The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-08-05

The Poor and the Rich.

20
Among the persons drafted in the Third
District, in Massachusetts, were Robert @:
Winthrop Jr, Albert Lawrence and , Joseph
P, Cabot, all members Of she first families,
Journal slS.s.,5..57 e..ssiF.s ~
Will none of these "rnanbers of the first
families" OF Boston shoulder musket and go
to the war? They are wealthy. They can
serve in the army without inconvenicucing
their families, if they hare any. And if they
should happen to stop bullet and fall martyrs
to the cause, their wives and children, or
friends, would be left comfortable, and not be
thrown on their own labor for subsistence or
become the subjects offcharity. But they
will not CO.. They turn their -aristocratic
.,s GERS of the he camp. TfsssaiIl forkover the
three hundred dollars exemption, and let oths
ers fight for the preservation of their property
and their rights, and to maintain a common
Government. The plowman, with family or
friends dependent upon his labor for support,
can not pay the price of exemption, hence he
must go, no matter what may be the privations
or sufferings it may occasion.
How is it In this city The bankers, the
merchants and the professional men, who are
fierce for the prosecution. of the war to the Bit
ter end, do not 20 themselves or send their
sons, unless it be in some lucrative or ,honora-
bic position IF drafted, none will shoulder
the musket and fight as privates for the reason
that they have the money to purchase exemp-
ton from such service. But how is it with
the laboring man? His wife, his children,
perhaps mother or younger sister and broth
ers, are dependent in a great measure upon
his daily toll for even the necessaries oflife.
He cannot pay the price of exemption, hence
he must 60, and go into the ranks.
We allude to these inequalities of the-con-
script law to illustrate the reason why tits SO
odious to the laboring classes, They feel that
they owe no more obligation to the Govern
ment and should not be called to bear any
more of The burdens it imposes than those who
happen to have more Of this worlds goods
And they know that the men who are most
clamorous for the vigorous prosecution of the
war are not found fighting. They enquire,
where are the Summers, the Philipses, the
Garrisons, the Beechers, the aGiddingses, the
Mortons, the Yateses, the Tods, the Chandlera,
the Wrights, and host of others that we could
lame, when the life of the nation is trembling
in the balance? They see Sumner in elegant
attire, with his delicate hands encased in kids
of the most fashionable hue, at some watering
place, Beecher and Wright across the water
enjoying the comforts of the Old World, far
from the din and scene of sanguinary strife ;
Chandler enjoying little brandy letting; and
the Tods, and the Yateses and the Mortons
playlnS the ueHaSOSue 10 9Idtiiy y their vanity
and love of applause, anu to secure political
advancement. Among al the leaders who are
clamcrous for the war, they can find none who
are making personal sacrifices, or who are vii
ling to shoulder musket, to aid in bringing
the terrible strife in whic h the country is en-
gagged to speedy and honorable Termination.
Y It these men are eloquent in enunciatins
that F" all men are created free and equal,
and tlat the negro is entitled to political
equality with the white man, but none are
willing to illustrate their beautiful theories of
equality by placing themselves upon a level
with the citizens who happen to be poor when
the Government makes Tequisition to fill up
or increase the ranks of her armies. It is the
exemption feature of the conscript act which
makes it odious to the laboring classes. But
however odious it may be in that respect, or in
any other, it is the law of the land, and while
it remains upon the statute books, and when
enforced, it must be obeyed. The people have
a remedy in the ballot box for redress of their
grievances. Violence only begets violence
and leads to the greatest of all evils, anarchy
The laws must be obeyed, no matter how un-
just, but when the time comes apply the rem
edy by holding the authors responsible and let
the verdict of the ballot box speak the con-
demnation of the people.