The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-05-28
THE GATE CITY
SATURDAY, MAY 90.


.AeJ oaecn suc spirit Oh the n0Di
and patiotic ladies who inaugurated tn,
movement. We wish them to act ad
visedly and understandingly. and to thn
end we are willing to give all the infor
nation in the premises At our command
And when they get ready to act, we hope
they will act promptly. and earnestly, and
unanimously. And We know tha, they
will do it. The women Of Iowa, who have
ever been ready and forward in every
patriotic work. who have given without
stint of thsir means and time. and labor,
to aid our soldiery who have made Sc
many sacrifices; who have, with aching
hearts and fearful eyes, yet with unwaver-
ing purpose and heroism surpassing Ro-
man, given husbands, and sons, and fa-
theirs, and brothers to God and their coun.
try, will not hesitate to give up luxury
and needless articles of apparel. The
mother, who thinks of her son go nobly
fallen, perishing all too soon, but like a
hero and man, and living ever in the
memory and the hearts of his country
men; the wife, as she thinks of the hus-
band, SO lately brave and strong and noble
now no more; the sister, as she remem-
bers the brother that went from her side,
bouyant and healthful, and for whose safe
ty and return she hoped and prayed, oh, SO
earnestly and often, until their came-not
the brother-but tidings Of his death, and
articles that were his, stained perchance,
with his own life's blood, thenceforth
ever sacred and the child, that wept
when the father went away, because
mother did, and was unconscious of the
peril. All Of these, as they think of the
loved ones cold reuains wherever laid,
will make a covenant in their hearts to
give up every article of luxury, if the
cause of the country is aided thereby.
We gave figures in our local yesterday,
showing the enormous and constantly in
creasing expectation of gold from this coun-
try in payment for foreign goods. Had
we continued for the last three years the
policy of 1861, when the balance of trade
between our country and Europe was in
our favor, and we imported gold, the lat
ter would not now be 80 per cent. premi-
um. We believe that the country pro-
duces all the goods necessary to clothe
our people well aud neatly. But that is
not fully the purpose and spirit, at least it
should not be, of this reform. What
should be done, is for our people to take
decided stand against luxury and pro
digal sxtravagance, whether the goods
bought are domestic or foreign.
There was large meeting of the ladies
of New York to consider this subject at
the Cooper Institute, last week. Prof.
Hitchcock, DR.. Osgood, Dodge, Cooper
and others addressed the meeting. The
addresses were good, but :he proceedings
were farce The pledge adopted was
rs follows:
1--WE, the undersigned, during the con-
tinuance of this rebellion, pledge our
selves to refrain from the purchase of i'm
ported articles OF luxury for which those
Of home manufacture or production can
be conveniently substituted"
The above is probably as good as could
be expected even from the loyal element
of a city which is the theater of rebel
riots, and whose soldiers are raised by the
draft. Why didn't they pledge them
selves not to purchase any srti cles Of luxu-
~ whatever Echo answers why?
The pledge adopted by our ladies here
was as follows.
stFor three years or for the war, we
pledge ourselves to each other and the
country 10 purchase no imported article
or APPAREL
Which is the form of the covenant pro-
vided by the articles of association OF the
Ladies' National Covenant.
We apprehend this pledge is to be con-
strued and interpreted by tue second Sec
ton of the first article, which prec edes
it, and says:
"The object shall be to unite the women
Of the country in the earnest resolution to
purchase no imported articles of apparel,
where American can possibly be substi-
tuted during the continuance of the war"
The pledge then is to be considered as
being modified by this section, and does
not prohibit the purchase of foreign goods,
IT American cannot be substituted. and
this pledge thus construed, eyery loyal
woman-and man, too-in the country
should be willing to subscribe and con-
form to.
ALARM AT RICHMOND. the
sitting Of the Confederate Congress few
days ago, the alarm bell WAS rang in the
rity and quite sensatisn was excited.
Han ,acp Al n