The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1867-07-05
Reuben Noble.


A little less than one year ago
the gentleman whose name stands
Mt the head Of this article was the
conservative Candidate for mem
Der of Congress from this congress
sional district This fact, and not
any Importance that may attach to
his political opinions, warrants a
review and reply to recent letter
of his, published in the North Iowa
Times of the End. inst.
Among the statements in this
letter made remarkable from his re-
cent conservative position in de-
mandinc and receiving the suffrage
of democrats we note the following:
The Democratic Platform in my
judgment, is very nearly right as
whole, except in regard to Negro
suffrage. x
While the question was All open
one l opposed Negro suffrage.
~ < | believed that races of
.uen so entirely dissimilar AS the at
rican could not live together upon
terms of political eqality.
My opinions upon the subject re-
main unchanged; but, as | regard
it, the question is no longer an open
one in a national point Of view. x
The error of the convention was,
that it did not cut itself loose from
the dead past aud attach itself to
the living present.
While the Republican party have
been engaged in accomplishing its
purposes, the once proud and Veto
rious Democratic party has been
mainly engaged in the innocent
amusement Of voting for Gen. Jack
son = -
The dead past and republican
purposes. And what is thus
lightly alluded to as 1.-THE dead past
we arc called upon to bury, are the
glorious memories of our cOnstltu-
tional form Of government the
right Of trial by jury; arrest only
on due process Of law; trial only on
the presentmcnt and Indictment of
grand juries; speedy and public trial
by jury; information as to the ma
turc and cause of the accusation
the right to have witnesses in our
behalf and the aid and assistance Of
:. counsel at every stage Of the pro-
ccedings; the right to be secure in our
papers. persons, houses and effects
seizures; the freedom Of speech and
Of the press and the right to peac-
ably assemble; the right of HABEAs
CORPUS and above all the right to
free and undisturbcd elections
among the people and the ballot.
To these things allusion is made,
and to effect their burial as of "the
dead past is and has been the
purposes of the republican party.
The American system of govern
mcnt of 1898 was founded upon
these justly yencrated principles of
1.-The dead past If, when the
convention met that set in motion
our constitutional form of govern
ment, proposition had been made
to include the negro in the political
status of citizen, not an individ-
ual Of that body would hayc assent
ed, nor would a single state adopt
ed such a constitution had it been
submitted. The purposes of the
mongrcl leaders was "to bury the
dead past and rcvolutionizc the
government by forcing it's own theo-
rics upon the states, at the point Of
the bayonct. And during all this
time Mr.. Noble, though from his
comprehensive powers Of intellect,
must have been fully cognizant Of
the purposes Of the mongrel party,
never once raised his eloquent voice
against the consummation Of the
dire calamitics that have befallen
our country.
Accused forever, be the tongue
that counsels the people to submit
to the new and fatal despotism
which allows congress to force ne
gro suffrage upon the states by the
powers of the federal army. These
things forced upon the south to day
are intended for universal applica-
ton, in our government. To cx-
tend them too far at time would
be fatal to the scheme. Sumner,
Stevens, Ben. Wade, Butler, and