The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-10-13
ROUSING UNION MEETING.
Speeches Of Hon. =. w. Harris n
T. L. 1Srcckeurid~e.

Il. l.. ISrcckcHridGe.
| The democracy and conservative men of
Ottawa had rousing meeting at the court
House on Saturday evening Of last week. to
hear speeches from the Hon. S. W. HARMS,
the conservative candidate for congress in
this district and from Hon. L. l., BnECK>
EyBRIDGE, of Joliet. As this was the first
opportunity our people had had of hearing
Judge Harris, it was deemed best to let Mr..
| Breckenridge Lead off in short speech, and
| the, give the rest Of the evening to Judge
| Harris, that he might have time to explain
his views fully. Mr.. B., accordingly spoke
but 80 or 40 minutes. His speech, however.
was pungent and forcble, and frequently
drought down the house" Mr.. B. said he
was a, abe,ionisr-an old line aboltionist-
had never been anything else; but while he
always cor.tended for the freedom the black
man, he never was for placing HIM aboce the
white man. Yet such was the policy of eur
modern radicals. They proposed, instead of
making the negroes of the south the equals.
! to make them the masters of the white men.
He said ifthe southern people meekly and
tamely submitted to the degradation and
humiliation the radicals sought to heap upon
them, they would be unworthy 10 be called
Americans
The speech of Judge Harris was a noble
effort 1t was over two hours i'll length, yet
the audience heard him through without
sign of WEAKNESS. and when he proposed to
stop urged him to $50 on" Go on We
were most agreeably surprised in him. He
/ $ a much ADLER speaker than we had suppos
ed He went over the whole ground, and his
argumen, was Ound-full-complete Let us
| try, on the subject of reconstruction, to trac.
its leading thread BY the terms Of the con
stituton, he said, each state was entitled to
two senators and at least one representative
/ in congress. OF this right not even an
amendment 10 the constitution could deprive
them, nor did that instrument contemplate a
state of circumstances in which the right
coad be taken from them.
While they were states in the Union, then
this right could no, be assaulted. Had The
southern states ever gone out of the Union :?
! De e-legally-certaInly not even the
most rabid radical would contend they had.
/ Had they then gone ont IN tactl He APP
peaied to the soldiers present to say whether
1t was their understanding that, after four
wears of hard fighting TO keep the south IN
the Union, they had, though not legally, gone
ont an fact? OF course, the reply was a
stentorian mol" Having neither gone out,
then, de jure nor in fact-they were still
states in the Union, and unless the consttu>
ton was a cruel mockery and lie, entitled
to representation in congress. But. the rad
icals said, they had lost their right of repre>
seutation BIZ reason of rebellion. Could the
states rebel? The constitution knew such a
thing as rebellion on the part OF individuals,
but who ever hearl Of states committing
treason? Judge H. quoted from the speech
es, message. and proclama:ions OF President
| Lincoln TO show how carefully and studious'y
he always avoided the remotest recognition
of this monstrous doctrine Of state sa'cil'.
But during the rebellion. at least, your radi-
cal may contend that the people Of the south,
btin, 50 unanimously engaged in the reoel>
lion, could send no representatives to con,
gress. That might be so, though even then
representatives had been admitted from Viz
gini., Tennessee. Louisiana and Arkansas.
But were the southern people in rebellion
now? They had not only ceased to rebel,
but by the articles of cspitull'ion between
Grant and Lee, and by the Presidents ans
nesty proclamation, their treason had been
parloned, and they were restored to all their
former rights, wnich included representation
in con gFess.
At most, We can only tope, IA this attemP.
to give the reader an idea Of the line Of Jui 70
HIS argument, not By any means to Indicate
its force and fullness; nor the many facts
and quotations by which he fortified every
point. ] Idge II. concluded by saying the
hopes Of our country rested on allaying-
further prolo1gng and exciting the bitter
feeling dominant between the sections and
though be did not believe We dared hope. at
this election. to egercome the radical Juror
that seemed like spell TO possess the peoo
pie. yet he believed, in two years, the people
would come to their senses, and by one grand
and united motion, heal all our wounds and
end our troubles 10y unanimously ele- ting
and plaGlng in the Presidential chair that
truly great General and good. conservative
man, General Ulysses 5 Grant!
At this climax the audience rose to their
feet and gave not only three times three for
Gen. Grant, our next President, but three
cheers for Judge Harris, and three cheers FOR
the cons titution and the Union!
The impression Judge II. made was as
favorable it possibly could be. He not
only showed himself man of enlarged,
sound and statesmanlke views, but possess
ed of the ability to present them with clear,
ness and force He is man who would be
an honor both to his district and his state as
a member of congress.
Capt. COGswcH.
In warm political contest, like the press