Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1864-03-17
Communications.
From the 9TH Iowa Infantry.
KEoKUK, Iowa, Feb. 26, 1861.

KEoKUK, Iowa, Feb. 26, 1861.
EDITOR INTELLIGEScER Among the
numerous questions which greet the
cars of the soldier on his return home,
and which the veteran in particular
would rather not hear, is this =" How
do you like soldering Now for
my part l would about as leave an
swer any other. Not that am at
loss to know how to answer it, for the
simple little word no, just answers it
to my satisfaction. But it 30 often
happens that it don't suit the one that
asks. "Why," say they, shave sou
not re-enlisted3 Your words and
actions don't correspond, After three
years service in calling which | did
not like, four hundred dollars would
not induce me to bind myself for even
one year. let alone during the war;"
My kind sir. you altogether mistake
tile cause which is now recognizing
tho great Union army. The bounty
is only secondary object, aud as such,
no dosbt hastcns the work. We are
not ashamed, though it may be in de-
rision to be called patriots. We con-
slider where oil such remarks come
from. We look at all such men as a
disgrace to the names stheir fathers
gave them. They have forgotten that
their fathers were patriots, and their
mothers were libcrty's valiant hero
ines who wrcstlcd in prayer for their
country, and bathed the burning brow
Of their patriot fathers. But these
same men say that they too are patri-
OTIS, they too want land of liberty.
But they differ in their definition Of
land of liberty. They want a land
that gives them the privilege to tram
ole the poor under foot. A land where
they can beat their fellow man almost,
yes, and very often altogether to
death for nothing but the qualification
of their hellish passions. A land, in
short, where they can kill. or let live,
. certain class just as they please, if
they only keep still about it: and
sometimes they don't even do that.
But this is only minor consideration
in regard to their 80 called land OF
liberty. The great principle on which
they would found their land Of liberty,
is to give them liberty to tramplc the
right of free speech under their
polluted feet and domineer over the
interests of the God-liks immortal
soul. in short the free land they
speak Of means nothing more nor less
than land Of the most abject slavery
the sun ever shone upon. Where
poor worm, called master, sets up his
authority as paramount to Gods re-
vealed will, and says, "ltake care
of my slave" when the very reverse is
much nearer the truth in the case.
This kind of freedom may suit you
my friend, but it is not the kind !ha'
Northern patriots advocate. Our
mothers taught us nothing about the
freedom of slavery, therefore we can't
sec the subject in any such light. As
the boys say, Wen have to pile on a
good many more rails before we can
see it in that Illumination"
That is not the freedom that fed
from persecution in the Old World
raised the prayer for protection from
the snow clad rock lived by untiring
vigilance and prayerful simplicity. in
the face of hostile, savage foes I'M
til in seventy six it crushed tyrranny's
power in the New World, and pro-
claimed to down-trodden humanity
that Ger Columbia's soil the tree OF
Liberty spread her protecting branches
and welcomed to her shade the OPP
pressed of other lands, and, which to-
day shakes tyrant's thrones the world
around, as she is in the act of casting
off the shackles that have hindered
her onward progress toward the great
object Of her venerated founders. No,
friend, we do not love war, but we do
love our country. We leave our
homes with heavy hearts. That sa-
cred word home, was never before SO
dear. That holy altar-fire of the Lu-
man soul, patriotism, was first rocked
in the cradle, home.
How ungrateful must be the youth
that does not love with a zeal, akin to
the love of mother for her child, the
country Of his nativity. especially
when that country is such an one as
ours. Yes. we love our country we
are not insensible to the half.concealed
tear that moistens the eye of that lib
erty loving friend, as with q grasp
that speaks bis love for the cause of
the Union, he bids US an affectionate
farewell. The sobs Of those dearly
beloved sisters still ring in our ears,
and we can only say. Sisters weep
cot for us. A fathers warning. and .