Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-15
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, MONDAY,
Iowa soldiers, Vote.

An Iowa correspondent thus exposes the
frauds and intimidations practiced in procuring
the vote of the soldiers of that State, who were
absent in the field at the time the election was
held The Abolitionists have pointed to the
published result of the vote of the Iowa soldiers
indication of the sentiment of the army
but il appears from the developments that have
come to light, in regard to the manner OF taking
that vote, that the true feelings and views of
large number of the soldiers, probably major
ty, did not find expression in the returns OF the
Commissioners appointed by partisan Gov
ernor to report them. Read the following expo
sition of the manner it was done:
The Democratic candidate for Clerk in Marion
county-a Democratic county-alter beating his
Republican opponent handsomely on the home
VOTE when the army returns came in found him
self defeated by fifty votes Knowing that there
had not been a sufficient number Of Republicans
who had gone to the from his county to over
come his home majority, if the thing bad been
conducted with fairBess. be came up TO Des
Moines to investigate. The investigation
disclosed, among other things, an error(2)
in the footings up by the Board of State
Canvassers, which being corrected gave him
majority of one. taking the vote it stood; but.
stranger than all, look over the poll books, in
se irch of illegal votes. rewarded by & e dis
covery of the names of twenty two minors-alI
known personally by the gentleman making the
investigation-all of whom voted the Abolition
ticket, of course; the name of one dead man.
who killed at the battle of Shiloh, last spring.
and the name of discharged soldier, who had
lain in ihe hospital at st. Louis weeks before his
discharge, and had been mt home in Marion
county for at least month before the election,
and doubtless voted there The Commissioner
who reported this vote, and who perpetrated, or
sought to perpe,rate. this shameful fraud upon
the honest voters of Iowa. il is unnecessary for
TO say, is Republican-One of Kirkwood's
tools and pets / regret that did not learn his
name that l might publish it to the world and
hold him up to the public contempt he so richly
deserves. / will yet obtain il, and give the po
litical prostitute the benefit of "A further notice.
have no doubt that similar frauds we're practiced
by other Commissioners; that systematic and
wholesale system of political swindling re-
sorted to by these dirty tools of corrupt and
desperate party in order to overcome anticipated
maorities against them i'm the Democratic coun
ties at home.
The above instance have given will serve as
specimen. About the truth of the statements
made there can be no doubt, as the gentleman
from whom | derived the facts has been a resi-
dent of Marion county for nineteen years-ifteen
of which he has held Office at the hands of the
Democratic party-and knows, may say, every
man. woman, and child in it. He further in
formed me that, in one comp'Ey which went
from his county, and in which there were to his
personal knowledge, twenty FIVE Democratic
voters, he did not get single vote The com
pany was in barracks at Oskaloosa at the time of
the election, and it was represented to him. by one
of his political friends. that the Captain of the
company-a renegade Democrat, who sold him.
self for his shoulder straps-tOld his men, on the
morning of the election, that he had them in his
power, and, ii they did not vote the Republican
ticket, they would be sorry for it. Thus brow
beaten, bullied, badgerel and threatened, the
Democrats, matter of consequence, refused
to vote at all. What beautiful commentary do
such developments furnish us upon the loud
mouthed professions of the Abolition leaders of
their patriotism and political honestly What a
suggestive cOrollary to the wrapt panegyrcs OF
pensionad press the devotion 10 the Admin |
istratiOn ~ manifested by soldiers in voting
the Abolition ticket! | trust the facts, as they
gradually come TO light, in regard to the army
vote OF Iowa, will prove n warning to other
States, and that Iowa will not soon again be in
vegled into, or suffered to be made the victim Of,
"A like piece of folly and political niquty. The |
developments of this stupendous fraud will con
sttute part of the recorded infamy of the AbO- |
lition party when the people shall have hurled it
from power and consigned it t" :he Oblivion it so
richly merits