Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1863-04-15
10. TO THE GREATEST NUMBERS


tnis army must Dc lmmcolately put IN
shape for an active campaign in the field.
This may mean that We are to 60 some
where and do something, or it may mean
just nothing at all. One thing is GER
tain, however. tho General is no. the man
to lie still when there is something that
want- doing, handy to be got at.
Yesterday about noon the booming Of
cannon announced his arrival in camp
lie WAS accompanied BY Gen. Vandevey,
who succeeds TO the command of this d.
vision.
In the afternoon the review came off
in highly satisfactory manner, and now
We are waiting for the next thing to turn
up.
The health Of the regiment is good,
and 40 we are only two days travel from
Davenport, the boys are specializing on
the probability OF seeing some of our
friends down here pretty soon.
The paymaster is in the neighborhood
again, and the Company commanders are
busy getting their pay rolls ready. We
shall be paid of to tho lst OF March
soon.
In one of the very few papers which |
have received from the Democrd! office
since the lst Of March, | saw something
about flag which, As somebody had
written home, had been made and dis
played by ono Of the companies Of tnis
regiment, and which was not very CON-
plimcn,ary to niggcrs and abol'tionists
Az read the notice, smiled to think o"
what small provoea,ion man could
write home that the sentiments of the
soldiers were adverse TO the Presidents
war policy. | also saw . Gazette with
Col. Loakc's letter to Mr.. Eldridgc in
The Colonel was wholly right, and yet
partly wrong. zne,e has been no such
banner made nor displayed BY any com
pany Of this regiment. But there is in
one Of our companies tent squad Of men
known as the ''happy family They are
Of the best and bravest men among us
VIC have in fact, no better soldiers than
they are, but they arc full of fun and frol-
ic, and great lovers OF mischief IN its
harmless sense, and OF course sre all the
time cutting up in all sorts of ways
Now i, happened that while Col. Lc.kc
was at Springfield, and of course knew
nothing about the matter, some Of this
happy squad took sheet of foolscap and
wrote on it in large characters, mo quar-.
tcrs for niggers and aboitonists here,
aud then pinned it to the door of their
tent. People passing that way looked at
il and laugn cd-it was another freak o:
the happy family that was all. twas al
lowed to staytLere, perhaps two hours, aud
was then torn down probably by the same
hands which put it there. 1t wasn't worth
noticing; it had no political significance
whatever.
And now that am on this subjectpermi,
me to saw one word more, am Demo
crat, as such ! believe in democracy as
taught by S. A. Douglas, and under
stand that it was part Of his creed, that
it made no difference whether law was
distasteful 10 man or not. so long Ms II
was a law it had to be obeyed. Hs
might try to get it altered, but he mus
not break it. This, as it appears to me, Ii
the difference between conservative
democrat and "higher law man cithc1
north or south,-the one obeys laws
while they are laws, whether he like
them or not-the other observes laws j
they please him, if not he rebels sgains
them.
Now the proclamation in question j
law as democrat l am bound to ODE.
and help enforce it, with equal heartines'
whether l approve it or not. And then
an soldier, as such | have solemnl
sworn to obey my superior officers. >
when receive an order, my duty Is no
to enquire whether it is proper one, on
% oLey II. How then can |, as demo
crat and soldier, hesitate to obey, up
hold and enforce, a proclamation whic
, is 1t once law, and an order from N
. superior officer.