The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-12-15
The Sth of January Convention.
DUBUQUE, Nov. n, 1866.

LIZ W DAbbli1y Esq.
Dear Sir Il received and read with plea
sure remarks upon the reorganization Of the
Democratic party Of Iowa, and for one heart.
lily concur in your conclusions.
With Democrats there would seem to be
but one opinion. The Democratic party of
| the State-once a power, felt in her councils,
and acknowledged in her policy, is isthoroughly
disintegrated. How to coalesce may be a
question with its pro and CON, but of its me-
cessity there can be no doubt.
The so-called Democratic State Convention,
which, under the eminently Democratic tute
lage of Thomas W. Clagett and Edward John
ston, verbally surrendered the organization
to a party W hose name was as ephemeral as
its growth. held, and still hold, to have
been ofno authority. 1t is true it was called
by Mr.. Summers, Chairman of a Democratic
State Central Committee, but when that is
said all is said. He had just as much right
to call the Democracy ofthe State TO a con-
vention for the consideration of the wool
growing interest, or the railroad interests, as
| he had in the interest of Andrew johnson,
which he did, and one would have been as
binding as the other. If there be Demo
cratic organization in Iowa-legitmately the
successor of that under whose auspices and in
whose interest we have been annually called
to conventions and elections, Mr.. Summers is
! still the head of it.
But the Convention Of the 23th of August,
appointed committee of which Mr.. Elwood
is Chairman Mr.. Elwood still claims to be
Democrat, and doubtless is, but the Con-
venton which created him officially was not
a Democratic Conyentson-neither called as
such, nor by its acts proven to be such. 1t
was Convention organized to steal the livery
of Andrew johnson and fight, Quixoticaly,
the Iowa negro suffrage windmill. 1t passed
over its interests and franchises to the Sol
diers' party and retired. If it was meant TO
transfer the Democratic party by this action,
it can hardly be considered valid. The Dem
ocratic party receivedn consideration. Judge
Clagett was not considered very erudite
lawyer, but even he would rule, think, that a
sale with no consideration to the yender, was
no sale.
The party ofwhose Executive Committee
have the honor to be Chairman, may be small
as it is lelicitously represented is be, but it
has at least the courage to declare its princi-
pies. fit cannot show a muster roll of a
score, it faunts the flag, and fights the battle
of effersonian State Rights Democracy.
LIE Grand Byington may have been its i'm
mediate progenitor, as Is asserted-we do
not consider the charge damaging enough TO
call for disclamer-but the party is in its
doctrines essentially Democratic. 1t did not
make much of a showing ut the late
election, 1t is true, but that Is fault which
time, courage and little energy, can largely
repair. 1t does not claim to be the only, or
the original Democratic party, but Demo
cratic party with a straight forward non
transferable Democratic creed. These are
the three committees under whose auspices
you propose Democratic convention shall
be held on the Sth of January, 1866. to pro.
vide for thorough and complete re-organi-
zation of the Democracy OF Iowa, under one
banner and in one fold.
| do not wish to tire your readers, bat in
the consideration of this question the history
of the party in Iowa for the last ten years, Is
not without an influential bearing.
In 1867, our organization was pretty eff
ficient In 1857, Samuels was beaten bv
only 2l00 votes, and it is believed would
have been elected had not the New Com
stitution been put forward as bait to the Ues
Moines Valley. That year our whole vote
was not much less than 10000.
In 1889, Gen. Dodge was beaten by only
1900. Had the northern portion Of the State
been more efficiently canvassed, he would
have been easily elected. II was the large
Abolition preponderance in what is now the
Third Congressional District, which seemed
To stamp labor there as useless. We cast
that year nearly ll0, 900 in all
SO far the party worked harmoniously
although whenever we talked OF Judge
Mason as a candidate, Mr.. Edward Johnston
was always free to declare that Lee county
could not be brought up to him, &c; but as
general thing the party was compact, and
well handled.
In 1860, our trouble began. In the Febru-
ary convention to select delegates to Charles
ton, half of the members were crazy for
H.. 4. Ill 4 Al.
mean enough to pretend to be. Dorr was
there as malignan. as viper. Finch did not
know how to treat decently any one who
could not swear that Douglas was the incar-
nation1 of Democracy. Likewise Clagett,
who was very Jealous then, being the last
convert: and likewise about all the rest. -.
We who had our doubts aboaty Douglas,
struggled hard against the fanaticism and in
tolerance of his friends, and felicitated our
selves on having been partially successful
when we secured Gen. Dodge and Ben. NJ.
Samuels as delegates in place of Dorr, and
Hugh Sample, who were for Douglass regard
less of consequences. The writer, who then
edited Democratic newspaper at Des
Moines, was in continual siege the Capitol
purchasing party Immediately declaring a
new one whenever tho Little Giants frien DIS
seemed willing to raise theirs. There was
no liberality-barely liberation. Charleston
was followed by Baltimore, and Douglas no.
minasion BY Breckenridge. A large party
of NJ supported Douglas because we believed
he was the regular nominee, although we
were with Breckinridge in principle The
simon-p pure Douglas men, however managed
the campaign of which Messrs. Finch, Clag-
EFT, Beiknap. McCIintock 4 Co.. were the
representatives, and although our wing work.
ed in such harness much better than was ex-
pected of US, the State went against us by
over 5000,
sts Let US be generous, however, and say that
all facGons worked well and unsel6shly, and
that fate was against US.
In 1861, there was no good reasons why we
should not have been united again. Lecomp-
ton was buried, and with it ought to have
buried its divisions. Then Mr.. Mahonsy 9
call for convention gave rise to i'll feeling,
and the convention which met under it was,
to some extent, ignored; but when Judge
Clark, Cole aud Pollock, and score of others
(all of them Abolitionists now, and the most
of them very mean ones,) called new one
the Democracy rallied again and ratified by
an overwhelming vote the former convention
and its nominee for Governor, Charles Ma
son. Why could not the uneasy spirits of the
party abide the result Of two conventions, and
run with patience the race set before them 2
Why did Finch and his confreres hound,
, Judge Mason 70 Resignation. and foist Mer-
ritt to the position, after the latter had spit
upOn the pfaffnr1A and contemptuouslv ra-