The Van Buren press., 1867-11-01
Radical Meeting on Saturday.

OF course was Of the dusky hue. Bowen de-
clined to address the meeting having, as he
said spoken at other places in the county and
had doubtless run OUT of taik. so, It seems,
fore-secing some such contingency, he had
imported from our sister city of Fort Smith
! two speakers by name JOHNSON and SEARLE.
The former seems indefatigablc, In his efforts
to keep himself before the people of this Sec
ton. lie was elected to Congress and the
just, noble. aud patriotic body had entirely
forgotten the honorable sears, the Colonel had
received in the Federal army, and by resolu-
tion refused him even seat on the floor ofthc
House OF Representatives, and would not hear
to such amonstrous proposition as admitting
him rs a member. The Colonel, is however,
of very iorgiylug mind, and proposes to go
again and lick the boots of the tyrants Of the
Capitol, pro;idcd the people say so. The
speech mate by the Colonel on Saturday was
of such u character as to defy the reporters.
lfit had any point to it we failed "to see it,"
In Tie course of his floundcring he told the
darkies very plainly that he was for negro
| suffrage because two white RAIDS and three
negroes could out-votc four Conservatives
that is he was for having the negroes vote be-
cause the chances for office would be better.
We could not help admiring the Colonel's
candor but fear he has "blabbed" on the party
too soon. lie certainly thought the election
over, or he would not have let the cat out of
the bag so unceremonioasly. The colored
auditors however are no longer in doubt as to
the secret influence prompting all the seeming
friendship for them and the deep interest
manifested by johnson and his kidney for
their temporal and eternal welfare. The Col
onel also seems to think the voice of major
ity of $4,000 against his negro suffrage doc
trine in Ohio was only on the abstract ques-
tion, and amounts to nothing. Now the Rad
ical leading journals think differently. That
voice comes to them like the death knell of
their ascendency and they betray as much
either by silence or repinings. The Colonel
unfortunately, alluded to the meeting called
iii Fort Smith some time since to endorse
negro suffrage of it as though he
was the head and front of that precious
gang" Perhaps he was. Does the Colonel
forget how much pains he took shortly before
to convince the people of the falsty of the
charge, made against him during the canvass
for Congress, that he was then for "negro suf-
frage." The report was in circulation that the
Colonel had told Chaplain Springer that he
was in favor of negro sufrrage-the Colonel
Indignantly denied the charge privately and
in public and insisted that he was then and
always had been in favor Of sending tie ne
groes away, of "colonzing them" Now if
the negro is so greatly wronged, by being pre-
vented from voting. why was it not wrong
then? If he then thought, and always before
that time had held the opinion, that they
ought to be colonized how comes it about
that they ought now, to stay and to vote.
Was the Colonel sincere then. or is he sincere
now? If he was insincerc then, he ilagrant-
ly deceived the people who voted for him for
Congrcss-and how can any one trust hiln
now? If he was sincere then is he inSincere
now. or, has he changed his opinion. If in
sincere, of course, he should not be trusted nor
should any statement he makes be held
worthy of belief; if he has changed his opin-
ion then pray, why did he change? Did the
Military bills do the work. if so, he allows his
opinions to be controlled by force and the
opinions of such men are worthless, for force
may compel to right, or to wrong. OF such
M afpriul thp ne IL M ola l-c
full to overflowing with Office seeking "turn-
coats" Their standard bearer in this county
(Bowen) is a recent tirncoat. johnson is a
turncoat, so is Cooper, The latter gentleman
received his appointment to Federal Office as
staunch JOHNSON man, now he is a bitter
Radicals and fully endorse the outrages per-
petrated by Congress upon rleienceess,
voiceless people.
Colonel Searles, one of the imported, began
his desultory remarks away back at the land
ing of the "Pilgrms showed consid-
cradle want of information in accounting for
the bringing of the African to this country.
His division of the races was truly original
and very happy. The entire substance of his
effort, manifested much labor and care taken
to forget history, both natural and political
His demeanorupon the stand was only equalcd
in ludcrousness by his puerile attempts at
argument. We do hope, if Bowen is compel
led to import speakers again he will be more
happy in his selections. Col. Samuel +.
Cooper's address was short and to the point.
and would have been a success had not some
awkward home-questions been propounded
by one ofhis hearers these had such damp
ening effect that the Colonels feathers began
to droop terribly and he concluded his remarks
In some confusion.
AS the Colonel was evidently under the i'm
preston that he was doing Gods work, in
supporting Bowen, he should have closed
with prayer, and the following parody
would have been very appropriate
Come rest IN this bosom
My African dear;
Tho thy chains have fallen from thee,
Thy home Is still here
know not, ask not
How much Won can tote