa9iaa ag.i
But many, perhaps most Germans, did
vote the Republican Ticket. They did SO,
we are very certain, because their Judgment
and their consciences impelled them to do
so. They are a liberty loving people, and
desire to see the principle ofliberty prevail.
Having suffered from oppression in their
native country, they resist oppression here.
Ofcoiirse such people would violate every
instinct of their nature and their selfinterest.
10 sanction and approve ofthe extension OF
slavery AS the issues 1wereeat the last
election, ahey could be nothing else but Re-
pubiicans, as with few exceptions they were.
Says the Mercury in conclusion, ''W hat
"shall be thought of a party that viii SO
"wickedly deceive the, people" that is buy
the votes sofothe Germans with land they
don't own The Mercury thinks God will
otiong suffer such things We think so
too II is decidedly awful to think Of The
invocation ola superior Being isucertainly
wiseand timely, somebody at least who will
exercise more sagacity in resuscitating a
dead organization than the Mercury does in
tins instance ag9aoa baf5sssgtq 2aiE IN