Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-02-11
- n otning cXtcnuGte,
Nor set down aught in maiisc."

| SOUu,UUV. lie also recommends an III
crease of the salary of certain officers
This may be all we'll enough, bu'
while he is so exceedingly liberia
with the peoples money, let us set
how lie proposes to share ii with the
soldiers child.
He suggests the propriety of dis
continuing two of the Homes" one
of which lately cost SIS. and e
"lessen the number receiving did,"
Economy is very commendable in
a public officer, but somehow it looks
to one who has endured the hard
ships, dangers and perils of the late
war, like very mean economy to de
pTive the soldiers child by a more
strict construction Of the law" of his
''daily bread" i'm order to erect mag
nificent structures to look at.
His excellency cOmpllins of toe
l"liberal a construction of the law
saws s"me children have been '.re
ceived whose fathers are yet living
although their mott!hers are dead, ant
some both of whose parents are ye'
living" He admits the "pleauine
urgency with which their claims are
often passed." Notwithstanding this
he recommends a diminution of the
inmates of tie Home" How !
Why, by giving the officers the privi.
lege OF binding them out TO whoever
they may See fit, giving the child nc
| choice as to who shall he his future
master. He does not use exactly this
language, but il amounts in sub
stance to this. What is the use oil
having Home" for soldiers chill.
dren If they are to be scattered broad.
cast over the country? Better dis
pense with the expenses of officers
altogether.
| The Governor then goes on TO say
"A strict Interpretation OF the law
and the curtailment of the privileges
! Of the institution would, il is be-
! lieved, have the effect to lessen ma
| terially the number I'm attendance"
What privilege" a soldier asks
have those poor children Whose pa
triotic sires have fallen in battle oil
become disabled i'm the service oil
their country which the executive
OF this great State desires to have
CENTRALIZED ?" Would he deprive
them of necessary food; clothing oil
| education, or have them treated Sc
unkindly that they would be glad K
leave, to suffer or beg their bread
from door to door?
There is grent deal Of sophistry
about some OF his language, sill. it Is
evident that he desires TO be exceed.
! ingly technical in eXpOunding the
| law; he seems afraid that the child
of some poor disabled soldier w no,
! by chance, "still lives - may enjoy
! the benefit of q benevolent institu.
ton.
Would he have them turned out, u
and submit to the degradation of be-
ing sent to the poor hOuse?n Even
then there could be no public pecu.
MARY advantage, as they would be,
come the charge of the several cOun.
ties instead of the State at large
! Those counties which have shown the
greatest amount of patriotism III
sending large number of soldiers
into the field would have the most &c
pay. OF course this price they would
! have to give for having been NOR:
| patriotic than their neighbors.
| No soldier will forget that while i'm
! the field donations were solicited by
civilians from Iowa to build an asy.
| Many q soldier gave his LAST but hard
! earned dollar with the express under.
standing thft it was to aid in building
an institution for the benefit Of both
deceased and disabled soldiers chill
dren. The number of casualties in
Iowa commands during the war was
SO. 1868; the number of children now
receiving aid, 773-being only about
ole to every forty-Oue.
That there are some being "cared
for" whose patriotic father ia still
| living, / do not doubt.
know of one instance (p0ssiblv
the same the Governor refers to-
where both of whose parents are
still living" and will give briefly the
circumstances:
j. B, while quite young, served
his country as a soldier in the MeXi-
can war. After peace was declared,
he married and came to Iowa., set,
| thing on the wild prairie, some dis,
| tance from other habitations. BY
hard toll he accumulated a little
property, enough to make his family
| tolerably comfortable.
Again, when q call was made for
soldiers to save our country, he
shouldered his musket, babe farewell!
to his little ones, and marched forth
as a private in Company a, 10Th
Iowa Infantry. On the eth day OF
! April he went to the front at the bat
tie of Shiloh. After firing many
successful rounds lie fell. terribly
wounded i'm the breast. Unable to
move, he lay upon the battle groutd,
tortured by thirst, Frustrated by the
loss of blood, a part of the time with
in the enemy's lines. till after the
rebels were driven from the field next
day by General Grant.
Contrary to the expectations Of the
surgeons who pronounced his wound
mortal, he survived, and was subse.
quently discharged for disability
arising from the wound received
while in line of duty. This soldier
returned home, and struggled hard
! to support his family, but his wife be-
came insane. At length his means
! became exhausted, still he desired to
keep his children together. but could
not. He finally got "places" for two
Of them, but what was to be done
with the rest? This soldier bad
/
| field without niurmur, and without
| faltering. But to witness the squalid
poverty of his children was more
than he could bear. The idea OF
sending them TO the county poor
house wounded him to tile soul. At
! length the case was represented tN
the gentlemanly superintendent OF
the "Home" at Cedar Falls, who re-
piled that although it might not
come exactly .under the ietier OF the
law, he thought it met the spirit OF
the act. The neighhoFs volunteered
to get clothing for the children, and
Mr.. Farley generously furnished a
railroad pass, and they went cheer
fully. Have met them once since.
They are getting an education, and
expressed themselves well pleased
with their Home The father has
had hard struggle with the world
to live since. He gets, it is true,
| $72 per annum pension, but this Is
not sufficient TO feed a poor; disabled
soldier. But he is happy and well
satisfied, knowing that his children
arc provided for. What is TO become
of them should Gov. Merrills cold
hearted, narrow minded presumption
prevail. Shall they he kicked out
and transferred to the Poor House
In the name of the fallen and dis
abled soldiers, I'm the name of hu'
mainly aud patriotism | appeal IL
| the enlightened General Assembly
| of the State of iowa. Let not the
sophistry of a "wolf in sleeps cloth