The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-10-20
RneecH of Hon. II. a.. Cook.


For four or five days large posters about
the streets had announced that the Hon. B
c. Cook would address the people of Ottawa
at the Court House on Saturday evening
last. The week before, the conservatives had
appointed meeting at the same place, but
on the appeal of Mr.. Cooks friends, gene
rously gave way. However, when the eve,
ming approached, and the time came for Mr.
Cook to take the stand, of the immense audi,
ence of some so voters that had assembled,
about ones half were democrats VIII o had come
there under the impression that it was a cons
sentative meeting. Most of these leaving Oh
discovering their mistake, Mr.. Cook was left
to "open" to an audience Of about 30.
Before proceeding with his speech, he said
he had been advertised as intending, on this
suspicious occasion," to dissect Judge Cas-
toms letter; such had not; however, been his
real purpose, but he would do so if the audi>
ence desired it. A vote was taken, and the
audience generously released him from! the
task.
So Mr.. Cook went in generally on the
questions of the day, and seldom indeed, If
ever, in all the ,nultifarious political discuss
sions our people have heard, have they been
asked to listen to one SO muddled and self
contradictory in statement. Mr.. Avery, Mr..
Gray, and others kept asking him questions
as he proceeded, and this possibly helped
somewhat to confuse him. He sand the late
rebelious States are still in the Union. He
said also, and predicated all his assumptions
of the right Of Congress to legislate for them,
on the assumption that they are out Of the
Union. He asserted that, by their rebe lion,
they destroyed their State governments, and
then called upon these rehelious Statesj hay>
ing no State governments, to make haste and
ratify the constitutional amendments. He
declared that the secession ordinances were
null and vod-a dead letter-accomplishins
no valid thing, and vet affirmed that those
who adopted and acted upon them did in
fact overthrow their state governments, so
that none now exist. lie affirmed that the
rebels never did abso've themselves from
their obligation to the federal government.
and that the govern Glent never lost it's con-
stitutional right to govern them, vet they
were now prisoners of war, like subjects of a
foreign power taken in battle. He said they
are traitors, and yet prisoners Of wsr! He
SAID they have the right to life and liberty.
and yet have lost every right but to be hing.
They have forfeited every right, including
that to vote, yet insists that they shall vote in
favor of adopting the constitutional amend
mrnts That the adoption of these amend
ments is made the condition of their restora>
ton to their former relation to the Union,
yet that Congress will never, and never
should, consent to their restoration unless
they give guarantees for the safety of the
Union men and freedmen, and that guaran
lee was, the admission of the negroes, ex>
actly the same as the whites, to the RICH. of
suffrage.
Of course it is none of our business to
attempt to harmonic all these conflicting
positions. Most sensible people will think
such a task impossible. But it is very Gers
tain that any man, or any party, that cannot
agree upon the political issues of the day
without falling into snch slough of contra
dIctons, must have adopted theories that
cannot be maintained by any legitimate pro
cess of reasoning