The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-09-20
The Radical Meeting.

The Radical Meeting.
The Courthouse was comfortably fill
ed on last Friday evening to hear JOIN
W. Forney and other Union (?) Repub
lcan speakers, as announced in the bills
We say it to the credit of the people o
Ridgway, that they turn out pretty gen
orally to hear both sides, and we are mol
going. to find fault with this meeting
because the crowd was largely made ur
Of Democrats, more especially when We
remember that if all the Radicals in the
county were present, it wouldn't be a
tremendous demonstration, by any
wcans. But we must acknowledge our.
selves somewhat disappointed in the
size of the meeting. The people had
been invited to come and hear the
truth " from the mouth of the Hon0ro-
Jle John w. Forney- The announce.
ment of Mr.. Forney's appearance in so
uncharacteristc character was to our
minds the promise of so curious a novel
ty, as to command general outpouring
Of the people. We expected this, and
can only accouat for our disappointment
on the assumption that the people did
not believe the bill would be performed.
The first speaker was a Mr.. Pitkins,
from New Orleans, and having once
IOom d judy Advocate under General
Butler, our Radical friends dignity him
with the title Of Judge He made no
Argument, but gave us his history of the
New Orleans riot. He saw it all. He
saw every circumstance which gave it
horror and would set off a narrative. He
saw the threatening of the storm. He
saw the first and the last exhibitions Of
its fury. He saw every blow that was
given, every stab that was made, every
shot that was fired by the Thug police
man from those that felled the martyrs.
Dr.. Dostie and Gov. Hahn, to those
more insignificant that ended the career
Of the little Niger in the hands of the
ncwsboys. He was everywhere,-saw
cverything,-and miraculous as it may
seem, came out without even the smell |
Of fire upon his garments. We must
believe Judge Pitkins, and must believe |
that he is ubiquitous and has charmed
life. Mr. Pitkins is in favor of negro
outrage.
Mr. Forney followed Mr. Pitkins in
orief speech, which was intended we
suppose as a reply to Bigler's speech of
he night before. We infer this from
lis frequent use of Governor Bigler's
name. He did not pretend to answer
Bfgler's argument on the great issue be.
.ore the people, but tried to offset it by
l recital Of alleged wrongs by Bigler
md his friends in the past. He ex-
PRESSED himself uncquivocally in favor
If Negro Suffrage. lie declared that
he South had better accept the terms
Congress was willing to impose upon
hem, else the people of the North, ex-
by Mr.. Johnson's pcrfdy, and
his new ingratitudo of the South, would
another war against them
hat would be war of determination
aud desolation, ana would be fought
under the plan proposed by Parsou
Brownlow.
Mr.. Fornoy is very pleasant speak.
er. His speech on this occasion was
not lengthy, and his friends contend |
that it was no. upto Lis usual excellence. |
We think this is probably so,
The concern was wound up with an
address from our own Souther. Mr.
Southcrs effort was to some extent per- |
vaded by his characteristic humor, and |
we suppose it was his happy faculty Of
Amusing that suggested that I've should |
Mr.. Fornoy as Dan. Rice
h~d supplemented Gov. Bigler but Mr.. |
"oulher fell as far short of the iuimita-
dc Dan a. Forney did Of Bigler Mr.