The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-07-31
VOL. II.
ADORE s s ELS
Co.'s. PARROTT AND WOOD AND CAPT
REYNOLDS.

at the Soldiers Convention at Charleston, on
Saturday The address of Colonel HILLS
we shall give in Tuesday paper.
Col. PARRoTT, on taking the chair, said:
Fello,o Soldiers and Loyal Citizens of the
County Of Lee:
In electing me as your Chairman, you have
placed me entirely out of my appropriate
sphere. l am no politician; but l am SOL
der; and am always ready TO serve the inter
ests of my country. We are here day pur-
suant to call that all soldiers and loyal citi-
zens, not in favor of negro suffrage, should
meet at this place in mass convention, to make
an organization for the benefit of the sol
diers; that is, | suppose, to benefit them by
giving them the crumbs that fall from the
table [Cheers. Now few of these gem
tlemen, who are known as Copperheads, got
here before we did, and organized q kind of
one horse meeting of their own over there !;
and when we went in there, some of us who
were ahead of the rest, and asked them to
wait them to wait till the rest who were invi-
ted got in they refused to do SO, and said we
had come in to break up their meeting, and
they went on with their one-horse concern,
and left us out altogether.
Gentlemen, | am an officer of four years
standing, and have the scars to show for it !;
fair play in these matters. And now l want
you to go on here and hold your convention !;
and enter into the nomination of county
ticket now, or defer it until another time, as
you see best Whatever you do will satisfy me
as am not expecting anything at your hands.
If any gentleman has anything to propose for
the action of the meeting, we are now ready
to hear it.
Here came a notice to resolve the meeting
into Mass Convention, which carried.
Col. WooD then addressed the Convention as
follows:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen Of the Conres;
tion:
With your permission, will read to you
some resolutions which / have prepafcd to
present to this Convention resolutions which,
am satisfied, VIII represent the views and
feelings of the soldiers and loyal citizens of
this Convention. If there are any men here
who have left the army with sore-heads, we
do not expect them to ofhciate with the loyal
soldier, who has done his duty, and stood at
his post, and served his country faithfully and
from feelings of patriotism and devotion to
the country's interests. [Cheers.l We do
not expect them to affiliate with us; nor do
we expect those who have been sympathizing
with the rebellion, and opposed to the war
these Northern fire. in -the-rear Copperheads to
affiliate with us either. Renewed cheers.
But think these resolutions will suit every
true soldier and loyal citizen in this Conven-
ton, and throughout this county.
The resolutions were then read as they are
given elsewhere.
COL. wooD's SPEECH.
Pending the consideration of the first reso-
luton, Col. WooD addressed the Convention.
He said:
| Feltou- Citizens and Fellon- Soldiers / feel
proud to-day to appear amosg you as one who
| has borne some humble part in putting down
| the rebellion which sprang up in our land !;
and feel proud that | have been associated
! with Iowa soldiers in the field of battle in the
performance of that work. And undertake
| to say that there has been no set of men in
| the wide world who have made more glori-
Gus record for their State or County than the
| soldiers of the State of Iowa. [Cheers. /
have been associated with your illustrious
Chairman in the field and know him to be
veteran tried and true. The Iowa Second
and Seventh know my regiment. They know
| the Seventeenth Illinois as regiment they
| were never ashamed to be associated with, on
| the battle field, or any where else. And
am proud soldiers and fellow items to
| meet you here day: for | know tLsse men
who are trying to break up the Union party
of the countrv-these Copperheads, who have
stayed at home during the war, and branded
| the war as an abolition war, and have de-
nounced the men who were in the field fight
| ing for their country. And these very men
have made the attempt to lead you off, and
bring you into political affliation with them
And why? Not because they do not hate
you and despise the cause in which you have
l acyaNa 4 h,+
because they want to curry favor with you to
secure your votes at the ballot-box! [Cries
of that's so,a and cheers. Now are you
going to let them succeed? (Cries Of no,
never. i say the very attempt is a reflection
upon the intelligence of the soldiers of Iowa.
| came into this State late in 1862, and the
people were generally united in the support of
| the Government; but when | came home
afterwards, with lost health, saw there had
| been change in the sentiments of the peo-
ple Men who had been, in the commence
| ment of the war, in favor of the war, who had
been carried along by the correct sentiment
of the masses of the people, had turned round
and organized party opposed to the war, and
| we're decrying the Administration and decry-
| ing the war Two sets Of men were engaged
in the movement. The one set was composed
of ultra men, who complained that the Presi-
dent had not back bone, and refused to sup
| port the policy whichth the President had adopt
ed. The others were set of men who had
nottrained with the Wide Awakes had not been
in favor of the election of Mr.. LINCOLN, and
were always opposed to the Administration
and the war. They called it an Abolition
| war. They said it was a crusade against the
| rights of the South and their opposition
finally eliminated in the platform of 1853, in
which they said that Democrats were not to
be forced into this war, and came out with q
platform in which they favored the counties
providing fund, so that when draft should
come they might be protected from going to
the war. have the documents to show that
fact. They wanted to tax you, loyal men, to
find substitutes for these stay -at-home peace
sneaks, to shield them from going to the war;
Now are you going TO affiliate with them.
Cries of no, no, and cheers.
CAPT. REYNOLDS SPEECH.
When the third resolution was under con-
sideration, Capt. REYNOLDS said that it was
not necessary for him to state what was the
state of the country four years ago. They all
knew what it WAS Loyal men looked each
other in the face, and said, What shall we
do?" Some said /" We viii think of it y
and you knew how to take them. Others
said: Yes; we are with you to the death. y
They were getting up battalions to 20 down
South and fiOht the vchole. ar1 80, ,,;vht