The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-15

the TiCl, Out 10 idDoTlU2 Lel, anu men Vi
moderate means, in order to keep the price
of substitutes within the range ofimost men
of honest industry. There will, doubtless,
be cases of hardships under the law; but so
there have been under the system of volun-
teering; the hardships do not grow out of
the fact of CONSUMPTION, but out OF the fact
of aedr. The law could not attend to such
cases, but private charity can, and should,
and doubtless will. The law, / believe, in
it's main features, is as good one as could
be drawn; and had it not been for few po-
litica1 demagogues with hearts so bad that
they would ruin their country for the sake
of party, there would have been no out
break of hostility to it.
Regarding, then, the draft as the act of
the people, drawing lots among them
selves, the people of course will honora-
bly, abide by it. Still, to those who are
drawn choice is left; and how shall this
choice be made? It is not, most certainly,
to be taken for granted that all whose
names are drawn, should enter the service.
The feeble bodied-wretched men they
should consider themselves-are exempted
by the law itself Only those who are pro-
nounced physically fit, will have the ques-
ton to decide what they are to do. And
this question we cannot decide for one an
other. We may present motives that will
help to decision; but in the end, each
must decide for himself,-decide solemnly
and under full sense of his obligations to
his country and to God. Yet there is one
question which all whose names have been
drawn must alike ask, if they mean to
abide honorably by the lot and the ques-
ton is, How-that is, by accepting which
of the three alternatives presented-can |
best serve my country? Not,-How can |
best serve myself, my family, my business2
but-HOW can, best Se'Ue nly country? 4
can conceive, indeed, that there may be
cases where men, who have no special fit
ness for military service, but do have a
very special usefulness in other work, can
best serve their country, even in this crisis,
by paying their Communication money or
sending substitutes, and remaining them
selves in their business to keep that in Op-
Grafton. So, too, there are doubtless, strong
exceptional cases of domestic obligation,
where, fully in accordance with the spirit
of the law, one would be released from the
choice of personal service. Let every one,
however, if he would keep his honor, be
which this exceptive pleading may assume.
He must decide unseltishly, periodically,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES foremost, not the
grounds for staying at home, but the
grounds for going.
It is quite commonly said, know, land
such report / now see is in the newSpa-
pers). that the Communication fee, by which
more acceptable to the government than a
raw recruit. If the government should
make an authoritative statement to this eff
feet, it would decide the question for many
Of us. But no such statement has yet been
made, and until it is made on official au
thority, the presumption is that, since the
law was made for raisinga an army, the men
are wanted more than the money.
Again, it is urged that one of no special
fitness by nature or education for military
duty, can best serve the country by send
ing substitute who is fit; and thereby he
may actually show a higher patriotism than
if he should go himself. There is truth in
this argument as a theoretical proposition,
and at one time gave it great weight in
ny own case: but pT'dcticdtty there is a
very dangerous fallacy in it; and the falla-
cy lies in our not considering sufficiently
the qualities that must make fitness in the
substitute, for fitness consists by no means
solely in the possession of muscle or in
belligerent training. [ might send many
men in my stead who have stronger bodies
and are better fighters. but no man could
be my substitute who does not believe in
the Justice of our cause, as thoroughly as
do. No man could be my substitute who
does not by birth, or adoption, or princi-
pie, feel a personal interest in the triumph
of our cause and the salvation of the coun-
try. No man could be my substitute who
would fight merely for pay, or who would
fight on the other side at any price. For
one to benny substitute in this struggle, he
must have some other allegiance to our
cause than an allegiance that is bought; he
must betieUe III it; he cannot be a good and
true soldier without belief But the sub
stitutes that are procurable and that are
being accepted, are mostly OF a different
sort from this. They are Canadians, or
aliens just from the other side OF the At
lantic. They have no intelligent apprecia-
ton of our struggle or our institutions
They come only for money. They would
serve just as readily; many of them more
readily, on the side of the rebels-and they
will desert it at the first opportunity; or,
guarded against that, are at least very like
ly to prove faithless in battle.
But let me conclude by giving briefly
the three positive considerations which, in
addition to the more personal reasons
have expressed, have oit-weighed all OBJ
jections in my own case, and brought me
to the decision that I have made: and they
are considerations which, IN my opinion,
should have general regard. First, the
value OF the moral element in an army, is
to be considered, and along side of this, the
moral effect of men leaving positions of
usefulness and comfort and honor to enter
the army. flour cause is the just and sa-
cred cause that most Of US believe it to be,
then no man among us is too good, or
stands in too high position, to give him
self to it or for it, in whatever way the
country may call for his services. And the
better and more enlightened the men are
who goto make up the army, the purer and
higher becomes the cause. and the more it
becomes linked with the truest and hottest
interests of the country, and the more ele-
waited and earnest becomes the patriotism
OF the. country. Moreover. this war has
proved, if it was not proved before that it
is not bad men, or rough men, or always
men of the stoutest bodies, that make the
best soldiers, but that character, earnest
ness, faith, serve in an army as every
where else. Not the low population of our
cities brought up to fighting, ,but youths
delicately nurtured in wealthy and refined
homes, and polished with the culture of
colleges, have lonesome of the best service
as soldiers in this war. Other things being
equal, the truer a man is in character. the
better soldier will he make. And when
other things are not equal, solidity of char
acter and a heart in the cause, viii often
more than make up for deficiency of bodi-
ly strength.
Secondly, men who might choose the al
tentative of staying at home ought to con-