The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1863-07-30
Letter from Mr.. Eastman.

Hon. J. B. GRINNELL:
Dear IStr:-lour letter of the 22d
inst, congratulatiog me on my nomina.
tion, by the loyal convention of Iowa,
for Lieut.. Governor, has just been re-
ccivcd. l thank you for the favorable
manner in which You are pleased to
speak of me and of the ticket. receive
the nomination from the convention too,
as very high compliment, and particu.
larly SO as was not "a, the convention
and had no knowledge that my name
would be before the convention for any
Office
But you say, there ere some questions
upon which | can tighten the public
that by some it is said that have ever
been Republican and by some others
that am still Democrat. And you
add, "where can you be but in the ranks
of the War aud Union men Of Iowa in
the can vass of 1868 ~
If | can throw any light upon this
subject, shall be pleased to do So
First, then, both of those persons are
wrong. was once Democrat, but now
u
motto on Iowa's block in the Washing.
ton monument, adopted, believe, in
1850, which is: "IowA Her affections,
like the rivers Of htr borders, flow to au
inseparab!e Union" | think there is no
secession or modern Democracy in that
Iu a conversation with you about the
Nebraska bill, at Newton, | think in
1854, said to you in substance, "that
| regarded the first introduction of tDat
bill as an uu1ise agitation, but the agi-
tation was upon us and would not be al
layed if the bill were defeated. | thought
it best, therefore, to support the measure
as u means of removing the subject from
Congress to the people," You replied
that "there was no honesty in the South
in this ma,ter-that their only object
was to get slavery into the Territories. "
And you fthen said that, "if the people
defeate hem with squattcr severe; ;ynty,
the South would not submit, but would
then declare slavery already in all the
Territories and that it must remain there
till it was legislatcd out, and the demo-
cratic party would submit to it and sup.
port it," replied that when the party
did that l would leave it. Upon that
you and shook hands and parted
Upon this very point | took bill Of
divorce from the Democratic party on
the advent Of Buchanan's annual message
in December 1858, 10 which he said that
slavery existed in the Territories under
the guardianship Of the constitution, ,and
must SO remain as long as the territoria
condition remained and that all Amer
ican citizens had right to take slaves
into the Territories and there be protec
ted by the constitution of the UniteC
States go long as tho Territorial govern
ment remained. In a letter to my friend
the Treasurer Of State, which was after
wards published, l said, 81 will ncithe
advocate nor support any such doctrines
nor will | remain in party which does
l am going to shoulder my axe. and b
off,"
Soon after this received letter frou
. Judge Stone, who is now our worth
nominee for Governor, 10 which he en-
quircd what would be my future politics
career. l replied that "the Washingto
Union, the organ of President Buchan
an, and many Southern papers and men
are now demanding that Congress sha
pass law to protect slavery against tn
inroads of squatter sovereignty in all tn
Territories SO long as they remain Tel
ritories, and thus force slavery into a
the Territories whether the mass of tn
!: people there desire it or not. This
the central plank of the platform of thi
Democratic Administration" l the
. said II will not crawl on to this new
: tangled platform, but will use my ak.
y to split it down, but l will most hearth
= = CO operate with any and all others VII
b. are engaged in the same holy cause.
o regard this as the only political issr
before the people"
This letter also found its way into Il