The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-10-30


Our comments last week on the course Of
the Ottawa Republican, in reference to the
election Of members to the Constitutional
Convention. lhave brought outya very angry
response. Tho intimation we threw out, that
the advocacy of the election of the county
dividing candidates by the Rspubliodnproba-
bly, proceeded from the fact that both theedi-
tors of that paper wers from the west side Of
the county, hsh large PROPERTY there, and
were therefore actuated by motives Of self
interest in favoring Q division Of the county,
is pronounced " the, editors Of the Republican
a" charge Involving i degree of moral turpi-
tude and deRth q depravity that we should
hesitate to chStge upon the veriest blackleg, {"
sc. 1t is veiy common for people when cor
nered in AN" argument to fly intoa passion.
Men seldom act without motive. When the
Ottawa Republican so earnestly took up, the
advocacy of the election of men who had
been confessedly nominated on the cole ques-
tioon Of county divisionl- (which, in othef
words, means opposition to Ottawa--we were
naturally puzzled to discover how they could,
as citizens 81 Ottawa, support such candidates.
We did not belisve that notions Of party fealty,
in case whereparty % Obviously cut no fig
ure whatever, could be the only motive. Find
ing, on looking around, that they had large
interests in the west end of the county, and
comparatively none at tho center, We naturally
concluded they were governed, as people gem
orally are in such matters, by motives of self
interest. Another motive suggested itself at
the time, but to which we refrained from al
luding, and that was, that one Of the editors
of the Repnblican is understood to have Con-
gressional aspirations, and as he naturally
looks to the western and northern borders of
the county for heavy end Of his support, an
advocacy Of their interests at the expense of
the center. especially if it could be done un-
der the specious plea Of party fealty, would
not set him back in that particular What
ever the real motive was, we could not help
pronouncing his plea OF being solely actuated
by motives of party. fealty,. a sham. And such
we still are forced tol believe it. What can
party have to do with the matter, at least so
far as Judge Cation is concefned + What party
questions, not satisfactorily covered by Judge
Cations letter, can possibly come before the
Conventiona The R.pxSlieas sayi, nady,"
and then proceeds to -enun,erate them, and
how many" do you suppose are in its list (?
Just ONE! The convention may make an un-
apportionmento of the State !! Did the last
convention, which was largely democratic,
unfairly apportion the State 2 The charge
never was made. Besides, does the Republican
mean to intimate that Judge Cation is the sort
Of man that would engage in such nefarious
business9 The Republicans plea of justiica-
ton for sacrificing home interests on the sole
ground of party fealty, is puerle and ridicu-
lous. ''A '-t" 't'a' JTS
There is another reason why Ottawa should
to man vote fol, Judge Cation. We will need
our strongest and sblest man in the 'Conven.
ton to prevent Chicago, Peoria, or some such
point from stealing away from Ottawa our
Supreme Court House. 1t was virtually taken
away by the last State Convention, and had
the constitution then framed been adopted
Ottawa would virtually be withouta Supreme
Court House to-day. In matter Of that sort,
what help can Ottawa hope for from men like
Eldridge and Hart, elected on the sole ques-
ton of opposition to the interests Of Ottawa :
We are compelled to conclude, as we did in
our last, that the Ottawa Republican is labor
ing in the interest of the enemies Of Ottawa
and the great body Of this county, and that
the reasons it gives for the course are so puer-
lie and absurd as to justify the imputation Of
baser motives. y tEI4 40 IIOOV9 |
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