Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-12-08
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From the State Register

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From the State Register.
We corrected the other day some
misstatemcnts as made by the North
crn FiRdicotor, of Emmett county, in
which Secretary Bclknap was charged
with being opposed to the admission
Of private soldiers to tho Society of
the Army of tho Tennessee. We
stated in contradiction, what is well
known. that Gen, Belknap has always
advocated and always voted for the ad-
mission OF all men of all ranks who
were in that Army, and has, in fact.
been the head and front OF those
fighting for the admission of the pri-
vate soldier. We also corrected the
Pfndtcator's statement that the GEN
cral was regular army officer. In
: reply the paper now says
''The State Register explains that
: Secretary Belknap worked and voted
for The admission of private soldiers
to the Society of The Army OF the
Tennessee. Also, although he is a
/ West Point graduate, he was in the
regular Army but a short time, having
spent the most of his life practicing
law in keokuk. But on the direct
point made by us in former article,
that he is an aristOcrat in the strictest
sensc OF the word, and not in sympa-
thy with the people, no comment is
made.
We would now correct the JfRdi-
Gator still further, and in doing so
also correct ourselves. We said the
General was a graduate ofWest Point.
/ In this We were mistaken. He never
was n cadet at q military academy Of
any kind, and never was connected
with the army till he entered il "a a
volunteer in the Fifteenth Iowa Vol
untccr Infantry at Keokuk, in 1861
He came to Iowa in 1851, immediately
after his admission to the bar, lived
there till he went into the army, re-
turned there after the war was over,
aud so is about as much of an Iowap.
and about as thoroughly Unidentified
with its history and progress as a
State as any of the public men we
have. His father was an army officer.
and OF gallant record, bu, neither was
he a graduate Of a military academy.
So that rhe military genins and mill
tay yalor which have been as conspic-
uous in the son as in the father. are
the genius snd valor of the volunteer
soldier so much the more to
the credit both of sire and son. We
should say then that the military rep
utation and renown of Secretary Bel.
KNAPP appeal directly TO the admira-
ton and Endorsement of the people,
instead Of rcpelling them from him by
reason of any prejudice against West
Point or the regular army.
AS to General BeIknap being an ar
lstocrat, we presume that impression ia
born out OF the fact that he is or has
been q regular army man. Nothing
could be further from the facts. No
man in Iowa is more thoroughly
: American or more thoroughly Iowan
than Gen. Belknap. He is of genial
address, and treats all men and all
4 people alike. 1t is o subject of COM
mon remark with all Iowa people
who have been in Washington the
! past five or six years that TO tell Gen.
Belknap they were from Iowa was all
the introduction needed. aud we have
never heard of o single case i'm which
he did not treat every Iowa man.
prominent or obscure, with the kind.
est consideration. There was no aris-
tocrst about Belknap in the army !;
there is none of it about him in public
or private life. This charge can in no
senscli lie against him. To charge tits of
a piece with the absurd claim that the
General is not enough OF an Iowa
man to be a good candidate for an
Iowa Senator, when in fact he is as.
near an Iowa rowth, boyhood and
manhood, 10 any man OF his years in
the State. lie has never been inden-,
tilted with any other State or any
other people, and has, SO far as this is
concerned or so far as anything else
Ia concerned, SO far as we know, as
clear a right and claim to canadian.
cy as any man in the State. Fair
play is the best play brother Finaica-
tor, and Gen. Belknap is too good a
man, and has his name too inscparably
connected with part of lowa's proud
history for him to be denied any
other treatment than fair treatment at
the hands OF our people and our State.
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