Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-08-31
Political Affairs,

Various intrigues and stratagems
are resorted to by the opponents of the
dominant party in this State to divide
and break up the Union or Republi-
can organization, and defeat the tick
ct put in nomination at Des Moines re-
Gently by that party. 1t is notable
fact that the politicians who favor the
so-called soldiers movement or anti-ne-
gro suffrage party, were never thor
oughly identified with the Republican
party although claiming to be Union
men. Another notable fact, and one
that casts much suspicion over the
movement, as to loyalty and sincerity,
is that these politico-soldiers are found
hob-nobbing with the rankest copper
heads and traitors-members Of the
old defunct Democratic party.
A correspondent of the Chicago
Journal writes as follows
1.-TWO conventions have been held
in Des Moines the past week, which
are to have some weight in the COM
ing election this fall in this State
the Liquor Dealers and the Soldiers.
The former deny having any partisan
motives, but think see the tail of .
rat under the meal. Be that as it may,
the movement, in the light of policy,
is a very unwise one. There is anOth-
cr element in this community, which,
in their zeal, the liquor dealers seem
to have entirely overlooked, and which,
when they shall bring each and every
one of the candidates up to answer
their catechism, will prove to them
more annoying than the ghost of Ban
quo. The temperance people will not
allow this contest to go by default,
and it may be that the prohibitory law
as it now is, will be so amended as to
prohibit beer, wine and cider, which
are now legal traffic. say this may,
and probably will be the result of the
Liquor Dealers Convention.
The Soldiers County Convention, on
Saturday, was, as every one here con-
versant with politicians knows, reg
ular 'Possum Aid Society. At an ear
ly hour in the day groups of the
meanest copperheads could be seen
about the corners and in stairways,
earnestly button-holing some plant
soldier-boy. When the hour of meet
ing arrived, about twenty-five had
been moulded to the proper fashion,
and when the Convention was called
to order the "old heads" and trim
mers took the back seats, with mouths
gaping to their ears in .jolity. One
could read in their benignant faces the
vision of the marshaled hosts of seven
hundred and fifty thousand white vo-
tiers arrayed against four hundred
blacks, and all had in their self-satisfi-
ed air no fear of Lincoln despotisms
and Federal bastiles." I quote from
a speech of one Of them.) 1t was q
strange anomaly to see these four
years of failure disciples thus smirk-
ing, coying and hob-nobbing with
men whom they have denounced as
hirelings, and whom they would have
starved in the trenches could they
have withheld the supplies. While
the committee was absent to prepare
a report of the list Of delegates, the
following communication was present
ed by Col. G. A. Stewart:
In view of the fact that the question OF
negro suffrage in Iowa is an abstract question
until q proposition to strike out the word
white from section I, Article ii, Of the new
Constitution of Iowa, submitted to "a vote of the
people of Iowa, the subscribers, returned FEEDER.
al soldiers, desire respectfully to inquire Of this
| Convention or mass meeting, whether its mem.
bers are to be only those who have deliberately
concluded TO vote against negro suffrage,
whatsoever that question may here after come
before the people in u legal and issuable man.
ner, and to vote against the platform and
nominees of the Republican party at the ensu-
] ing general election and also IL this body
desire to admit as members those soldiers, who
are not prepared to take the above position,
but hold themselves free to act upon the negro
suffrage question as their Judgment and the
wants of the country may lead them to act
This paper, signed by Colonel Stew
art and others, was Immediately Ia
bled on motion of Col. T. A. Walker,
late President of the East Des Moines
Democratic Club, before which the no
torious kinyon, alias Mississippi
Bard made his famous libel speech.
Comment on the whole affair is unne-
ccssary. 1t is a copperhead trick of
the most brazen, impudent and dirty
character.
In their zeal to rope in the un-
wary, these 'Possum trimmers occa-
sionally get back-set.' They got
one when they applied to member
of the well-known Griffith's battery.
Why said he, Il helped dump old
Claggett's printing Office into the riv-
or once, and the mistake we made
was. that we did not pile him in after
it. Not much, Mary Ann, shall go in
to his conventions
hear only two names mentioned in
connection with the State Convention
to meet here on the 23d. Letters
have been received, l learn, from Col.
Z. w. Rice, and Col. Thomas II. Ben.
ton, Jr., which place them in the
hands Of their friends OF the two,
the latter only possesses merit or tai
ent commensurate with the duties Of
the Office. Colonel Benton is a good
man, and is well-known from his con-
nection with the Public Schools, as the
State Superintendent Of Public Instruc-
ton. A large number of lines have
been cast, but only these two have
been found to catch the bait. Gener-
al Dodge, General Heron, General
Croker and others Of genuine worth
and stability, have spurned the gift
and denounced the movement.