The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-09-20
SENATOR WADE On THE WAR.
Plain Truths Plainly Uttered.

The following letter from Senator
Wade was written 10 response to AZ inyi
talion TO address the Union Congression-
al Convention of the esd instant:
AsHTABuLA. Aag. s, 1862.
GENTLEMEN :--I our letter inviting me
TO address q Convention at your place on
the 23d instant, is received, and were /
in condition to comply with your request
nothing would give me greater pleasure
than IL tu,o. Some time before | left
Congrcss ny health had been impaired so
that 1t Was with great difficulty | could
be in my place in the Senate. Since my
return il has failed rather than improved
until have been obliged to keep my bed
most Of the time, with a slow, nervous
fever, which has reduced me SO much that
! cannot speak ut your convention.
The gigantic and sublime efforts which
the people made TO defend their ipstitu
tons, and to trample this accursed rebel
lion under foot, have been paralyZed, and
in great meas ure Iendertd abortive, by
the oYcr-cautious, nmid and vacillating
course OF the administration up to this
time.
This policy is the fruit Of that cursed
slave idolatry that has brought this nation
TO the verge of ruin it is this, that when
our armies have reached the dominions of
those aristocrats who have brought this
trouble upon us, instead Of reducing them
to ruin and desolation, Las induced our
officers in every instance to weaken our
own force, and degrade the proud north
ern soldier, who went there to fight and
conquer rebellion, to become the euardi-
an OF the hen-roost, the pig sty, or the
apple-orchard of this lordllng, who, with
oil his available force, was absent in the
rebel army, meditating the murder of our
troops. 1t is this that has compelled our
soldiers, under the scorching. burning
sun of the south. to die in the malarious
trenches, Of excessive toll, rather than
use the sturdy negroes who we're Injured
to the climate, and anxiously sought to
do this Same work, and relieve our men
from the hardships and its perlls. 1t is
this that has degraded our brave men, in
stead Of acting che soldier, to become the
hound for catching slaves for southern re-
beis, aud returning them to masters who
are even in arms against us. In short, il
is this that divested all efforts TO conquer,
an our side, Of the dignity of war, and has
compelled US to stand before the civilized
world apparently without a policy and
without motive.
But all this is now changed. The rep
resentatives Of the people, no longer for
getting their dignity, sue a. the foot OF
throne Tor more energetic policy. 1t
does not belong to the President to devise
apolicy for the country his duties IRE
we'll performed when he h.. caused the
laws to be faithfully executed. No mat
ter whether he thinks it polite or impol-
itic, he has but one simple duty to per-
form toward it, that is, to see that it is
faithfully executed. Therefore. it de-
wolves upon Congress, (under our consti-
tuition, the great representative of the
power and dignity ot the people, todevise
. policy. They who have the power to
declare war, to provide armies and navies,
and to disband them at pleasure, have al
70 the power, when war is declared, to de-