Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1864-01-29
tOorrsspondsnoe Of th. Star chronielsl
A Voice from Go. D, l50th P. v.
CuLprppER, Va, Jan Is.

revenue tax. Now | will, by yout per-
mission, ask them few questions In
regard to that matter.
They say, the Government is robbing
them. You have been protected in your
property and pe,son, aud guaranteed all
the high privileges Of citizenship, for the
psltry sum Of your income tax, or your
share of the cos, Of protection from rent
Of property, farms, &c. What would it
cost you to defend that property from the
army Of Gen. Lee, recently driven from
our State by rational soldiers2 Lee, if
uuopposed, would likely have reached the
West Branch vallies, ard if your property
had been of uss to him or any Of his
officers or soldiers, it would have been
appropriated without so much as saying
"By your leave, SID Would your iu-
como tax have covered the Gsnaeey
Possibly, you might have los. from one
half to ,wo,hIrd. Of oil you are worth.
Have you forts sud soldiers in your eouu,
try for the protection Of Jour properly ?
If not, who provides them? They are
provided, aud you are safe. Wha. is your
share of the expenses for whole year ?
You say, perhaps, forty dollars. II sounds
like jest, But for the army of the
Potomac, the Rebels would have succeed
ed They we're under the impression, as
they told me whilst prisoner, that they
we're to meet the militia; but, as they
advanced and found, to their utter surprise,
who stood before them, they fell back
like ehaf before the wind. You grunble
at your income tax.
Why does not the good soldier grumble!
simply because he respects he Old Flag
lie has deep love for the friends and
relations (apd likely for the gal be lrf;
behind him. that nerves him for the
onslaught. Now, What would you take to
JON our ranks5 You are offered fifty
dollars per month, aud found. hesr you
say, al can't see it," We can see i, at
thirteen dollars, and are satisfied to fight
it out-snd Why? Because there is some
thing in our bress, called lovs-love for
what? Why for our country, our homes,
our wives, our friends.
But the wave Of destruction vas met
nay, hurled back upon the enemies who
sough, our ruin. You ye, dwell in safety.
Your property is secure. You still gather
your annual income, protected in oil your
rights aud privileges by the national arm,
and What docs the nation assess you as
your share in the cost of this security
Half your propsrsy7 No-ouIy small
per esntage Of your gains from sha. prop
erty. You certainly get mere for your
money than in any other line Of expeudi.
ture. Being parolcd BY the enemy and
on my way to Carlisle, | stopped over
night in . barn. The gentleman owning
the place told me the way the enemy used
him. He went to bed as usual, and what
was his surprise when be awoke in the
u corning, to dOd five thousand Of the eue-
my sucampsd in twenty acre lot Of clo
YER ths. he intended to NOW in q couple
Of days. They had carried all bis hay
and straw out 10 the feld for beds. He
had eight hundred bushels Of oats threshed
out on the barn floor; they Immediately
commenced cleaning it up, aud cou,inued
D, until they had it all. They also bar.
messed up eight 6ue horses Of bis, and
turned out somo Of their Vrgiuia bloods /
and pus them 10 instead. l could name
similar circumstances; but it is useless.
How much do you suppose it cost, in .
money, for the protection you have enjoy
ID in this particular instance? Ten mill
ions Of dollars? From the time our army
left the Rspp.bsuuock until the battle of
Gettysburg its cost to the Government
oould scarcely have been less than that
sum. OF this amount, your proportion
can not be over three to Eve dollars, and |
for that ,rifle your property, may be your
lives, was held secure. l ask, have you
any reason to srumble7 Why, sir, l
know . man who has given bis right arm
10 this cause, and another wLo ha, given
bis right leg. Do they grumble y No,
.ir never heard word of complaint
from their lips. Thousands snd thousands
have given their lives that you might
1well IN safe,y. There are families in
7our midst that have given their sons, and
wives who have given their husbands.
Sons and husbands who will never
nore return. They are with the dead
sir, you are disbonoring yourself 10 the
yes Of all men. A eruubler over this
,sl,ry var tsx-for shame
Oos Of our company, whilst in oouvsr-
alton with young lady, Zone Of the F.
?. Vs. was informed BY her that she
'.d killed . blue bird that day. He iD-
|uirsd Why che bad done so. She said
because it bad blue feathers on, and she