Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-10-10

THE COURIER'S DEMOCRACY
on IT'S LAST LEGS.
A Meeting Of the Faithf"l-hsich
Developments.
At the last meeting Of the selfstyled Dem
ocratic leaders in this city, it was determined
that unless they could do something to i'm
pose upon the ignorant portion of the party it
would not hold together until after the cleo
ton.
The editor Of the Courier moved that
committee be appointed to report some plan
of action. A committee was accordingly
raised, consisting of the editor Of the Courier
"A person who was styled Doctor at the last
meeting held at the Court House-and
another individual who initiated a goose at
that meeting.
The committee after being absent for a
short time, returned, and though its Chairman
reported as follows:
"Your committee to whom was assigned
the duty Of ascertaining the ways and means
by which the democratic organization can be
kept from dsbanding until after the election,
beg leave to report:
That they have given the matter referred
to them their most serious consideration and
find that there is but one hope left. We
have tried the policy ofopposing the admins
tration, and, while that course has not result
ed as favorably as was anticipated-we still
recommend an adherence to it in order to Sc
cure the votes and influence of the Mahony
democrats, and in order to secure the votes
of the honest but ignorant portion OF the peo-
nle who have heretofore voted with the dem
ocratc party we beg leave to report that 1t Is
necessary, for US to make "hue and cry
about the negro-for there is more prejudice
upon that subject than upon any other among
the masses and if we can only make them
believe that the Republican party favors the
settlement of the negroes in our midst and
that it is the intention of that party to reduce
the prices of labor by bringing contrabands
to the north we can secure large number OF
votes, and to this end we have arranged that
the editor of the Courier shall write several
leading articles on the subject, charging the
Republican party with these things-and
the leading democrats should endorse what
the Courier says-and thus get the ignorant
portion of the party to take up the catch
words of "nigger equality reducing prices
Of labor" &c., SC. By so doing we can Sc
cure nearly all Of the old rank and 6le--and
will be able to impose upon large number OF
the soldiers who have not the opportunity Of
reading the papers often, and who may 5e led
to believe what the Courier says. We fur
Their recommend that the sum of Fifty Dol.
lars be raised to enable the editor to send
copies of the Courier containing his articles
on the contrabands to each Iowa regiment
containing soldiers from this Congressional
District, all of which is respectfully submit
ted
1t was moved and seconded that the report
be adopted, and on this question there arose
discussion. One gentleman, Mr.. --,
said he could not vote for the report because
it recommended fraud; and the course il
pointed out was dishonorable" eve all
know" said he, "that the Republican party
had nothing to do with getting these contra
bands. 1t was the work of three or four in
dividuals- it would be just as reasonable
to charge the whole Democratic party with
the acts of two or three men who usually
vote with it."
The gentleman was called to order-and it
was decided "not to be in order to discuss
the points whether the charges were true, or
whether the course recommended was honor
able-but the only question was, whether the
rank and file would believe it and act
upon it-and whether any votes could be
made by it." This last argument was suffer
ed to override the objections urged against
the report-and it was adopted by a large ma
jority; whereupon the gentleman who oppos-
ed it left in disgust-and to him we are in
debted for this interesting report of the pro-
ceedings of a so-called democratic meeting,
held in the city of Muscatine.
Democrats, how do you ikeit? Are your
prejudices to be played upon like the harp
of thousand strings" by men who care for
you only to use you-and who will laugh at
the imposition they have practiced upon you
after they have secured your votesp You all
know, or can know, that when the Courier
charges that the Republican party is engaged
in or has anything whatever to do with i'm.
porting negroes into this State, that the in.
tention is to deceive you. The Courier knows
that it is dishonest when it makes the charge
and all sensible men ought to know that
such a charge is false. Will you be imposed
upon? Will soldiers who have enlisted to
serve their country be governed by the in
sane rawlings Of a candidate for office, whose
sole chance of getting respectable number
of votes is through the receptions which he
proposes to practice upon men whom he thinks
know no better than to believe him!
,rf g. The first outbreak, and the only one
we have heard ofin Ohio from the enforcement
of the draft, occurred at Cleveland on Friday.
Some Germans imagined that the affair was
not managed impartially, and destroyed the
wheel in which the names were placed. The
rioters were arrested and peace restored,