The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1876-08-03

THE HERO OF FT. DONELS0N-WHY
HE HELEFTTHEDEMOCRATIC PARTY.
His Reply to the Abuse Now Being Heap
ed Upon Him by His Late Associates.
State Register, gid, inst.

His Reply to the Abuse Now Being Heap
ed Upon Him by His Late Associates.
State Register, 22d, inst
The following is uerbdtina report of
the speech delivered by Gen. James NJ.
Tuttle, when called out at the meeting of
the Hayes and Wheeler Club, in this city,
night before last 1t deserves the wild
est circulation which can be given it, as
no speech that will be made during the
campaign will be more demoralizing to the
Democratic party, or more powerfully
beneficial to the cause of the Union. We
give it in full:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the
Hayes and Wheeler Club:
When l conconcluded to change my
party, I thought that I might be allowed
to do so quietly. 1t was a private act,
and required no public announcement
and there was no one to whom was obli-
gated to account for such an action. But
as my course has been assailed, and |
have been called so severely to account, l
may as well embrace this opportunity to
tell both my Democratic and my Repub-
lican friends why l have left the old De-
mocracy, and why am here tonight.
The act of my change was a private one,
but my reasons for so doing were public
ones, and they may be told, and shall be.
Cheers. [ am no speaker and make no
pretensions of being, but can talk to
you as neighbors. Ihave been considered
doubtful by many Democrats for nearly
two years. Laughter Indeed, have
never been Democrat, if the issues on
which they are fighting this year are the
principles of the party. Great applause.
But nearly two years ago the course of
duty was developed much more plainly
than it ever had been before that
was wrong, had continued to hope would
be found to be mistakes that would be
mended.
REBEL DEMOCRATS.
Nearly two years ago | was in St.
Louis. Now there is nothing peculiar in
simply having been at st. Louis. But |
was there also in 1861. Cheers. That
was just after the first battle Of Bull Run,
and st. Louis was thoroughly, wildly, in
sanely rebel. 1t was worth a mans life
then to be seen in the Union uniform. A
Union officer about the hotels, where con-
gregated the noisiest secession elements,
was hooted at and derided, and told with
sneers, Eyes, you'll go South and you will
come back, as the Union soldiers have
just come back from Bull Run, with your
tails tucked" But as | remember it.
none of our troops from Iowa ever came
back in that shape. Laughter and ap-
plause. That was the feeling in St.
Louis in 1861, and this feeling | find
there again, in the same spirit and in the
same places, re-expressed by the very
same men, when | was there in 1874 1t
was there heard that the Democrats had
elected majority of the National House,
and these same fellows who swarmed
about the hotels talking treason and de-
riding Union soldiers in 1861 were exul-
tant and delirious with joy this last time.
l remarked to a gentleman who had been
q comrade with me in the war, "This
looks like the same set of fellows who
were spouting treason here at the beginning
of the war. What is it that is exciting
them so, and what ails them?" We ask
ed squad Of them what it was that made
"them feel so good?" l heard one of
them say "we have got them this time
we can beat them this time" We asked
who they meant by "them?" They re-
piled, "We'll elect the next President, and
then we've got them. Then we'll get pay
for all our property destroyed in the war,
and then we'll get pay for our lost slaves.
We have the House overwhelmingly now,
and in 1875, the Centennial year, we can
get the Senate and Democratic Presi-
dent Then we can appoint our commit
tees to suit ourselves, and choose our own
Southern claim committee or Southern
claim court, and make good our losses by
the war;" They meant that they would
get pay for all the property destroyed by
the Union army, and pay for all their
emancipated slaves.
Said one, "give us possession of the
government, and the north will be the
rebels next" This was the talk, and the
talk in earnest-as was the talk OF the
same men in 1861. They mean it. They
talked it over coolly and seriously. Said
they had already united South which
would be nearly enough, and that their
Democratic allies in the North dare not
deny them the little more, the few more
votes, that they would need. This is
their idea to-day-to gain by legislation,
by means Of diplomacy and trickery, what
they meant to gain by means of force, l
believe it; / know IT. All their express
sions suggest it, all their actions prove it.
What else do they meanP Why is it
that the State of Missouri has issued to
every former owner of slaves in that State
a certificate for one thousand dollars for
every slave payable when the general gov
ernment will pay it? This very thing,
the total amount of the value of the
emancipated shave, is now estimated as a
part of the State debt of Missouri l
used to think that this was Republican
falsehood, the certificate matter But it
is an actual fact, and these certificates,
and all certificates or showing of losses
sustained throughout the State are being
saved up as money against the day when
the Democracy, and the rebel element rul-
ing in the national government, shall have
attained to power If Missouri will do
this thing, and hold out this promise to
pay for all emancipated slaves, why not
all the Southern, all worse rebel States dc
it, and will they not do it? {
THE CONFEDERATE HOUSE.
When these things came to my know
ledge l could not do less than halt fol-
further developements watching suspi
ciously every movement made thereafte,
which / could see had a tendency toward
drawing the Democracy North and South
nearer together,a union which could
see would inevitably put the old rebel ele
ment at the head of and virtually in con
troll of the party. Applause. Events
have eliminated rapidly since then, and /
!. had not long to wait to see the whole pro.
gramme. The Democratic House soon
gave me light enough. fCheers.]
For some time have been ready tC
answer the question: "Have you left the
Democratic party?" / have. [Great ap-
plausel And / am often asked now
"Is it so? VIII you vote for Hayes and
Wheeler2D 1t is SO; and / will work for
them as well as vote for them. Renewed
applause My Democratic friends ask
me for my reasons. There are plenty OF
them, and all of them cannot be told in
these few remarks. And it is not neces
sary to tell ALL First, let me ssy my
abandonment of Democracy was not
caused, as has been charged by the press
of that party, because of the currency OF
tariff questions. / have no objection to
those planks in the st. Louis platform
But my reasons are as have already in.