Iron County register., 1897-10-14
IRONTON. MO. THURSDAY. OCTOBER Il. 1897

4 SPECIAL to the goldoug P0st-Dis
patch, dated Louisville, Ky, Octobe
! l. reads as follows:
John ". Caldwell of RussellVille
! who for several years was a membeI
/ of Congress. and who has probaol.
been one OF the most consistent advo
Gates of the free coinage of silver i
Kentucky, has deserted the Chicago
/ platform, and viii henceforth vote TIT
ticket represented by the gold Demo
Gratis
In a letter to the CoUr5eT-JOuTEla
Mr. Caldwell fully states his position
He maintains that he is still theoretlc
ally a silver man, but he asserts viii
| pOsitiveness that the silver issue L
dead. Mr.. Caldwell says: Il nov
believe that the gold standard will be
come universal before the close Of tht
century. l believe now. as much as
ever did. in the wisdom of bimetalllsm
but recognize that unless some great
unforeseen upheaval comes the fret
coinage Of silver in this country Is no
a question Of practical politics and VII
not be the issue of 1900"
This. if true, is the most remarka
bic case Of confession and avoidance
known to history. We've heard Of the
justice who writ himself down an ass
but never before Of a man deliberate,
ly confessing that he abandoned the
right because the wrong was aggres-
sive and strong. Not by such men
was ever a single attribute OF freedom
established or human welfare advanc-
ed. Despotism never noted him ex-
cept to fatter him. and with his uni
versatility the Dark Ages had never
been gilded by the rising sun of lib
erty and civilization. Such a man
takes nothing from the cause he aban-
dons and adds nothing to that he es-
pouses.
No cause worth the winning was
ever won without struggle and sacri-
fee. OF the days that tried mems
souls in the fires of adversely We read:
LIN the month of December. 1777.
the troops at Valley Forge were en-
ployed in erecting log huts for winter
quarters, when about one half of the
men were destitute of shoes. stockings,
and other necessary articles of cloth
ing; some thousands were without
blankets, and were obliged TO warm
themselves BY fires all night after the
fatigues Of the day At one time near
II three thousand were unfit for duty,
from the want of clothing, and it was
not uncommon 10 trace their march,
over ice and ground. by the blood from
their naked feet. They were often al
lowed only half allowance for several
weeks in succession. 1t was with diff
fculty that men could be found in d
condition 1T for camp duty. Under
these unexampled sufferings, the sol
diers exercised a degree of patience
and fortitude, which has no equal, and
reflects The highest honor on them.
The army was not without consolation !;
the commander-in-chief manifested a
fatherIy concern for their sufferings,
and made every exertion in his power
10 remedy the evil. Being authorized
hy Congress, he reluctantly resorted to
the unpopular expedient of taking pro-
visions from the inhabitants by force.
and thus procured d small supply for
immediate necessity. This was the
unhappy condition of the army, on
whom Washington had TO rely for the
defence of everything held most dear
~ Tho Arariaar5 ar5 +bi= 4oo ubi1o
situated within sixteen miles of pow
erful adversary, with a greatly super
ior army of veterans, watching with
a vigilant eye for an opportunity to
effect its destruction"
No doubt there were weakened
patriots in those times who. crying out,
The Liberty craze Is dead.''-for the
conservative business men" and the
lovers of peace and order. and the
submissionists to those in
authority, had time and again declar-
ed il a craze upon which might be
the divine order of things
gave up the contest and made their
peace with the invading red-coats-
But a few sturdy Anarchists and Re-
pudiators held out TO the glorious end.
Every patriotic American thanks God
that He made such determined dis
turbers of the peace of annointed au-
thority: and no one will regret that it
was not a Caldwell but q Washington
who commanded the Army of the Rev
olution.