The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-09-07

A~S@- A~<A A'EN ~ ~ Eks- III u
young man 22 years old. | voted for
the first time in my life last Novem-
Der. | want TO know something
about our bonded debt. know
there is one; and that ii was the / e
suit of the war. But will YOU tell
me something about lis history!
JAMES PAYNE.
ANSWER.
Here Is young man old enough
to vote, and yet born after our bon
ded debt was created, who is Just be-
ginning to take an interest in the
affairs of the government.
And here is man who was in the
army three years before he was old
enough to vote, who will try to tell
his young Kansas friend something
about our bonded debt"
1t is an old story with US; but We
realize that half the men who are
doing the voting today know little
or nothing about the real origin Of
our government debt. Here is our
answer:
In the spring of 1861 the bugle
blast of war broke the silence of a
long peace in our blessed
land. Eleven of the states had sece-
ded and declared war against the
Union.
The life of the nation was at stake.
The Union must be preserved.
The old flag must be maintained.
The Constitution must be upheld.
And-God willing million
slaves must be freed.
Two things the government needed
Men and Money,
Able bodied, brave hearted, fear
less men, to carry the musket. Patri-
otic, generous-souled men to open
their purses and furnish the sinews
of war.
These We're the two essentinl things
men and money.
A call to arms was issued. And
what an uprising,
From hillside and plain; from farm
and workshop; from city and hamlet,
men ra4hed to the call Of the govern
ment.
The pages of history can be
searched in vain for such a spOnta-
neous outburst Of patriotism: fo1
such magnificent uprising of the
people.
Wives gave up their husbands;
Mothers gave up their sons;
Children gave up their fathers;
Sisters gave up their brothers
To the music of the shrill fife and
drum these undisciplined boys in
blue marched away to the field of
battle.
Regiment after regiment, brigade
after brigade; division after division;
corps after corps, was organized.
Before snow fell a million brave
hearted, unselfsh men took their
lives in their hands and said:
Here we are ready to do service
for our country.
Here we are ready to endure the
haldships and privations of camp
life.
Here We are ready to lay down our
lives if need be for Liberty, Union
and the Constitution.
Was there ever grander sight!
Recall those old times-you who
are old enough to still remember
them.
And then for four years the battle
ragged.
Bull Run; Fort Donelson, the
Peninsular Campaign: Antietam;
Fredericksburg; Charlottesville;
Gettysburg: Vicksburg; The Wilder
ness; Spottsylvania; Coal Harbor:
Petersburg; the March through
Georgia.
And finally Appomattox,
What a grand history.
What tribute to the valor, the
couaage, the patriotism of the Able
bodied Men,
Behold the national cemeteries
filled with heroic dead.
Think Of the unmarked graves on
thousand battle fields.
See the dangling sleeves and the
wooden legs.
Listen to the sighs of widows and
orphans.
What sacrifice to lay unstinting.
ly upon the altar of the Republic.
Turn the wheel,
Let the panoram of historic events
change the scene,
Men and Money, said we.
Money as well as Men, the govern
ment needed.
How about the Money!
The Boys in Blue left home in the
spring of 1861. They waited for
months in camp for want of equip
ments. They waited for uniforms
They had no money to send home te
the loved ones. Landlords had to
have rent; grocery bills had TO be
paid: the little ones needed shoes
and clothing-money was needed fol-
payday.
How did the Money Men rallye
The first $150,000,000 cost the
government Is per cent discount
Patriotism of the Purse gone to seet
in the very spring time of the con
test,
Then comes request from Finance
| Minister Chase to the Bankers Il
meet him at Washington, TO discus:
the Necessity for Money.
Two propositions these Patriots o
the Pawnshops offer To the govern
ment in its distress in December
1861:
First: We will buy bonds at th,
highest market price-for we can Fl,
the market price.
Second: Sell bonds to the highes
bidders-we will be the highest bid
ders.
| Neither of these propositions coul
be accepted.