The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1861-07-17

/ We quote with much pleasure the follow
ing patriotic passages from recent commu.
pication Of our felow-tow nsman, L. w. Clag.
EFT, to the Dies Moines Journal:
In PARTY times 1 acknowledge the ohliga.
tion of party drill, perhaps as much as any
mar in the State. But no party drill or par
ty obligation can make traitor OF me.
.s4s - e "a. ed followed marta for the
sake Of my country, not TO AndsYmine and
destroy ii, or even TO weaken tho hands OF
those who are constitntionally placed al The
head Of government 1T time when dastardly
traitors are seeking to tear down the very
pillars or which our nationality rests. What
will be the use of the Democratic party, or
any other party, when We have no country
And if those traitors in the South succeed in
their mad schemes, will not the United States
be destroyed, and our Constitution and Lib
erty gone forever?
Nc, sir This is no time to dispute about
the question as 10 whose fault the present
deplorable condition Of the country il owing.
To get up such controversy as tho present
time would seem to me TO initiate the course
Of parcel Of children whose father had died,
leaving to bis family joint interest in the
old homestead in which they all had been
reared and sheltered for many years, during
their infancy, and who got to quarreling about
few chairs TO the entire neglect Of the ven
cradle old mansion, and all the valuable fur
niture contained therein. The dispute wax.
ing strong, one in q fendish spirit set fire 10
the whole, and wbile the fire was raging the
others stsrted up a new dispute AZ to who
set the house on fire, instead Of frst uniting
TO put out the flames which we're fast consum-
III ~ ,nh tkn .u.r Al
Let us not follow so foolish an example,
Let US first unite az band OF brothers to
save our country from utter ruin which IL
now threatening it through the nssasein's
knife, which Is thrust at it's very heart
There should be no faltering or wavering
now on the part OF the true patriot. The
peris Of the country are great, too great TO
admit Of stopping even TO enquire about par
" IA ii formerly existed. New issues are
raised daily, and the enlightened, patriotic
statesman must meet those issues as they
arise, in a practical way so as to guard,
maintain and protect our nationality at all
hazards, and at every cost.
We must expect to suffer much in this con.
fict. Patriots must nerve their hearts 10 the
itsue before them. This Government was
not made and formed except by suffering
through long and bloody seven years war
Those who now feel oppressed by the stag
nation OF trade should remember Valley
Forge in the days of the frst revolution for
liberty and country, when our fathers with
shoe less feet marched through the snow and
were tracked by their blood, under do com
mand OF the immortal Washington, while
the brave General Marion and his cUmpHtrr-
OTIS 10 South Carolina lived in malarious
.vA I'D La E..ht
the fathers of these pestient scouadrels,
who first raised the standard OF the pre-
sent rebellion and fired on our national flag.
The contest is now, in my opinion, one of
victory to the North or to the South. We
must either win or be degraded in our own
eyes and those of The civilized world. Are
We not in honor bound to defend the noble
and lion hearted Andy johnson OF Tennessee
and biz compatfiots in the South, who are
now being hunted down by those blood .thirs-
ty hounds who seek their lives, simply be-
cause they arc patriots and love their coup-
try. ! say let every man and every dollar
of the North be sacrificed, if need be, in
their behalf. To give up this contest ami
let such men be sacrificed would be an act Of
cowardtce and meanness. the like Of which
the world has never before known, and
would make me ashamed of the name Of
American.
We have heard much about the conquer
! ing Ut, and ruhjurstinr the South especial
ly is this cant used by the extreme men both
10 the North as well as In the South. The
true patriot desires no such thing. lie only
desires the conquering Of the rebellion
and to restore to tire South that constitution
and thoss laws which gave to their own citi
zens. and you and |, and all the citizens OF
the United States equality and protection
there, which constitution and laws are now
trampled under foot by a set Of poli,ica
knases and jacknlis, who have planted III,
iron heel Of tyranny on the necks Of tn.
people.