Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-12-22
soI.DlEns Ann TnE sENAronsHIl
What a Soldier. who In Now AN CO
ttOr. Thinks.
Fort I1bdgs Messenger. Dec. 9.


WE VOTE FOR BELKNAp.
We see a statement going the rounds
to the effect that sthc Fort Dodge
Messenger is for kirkwood for the
Senate" Perhaps the party who
started that story knew our prefercncc
better than we, and helped us accord
.ingly. But we do not prefer Kirk-
wood, among the good men named
for the Senatorial place. Onr choice
now is, and has been, that of General
Beiknap, as man eminently 1T for
the place, and one eminently worthy
of the honor. We have no war 1b
make upon any mans candidacy, btt
whatever we can do we shall do 1t
cheerfully and as matter of duty fta.
the success of the soldier and states
man-Belknap.
Our reasons for the choice of Gen.
Belknap are not many and win be
briefly stated. He Is man Of ufl-
blemished personal and official char
acter. He is man Of decided ability
and naturally considered is the peer
of any of the other gentlemen named
for the Office. His conduct of the af-
fairs of the war Office have been very
successful, and not a word Of censure
or offault finding can be laid against
him. He was one of our bravest and
best soldiers, and won his distinction
at the 'front.' and by real merit alone.
"All things being equal,' in the oft
repeated words of the Republicans In
State convention assembled, we give
our preference most heartily for the
soldier for this high place. confident
that il the choice is ratified by the
Legislature the State will do itself
high honor, and in IN honorable man
ner remember the soldier element of
its population, that has. 10 say the
least, given not little distinction to
the history Of the State.
Iowa has great canse to feel proud
over the record her battallions made
on many bloody fields. Its banners
were always found where the fight
was the hottest, and none of its colors
were ever disgraced. The Assembly,
by resolution, and the conventions, by
oft repeated declarations, have made
recognition of the services of "our
boyss-bnt how does it look when
viewed in connection with places of
high legislative preferment? The
men have been equal in all the ele-
ments fitting them for these places,
and vet Iowa, out of all the Congress-
men and Senator'S chosen since 1860
has sent but the following named SOL
dfers TO Congress: To the Senate,
none. To the House--Gen. Dodge,
one term, Polk District; Capt. Wal
den, one term, Mahaska District :
Capt. Orr, two terms. the Ninth Dis
trict; Capt Donnan, two terms,
Third District--in all years, where-
as persons who were never in the field
in any manner, claim all the rest of
the years of Congressional service, in
all some eighty years. To-day, if we
are not mistaken, there are only two
soldiers i'm Congress from Iowa
Sampson, Republican, Sixth District,
and Ainsworth, Democrat, OF the
Third. Aside, then, from the ques-
ton Of capability and character, il
does seem to US that the soldier ele-
ment should now be recognized by
the elevation of one worthy of it to q
seat in the Senate. We propose that
the seventy thousand soldiers of Iowa,
or their representatives, unite and see
TO it that Iowa has at least one soldier
Senator to join the score Of other sol
diers in Congress, who have now to
deal with over eighty ex-rebel war
riors. Resolutions are good and
proper, buta little more practical IL
lustration of the fact that they are
fully meant would give far greater
satisfaction. We vote for Belknap,
and shall make our contest under
these colors to the close OF the cam
paign.