The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-09-12
Can Soldiers Vote?


in their several Jurisdictions. IL is pow
er, with certain restrictions, conferred up
on our Legislature, by tho Organic Act. For
The first, or organic election, the Organic
Act only required that The voter should
have been a free, white, male inhabifant,
twenty zone years oil at the date of the
Act The i3r,l of March. Is4s; bu, the quail
iicaiinns Of voters a, MI elections after the
organic election. were required by that Act
6" br prescribed by the Legislature, bot i,
was expressly prov'de q, that the Legislature
shonld not extend the elertive franchise, tn
those who were not fee citizens of the u .
States, or bad not filed their intention, Ia
ken tes oath, and resided two wears i'm the
Uuttsi States. The question then is, are
soldiers Of the United States Army free cit
icons Of the L. S, and can they, while
soldiers, gain residence in Minnesotai
The word inhal!taDs, is broader IAN the
~ord clizen; and was used in the Organic
Act, To include n wider class of persons
The word citizen, has n more restricted
application, 10 class of inhabitants upon
whom devolse the exercise of ceriain do
ties TO the stare, rs the payment of poll
tax, service upon The coroners inquest, ser
vice as grand or peut jurors, etc; and Ger
tain privileges, as thai of the elective fran
ch'sc and eligibility to office, from which
all mere inhabitants, are exe,np, or exelu-
drd. We are not now speaking Of the def
Diiion Of the word citizen, in that broad
sense in which it is loosely applied as ex-
pressing the relation to foreign states of all
persons entitled to the protection of our
flag; for ia that sense, we are all citizens.
fnen, women, children, prisoners and sol.
oiers; but No uSa the word citizen IA ex
pressing the internal political relations Of
certain class of Inhabitants, to the state and
to other inhabitants. If soldiers of the L.
,. d. really are citizens Germs generally
used in contr ad'stinction) they wonld be H.
able to serve upon juries, liable to high
way tax and eligible to all civil officers in
abe territory; for the privileges and the du-
res OF citizens as necessarily go together
US ta1ution and representation. Our
statute expressly provides for this. Citi-
zenshiP, Chat citizenship which confers the
elective franchise and not that other ci.i-
xenship which is used in mere con,radis-
tinction TO nlenship.) implies voluntary
residence - a free consent TO remain here
and discharge all the duties Of citizen.
whenever properly called upon. Its very
essence is freedom from the control of
Other men. IL Is Not IN accordance with
the spirit OF a republican constitution, to
confer the duties or the privileges of citizens
upon any other class Of persons than free
'"ale Citizens 81 yrs old; they must be free,
because If not free their acts and their votes.
would he controlled by those who command
them, and we should presently be under
nn oiigarchy; they mast be males, because
custom ard nature, devove the duties and /
The privileges OF government, upon the |
stronger sex; they must be citizens aud not |
aliens, because as aliens, they owe allegi- /
ance to n foreign government, whose inter- /
ests may be hostile to our own: they must 1
30 II years old. because they are not
supposed TO he earlier qualified to exercise 4
the rights AMI duties of citizenship, and are
DOT. lay the policy of the law, made free;
hut are under parental control or guard
snsbip.
L. a soldier free: Never until the end
Of his enlistment. He surrenders tn the
recruiting officer the control Of his person, 4
his services, himself. Where, when or how /
be is TO 60, is to be decided hy others. He /.
neither eats nor drinks, when or what be \
likes, but whenever and whatever another
orders, if at ALL
The beat OF the memorable reveile a
rouses him in the morning; the command /
Of an officer regulates his motions all day,
and the retreat para,ies him at sunset, and |
The tattoo sends him to his bunk Military
command, is an nnnixe.l dsspolism. II is
80 everywhere and by necessity. A lanz- !
xsry Of the Turkish Guards, without the !
FIRST gIimn'ering of intelligence or seIf-re-
speet, is just as rnnch free citizen of rur-
key, as soldier of the United States Ar
nay, is a free citizen. Our troops at Fort
Smelling, include men of high intelligence;
and the more intelligent they are, the better
they will understand these truths, which we
express plainly, as is our habit. We love
a true soldier. The profession of arms is
honorable, and the defence of our country
deserves our highes, gratitude but it is
niockery 10 talk about the freedom of sol
;lier-. Frees Yes; they are free from arrest
and from civil duties - nothing else. The
soldier of the United States Army, has
notsiiag to do with making laws or officers
---riot even military laws and the officers
by whom he-is governed. When he puts
on the government blue mixed, be stands a.
part from the citizen. His residence is his
tent. wherever IL alay be pitched. He owes