Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-04-04
THE CONSUMPTION ACT,

the AdmlnlstfAfion TO proceed At once TO
the enforcement Of this law, and a. every
person is directly interested In it's opera
ton it is comma nding a larger share Of
public attention than any other act Of the
late Congress. The necessity for this
class Of legislative enac,men,s, and espe-
cially the justice and proprie,y of this
peculisr law are strictly party questions,
issues that are presented to the people up.
on which they will at the earliest oppor.
tunity render a verdict at the ballot box.
The Congressional record reveals the fact
tina. in the House Of Representatives
there was but one Democratic vote in Cav.
or Of the law, and but two Republican
votes against it.
Our objections are that in Govern.
ment like ours where the masses are intel
ligent and we'll informed, where oil have
voice in the adoption Of measures Of
public policy, and where all feel a personal
interest in the success and prosperity Of
our institutions, there will always be
voluntary and spontaneous uprising Of the
people to repel the assaults of any foreign
invader, or TO sustain the Government in
any contest necessary to maintain our
| rights or to vindicate our honor. The
only prerequisite is that our cause is just
that it meet With the public approval
and that a failure to respond to the cal
Of the government for men and means
instead Of disprooving this proposition
establishes the fact either that our cause
meets with disapprobation or else sha.
there is want Of confidence in those who
control public affairs and We maintain
that in either event no coercive measures
will ever make effective soldiers Of Anne
rican citizens. Animated by the moral
stimulus Of right and justice, and con.
sciousness Of the capacity and integrity
Of those VIII lead them they are an irwin
cble-but no power on earth can force
them like serfs aud Hessians to peril their
lives in a contest which their judgments
condemn. The experience Of the present
! war demonstrates the correctness of these
views. A. the commencement; of the con.
test all par,izan veiws we're laid aside;
there was but one party ia the North;
but one feeling pervaded all ranks, and
that was . determination to sacrifice
everything if necessary to save the Union.
From every State and from all classes Of
society, volunteers crowded around our
standard in such numbers as to force the
Government in many instances to decline
their services. The mos. solemn assur
Snces Of the Executive were given tha.
the sole purpose of the war was to restore
the Union. These declarations were
ratified by the unanimous vote Of Con-
gress, hence no one could question the
justice Of our cause, or hesitate ~ to the
course which daily so clearly pointed out
the world was amazed at the display Of
patriotic enthusiasm which was exhibited,
but with a strange Misrepresentation Of the
motive which irrisstably impelled men to
the field Of strife, designing men sought
to avail themselves of the occasion 10
promote the interests Of party rather than
country-to overthrow the institution Of
slavery rather than strike down the van
"a, hand that was raised for the des;ruc.
ton of our Nation, thus inaugura,iug an
irrepressble conflict and requiring the
Democratic party to fight for dogma
which they had ever regarded with abhor.
auce and detestation. Unity and harmony
were at once as a necessary consequence
destroyed. The voice Of opposition, no.
to the war, bu. to the CHANGED policy Of
the Administration was for the first time
heard. The military ardor Of the people
was at once dampened they we're eager
to fight for their country, but unwilling
to join lawless crusade for the abolition
Of slavery. Measures of coertion were
.attempted-,he abIest commanders were
removed to appsase the clsmors Of radical
humanitarians, and the result has become
historical and will 90 down to posterity a.
most signal failure. The imprisonment
of suspected parties, the attempt to sup.
press the freedom of speech, the removal
one after another Of the constitutional
bulwarks Of freedom. end the efforts to
draft men into the service have not only
failed to add any effective force to the
army 10 the field, but have on the contrary
introduced to the camps an element Of
discord almost fatal to successful opera.
tons against the foe, and in,ensifying be.
yond measure the feeling of asperily and
bitterness among the people. With the
knowledge afforded BY these events can
We nationally conclude that . repetition Of
the Same measures will be attended by
more favorable results IL there Anything
in the temper Of the people - indicated
through the press or by the expression