The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-03-31
uy SPEECH OF .a5m
HON. EDWARD III. STILES,
~ Delivered in the Ioua LEGISLATURE

We find reported in and. copy from the
Daily State Register, Of Sunday March goth,
the following abstract of the speech of
Hon. E. H. Stiles of this county, in the
House of Representatives on the question Of
the Railroad Land Grant Resumption, in
reply to Mr. RlcuARps of Dubuque: ta
Mr. SPEAKER:- enter upon the remarks
that have to make under many and great
disadvantages. First, it would seem that the
patience and endurance of the House must
be well nigh exhausted in the elaboration
and wide range which this discussion has
taken. For seven long days have we listen
ed to the successive arguments of the hon
orable aud able gentlemen who have ad
dressed us upon this all absorbing question,
so long. and so ably that it may appear pre-
sumptuous in me to suppose that can throw
any new light upon the subject. or further
eplighten the House. Again, in following
and attempting to reply to the very honor
able and distinguished gentleman from Du-
buque who has just preceded me, know
that labor under an apparent and not in.
considerable disadvantage His gen Jus and
the high order of talent with which he seems
to be So literally gifted, claim not to equal
or even distantly to approach. + And above
all do not expect, even in slight degree,
to cope with him in the pleasing eloquence,
the oratorical display, the splendor Of die
ton, the profusion of words and the richness
of imagery with which his lengthy speech
was ieplete. But above all do feel pecu.
liarly embarrassed in realizing that, under
these circumstances, the friends of the views
which entertain upon this question, expect
something Of me and much more than lies
in my slender abilities to perform. Never.
theless I will endeavor to discharge the du-
ty devolving upon me in the best manner
that nv ability and the want of that full in
vcstigaton and reflection that the impor
tance Of the subject demands. viii permit
! And while may feel conscious of my ina
bility to do full justice to the subject, yet
deeply impressed with its vast Importance
to the people of my State, and animated on
| ly by desire to perform my sworn and sa-
cred duty to them, impartially, justly and
without fear or favor, will proceed with
my remarks. propose briefly to notice
some of the positions assumed by the honor
able gentleman froth Dubuque. As before
stated, shall not for! one moment render
myself ridiculous by attempting an approach
j nueney oil ex-
preston, the beautiful oratorical flowers
which he has strewn broadcast among this
auditory, ] shall not pause to gather up and
represent to you; this is far beyond my
reach. III can successfully meet and oyer.
throw his argument and statements, | shall
be content. The honorable gentleman has
assumed some strange positions in view of
the facts in the case. In laving the ground
work he has stated the following PROPOSE.
tions: First, that the Railroads are Heaven's s
blessings to the people. Second, that those
who oppose his views, or as he calls them,
resumptionists, IRE the enemies of Rail
roads, and therefore the enemies of the best
interests Of the people, and suppose espe.
cially the enemies ofthe blessings of Heaven
/ Upon these propositions he has based the
whole of his argument-thatb beautiful struc-
ture which we have seen him so magnifi-
Gently rear. Let us see now if we cannot
overthrow it by plain and brief examine
tion. If we find any Of its pillars false or
i'll founded, we will assault them with dis
charge of truth and argument based upon
facts FIRST, then let us recur to his propo.
sition that Railroads are Heavens blessing
to the people. Over this the honorable gen.
tleman has gone into perfect tantrums of
eloquence and scared into the very clouds Of
sublimity upon the feet Pegasus of his
warm Imagination. In the heat of his fan
cy he has centered almost everything Of
good to man in the great blessing of Rail
roads. Upon the floor of this House he has
undertaken TO build holy edfice, composed
Of steam engines, Railroad cars and Railroad
men-reaching away up to the Gates of
Heaven; and when my blood was tingling
with the force Of the gentleman's burning
eloquence, methoughtI could almost see old
St. Peter at the Gate, pouring upan this edi-
flee innumerable blessings that copiously
descended upon the human family congre-
gated below. Around this edifice of holy
ed in all the bright sunlight of his warm
imagination, foated in the full stream of his
own eulogy, and hung its Ease, and away up
as far as ne could reach, with the fantastic
garlands of his fowery eloqnence, now soar
ing away up into the third Heavens of his
rich and reverential ideality, now founder
ing, away down in the pit of ,condign pun
ishment, to which he had been stricken by
the Railroads, rising thercfrom covered with
blood and dirt and all the time singing, with
all the fervor Of Methodist exhorter, the
Hosanna of ''God bless the Railroads God
bless the Railroads., And after exhatisting
two long ana mortal hours in pouring forth
these streams Of glowing and extravagant
panecyric the gentleman informed US. as he
looked at the clock, that he had but just en-
tered the vsstbule that led to the holy Of
holies. a9 /
Now it strikes me that the honorable gen.
tleman from Dubuque should have been
classed by the gentleman from Story as one
Of those who were ssfresh from the classics