The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-10-10
The Big Republican Powow.

For three long weeks before last Saturday
the republicans had been busy all over this
Congressional District, and in adjoining coun-
ties, laboring with their might, coaxing and
persuading men, and even offering them pay,
to attend the advertised Grand Republican
Mass Convention to take place at Ottawa on
Saturday, October Sd. They made all these
herculean efforts, for the sole purpose, as they
said, of beating the democratic mass meeting
which had been gotten up with no special ef-
fort whatever, when Gov. Eden visited and
spoke at Ottawa. If, after all these exertions,
they had not succeeded in getting larger
mass OF people together than attended the
democratic meeting, the failure would have
been something astounding; yet that they
did SO succeed, is exceedingly doubtful. In
the matter of tanners, or torch bearers, un-
questionably their turn out largely exceeded
that Of the democrats, for while the republi-
cans had cOaxed and hired "tanners"t to attend
from all parts Of this congressional district
and even towns beyond it--from Kankakee,
Joliet, Morris, Princeton, Magnolia, &C., the
democrats had invited ne torch bearers from
outside the city Of Ottawa, their torch light
procession, which was to say the least, more
than third as large as that Of the Republi-
cans, being composed entirely of the Seymour
legions OF Ottawa Certainly liberal est,
mate Of the republican crowd would not place
it above 10 to $4,000, and that we contend
was fair estimate of the democratic crowd
at the Eden meeting. At both meetings
| about four thousand, at the most, gathered at
one time around the speakers stand, while
| away from the stand the streets were about
| equally filled.
As to the speaking itself. to hear which the
crowd had ostensibly come together, that was
altogether gross fraud and outrage. The
people had been promised speeches from John
NJ. Palmer and f. A. Storrs. When they
came, the only men to address them were
poor old John Dougherty, and another still
more miserable twaddler, ifpossible- Seen
eral" Bates. There were twenty unfedged,
briefess little republican lawyers, and halt as
many Political parsons in the crowd that
could, and if invited cheerfully would, have
made infinitely better speeches. Where was
Palmerl "Indisposed." Where was Storrs Z
'.Indisposed." And Bushnell, and Corwin,
and Charley Blanchard-al "indisposed" to
make speeches. There is certainly something
very mysterious about the late sudden disap-
pearance of republican orators. Yates has re-
tired to recuperate on picked cabbage Lo-
gan has disappeared, probably from the same
sanitary motive; Palmer is sick, StOrrs non
est; Bushnell has quit the field in disgust,
and Dougherty and Bates are evidently whit
! tied down to squeak. There being no speak
ing TO entertain the crowd, it was sought to
keep them together by amusing them with
daggerel songs vile as they could he, bnt we'll
sung by the Lombards and the Hutchnsons,
who had been hired for the occasion.
At the close of the afternoons performance,
all tho tanners in attendance were organized
into grand battalion. and marched to the
south side of the river, where they were en-
tertained with free dinner, very handsomely
gotten up by the republican ladies Of Ottawa.
Our estimate was, that there was about 1900
tanners in this procession, but the Republican
gives the exact number in each company, the
footing beng 1904.
The torch light procession In the evening
was such display as 1900 torches would nat
urally produce. 1t was kept up until after
nine O'Clock, when another attempt was made
to detain the crowd by singing and speaking
the singers again being the Hutchinsons
and the Lombards, and the speakers Burton
G. Cook and one Goodhue, Of Joliet. Cook
spoke as if chagrined, exhausted and mad
and the least we can say Of his speech was
that it was very dishonest if not Intentionally
mendacious. Goodhue's harrangue was un-
| worthy of notice. .F
1t was far beyond the hour that divided
Saturday from the Sabbath before the streets
became quiet, and as many of the tanners had
come on horseback from long distance, Of
| course these virtuous disciples of the party of
a great moral idea had to dcsecrate that So
| cred day to get to their homes
HORRIBLE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or
THE CARPET BAGGER.-Late kilograms from
IL ,AD ~. ~.