The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-08-29
SENATOR WILSON ON
NOTfIlNGISN0.


dav western paper, containing what
purported to be speech made by me
in Massachusetts in 1856. l wrote and
tclegraphed to him denial of the gem
uinencss of that speech. | have. read
il here to-day. l said in that denial. it
was a pure invention, wicked for
gerry. an absolute falsehood, so far as /
was concerned.
Now | wish TO say no unfriendly
word toward any man in the country.
| do not know man or woman,l have
met in this life, whom | could not
meet tonight and take my hand-anY
living person. have no quarrel with
any person on earth; but i wish to
say to you that the papers, which have
published that speech, and which have
sent it over the country, that the speak
crs who have referred to it will do so
no more. Ii cannot hurt me. You can
not lie man down in this Christian
land. (Cheers.) / say here, suppose
some men, and suppose some papers,
may have been imposed upon, if they
suppose / have uttered these words,
attributed to me rs speech made in
Massachusetts. / say to you here in
your presence, and in the presence of
Almighty God, that I never uttered
Il thought contained in that speech, in
my life, nor word of it. That is all
pure coinage, and the man or the pa
per that shall hereafter publish, or use
it, will, when they are doing it know
they are stating what is false anGt dis
honorable. Now gentlemen i,aye
another word to say here Tonight
Born, myself in abiect poverty, having
known what it was to ask my mother
for bread. when she had none to give
me. having left my home at ten years
OF age, and served a hard apprentice
ship, came in childhood and youth to
know something of the very hardklot
that belongs to poor boys, even III our
country. | have felt what it was to be
under social ban: I have endured,
and as God is my judge tonight, l
never had thought in my heart, to say
an unkink word of any race on the
face of the earth, [cheers. nor to speak
tiisrespectfully of any man in any hon
est profession in the world. Brought
up on farm to manual labor, learning
after came ofage, mechanics trade,
working four years with mechanics
sitting with them and living with
them, knowing who they are and how
they feel and what they are, should
have been criminal, could / have
uttered against any class of men, wheth.
er they were black or white, born IL
the Old World or this country, aw orc
that would dishonor or disgrace them
Gentlemen, at that very meeting t.
"a. 4 III
in your city, seventeen years ago,
said here. and it is printed in a speech
OF three or four columns, which
have in my Professionalism loathed
the idea Of opposition to foreigner:
because they were foreigners. In tht
very months in which they charge mi
with making that speech was pro
claiming everywhere-and the speech
es have been printed over and owe
again, and the question referred to
letter and date--that / would neve
support any measure that denied 1
any man. not born in our country, an,
lightI would ask for myself or my
son. Applause.l Preferred to God
word that bids us always treat tn
stranger who comes among us as of US
There is another thing ! have see
to-day in the newspapers-a remarl
made by me in the Senate of tn
United States. that has been dragge
up and quoted against me as an ca
preston of contempt or dislike towar
a portion of the people of our cour
try. / refer to the Israelites.
Now, gentlemen, INvant to refer I
that speech here tonight, and wal
10 say to you that when l uttered tn;
sentence in a speech which | hay
with me, but can not stop to read
never entered into my mind that a
Israelite i'm this country would thin
j intended any disrespect or unkint
ness toward him.
Mr.. Benjamin had made brillial
and able speech in the Senate, and i
had been replied to by Gen. Bake
who undertook to reply to some I
his observations, and ! referred to ii
fact that he, an adopted citizen, Ia
come into the Senate and was strait
ing every nerve to destroy the Repul
lie of the United States. And
show the wickedness of this act, II
icrred tothe fact that the Govern me
he. was striving To overthrow ga'
rights and equality even to that IA
10 which he bclonged--or rather -
that race that scOrned the Prophets al
crucified the Redeemer of the world
| wanted to show that this man WI
trying 10 destroy the country tn
gave rights TO the race to which
belonged: race that has been pers
cu;ed for hundreds of years i'll all Il
countries Of Europe, but here ina
equal rights, and he was coming TO
ward to destroy the GoveImmel
which gave him these rights. l wis
TO call your attention to the fact, an
as God is my judge, never dreamc
that jew in this country would fe,
hurt by il. Shortly after, | receive
3nformation to that effect. To the pc
son who gave me that information,
said il had never entered my heart
mind, and had never thought of j
but regretted that l had ever us,
the words, because | would not use
sentence that would wound the fe,
ings of any race of men, or any ella
of men amoung us. And L say he
tonight that is the only sentenC
among, at least fifteen hundred speec
es | have made in the Legislature
my State. in the Congress of Il
United States, or before the peopl
and in the newspaper have edited t;
two and half wears, in the hundre,
of articles l have writtcn---and Il
speeches and articles would make
least twenty octave volumes-that
the only sentence | would strike o.
of all have ever written, Applause
and would do that, not because | i
tended any wrong, but because it h
been so understood by some and a
tempted TO be misrepresented
others. Now, gentlemen, l want
say this much tonight here, because
see that an effort has been made
put me in false position in regard
that matter. Every word have VII
ten or spoken, every vote have 81
Ell, am willing shall be canvassed.
l have anywhere voted wrong
spoken wrong, or made mistake,
have no defense to make OF it an
where. had rather be right with Il
= light OF to-day, then to be consists
with the errors of yesterday. That
my position now. have been
public life twenty seven years. and
have had something to do with publ
affairs. My record is before the coul
try, and am proud to know to-nigl
my votes, my speeches, what ha,
written, what has been published, h
been OH the side of my country.