The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-03-04


To-day the DAILY GATE Crrx enters upon
the thirteenth year Of its Journalistic life.
The nation and our own city have witnessed
and suffered many changes in those years.
When our paper was first issued-then ~
the "DATLY WHIGa-the inane and imbecile
Pierce was President, and our people were
learning by the ordeal through which Kansas
was passing, the barbarous and proscriptive
nature Of slavery and the political faithless-
ness and dough facesm of the Northern De.
mocracy. The ''irrepressible conflict was
upon US, and the slave propagandists who
ruled in the national councils under Pierce
and his successor were preparing for the
strife of arms which they precipitated upon
the country, when they thought political
supremacy was beginning to pass from them.
We have, during those years, seen years Of
peace. when we deemed the memories Of the
past and the interests Of the present too many
aud potent TO permit the peace of North and
South to be broken. Then came the mutter.
ings of the storm at the election of Mr.. LlN-
COLIN, and frenzy Of demagogues, and the
madness of secession, and the guns turned
upon Sumter. Then the war shout throughout
the North, the rallying OF freemen, the tread of
armies. the fearful shock of battle, the chang
ing drama of victory and defeat, the weeks
and months ofalternate citation and depression,
of hope and anxiety, the prolonged struggle
and glorious result, saddened as our chosen
ruler was slain. We have witnessed and
recorded all these during those twelve years.
During that time, too, we have aimed to be
truthful chronicler of passing events and an
earnest defender of the right, as God gave us
70 see the Right.
Those years have marked many changes in
our goodly city of keokuk. 1t was then en-
tering upon that career of growth and business
prosperity which was almost unprecedented
in even the expansive and growing West
That growth and prosperity the GATE has ever
tried TO foster and advance. The changes
that in keoknk those years have wrought, We
shall not now attempt TO rehearse. Many of
our older citizens can stop here and think of
them with mingled pain and gladness. There
have been graves made and tenanted no, a
few friends added and friends taken away;
citizens come and gone. The war made its
impression here as elsewhere Battle was Q
novelty, and we waited and wondered when
GRANT boys started South.
Then rang out over the continent the glad
shout for the Donelson victory, where our
own gallant Second had been the bravest Of
the brave. But our people were hushed for
twas said Higham was kiled-he was one
of our GATE CIrY boys. Killed in battle 1t
was new then. Ayl all over the nation our PEG
pie were severely disciplined TO bear that
news ere the war was done Later our citi-
zens bore to the repose of the patriot dead,
Worthington and Terrence and Curtis. and
mayhap others. So our people did a loyal
duty. aud shared with the rest OF the land the
woes of rebellion and the price of preserved
Union
The DAnY GATr, too, has lis own personal
history. The senior editor and veteran jour
ualist-we can of right speak of him thus.
for he is absent, aud wot not wha, we may
say Of him-who first issued il. stall presides
over its editorial columns. Mr.. j. W. Delap-
lain, the junior proprietor, and Mr.. I. II. West
colt, compostor IN the office, are all that now
remain in the Office Of IFS former attaches
! Messrs Briggs, Richard and Colonel Sheldon,
cultured gentlemen, welding facile pens
formerly connected with its editorial depart
ment have gone TO other fields of labor. The
GATE had to sail long time against an ebbing
tide. Thanks to the friendliness of our friends.
it has in later years not been unprosperous
Here then, we leave our readers for the
nonee aud we drop the subject of our ami
versary. The GAZE has tried to deal we'll
with its friends and to be faithful to the inter
ests of keokuk Il has tried to serve the
State and the Nation. to advance Morality.
Intelligence, Justice. Freedom and Human
Rights. 1t has tried to please its readers:
and do they but bid us "God speed" and
properly sustain US, our efforts in the latter
line and as journalists shall suffer no abate-
ment in the future