The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-06-20
Democratic Mass Meeting.

The democratic mass meeting ut Ottawa
on Saturday last, to make arrangements
for: serding a suitable delegation to the
Springfield meeting was well attended,
and the proceedings were in high degree
interesting An official memorandum OIL
The proceedings appears on our utter form
The speech of O. c. GRAY, Esq, was All able
md energetic exposure of the gross viola
lions of the constitution and the foundation
principles of American freedom OF which the
nre.eut abolition administration have been
guilty, and while he urged support OF the
government i'm all lbs law full measures, and
obedience TO law as the first duty Of demo
Gratis, he also pointed out the proper way,
and urged the duty of the people &c seek
Il change of rulers
The meeting was also most ably and elo-
auentiy addressed 10y Col /. LYLE DieKEr
lie addressed himself mainly to the war
policy of the administration. and being
fresh from the field, where, tor nearly two
years, in almost daily intercourse with the
out posts, pickets, and frequently the peo-
pie Of the enemy, he WAS i'll a peculiarly
favorable position to note the tendency
an effect of the war policy adopted. his
words had Eight which would attach
to those OF no other speaker less favora-
bly, circumstanced. Judge D. gave it as
his decided opinion. based on thousands
Of facts constantly before him, that on the
present abolition programme this war can
never end; while. on the other hand, a
conservative policy, like that of the Crit
tendendcn resolution, for instance, would
have broken down the rebellion ere this
The South united as one man could never
be conquered The only hope Of ending
this war in the restoration Of the Union
lay in nursing strengthening and support
ing tn. latent Union feeling which he
found everywhere present in the south.
SO far from doing this. the whole policy
of the administration had been apparently
designed to repel this feeling and if jeff
Davis himself had dictated the policy of
the administration, he could not have
done it more efficiently to secure union
aud determination among his own people
10 ti.ht 10 the last. While successful
issue Of the war on the present programs
me was thus next TO hopeless, Judge D.
was not, however, ready to give up and let
rebellion triumph. This rebellion must
he put down by fighting. Oar armies
must be sustained and strengthened; but
while we carry the sword in one hand, we
should bear the olive branch in the other
This was the first war in the history ofthe
world, where the enemy was left wholly
in the dark as to what he is expected TO
submit to when overcome. The people at
the ballo. box could and would effect
change OF this ad-irrational policy and
a. here lay our only hope, he exhoried his
audience. whatever hard demands the
government made upon them-to pay
taxes, Ia give their sons to the army, or
even to submit to Illegal arrests to possess
themselves in patience and bide their
tirn-: only Il an attempt was made 70 rob
them Of their free ballot, then, and only
then. would he advise them to fight That
was their last resort-that gone all was
gone-anl they must defend it to the last
and at ah hazards
The mec,in. Was briefly addressed by
J w E,:nwsg E,a, of Earlville, after
which it adjourned.