Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-02-27
For the Courier a-
Political Dupes, Bummers, Assas-

Political Dupes, Bummers, Assas
! Gins and Traitors. .''-Times.
In the Ottumwa Times of the 18th
inst. Father Ives made an ass Of him.
self, and because, in the COURIER OF
last Saturday, told the people Just
how it was, he devotes ab0uttwo col.
umns of this weeks issue to your
humble servant, by way of revenge.
That egregious blunder of calling all
Independent Greenbackers s.ignorant
political guerrilras" and "uncompro-
missing fanatics" has lost him several
good subscribers, and hence his
wrath. The blunder was his, not
mine. ..a.
Instead Of answering my article in
manly, honest way, as should be-
come an honorable journal, the Times
let's the job out to some sneak, who
fllngs dirt under the nom de plume of
I"Observer." Guerrillas seldom en-
gage in open battle, but fire from a
concealed point. Who this cowardly,
dishonorable sneak is, who hides be-
hind false name, I, of course, have
no means Of knowing, as printers
keep their own secrets, but Twas al
ways remarkably good at guessing.
rather Ives, though in his dotage, has
too much manhood to descend so low,
but in the language and style there is
9 HMily relationship-not an exact
i4%h6ty. Ian somewhat of ia believ-
ef III evolution l also believe in de-
volution, degeneracy, q development
backwards, if you please. Have we
mot In observer" found the "missing
link, q man without manhood--a
monkey without tail /? Sonny, don't
use 80 many of the old mans words.
1t is not necessary to re-assert the
points mentioned in SATURDAYS arti-
Gle. All the members of that organ
ization, or nearly all, will testify to
the same. 1t was well-known that q
ticket was to be nominated and that
Daddy wanted to get both nomina-
tions, and also that Sonny did some
electioneering. Now he says it is "a
lie"-and signs his name observer"
The numerous hard names harm
him more than me.
But for Cne point would not have
answered this long TRADE of coward
ly abuse. l am accused of having
become an accomplice, tool of the
COURIER and the Republican party,
of having gone into this political en-
terprise for pecuniary advantage to
the COURIER. That am 'hireling"
OF the COURIER proprietor I cannot
deny; 1 earn an honest living in that
way; but that there has ever been
any "collusion" between the COURIER
managers and myself, or that a word
has ever passed between us in regard
to my connection with this indepen-
dent movement, as being of any ben
eft, pecuniary or otherwise, to that
paper or the Republican party, is en-
tirely false, and those who know me
best will not believe the Shiny insinu-
ations of dishonorable young liter
ary sprout who, thinking himself un-
known, fires his stink-pots from the
brush.
My political convictions and nv
vote are my own. A lifelong Re-
publican, for some time my views on
financial questions have differed ma
terially from those of the COURIER,
but its proprietors, like honorable,
high-minded gentlemen as they have
been, bought my mechanical work
and not my politics. Independent
thought and action in politics are un-
known to the editors of the Times
and Democrat, who have grown old
in the servile work Of pandering to
the whims of any faction or party
when they thought such action would
afford additional means of subsistence
to their impoverished concerns.
l have sought no nomination; but
as | had expressed myself as willing
to join an Independent Greenback or
ganizati0n, at the urgent request of
many of my neighbors accepted it,
md will eight it out on that line,"I
and these papers will find there are
more "Fourth Ward guerrillas' than
they now think. q. C.. GRAVES.