The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-08-01
Speech Of Col. Hills.
Colonel HILLS said /:


been, and are still, making an effort to dis
turb the peace and harmony of this Conven-
ton. Now my advice to all such persons is,
that they return to the Convention from
whence they came, and / hope the soldiers
and other members of this body will not per-
NIT their attention to be drawn off from the
business under consideration, by the efforts of
the parties alluded to.
We came here, Mr. President, for the pur-
pose of taking part in the meeting called by
soldiers, or persons representing themselves
as soldiers, and published in the Keokuk
Constitution an organ working in the inter
est of the parties who have undertaken to
manage this affair. Upon arriving at the
place of meeting in this town, we found that
a Convention had oeen already organized,
Lieut.. Ballinger iE the chair, and with less
than twenty persons present; and before
the persons, soldiers and loyal citizens, who
had been invited in the CALL and proposed to
take part in the Convention, could get here.
Upon entering the house, and seeing the or
ganization, as | thought, perfected, | asked
the President if the Convention was organ
ized. He said it was | then expressed my
regrets; and asked, "Why this unnecessary
haste? Why not wait for the arrival of the
soldiers and citizens who have been invited in
the call, and who are on the way to take a
share in the proceedings of the Convention ~
According to Capt. Edwards statement there
was only one point of difference between us,
and what that was he did not explain but /
proposed to take up that question, whatever it
| might be, and consider it, and see if we could
not come to an agreement upon it and to
that end | moved that the proceedings should
be stayed for one hour, in order that the sol
diers and citizens on the way, and likely to
| l-lt x.z~t.s
have the opportunity of taking part in the
proceedings of the Convention. Now mark
the result The Chairman decided the mo
ton to be out of order; but afterwards, not
withstanding this decision, submitted the mo-
ton TO the Conventional twenty-five per-
sons, or there abouts, may be called a Con-
yention-which was unanimously voted down
They would not agree to that. | then
saw that the whole move was for the sole pur-
pose of selling out the soldiers of this coun-
ty, and, if possible, the soldiers Of Iowa, to
the Copperhead party. Perceiving that this
| was the object these men had in view,
and as you had not yet arrived, assumed the
personal responsibility of putting myself for
| ward, right in the camp of the enemy, for the
purpose of defeating their nefarious design.
| How did do it? BY offering the resolution
of which l have spoken, and which they unan-
imously voted down. And then announced.
right then and there, that there would be a
Soldiers Convention held in this town on to-
day, in accordance with the call which had
been issued, and with the object of our trip
| to the place | then left the meeting, which
was being run by Capt. Edwards and Charley
Doerr-who was delegate to the Chicago
Convention-inside, whilst Judge Johnson
the gentleman who presided at the meeting
held at the Junction, for the purpose of rati-
| flying the proceedings of the Chicago Copper
head Convention-was receiving. with word
of cheer, the delegates upon their arrival out
| side the house.
In pursuance of that announcement you are
now assembled. And now that We are here.
let us not be led off by any outside pressure
but let us quietly pass our resolutions. trans
act our other business, and adjourn. And
then. when we get through, if these gentle
men want to create difficulty and have their
cases looked into, We can do it for them.
| have said all along, in regard TO. this thing,
that there was more than a niger in the wood
pile this time-that there was something in
the shape of a traitor-that we have been ac-
customed to call Copperhead---in it.
| Cheers And ! will tell YOU why
have come to this conclusion. hold in my
hand a copy of paper, containing an address
|
| Republican. This manifesto is signed by
Charles Mason, of this State, and is address
ed to the Democracy of the United States
This man Mason is chairman of the National
Democratic Committee; and | propose tc
read some extracts from that address that viii
serve to show the anmus of the meeting
now being held over there in the schoo
house. This man Mason is not stranger te
the people of Iowa.
"a voice" We know him; he is a greater
humbug than the Illinois militia, Cheer,
and laughter.
That is true and now, my fellow soldiers
permit me to pay my respects little farthel
to this man Charles Mason; for know there
are men in that Convention over there who
voted for him, and who helped to nominal,
him in 1861, | think it was, for Governor o
our great and patriotic State; but he was Sc
odious to the people that even Judge Claget
had to turn his nostrils from him, and so die
Coolbaugh, Of Burlington, another Demo
cratic spirit and leader. But that was all from
policy. 1t was not that they objected to hin
personally but because they knew that the,
could not ram Charles Mason down the throat
of the intelligent and loyal people of Iowa
The result was, they backed him off thei
ticket, and put upon it in his stead, Lieut.
Col. Merritt, Of the First Iowa Cavalry Tn,
final result was, that Samuel j. Kirkwood
the Union nominee, beat him Merritt) SO bas
that he has not been heard from since; and
do not know but what his course is still down
ward. [Cheers.
In 1868, Mason was again nominated; bu
this time, for the position of Supreme Judg
Of the State of Iowa, by the so-called Demo
cratic party; and he and the gallant Genera
Tuttle, who had permitted himselfto be place,
in false position by these political trick
sters, were totally defeated. Here you Sc
that this party has, repeatedly and recently
endorsed this man Mason, who has issued thi
address, and who says that he is at the hea,
of eighteen hundred thousand men, all OF
ganized, and ready to vote together Oh tn
questions of the day.
These fellows that receive these manifes
toes, from such sources, remind me OF tn
young bird which, upon the approach OF tn
old one, shuts its eyes, throws its head back
claps its wings, opens its mouth, and take
down whatever may be given it, let ii be
worm or bug. SO these fellows have thei
mouths open, and their eyes closed. and ar
ready to take down another bug and it vii
be the worst bug they ever attempted to swal
low !; for it will be grand humbug Laugh
ter and applause.
Well, now, hear the address Of Mason. Fl
says: "The war once begun, we were 81
obliged to yield more or less to orerrsalin
necessity Mind you, they were ssoJ4i0cd /
yield" They did not do it gracefully. H
admits they did not Weld willingly The