The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-07-06

tests as qualifications for Office, I win |
notAt present discuss. But I will
ask every reader Of this letter to de-
eide FOR himself whether it would be |
wise to permit such schcmers to sue.
coed. Has any word or act of mine |
during my somewhat long public life,
justified the opposition thus endeav-
ored TO DO brought out? / am not
conscious that l have been swayed
to the right or to the left in the per.
Torrance of official duty, on account
of my own or any other man 9 relig-
ious views. am quito certain /
have never done or said anything to
justify such q suspicion. Why, then,
when my name happens to DO mon
toned in connection with official sta
ton must be pointed at as a Meth
odist, as If that were q badge Of dis
honor. And if any one chooses TO
express himself as favorable to my
election, why is it deemed necessary
to search out and proclaim his church
predictions.
What to me appears most strange
is, the iDvldious character Of this
species of opposition. 1t has been
kept up by certain class of journals
and Of politicians ever since my first
appearance in public life. Other
public men in Iowa, without church
affiliations, or ofother denominations,
have not been 80 badgered. No one
would have known, from the politi-
cal discussions of the day, that out
Of the five Republican Governors Of
Iowa, Grimes was o Unitarian in
sentiment; Lowe and Stone, Presby-
terians Kirkwood. without any OK
pressed religious attachments and
Governor Merrill, y Congregational
list. Or, that, out of the twenty-five
Republican members Of Congress
from Iowa, including Senators and
Representatives, with whom l have
served since l entered tho Senate,
| Messrs. Curtis, Vandever, Hubbard,
Allison, Smyth, Howell and Donnan,
| were, as | am told, Presby terians,
Grinnell, Loughridge and Palmer,
Congregationalists Kasson, Dodge
and Cotton, Episcopalians; Grimes
| and McCrary, Unitarians; and that,
of the remaining number, two are
Methodists, two Universalists, and
six (to me) not known TO be attach
ed to any religious society. / ask
again, in what respect are my religi-
GUS views and affiliations exception.
al, that and my fellow church men,
bers should be so specifically and per.
sistently paraded in each political
campaign, whore my name happens
TO appear. 1t cannot be merely be-
cause my religious associates somc-
times bear with mo as a speaker in
their assemblies; for, one ut least OF
my Congressional colleagues, has
been in orders ana served as q "set-
tied Pastor" over a Congregational
Church, and ! have never enjoyed
such distinction. 1t cannot be be.
cause / have ever faltercd in my
support Of Republican principles, or
of the nominees of the party.
And this sinister admonition to the
members and ministers of the Meth.
odist church, to avoid any expression
Of confidence in the ability and integ.
rity of Methodist for any Office, il
not justified BY infidelity to political
principles, by its Republican mem.
bers; or any failure to support Re.
publican nominees on sectarian
grounds; or any overweaning greed
| for official station as is demonstra.
ted beyond al! cavil, by the fact that
during the last twenty-five years, the
whole period of the existence of the
State of Iowa. it has never had a
Methodist Governor, and that only
four members of the Methodist
Church, for the current quarter of q
century, have been candidates for, OF
elected to soats in either branch Of
Congress.
| Why is it that these immaculate
guardians OF tho purity of religion
do not caution the ministers and
"chosen laymen" of the Presby terian
Church against any undue expression
of preference for my esteemed per.
sonal friend, the Hon. W. B. Allison,
for the Senate, who il said to be O
pew-holder and supporter of the
Presbyterian Church in Dubuque
or, for my recent colleague, Sen.
ator Howell, who is consist.
ont member of the Presbyterian
Church at Kcokuk, or advise the
ministers and s'chosen laymen" OF
the Congregational Church to be
coy of any such expression in "a
vor OF Gov. Merrill, or my esteem-
cd colleague in tho House, Mr.. Pal.
mer all four of whose names have
been mentioned prominently as can
didates for the Senate And, if it
should be rumorod that one of their
divines or leading members /" may
have written private or confden-
tial letter to brother, couched in
friendly terms Of Allison, Howell,
Merrill, or Palmer, recommending
his eleciion-not on religious grounds
but for personal merit-why not ego
for it" with search-warrant or an
offer of"a thousand dollars reward?"
And when it is found publish it with
q flourish of trumpets and gibbet the
author as an objectionable "busy-
body" and "intermeddIer in other
mems matters 2" And, If this gen.
erous attention is not given to the
ministers and "leading members" Of
other denominations, is it merely be-
cause Methodists need political
guardians more than other religion
| lists?
In conclusion, may ] be pardoned
for saying u word or two to my fel.
low citizensin Iowa of German origin
who may be followers of the German
schools Of liberal philosophy, free
thinkers, or materialists. Is it wise
to select your candidates for official
station, because of their supposed
liberal views in the accepted theolog-
ical sense Of that phrase 2--in the
language of Der Demokrat, to labor TO
unite "the liberal element for polit-
ical ends ?" Would not this be as
dangerous to civil liberty as union