Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-07-26
GENERAL TUTTLE.
why He Left the Democratic
PARTY,
State Register, s2nu inst.

why He Left the Democratic
Party.
State Register, s2nd inst,
The following is rerbdtim report
of the speech delivered by Gen. JAS.
NJ. Tuttle, when called out at the
meeting of the Hayes and Wheeler
Club, in this city. night before last. 1t
deserves the widest circulation which
can be given it, as no speech that will
be made during the campaign will be
more dcmoralizing TO the Democratic
party, or more powerfully beneficial
to the cat'sc Of the Union. We give
it i'm full:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen Of The
Hayes and Wheeler C}ub
When l concluded to change my
party, thought that l might be al
lowed to do it quietly. 1t was pri-
vate act. and required no public an
nouncemcnt and there was no one to
whom l was obligated TO account for
such an action. But as my course has
been so assailed, and I have been
called so severely to account, may
as well embrace this opportunity to
tell both my Democratic and my Re-
publican friends why i have left the
old Democracy, and why I am here
tonight. The act of my change was
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 pre-
tensions of being. But / can talk TO
you as neighbors. l have been con-
sidered doubtful by many Democrats
for nearly two years. Laughter. |
Indeed never have been Democrat
if the issues on which they are fight
ing this year are the principles of the
party. Great applause But near
ly two years ago the course of duty
was developed much more plainly
than it ever had been before. What
l had seen before that that was wrong,
l 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 pecu-
liar 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, insanely
rebel. 1t was worth mans life then
almost to be seen i'm the Union uni
form. A Union officer about the
hotels, where congregated the noisiest
secession elements, was hooted at and
derided, and told with sneers, "Yes,
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 l remember it.
none of our troops from Iowa ever
came back in that shape. Laughter
and applause. That was the feeling
in st. Louis in 1861, and this feeling /
found there again, i'll the same spirit
and in the same places, re-expressed
by the very same men, when | was
there in 1874. 1t was then l heard
the news that the Democrats had
elected majority of the National
House, and these same fellows who
swarmed about the hotels talking
treason and deriding Union soldiers
in 1861 were eXultant and delirious
with JOY this last time. remarked
to gentleman who had been a com.
rade with me i'll the war, "This looks
like the same set Of fellows who were
spouting treason here at the begin.
ming of the war. What is it that is
exciting them SO, and what ails
them" We asked squad of then
: what it was that made "thcm feel sc
} good?" / heard one of them say '''wt
have got them this time. We cal
beat them this time" We asked wht
they meant by 'them?' They re
: piled, "Well elect the next President
, and then we've got them. Then wei
get pay for all our property destroyed
in the war, and then we'll get pay TO
our lost slaves. We have the Hous
overwhelmingly now, and in lS7t
the Centennial year. we can get th
Senate and Democratic Presiden
F Then we can appoint our commit
tees to suit ourselves, and choose on
, own Southern Claims Committee o
a Southern Claims Court, and max
I good our loses by the war;" The
, meant that they would get pay for al
the property destroyed by the Unio
: army, and pay for all their emanc
0 pated slaves.
: Said one, 'Givc us possession of til
/. government, and the North will l
a the rebels next time,' This was I'll
talk, and the talk in carnest-as wa
II the talk of the same men i'm lS6
le They mean it. They talked it ov,
n eeoiy and seriously. Said they hs
-, already an united Soutl, which wou
y be nearly enough. and that the
e not deny them the little more. Il
V few more votes, that they would nee
e This is their idea to-day--to gain i
: legislation,b means of diplomacy an
e trickery, what they meant to gain
r means of force, j believe it; ! kno'
T. it. All their expressions suggest j
9 and all their actions prove it. VIII;
else do they meanf Why is il :hs
the State of Missouri has issued I
: every former owner of slaves in tn:
8 State certificate for one thousan
!, dollars for every slave payable whe
the general government will pay it
This very thing. the total amount {
o the value of the cmancipated slave,
= now estimated as part of the Stat
n debt of Missouri! l used to thin
that this was Republican falsehoot
v the cetificate matter, But it is an ac
+ ual fact, and these certificates, and al
# certificates or showings of losses sus
+. tanned throughout the State arc bt
ing saved up MS money against ti
u day when the Democracy. and tn
u rebel element ruling in the nation,
: government, shall have attained [
power. If Missouri will do tn
thing, and hold out this promise [
y pay for all cmancipatcd slaves, VIII
not all the Southern. all worse reb
n States do ii, and will they not do il
IS THE CONFEDERATE HOUSE.
y When these things came to m
le knowledge l could not do less tha
d halt for further development
watching snspiciously every NOV
= ment made thereafter which coul
= see had tendency toward drawir
l. the Democracy North and Soui
d nearer together, a union which
g could see would inevitably put Il
- old rebel element at the head of an
virtually in control of the part
Applause. Events have eliminate
(. rapidly since then, and had NJ
d long to wait to see the whole pr,
!, grammc. The Democratic IIous
g soon gave me light enough. Cheers
Il For some time have been ready 1
! answer the question: "IIavc you lei
: the Democratic party ?" i have.-
f Great applause. And / am oftc
: asked now: "ls it so? viii yo
vote for Hayes and Wheeler" 1t i
SO; and 1 will work for them as wei
f as vote for them. Renewed ap
plause.l My Democratic friends asl
me for my reasons. There are plent,
of them, and all of them cannot bt
told in these few remarks. And il il
not necessary to tell all. First, let me
say that my abandonment of Democ.
racy was not caused, as has been
charged by the press Of that party
because of the currency OF tariff ques.
tions. have no objection to those
planks in the st. Louis PLATFORM
But my reasons are as have already
indicated, and will now further
state.
Il Tho namonrot tc vho ,,uacc mo e.,