The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-10-26
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATIONS.
FOR COUNTY SURVEYOR:
DANIEL T. HIT.
- The Issues.

nc luCuDTHIlOnS oI tHc ottdNt ftY'Uh0UH.
however soberly and earnestly intended are
seldom of such character as to enable us to
treat them seriously. Generally the ideas are
so grotesque. and the mode of presenting them
so drol, that we could no more comment on
them gravely than we could maintain a seri-
Gus controversy with Mrs. Darlington. The
last Ottawa Republican, however, under the
heading of ''Thc Issues" makes statement
which, as it may go farther than its authors
are known, we are disposed to notice serious
ly, notwithstanding its source. 1t is 'this
"That Judge Cation, in a harrangue to the
anti-war democracy during the darkest hours
of the civil war, said the course Of the Demo-
cratic party must be such, that when the war
was over they could claim the southern rebels
as friends, and unite with them in crushing
abolitionism."
in the first place, il is false that Judge Ca
ton, during the darkest hour" or at any
stage ofthe rebellion, delivered a "harrangue"
or made speech of any sort, to the anti
war democracy" He made, we believe, but
one political speech during the whole cOntin-
uance of the rebellion, and that was made in
the court house yard in this city, to m assem-
despise himself if he had not done more, either
by contributing of his substance, or shoulder
ing his musket, to put down the rebellion.
than was done by William Pussy or Joshua
Cullen, or both combined. This slang about
the democracy Of having been anti-war and
''rebel sympathsers" is played out. During the
"dark hours of the rebellion, for the sake of
presenting united front TO the enemy the dem
ocracy bore this sort ofinsult but the common
cause no longer requires at their hands such
torbearance, and the time has come when the
radical backguards must take lower seats.
The statistics of the rebellion show that in
every northern state, county or town, from
Maine to California, where the democracy were
in the ascendant, the cnlistments were numer-
Gus and spontaneous; while in republican To-
calties they were the reverse. There were. we
are free to admit in portions of this state a
few anti-war demOcrats-ind men could he
such honestly without being rebel sympathis-
crs !; but the only real rebel sympathscrs We
ever heard Of in this region were 'old line"
abotionists, of the Cullcn-Pusey stripe.
Secondly it is false that irSthe speech ofJudge
Cation alluded to, or in any other, he made use
oflanguagc that can be tortured into any such
meaning as that attributed to him. We are
not compelled to prove negative by defying
the editors of the Republican to produce one
honest man of the five thousand who heard
Judge Cation on the occasion referred to. that
will assert that he uttered any such sentiments.
On the contrary, thousands cannot fail to re-
member-as we do to this day most wildly
the caustic and bitter language in which
Judge Cation on that occasion denounced the
rebels and traitors of the South, and the
carnestncss with which he exh0rted his hear
ers to aid in every way possible to crush the
rebellion. Besides, every act of Judge Cation
during the war brands the above statement
with falsehood. He gave five thousand dol
lars in gold to aid in equipping the first rcgi-
ment that went to the war from this county
and so conspicuously was Judge Cation known,
from the outbreak of the rebellion to its close.
as an earnest supporter of the war, that no
call for contributions to soldiers aid or santa
ry or christian commissions ever passed him
by, and we candidly believe his contributions
in this way amounted TO more money than the
editors of the Republican over honestly owned
or handled
Judge Cation is a man of whom it is small
thing to say that Ottawa is proud to number
him among her citizens. Occupying some
sixteen years the highest judicial position in
this state, distinguished prominently for his
learning and purity as Judge, his reputation
Is matter of state pride, and exalted fal
above the reach of the petty traducer. The
only motive we can conceive for uttering the
dirty ialsehood against him we have comment
ed on must arise from the dismay these ratli
cal editors feel in view of the sinking fortunes
OF their party, when man like Judge Cation
takes his place in the crank and file" to helm
put down the radical dcstructiyes.
The Ottawa Republican speaks of the Dem
ocracy as the "men who, after four wears of
tiDhtipu nronounced the war Tor tlo J..: -