Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-09-30

Joint Political Debats-- Ddrtcia against
Barker and Preston--The Peace Democracy
Ingloriously Defeated 1t had been adver,
tiscd for some weeks that Hon. G. Ben OAR
WIN aud Maj. Wa. T. THOMPSON, candidates
for Presidential Electors for the State at large
on the Union ticket, would: address the peo.
pie of Cedar Falls on Wednesday evening
last. The Peace Democracy had arranged
for a meeting on the same evening, TO be ad'
dressed by Hon. W. 7. BARKER, of Dubuque,
and Col |. NJ. PREsroN, of Marion, the latter
one Of their Electors for the State at large
This led to a joint discussion between the
parties, and Maj THOMPSON not being present,
the opposition had the advantage Of two men
to one-which Was the only advantage they
were allowed to enjoy. It.was arranged that
BARKER should opcnithc debate in speech
of one hour, DARWIN follow in an hour and a
half, and Preston close in half an hour. The
meeting organized by the..Democracy calling
S. II. PACKARD, Esq, to the Chair, and ap
pointing I. l.. BowMAN Secretary and the
Union men making Rev. a. G, EBEEnARr
Chairman, and II. A. PERKINS Secretary.
MR. BARRIERS SPEECH
Was much like all acknowledgements now
atlays, in which he had many complaints to
make against the administration and the
party in power, but no words in denunciation
ofrebellion or rebels in arms. He said that
any person who supported LINCOLN was not
a supporter of the Constitution. The Balti.
more Convention was composed of Office
holders, and the people were not represented
| in it, Honest men in LlHCoLN's own party
had denounced him, and he alluded to BEN
WADE and WINTER DAVIS, aud HENsYW IN
TER DAVIS and Benz F. WADE, forgetting
probably. that those very gentlemen gre now
on the stump for tile Baltimore platform and
nominees Thete was Eo,ph,ce on the Amer
lean continent where .. man could enjoy civil
liberty and have his'rights savein Brazil aud
Canada. (This explains the rnsh for. Cana.
da,) The Union party we're pledged by their
| platform to rtvolutionizc the country and
subvcrt the Constitution, aud in proofof this
he read the, third resolution in which the
stnsp Of the Convention was expressed on
the subject Of slavery. The President was
sworn TO defend the Constitution, and had
violated his OATH. Hewantcd to know why
it was the Union party desired to continue
in power an administration which dcficd the
Constitution, and which abridged the free.
dom of the press and the right Of speech. =,
Cergymen had been banished from Norfolk
and New Orleans for not thinking and preach
ing as LINCOLN wished. On the ground OF
military necessity" LINCOLN might make
himself dictator, and that personal liberty
was endangered by the continuation Of his
administration. The gentleman INDUCED in
an argument on the question of arbitrary
arrests which proved, if i, proved anything
that there was 10 power vested in the Con
stitution 10 protect and defend the country
in time Of war The administration had de-
parted from its pledges, and turned the wal
for the Union INTO Il war for the abolition d
slavery. He asked the gentleman (MR. OAR
VIM who was to follow him, If he would be
Wiling to receive the seeded States back in
to the Union with slavery. Think for mo-
ment what the war had cost. Among olhe,
illustrations given was that if all the people
Of Iowa were made funeral pyre Of the sac
riiice Of human life made in this war would
be still greater in extent. There was grea,
deal of corruption going on. Many men were
getting rich on short notice, etc. a. =