Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-02-12

One of theleading subjects of petition
to Congress during the present session
has been for the introduction of photo
graphic illustrations among the Rec
ords of the War of the Rebellion. These
prayers have come in by the score; and
day after day for many weeks Senators
and Representatives have presented
them. Though converging from points
thousands of miles apart, the burden
of their supplication is ever the same.
A reader OF the current proceedings of
Congress might imagine that the ques-
ton of the war in American politics is
that of supplying pictures for the War
Records.
The explanation is that these petit
lions come through the machinery of
the Grand Army of the Republic, which
has taken an interest in the purchase
by the Government of certain photo
graph plates. Post after post of this
organization sends on its memorial,
until there appears to be great up
rising on the subject. And it is worth
remarking, by the way, how method
cal aud machine-like the petitioning
of Congress has of late become. 1t is
mostly effected through associations
that form networks of communication
throughout the land. Whoever has a
subject of legislation in which he is
particularly interested needs only to
secure the sanction of the central au-
thority or organization, and then a few
reams of circulars for signatures sent to
the various branch associations, religi-
Gus, political, financial, Or whatever
they may be, will quickly flood Con-
gress with urgent memorials.
Those whs receive free copies of the
published War Records naturally de-
sire to see the interest of this work,
which constitutes a library in itself
augmented by illustrations. But it is
wholly out of the question to insert
private collections of Photographic il.
lustrations, however valuable, "in the
Official Records" according to the
prayer of most or all of the petitioners
for the simple reason that these records
are official, while the illustration:
would not be. They might well enough
form the substance of separate vol
ume, whether published by the Gov
ernment or otherwise; but they could
not be in:erspersed among official doc
uments as part and parcel of them.
There is subdued wish among til,
manufacturers and business men of tn,
United States that England may b,
drawn into war with one or more o
the European powers. This wish il
founded on the same selfish, mercenary
desires that caused England to kill in
nocent barbarians in India, and to Ell
courage the Southern states in their re
bellion against the Union. 1t woul,
be kind of poetic justice if England
was forced into a life or death struggl,
at this time. She encouraged civil WA
in America just at time when her vas
commercial marine aud rapidly grow
ing manufactures made it possible fol
her to take the fullest advantages o
our misfortunes. She drove our faf
alyzed our manufactures. Now, on tn,
other hand our manufactures have
grown until we can successfully com
pete with her in the markets Elm,
! world, in many branches Of industry
especially i'm four Of tie greatest, iron
| cotton, grain and ~subaccO. A war =
England with France or Germany
| wcjsl.a drive the merchant marine o
I both countries from the seas, and would
| practically close down their factories
| save for the manufacture of amunition
of war. This would give wonderful
impetus to our manufactures, and tn,
ship builders hammer would sound il
the ship yards of every port from Port
land to New Orleans, and from Puge
sound to the Gulf of California. Will
it would do this 1t would produce i'm
measurable suffering in Europe, ant
fill hundreds of thousands of innocen
homes with mourning. Has the hu
manitarian principle in the Unite,
States advanced sufficiently to keel
its mercenary wish Chroni
Gle.