The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1862-04-26
4 i PERSONA REsP ,cs Iarl

The four millions day that this war for
the supremacy Of the Government is costing
US, will no. be poor investment. if. among
other successful results, 1t brings TO the
minds of QUE citizens q sense of personal
responsibility, in the safety and stability of
the nation. Up to the time of the break
ing out of the rebellion this has been of the
least possible weight with the better class
of all our communities. The larger share
of our solid men have taken their route
through life as passengers, with scarcely
more realization or sense of responsibility
in the choice of public officers than they
felt in the question of the cenductorship of
a train in which they held irst-clsss tickets
Go through long range of places of bust
ness during an exciting canvass, and from
the, bank -parlor of old Bullion to the whole
sale grocery of, his brother Gunnybags, it
was rare that either or any of these good
and we'll fed men cared aught as to who fill
| ed the Offices. It was somsthing they left
TO others that had nothing better to do. AS
! for themselves, questions of discount, and
tare, and the rise of sugars, and the fall of
produce, had positive meaning, a fixed
Importance The question as 10 who should
go to the Legislature, or who represent the
Congressional district, or who fill the chair
of state. was left to some one else.g And to
whom ? Il is certain that every merchants
drayman voted, and the store and bank por-
ter touched their caps and got half day
for that precise purpose, and the saloon buzz
| zed like a hive with election topics, and the
poorest doggery held him no man, nor de-
sirable customer, who did not value his
franchise. Every engine house, in the days
before steam was king over fires, was great
focal center Of power. Every gambling
den and rum shop has boiled vigorously at
election time, and all this while Trade has
gone on calmly.in its channels, too busy for
self government, too cautious to iutefmin-
gle the duties the citizen owes to the, State
with the more vast concerns of the ledger
page. In word, trade and commerce have
left themselves to be governed by the
baser portion of community, and when Of
fees were to be filled cared for none of these
things.
Four millions a.day, is corrective, Bit
ter but salutary, for trade and commerce
must pay it. Old Bullion may not shift
this over upon his Irish porter. It will not
be left for Nose and his compeers of the red
shirted and rough located faction to attend
to. The tax will fall upon the very places
| that have had the dullest ears for the calls
of the, country. It will touch the strong
! box, and the money drawer. 1t will come
home to. the quiet, respectable citizens who
have @scrupulously kept their fine broadcloth
intact by keeping away from the polls; who
Ehave given u wide berth to convention and
caucus, aud calmly rejoiced in their distaste
for politics. -Four millions day is what
we are now paying, for the Government we
live under. Are we right in believing that
it will awaken a new sense of responsible
ty ia our citizens, that each will feel that he
owes duty 10 the country since it has cost
him personally so much. L We shall be bet
ter patriots, and deep consciousness of du-
lty TO the State will replace the wordy
and frothy emotion that has been our patri-
otism. and our love of country. We shall
gain a new sense Of the sacredness of our
| flag, now that it is dyed anew in the blood
of our sons and neighbors. We shall prize
as never before the blessings of our institu-
tons, when once again we see them rescued
and restored at the price of blood and treas
ure. And the practical question should
come home; to every citizen, the clear and
plain question of duty at the polls, ,the free
mans duty to the Government, a personal
responsibility. Are we not right in believ-
ing this will be the result of the war and
its sacrifices Chicago Iribgne.,r-z.-- rr4e