Daily Republican., 1883-11-07
We THE PEORLE.

We THE PEOP1E.
Report ef the Six Nights Siege In
the City Hall.
The earth has been cursed with civil
wars from the earliest times IN which
We have records of the race. Ours was
Of . mixed character, and hence In some
respects unlike all others that have
preceded 1t, but like all civil wars in
republics, It sprung from faction who
sought only political power. Those
make great mistake who suppose 1t
grew out Of desire merely to perpetu-
ate slavery. Slavery was used az
means to an end, bugbear to frighten
the mid into obedience and a rallying
cry for the ignorant, deluded masses.
The accursed lust OF power lay at the
fottom Of It, Just az free trade would
have followed the attempt ofCalhoun to
take the South out of the U mon, aud they
would have succeeded had it not been
for the military home guards, who sent
their fathers, brotners and sons to shed
their blood while they staih at homeand
got rich.
jeff Davis empire of slavery would
have been established throughout the
Union, with the "Diggers' head for
the corner stone Then, boys, whore
would have been your big wages when
jeff Davis would have cut you down 0
10 or go cents day.
have known them, when the war
was going on, raised from to l0 d,l
lars week, build a house, furnish it.get
married, go to housekeeping and never
give % cents for the banquets OF the
soldiers widOv w and orphans. Boys,
you all had the same chance, but yon
preferred TO 90 and nee jumbo at the
Saturday night lunch. And the dudes
and the hice young men VINO part
their hair in the middle: it took all
their money to attend, to go to the
Piener House they had nothing to
spare for the soldier boy, although his
daddy" gave him all the fine clothes
he had. Saturday, the 3rd. at II
o'clock, the confeierates still hold the
fort and the adopted boy still in their
possession.
The rst fire came from ths PennSyl-
vaDia K. X. Military At the time OF the
fire d soldier was sitting on one side OF
a wheel barrow shaft, and myself on
the other. For my life l can't tell
whether it was by accident or not, but
the hammer came down, and when the
smoke cleared away found the orphan
boy waA half "a dollar richer. 1t was
not received at the fair of the City
| Hall ,rh;. al ,,r,o halJ Cor ut ~ =, ubt a nd
not 25 cents taken from among all the
1900 home-guards and the 1900
military. We must drop it; the sub.
ject is too sickening at this time, bu'
l must say there are as patriotic men
and women in the city and up the Bran
ldywins AZ there are on earth
Our fair was a. liberal with its gifts
az any fair ever held in Delaware by
saint ur sinner. We didn't expect any
thing from those patriotic men anc
women who have been giving all theiI
time Now, my friends, you have d
sketch OF the men who saved this c0un
try, but our Government fed ant
clothed them. Now ret us look at on
graud-daddieS, more than Il hundye'
years ago AZ Valley Forge. The win'
is cold and piercing on the old Gui
road, and the snoWtiakes have begun Il
fall. Who il this that tolls up yonde
hili, his footsteps stained with blood
His bare feet peep through his worn on
shoes his legs nearly naked from IN
ialtered remains Of an only pair q
stockings; his breecheS scarcely enoug
to cover his nak-dnesS his nair dis
helved, his face wan and thin, his loo
hungry, his whole apDe irance that OF
man forsaken and neglected.
On his shoulder he carries a rusty gun
and the hand that grasp. the stock i
blue a .h cold his comrade is no bet
ter off than he who follows, for ali ar
baretooled and the rnts ofthe rough cou
ry road are deep and frozen hard.
fourth comes into sight, and still anoth
or. A dozen are in sight. Twent.
have reached the bridge, and there ar
more to come. See them a. they noun
the hill that slopes eastward into tn
great valley. A thousand are in sight
but they ar- but the vanguard Of tn
motley company that winds down tn
road until iC = lost in the cloud of snow
flakes that has hidden the Gulf hills
Yonder are horsemen in tattered uni
forms. and behind them cannons lum
bering slowly over the frozen lOad halt
dragged, half.pushed by men. The.
who appear to ba in authority hav
coats of every make and color. Her
, is one in q fadad blue, faced witt
buckskin that has once been ufi
There is another on tall, gaunt horse
, wrapped in sort of dressing gown mad
) OF an old blanket or wooden bed cover.
r A few of the men wear long line
hunting shirts, reaching to the KNEE
but for the rest no twoare dressed alike
Not half have shirts u third are bare
footed, many are in rags, nor are thel
arms the same Cow horns and ii
boxes they carry for want Of ponche'
A few have swords, fewer S,iIl bayonet'
muskets, carbines, fowling pieces an
rifles are TO be seen together, side b
side. Are these soldiers that huddle tt
{ gether and bow their heads as they fac
the biting winds?
, Is this an army that comes struggling
through the valley in the blindin
snow No martial music leads ther
, In triumph into a cartured capita
: No city full of good cheer and war;
and comfortable homes awaits tbei
coming. No sound keeps time to thei
weary steps, save the icy wind, raj
tling the leahess branches and the dul
tread oftheir weary feet on the froze
ground. WE THE PEOPLE
l