Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-05-16
Form the New York Independent.
The Soldiers ofthc Republic.
ny HORACE GREELEY.

THE relations of the Army 10 the Nation
the retention or suspension of the Right
of Suffrage 10y those who have left their
homes at their country's call TO peril their
lives 10 her defense--the manner in which
that Right, il conceded, shall be exercised
the safeguards against its abuse thl ough
carelessnets or faud-these are topics of
10 local or traDsitory interest, for they
concern the life of the Republic Gov.
SeymourS extraordinary course has given
them peculiar emphasis in our own State,
but they aIe of deep interest everywhere,
as well within the Rebel domains as 10 the
loyal States. The present rebel Governor
OF North Carolina, Zebulon Il Vance, was
a Colouel in the Confederate army before
and at the time of his election, and receiv.
ed the votes of ninetenths Of his fellow
soldiers from bis State He had also, /
believe, a decided majority of the votes
cast at home ; but no one dreamed of ex-
cluding tue ballots cast by citizens who
were 10 the field us soldiers. Virginia is
about to hold her State Election, and
probably quite as many votes will be cast
in her camps as ut her Court Houses and
their precincts. Ii there is single State
now prepcuderantIy in rebellion which de.
nies the Right of Suffrage to those who, ct
the command of her Rebel authorities,
whether enforced by C2pscriplion or not,
have left her soil to batN clsew here in be-
half Of Slavery aud Treason, do not know
which State il is, aud | believe there is
uoue No in Virginia only, where cundl
dates for Congress are now earnestly ap
pealiug 10 their fellow citizens in the Rebel
armies for their sutlrageS, but in Tennessee
LOUISIANA, and still mole IN Missouri, mem.
bers OF The mex. Reoel Congress must be
elected by Army, votes, or they can hardly
be elected by yUles at all.
On the side Of the Uuion, it happened
that The Legislatures of most States had
finished their session for 1861 before ,he
gravity aud persistence of the Shareholders
Rebellion wire generally realized. But
that Of Pennsylvania passed hasty oct
providing fer The cxecise Of the Right of
Suffrage by the absent citizen, soldiers OF
that State-an act which her highest cour;
uiterwuId decided invalid, as conflicting
with SDme PROVISIONS of her Constitution.
Her solde's, o"ever, had already voted
Ut the Oc,oUer Election Of 81, shokiug u
very large prepondence of repub leans in The
ranks. O.her States succeSsIvely followed
the example but the judges of the highest
court ot Connecticut, 10 II case made, decid
ed that her Constitution forbade the polling
of woes outside Of her geugrap phicul limit,
to be cunvaSsed III The returns of her elec
tions. Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin al
low their absent soldiers 10 vote and thei
votes to have tffct precisely as if the,
were cast at home. The result i, of cours,
very largely III favor of the Republicans
Judge DIX, having recently been e!ectco
tu The bench OF The CHEST Court q! Wis
cousin by receiving four flths of tLe Tel
Thousand votes cast by soldiers from thai
Stale, while ON the home vote his Demo
cratic OPP oneut, Colhreu had some Five
Thousand majority.
At the opening Of the present year
IIUralio Seymour was iuaugurated Gov
ernor OF our STATE. and delivered au elabor
ate Message muuly devoted 10 Nationa
fairs. Not Que hint was given in it tha
New York ought to provide III any muuue
tor taking the votes OF her electors absen
iu the National armIes, though their nun
mer can hardly be less than One Hundre
Thousand, aud is likely to be increased Le
fore November. O,her topics would seer
20 have crowded this enll.ely out of Hi
EXcelleucy's miod.
Weeks passed, and Judge Low, Senate
from the D auge and Sullivan district, rS
ported from The proper committee hi
pl oyldlns fer The exercises OF The Right {
Suffrage by legal voters serving thei
Country as soldiers outside of The State
This bill was carefully and thoughtful
4; drawn so as to guard against abuses hic
had been developed IN camp voting or al
serted thereof Itprovlded for no eecior
no poll, elsewhere lhan GU the soil of ou
own State, aud ut her regular aud usu,
voting places. Every citzen absent as
solder Of The State or Nation, and dul
registered legal voter in any eIeci ion d..
trlct, was authorized by Judge Lows bi
60 transmit the ballot he would be entite
10 cast if at home TO any legal voter
SAID district who is authorized aud reuui
ed to present it in his behalf, and-tl
right of the lransmitter TO vote there bein
establlshed--il is to he received aud coun
ed as the vote Of the sender, in no way d
trctIng the right of the presenter TO ca
his own vote his responsibility in the prer
iSes regarding only the genulueness of Il
ballot aud its delivery 10 the lnspecto
precisely as it wus transmitted TO hun
The superiority of Judge Lows plan ov
any that had previously been devised al
adopten is evlnced iu these particulars
l. 1t does not involve any dsorgauz
tiou of the armies Of the Uuion by cau
cAucuses or camp elections Full efy
may be given TO it, though politics, p,
ties, or elections. should never be named
the army.
2. 1t shields each soldier complete
from the official influence or iutmidati,
He is under no necessity OF letting any p
son in camp know how be yoles, while oI
one ofiicer Of his own choice need kno,
that be votes at oil. That officer is requ
ed TO certify that the euvelop here"i
transmitted contains the vote of the pers
named, but be need not know what nau
are borne on the ballot or baleIs
8. Each ldier prepares and trausm
his ballot when at leiSui e-pefhaps thr