The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-03-31

| needed to restore exhausted nature, and per-
haps to save your life, don't buy if stamps
and paper is wanted to write to the loved ones
at home, cont buy and why, why not buy ?
because the county of La Sale has said that
your wife and children. and perchance a
widowed mother, your all on earth, shall be-
| come paupers, reduced to starvation by sick
ness and distress, ere the niggardly sum Of 80
cts. per week, shall be given in their support,
| and that theT :ety much fear your extrava-
gancc will compel them to do even this.
Soldiers may save their money, their thir-
| teen dollars per month, we admit, and many
did this, but it is at the risk Of their lives,
and the abstinence from every comfort or
rude luxury found in the army but for whom
were these men working. fighting, suffering,
but for you? Is not the laborer worthy of
his hire ? do you employ men on your farms
and deny to them the same food and shelter
! that ,ou enjoy u? are not the soldiers entitled
to this an equivalent what is it, that to-
day makes the difference between the SOL
diers and those who staid at home We are
told that nine tenths of the soldiers have, 10
property, and therefore pay no taxes. Why
is it that taey have no property? 1t is n well
known fact that very large ma jority of those
who went into the army were young men first
starting in life or about to commence for
themselves. The war took them from home,
and after an absence Of thr.e and four years,
those of them that return, find their old cou
penions whc had remained behind, and Who,
like themselves when ihey went away, were
lust starting with The world. have. during
their absence accumulated means ana now
own property, and do pay taxes. The rea-
son is plain: during the war they have work
ed for themselves, and the ready demand for
labor, and all kinds of produce, has brought
their wealth, while tue soldier has worked
for you, aud his pay comparatively nothing,
and his accumulatIons amount to premature
age. ruined health and want.
II is fair TO prcsune that the board Of su-
pervisOrS who were SO anAi Ius with regard 10
the finances of TIE county, would he willing
10 do what little the county required OF them
for very reasonable remuneration, especial
II would they wish to Sho. thir patriotism
and sc, an example of patience and forbear-
ence to the soldiers, compelled as they were,
10 Jolt their suffering bodies. over the prairies
in spring carriages or cushioned cars, CHOKE
themselves with hot beef STEAK ami potatoes,
aud after the long, tedious lahors OF the day.
wherein they gralvey legisla.e soldiers fan i.
iiey into the pauper list, are forced TO throw
their aching limbs into some feather bed.
How are these snticnng men paid ' lc. the
records tell Feb. If, Sj4 were allowed to
each member of the war fund committee, for
disbursing the $50 bounty fund. How long
did it take this committee 10 pay out ih:
bounty? enc month would be long time,
bu' We will say one month, that they r'cey-
cd Just what it would take a soldier four
month, ami five days 10 earn. But enough OF
this were We desrous of bIsing our claims
on the demcrits Of others this would suffice
\ will be seen, the board of supervisors
late in the war, gave bounty OF $500 10 mcn
for ore Years service. Oar request. is that Tic f,
sum of 90 be paid 10 Us for three and four
years service. TO do tbi, it will, not as the
supervisors woasd have you think take $500 ,
600 or $500. 600, but less than 100000. F,
When the supervisors set their figures. they /
forget that they claim to have paid out neariv
5000 in bountieS, and that those who
have received these bouuties do not want
more. We have examined the records at
Springfield, and from the information thus
gained, and from other resources. we are
sat tsiied that the sum required 10 pcv our
claims cannot exceed $500 600, and We be
licve it will fall far short of this. Tha, the
county is rich enough none will DENY. with
population Of over 10000. the assessed
ya!rc Of property over $7,G10,00o. whie It's
rca; value exceeds S3J,00D.000. The tn.y
difficulty in the way Is to find the legal way
to pay t,.sse men. This. however, can easily
be overcome when You have expressed the
will. as the supervisors found the way to
Icgalize a debt Of Sj"tGec when that sum
w..s needed 10 save them from ,he draft
now a much smaller sum may be raIsed I
such is the expressed wish If ths people
SOLDIERS or Ia SALE Go.