Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-12-21
NATIONAL GRATITUDE.

NHIlUNhL tnAIlIUDh,
Mr. WILSON, of Iowa, has introduced i
thc House of Representatives u resolution tia
the committee on Military Affairs be instructe
to inquire into the expedicncy of requiring b
law the payment of such bounties to Unite
States Soldiers who served in the late wa
during the years 1861 and 1862, equal t
those received by volunteers in 1864. Thi
resolution was agreed to, and the matter j
now in the hands of the Committee, OF tn
action of that Committee, we can only conjec
ture Hon. Robert ScnENcK, the chairman, w
doubtnot, will favor it, and from our knowledge
the past history of Gen. Rousseau, who is ont
of the committee, We have no doubt he vii
use every effort of his powerful mind to secure
this great good to the brave men whom he
has SO often led in the heat of battle, and
whose dangers and hardships he shared as
willingly. Gen. ROUSSEAU was always the
soldiers friend on the field Of battle, and he
will doubtless prove the same in the halls OF
legislation.
"Rcpublcs are ungratcful." No truth
has ever been more fully and completely
demonstrated than has this, and VIC have
only to hope that the United States gov
eminent may prove herself grand exception
to this unhappy rule, as she has proved her.
self grand exception to many othes unhappy
rules during her fearful experience of our
late intestine strife. Irgratitudc is not only
fault, but crime, it is crime which neces-
smy brings its own punishment. While Re-
publics are ungrateful, Republics will be I'M
stable. Ingrattude on the part of rulers
lcgcts a want of confidence and reliance on
TIC rart of the ruled W, mt f confidence and
,tliancc leads to dis at faction and the with
naval of that support which is necessary to
Tic proper sustenance of Republican Gov
trnmcnt. Hence, the natural and unavoid-
able punishment of ingratitude on the part of
n Republic is ignominious failure and degcn-
Grafton into anarchy. The United States
government has never yet failed to give evil
dcnce of her gratitude to those who have rem
dered her important services. yet no such OPP
portunity as the present has ever before arisen,
by which to judge her. She has now before her
eyes a full quarter of a million men who
sprang to her relief when she first called for,
and most needed, their assistance. These
men left their homes, their business, their
mothers. sisters, wives, sweathearts; they left
in the flush of manhood and health, and went
forth to fight, and freeze, and staryc, and die,
if need be, For their country. They sacrificed
case, pleasure, business-everything- the
good cause. They did their duty nobly on
many ensanguined fields; they bore aloft their
country's banner, with pride for themselves,
for the dear ones who watched and prayed for
them at home, and for their nations honor.
Sternly they fought back the dark waves of
rebellion sternly they suffered without mur-
muring; ever taking pride in the work they
were doing for their country.
These men have returned, bearing with
them, what? The scars of honorable wounds,
remnants of shattered limbs, the m emory of
lost comrades, and recollection of sickness and
hunger and torments in rebel prison -hells.
They have come back to their homes with the
conviction that they have earned the graft
tudc of their country, and are deserving of
some slight reward at its hands Govern
ment bcholds these men, and she knows their
wants. She sees thousands of them rendered
by the fortunes of war unfit for the manual
labor upon which they once relied for their sup
port, yet fitted for any number of Offices within
her gift, and occupied by men who never smell
cd gunpowder. She is in duty bound to provide
for these men, at the expense of more I'M
worthy ones if necessary, and we call upon
our representatives in Congress to see to this,
and to secure the success of this object. We
advocate the appropriation of an additional
bounty sufficient to give these soldiers an
amount equal to that given the men of 1868
and 1864. The justice of this is too appar-
ent to need argument. A failure to accom-
plish this object will be proof of terrible in
gratitude weakness and q crime which We
trust our government never may lay herself LA
bic to. The Government of the United States
Of North America is to-day. in every respect,
the most powerful on earth. We stand pre-
eminent amongst oil the nations of the globe.
To whom do we owe our power aud our posi-
ton NIanifestly to the brave meu who
went forth at the beginning of the war and
broke the power of the Rebellion. Then, in
the name of all that's good and right, and for
our nations honor, LIT the have th' s justice !
done them.