Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-10-16
The People in Council.
The Great Meeting of Saturday

the Great Meeting oil SATURDAY.
As early as o'c'ock on Saturday morning
the people frcm the country came pouring
into the city. The first regular procession
noe, and numbered when in the suburbs, over
one hundred and fifty wagons, filled with
loyal people, and decorated with flags ard
streamers. One banner contained the follow
ing: "Goshen Coming and Liberty,
one and inseparable." Another contained
these words, "Hemp or Canada for Traitors"
SIS Greek FIRE Constitu,ionalg' Before reach
ing Second street most of the teams had with
drawn from the line
The next procession was from Cedar, Sew
enty-Six and the Island, containing large
wagon gal y decorated with thirty five young
ladies dressed in white, red and blue, with
banner, 1.-The Union, one and inseparable."- y
The head of this procession rested at the
State Bank corner while its rear was
at Hershey's mill. Among the notices Of
this procession we noticed these-"5O,O0
Brave n IN, Iowa's Way Stock -" We take
no Stock in the Butternut Trade"-"Freedom
to all who Defend our Flag''-"Our Soldiers
May the God of Battles give them speedy
victory"
Then came lengthy procession from Lake,
with flags and banners, upon which We no.
ticed this-"All must be Patriots or Tra, ,ors."
| The whole line moved up Second to Null
berry, thence to Sixth, thence to Walnut and
on to Third street. When the head of the
procession turned into Third street from Wal
nut, the rear of the procession was on Second
street, opposite the residence of 7. NJ. 1sett,
and yet the Courier says there were only
zone hundred and two wagons and carriages"
| The vast crowd having assembled in Court
Square, was called to order by W. F. Davis,
ESQ, upon whose nomination the following
named gentlemen were elected officers of the
day:
President, Hon. Jacob Butler; Vice Presi-
dents, Judge Vale, Of Wapello; Seth G. Cur
tis, Of Ononwa; A. Bagley, Of Upton; Asa
Gregg, Of West Liberty; Michael Price, of
Seventy-Six; j. G. Hartman, Of Muscatine;
A. Heberling, Of Atalissa; Isaiah Davis, of
Sweetland, and Gideon Pearce, of Wilton.
Secretaries, John Mahin and A. ]. West
brook.
The President thanked the audience for the
honor conferred. in few we'll timed remarks,
and then introduced Maj. Gen. Curtis, who
for upwards of an hour held the multitude by
his logic, backed by the most stubborn facts.
His history Of the early days of the rebellion,
in Congress his joining the ever to be re-
membered New York Seventh on its march to
relieve the beleagured Capitol his EXPERIENCES
with the rebels Of Maryland, Missouri and
Arkansas-of his mode of freeing the slaves of
rebels-his glowing tribute to the bravery and
heroism of Iowa's brave men, waa concluded
by appealir to the audience to stand by the
army until final victory perches upon its ban
ners. The Generals speech was Frequently
interrupted with unmistakable applause.
Senator Grimes was next introduced, but
insisted upon being excused from speaking
at any length, on account of excessive IA.
| tigue from continued speaking during the
last six weeks. He however offered words of
cheer and congratulation, and stakei his rep
utation on the statement that the Union ma
jority tomorrow will be as large again as any
majority ever given before in this State.
| Tho ol; {or ha,
for dinner. At o'clock larger number of
persons assembled than in the morning, and
listened with the most attentive patience to a
clear, concise and logical speech from Senator
Harlan. His charge that the Democratic
party is alone responsible for the failure of
such compromise measures as might have
averted ,h.s civil war, vas substantiated by
such a weight of testimony as left conviction
of its truth upon every mind. Step by step
he called up the grounds Of opposition to the
Administration of Mr.. Lincoln and demon
strated their shallowness and wickedness.-
We only wish our crowded columns would
admit of more careful review of his speech.
The appearance Of the people exhibited their
delight over this great speech of the Senator.
At its conclusion the following letter was
read by Mr.. Davis:
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
Ezecutiue Departmeat,}
SPRINGFIELD, Sept. 29th, '63.
WIN. r. DAVIS Esq Chairman of the Central Commit
tee, Mnscatine, Iowa:
DEAR SIR Il have received your favor Of
the 10Th, requesting me to address the Mass
Meeting TO be held at Muscatine on the 10th
prox. I regret to say that official duties will
compel me to decline the invitation.
The people of Muscatine, although living
in separate State, have perils and hopes in
common with the people of Illinois. The
people of Iowa inherit the same free institu-
tons, live under the same Constitution and
have the same interest in the pending strug-
gle. It makes little difference what side Of
the Mississippi we :nhabit-if the Union is
destroyed we are alike undone The purpose
to be accomplished by the loyal mass meet
ings is supplementary and essential to that
of the Army. Political heresies in their
legitimate results are, equally with armed
rebellion, fatal to the Constitution. Both
tend t. the same object, and treason and in
surrection are the offspring of heresy It
was so pre-emineHtly in the French Revolu-
ton. The Ency yclop9dists were the fathers
of the Septembrizers. so in our own coun-
try, Calhoun and Lis school were the authors
of the rebellion Of 1861, and Vallandigham
and his traitorous crew those of the insurrec-
ton in New York. Our Union mass meet
ings, if their purpose is accomplished. will be
more beneficial than bayonets, on the princi-
pie that prevention is better than cure.
We must utter mo uncertain sound" in
these assemblies otherwise they will be un
| auaiIino Let the nennle understand that we