The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1870-07-07


little organs, common to every assembly,
Especially Fourths of july since the
days of Father Adam down to the present,
the last was served in hit or miss style.
Nor OFTEN.
DEMOCRATIC CO. CONVENTION.
The announcement of the coming of a
circus is always hailed by the boys with
delight on account of the fun in store, but
10 those who have keen appreciation of
the ridiculous the call for a Democratic
Cove ntion is equally fraught with pros
pectivc fun. Last Saturday was the day an
nounccd for & general gathering Of the
CANS. The signal fires had been lighted,
the bugles sounded, and WeIch's Weakly
had announced that Il mass convention of
the Democracy would assemble at Union
Hall To nominate a ticket. and commit
other suicidal acts. Accordingly, from
hull and glen, from valley and plain, from
the Skunks to The Des Moines went up the
cry, I'VE are coming in our might Porter
Clay" and when the writer arrived on
the spot, 81 men and boys. score Of
whom were Republicans, were assembled
to save cur blessed country" The Com
mittee on permanent organization report
ed z. &. WEIGH, Chairman, F. M. Daven-
port, Secretary; whereupon Porter took
the stand and made few remarks in
which he said he congratulated the Conven-
ton on the choice of Chairman, and then
proceeded by figures (more of his midnight
figuring) TO show them how they can
carry this Congress sional District, as easy
as toad can jump off a log. p. c. took
his seat amid silence, and
called for the report of the of The Commit
tee on Resolutions. A document three
yards long, in Porters hand writing, was
produced and read by the Secretary. Mo
ton was made to act upon it by SECTION,
and section first taken UP. This was
quite revolutionary in its character and
sounded much like South Carolina in 1860
1t was in reference to the XVIII amend
unconstitutional, null and void, and de-
clared that eve the Democracy of Mahas-
ka do not feel bound to respect it." This
created flutter; several spoke in oppo-
sition thereto. They saw visions of anoth-
er war in just such talk, and feared that
their blood, like that of their poor delu-
ded, Southern brethren" Gas W. T. Smith
put it, might flow, II they opposed that
which was already a law beyond perad-
venture. Harbour opposed "niggers" vo-
ting, and favored intelligence IN all cases
as test for voting. Hon. Thos. Balm
ger here arose addressed the chair, and
was about to launch forth in a pererora-
ton, when Porter Clay hoped up and
told him this was Democratic Conven-
ton, and that unless he would come into
the fold he could not speak. The tempta-
ton was too great and-Thomas spoke.
He defined his position, which as near as
we could make out was that he "stood on
that floor" Very satisfactory to the mass
convention. After being told twice to cut
his speech short, and twice more to stick
to the text, Thomas subsidized. The Sec
lion was modified to mean anything or
nothing as the reader might construe it.
Two yards more Of the platform was then
adopted without opposition, because it
meant nothing, but when resolution en-
dorsing the action Of the late Legislature
in submitting the question of woman suf-
frage to the voters Of the State, came up,
there was a storm. One man suggested
that Davenport would be the proper per-
son to move its adoption, but he couldn't
see it. Harbour said he opposed it on
every ground, and gave his opinions at
length. Davenport suggested that as
Harbour favored intelligence" as the bal
lot test in all leases, of course by his speech
he considered women devoid of that ex-
cellence. Harbour's face became bright.
er red. He was cOrnered. Next arose
Davey Coones. His speech we have
! oer6dtsm: "Mr. cheerman, the time used
to wvs when all white men was pure aud
good, but alas for we'uns the day is past,
and we are now in the foul, slippery pollu-
ted mire of politics, where we have bin
dragged by the Republican parts. Voters
OF intelligence, like me and Harbour has
been drug down from the ephemerial
nights on which we stood to the level of
the niger" I''What fall was there my
counuymen." Now gentlemen be con-
tent with what you done to me and don't
drag my wife and daughters down to my
level by giving them a vote. Fur Gods
sake, gentlemen, leave my wife and virtu-
Gus daughters where they now stand on
that lofty pre-eminence," land here he
pointed to the top OF a badly fy-specked
! upright post in the courtroom and do
not drag them down to my polluted level in
the mire." Here our pencil gave out and
We lost about hslfa string more in the
same strain. The resolution was rejected,
after that master effort. Harbour now
introduced the following resolution
"Resotsed, That we extend to Thos. Ballinge,
the right hand OF fellowship, and take him into
our found embrace
Carried, whereupon Harbour in bis &c
stasy placed his thumb to his nose and
wiggled bis fingers at the Republican side
OF lhe house. Convention now proceeded
to nominate delegates to Congressiona
Convention. One man proposed, as bu
few had ammunition" Che meant ambi
ton) to go, that every nams offered be ia
ken without separate vote. Congressiona
delegates selected were. p. c. WEIGH. VIM
L. Smith, O. Houtz, F. NJ Davenport,
Geo. Workman, - Barnes, John Nash
- Baker. Thos. Ballinger, and b. r
} Perdue. To the State Convention, r.. r
J Harbour. w. 7 Smith, w. r. Stanton
Geo. Workman, VIM r. McKanna, ii
} Barr, II. II. Williams. p G. WEIGH, w. ]
, jackson, VIM. Beal, and r. M. Davenport
Chairman announced that nominations f.,
county officers were now in order. Eff
teen minutes passed in whispered consulta
ton, when VIM. T. Smith arose and la