The National tribune., 1902-02-13
WHO GOES THERE?
You believe in the right to revolt
lContinucd from fist page J
against tyranny:
..Npt. "

against tyranny
Yes"
well. suppose your State and other
I States. her ncghbors, should conclude that
! there WAS no remedy against injustice eX
cept in Withdrawing from the partner
ship. or union
! Il should say that would be a very SER
| ious step to take, perhaps dangerous
/ step perhaps Il wrong step, said |. But
/ | am no judge Of such things. 1t seems
to me that my mind is almost blank con
cerninE politics.
Yes? Wen, suppose. however. that
your State should take that step, in the
/ hope that she would he allowed to with
draw in peace; would her citizens be
bound by her actiOn:'
! "Of course South Carolina, you say,
/ has withdrawn: that being the case, every
citizen of the State is bound by her act,
as long as he remains a citizen"
| South Carolina has Withdrawn, but her
! hope for a peaceful withdrawal is met by
| United States armies trying to force her
| back into the Union. Under these circum.
| stances, what is the duty of a citizen OF
| South Carolina?'
Il should say that so long as he re-
mains Il citizen of the State he must obey
the State. He must obey the State, or get
out Of it,
And if he gets out of it, must he join
| the armies that are invading his State
Z
| Il think no man would do that
but every one who leaves his State
| goes over to the enemies of his State, at
| least in n measure for he deprives his
State of his help, and Influences others to
do as he has done. DO you think that
! South Carolina should allow any of her
| citizens to leave her in this criss?'
No; that would be suicidal. Every one
unwilling to bear arms would thus be al
! lowed to 60"
And a premium would be put upon de-
sertionE''
In a certain scnsc-yes."
Can a States duty conflict with the
duty of her citizcns!'
That is Il hard question, Doctor; if |
should be compelled to reply, | should say
no."
Then if it is South Cardinals duty to
call you into military service, is it not
| your duty to se;veT'
Yes; but have You shown that it is her
duty to make me serveT'
That brings mp the question whether it
is a citizens duty to serve his country in
wrong cause, and you have already said
that a man should obey her laws or else
renOuncc his citizenship"
Yes, Doctor, that seems the only al
ternative."
"Then you are going TO serve again, or
get out of the country?'
'YOu are putting it very strongly, Doc
tor; can there be no exception 10 rules?'
The only exception to the rule is that
the alternative. does not exist in time OF
war. The Confederate States have called
into military service all males between Is
and -. You could not leave the country
excuse me for saying it; l speak in an
/ impersOnal sense-evcn if you should wish
to leave it. Every man is held subject
to military service; as you have already
said, the State would commit suicide if
she gets her soldiers. But, in any case,
what would YOU do if you were not forced
into Seryice!'
Il am helpless l said gloomily
mo; | don't want you to look at it in
that way; you are not helpless. What l
have already suggested will relieve you.
We can attach YOU to any company that
you may choose with the condition that as
soon as your friends are found you are
to be handed over To them-I mean, OF
course, handed over to your original COM
pany. 1t seems to me that such course
is not merely the best thing to do, but
the only thing to do
Doctor" said |, ''yOu and your friends
are placing me under very heavy obliga
ti1ns. You have done much yourself, and
your friends show me Kindness. Perhaps
| could do 10 better than to ask you to
act for me. | know the delicacy of your
offer. Another man might have refused
~ 'lSilSNs VI tAIiIdii. ht Iluh lIle DONct
to simply order me back into the ranks"
No. said he; Il am not sure that any
such power could have been exercised. To
order You back into the ranks is not a
Surgeons duty to his patient. There
seems to be nothing whatever in the army
regulations applying to such Il case as
yours. You have been kept here without
authority, except the general authority
which empowers the Surgeon to help the !
wounded. But | have no control over
you whatever. If you choose, nobody |
would prevent you from leaving this hos
pital. ! cannot make report of your |
case on any form furnished me. 1t was |
this difficulty, in your ease, that made me
beg the brigade Adiutant to visit you;
while the matter is irregular. it is how
ever. known at brigade headquarters. so
that it is in as good a shape rs we know
how to put it. | cannot order You back
into the ranks; you would not know what |
to do with yourself; what | suggest will
relieve you from any danger hereafter of
being supposed Il dcSerter; We keep trace
of you and can prove that you are still in |
the service and are obeying authority
THAT settles it!' l exclaimed; II had |
not thought of the possibility of being |
charged with descrtion."
TO tell you the TRUTH no more had | |
until this moment We must get author |
ity from Gen. Hill in this matter, in or
der to protect you fully. At this very min |
ute no doubt your Orderly Sergeant and !
the Adjutant of your regiment are report
ing your absence without leave. | must |
quit you for while
What had seemed strangest to me was
the lack of desire, on my part. to find my
company. | had tried, from the first mo-
ment of the proposition to join Co. III, to
analyze this reluctance in regard to my
original company, and had at last con
fessed to myself that it was due to ex
aggerated sensitiveness. Who were the
men of my company? should ! recognize
them? No; they would know me, but
should not know them. This thought had
been strong in holding me back from
yielding to the Doctors views; / had an
almost morbid dread of being considered
curiosity. So, l did not want to go
back to my company; and as for going
into Capt. Haskell's company, l consid-
cred that project but a temporary expe-
dient-my people would soon be found
and | should be forced back where be-
lOnged and be pointed out forever as a
freak. So l wanted to keep out of Co. II
and out of every other company; 1 want
ed to go away-to do something-any-
thing--no matter what, IL it would only
keep me from being advertised and gazed
upon.
Such had been my thoughts; but now,