The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-09-14
The Soldiers or 'Possum Party

E.1..sser.iif...nn.-S
The Soldiers or 'Possum Party.
On the surface, and to the curious spec
tator, the soldiers, or possum movement
in this State has a funny look. funny so
fanny when its pretersions are considered.
1t is soldiers party, in other words ii
profsssss to represent the soldiers as a
class and exclusively, and yet it is a note
rious fact that a very small number Of SOL
dfers have any connection with il or sym
pathy for it. At the worry State Conven-
ton st Des Moines, which put The State
ticket in nomination, there were precisely
- to represent the entire State of nearly
f5o counties, and of that number were sew
srsl delegates to the Copperhsad Conven-
ton held the next day the same place.
And to come nearer home, how many sol
diers composed the 'Possum county Con-
vention in this plnce a few days ago, VIC
don't know exactly, but we do know that
MANNED.
a. And so it 10 everywhere. A few soldiers,
some Of whom may have voted the Union
ticket formerly, but q majority OF whom,
never did, get together and assume TO be
the soldiers Of Iowa, resolve as such, and
nominate candidates in the name, not OF
them selves but in the name Of the entire
soldiary of the country.
Would it not be proper for the soldiers t.
call upon these gentleman who are thu,
using their honored name to show b!
WRIST authority the.Y} ;. are ddoinie It
great buy 49, ---err1cs tney have pro.
rcssed and fought for, owe it to truth and
60 consistency to expose and .denounct
this abuse of their good name and it.
prostitution to purposes with which sc
few oftheir numbers syEapaahazs-
We don't object to the Soldiers Ticket
because it is a soldiers ticket, but be.
cause it is no soldiers ticket, because il
does not represent the soldiers, because il
is a fraud and a delusion.
But this. bad as it is, is not the wors,
feature OF tire soldiers movement. It no,
only does Hct represent the soltsfsrs rs q
body, but there is abundant evidence that
IT is designed by those who have engineer
ed it into existence, ifnot so understood bv
all who participate in it, az new disguise
to cover up the dead and sinking carcass
Of Copperheadism, under cover Of which
an organization, odious on account of its
rompiicity with treason, may perchance
avoid the penalty due their political deeds,
and ultimately creep back to power. 1t is
useless forGer. Benton or any body else.
TO deny this in view of the facts.
The movement was planned and frs,
announced by Coppernead leaders, and
has been everywhere checred on by them.
Soldiers and Copperhead Conventions
have everywhere been held on alternate
days; the leaders of both have everywhere
sonsulted and planned in the most conf
dental and intimate manner; no sooner
has soldiers ticket been nominated than
II is At once adopted and published in Cop
Eenheah papers. in short throughout the
State the soldiers and Copperhead p ,rties
are in fact acting tremendously together.
and there is no doubt but the vote of the
Copperhead party will constitute it's main
support.
and yet, according tn Gen Benton, there
is no connection between the two, no I'm.
Outstanding, nopledges, and he don't know
whether the copperheads will vote for him
or not. Will any honest, sensible man be-
hsve word of this.
We cannot for n moment believe that
such thimble rigging, slight of hand
movement can succeed. There is too much
At stake in this election to permit it, Ne
gro suffrage il not the sole question. Gen.
Benton Is mistaken. The Constitutional
amendment, loyal Congress, the public
credit. reconstruction, the closing up of
the rebellion and the prevention OF anoth-
q, are questions to be affected or decided
by this election. The Union party is COM
mitted on them, is right on all of them,
and it will be sustained.