The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1863-02-25
DrRised MEN I'm Rattle.

the conscripts of Republic arc differ
ent from the eonseripts Of Despotism
Under a Republic, where the peOplr
own the government, and not the gov.
ernment the people, no var should be
begun Or prosecuted but for the good
Of the people, and of that they are sup
posed to be the best judges. They
have to bear oil, its burdens, whether
Of blood or treasure. Ifthey do not
want the war, it should be neither be-
gun nor prosecuted. If they want the
war, they will volunteer in sufficient
numbers to meet all its demands. Ii
they do not want it, and are foeced in
to it, to the peril of health and life,
they will be apt to do as the drafted
men are represented to hare done at
Blackwater. The Southern conscripts
that are forced into the Confederate
army are those who desert to our side
the firstopportunity, and who are SO
unreliable in battle. ., .s..
| Congress has before it conscript
biIl-a bill TO compeH citizens to enter
the army against their will. The peo-
! pie are opposed to such measure. 1t
violates the great idea of republicaa
government, and is the child of dcspo-
tism. When this Har broke out, and
until within six months past, the peo,
Iple voluntarily supplied the army with
forces to make armies such as the world
never before saw. The people were
then for the war. Why conscript now?
Why force citizens into the ranks?
Why do not volunteers come forward
IS heretofore, by thousands and hun
dreds of thousands? Simply because
the people have taken the second sober
thought. They have gotten over their
flash Of resentment, and have c0ollv
reflected upon the whole subject. They
find that war is not the best for their
own liberties and material interests,
and that8ome other mode than e. ghting
should be resorted to to settle our diff
ficultics. They find that the expenses
OF the war are two millions of dollars
every day It iy continued, and that
they and their postcrlty will be ground
to the earth by heavy taxation to meet
even the interest on the public debt. |
They feel that, while contractors and |
officials ure growing fat on war plum
der, the country is going to ruin. They |
feel that homes are being made desc
late and widows and orphans multiplied.
They experience the deep humiliation
that every sensitive American must
feel at the violation of all the safe
guards the Constitution has thrown a.
round the citizen against arbitrary
power, and see in the future, if the
war is continued, their liberties gone,
and a despotism ruling over them.
They feel that they are suffering all
this-expeliencing all this--risking
all--property and liberty-far the
benefit of the blacks-to give freedom
to the slaves, and, in the language of
the Proclamation, to 'tmaintain them
in their freedom And, in addition
to that, they have become satisfied
that the cause is endless, hopeless,
and, therefore, they do not
feel like engaging further in it.
Now, when the people are OF, that
mind, why should those who are tenn
porarily in the Administration OF the
Government attempt to force the peo-
pie into a service they are oppose to?
If they are forced into it, will not the
example Of the drafted men at Black>
water be generally followed? "You
may draft US, but can not make us
fight" that is the difference between
the conscripts Of republic and those
of a despotism. We hope there may
be no more occasions or excuses for
such conduct. The following is the
article which We find in the LEDGER
Gin. ENG. ma.,-
''TEg BATTLE AT THE BLAcKwATEn-BAD
ooNStoT OF THE DRAFTED MEN.
"Itappears by the intelligence from
the army on the BIackwater that the
drafted men from New York, Massa-
chusetts and Pennsylvania behaved
disgracefully. One account says: 4
"'All the infantry, with the excep-
tion of the Thirteenth Indiana, acted
badly. IF they had done their duty
Pryor's force would have been saptur-
ID. Many of the Pennsylvania cons
scripts said: You can make us con-
scripts, but you can't make us fight. !
The Sixth Massachusetts, would not
move, though it wasna mileain. the rear
of Follett's Battery. The New York /
regiments ordered to charge mp, the
narrow causeway, excepting the Sixa,