The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-06-19

UA majority Of tie 1rsnsn & The
Dity havs dstssnissd. eeasepsssssd VI
vots 1t the nsssisg ssinrdsy ssssiag, not
% past;sipass in The esisbslGios 4 The |
soning Fourth Of Jsly, i tlesolessd pcr-
lion Of Our citissss are psrnitssd . join
10 it. We are not diapossd % dispste
The right Of the 6rsmsn 70 refuse . sals
part 10 THE or any other celebration.
Bot We protest against this %.
tion Of the Ere companies bscOning
The policy that shall covers the citiaens
Of Ksokak. However hard the shell Of
prejudice that may sncass some gentle |
men Of Copperhead proclivities, the peo-
pie generally are not and viii NOT b blind
to the teachings Of the last four years.
The battle Of freedom has been too fairly
fought and won for any further triumph
Of the slave propagaDdists or any longer
rule of slave worshippera. The Fourth
Of July 10 sacred to freedom. And in the
name Of the civilization of the nin4teentb
century, by the memory of our slain Lin,
COLI, by the sacrifices and achievements
of four years war for Liberty, for the
honor Of our country which loyal white
men and loyal blacks have saved 10 spite
Of the Vaccinations and hate Of northern
butternuts and southern rebels. We claim
for our colored citizens the right to OBJ
serve the day that commentaries our na-
tional Independence. This right will no,
be contested by that Union prisoner who
owes his escape from Southern prison pens
and stockade bells, to the fidelity and 10y.
atty of the negro. It will not be contest
ed by that white soldier who has witness
ed the determined valor With which the
black troops have met and routed the reb-
els on the battle fields, nor BY Any man
to whom traitors are odious and who does
not deem the treason of Southern white
men preferable to the loyalty of Southern
black men. The citizen whose highest
aim it has been to see the Union preserv.
ed, the brave "boys 10 blue who have
been aided BY the negro in suppressiag
rebellion. will not deny to him The priv
ilegs of celebrating the Fourth, and cop
perheads and butternuts, sympathizers
and peace sneaks, able bodied men Who
shiiked duty from love for rebels aud who
hate the negroes because they ara loyal
these have 10 right 10 deny them that
privilege.
The day is commemorative Of thai
grand triumph Of the national arm s-tbs
surrender OF Vicksburg, aud thousands I,
negroes j,ined with the white soldiers Of
, Grants army in the jubilation over the
, victory. for they had helped win it, The
blood Of black and white soldiers miugl, 4
together at Fort Pillow and stained tLs
, fig which both had defended, aud shall
! not the black man be permitted I'd march
/ under that Gag at q public celebr ation il
, KeokuA? The armies Of Grant and Sh.r
man were composed of as good mstcria
as grows IN this city. in ERE companies q
} out OF them; yet negroes marched snt
fought with these armies for months, aut
shall they be driven from a proce ssion il
, Ksokuk? Is there rebel sympa thzine
sneak here or elsewhere who called th.
} war failure. and DE- n ,unced the Admin
istrstion. and magniied rebel succesee
and was the foe of the country in th.
hour of its peril, who thinks the negro
a. nld not be permitted to join in tht
celebratiou9 Your objection comes with
t ill grace from you, for be stood, alore
with our white soldiers, between you and
the rebellion's success, and their iabore
aud patriotism and not yours, saved to ul
all country and Government and right
to have Fourth Of July celebration.
We had hoped to see grand delebra.
ton in Keokuk. Blu, for this unfortunate
and ll-considered action Of a msjority Of
the 6remen the project would have been
carried out without ripple Of opposition
or hindrance Il is due to Iowa'. bright
record and her veteran sons that the dsy
should be observed throughout the State
with enthusiasm aud united action; but
better no celebration at all than to have
one that shall be ruled in the spirit of
Five Points mob rioters and With the an.
linus OF southern rebels, that shall be char
acser'zed by Injustice, and afford tri-
umph to those who have been the enc.
mics of the Government.