Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-11-23

gtren, like those Of Kentucky or Mary-
tand, under the most violent form OF
c0mPutsions In England the scrupl-
tous Jealousy Of the constitution removes
the troops beyond the boundaries of a
toaoR ,chere a poll is to be held, so Ma!
the cfrit potcer may not be strengthened
by military support against the liberty
Of the electors; in the Northern States
military force is applied for the express
purpose OF forcing upon the constitu-
encies candidates agreeable to the ad
ministration. We do not think much of
the significance of a French election;
but elections in France are patterns of
popular freedom in comparison with
those just held in Ohio and Pennsylva-
MIA. Again, every man who is seen to
come up to the poll to vote for the demo
cratic candidate-and, the ballot not
withstanding, it is almost always known
In America how a map does vote-is
marked man, has proclaimed himself
the enemy of a power which has render
ed itself despotic, and is pretty sure, in
one way or another, to pay its debt of
vengeance. His republican neighbors
may harrass him at their pleasure; he will
have no protection from a law which is in
terPreted either by federal courts martial
or by Judges who are the mere creatures
of the Administratios,.a- he be Of .--;i;
tary age he may feel pretty sure that the
next conscription will, somehow or other,
include his name. If he gets into any
dispute with drunken soldier, or has
his farm plundered by marauders from
some German regiment, it will be suffi-.
cient for the culprit to say, He voted
for Woodward or for Vallandigham,"
and the complaint will be dismissed, not
merely without redress, but with menaces
and insults. In the cities there is regu-
lar reign of terror, and man of any
note who takes an active part against
the administration does so at the risk of
imprisonment, banishment, or ruin, and
with the certainty of malignant official
and social persecution. Not satisfied
With all this, the Federal government
has went so far as to insist that the votes
of the soldiers in the field shall be count
ed; that is, that some twenty, thirty, or
forty thousand votes shall be placed at
its absolute disposal; for what soldier
would dare to vote against the candidate
Of the Government? An officer who did
so would lose his commission; a SER
geant reduced to the ranks; a private
would have his life made a burden to
him. 1t is not long since a Federal
General boasted of having reduced to
the ranks a non-commissioned officer,
whose only offense was that, on being
4 h..l l. l.,
ed his disapproval Of the policy of the
administration. Finally, in Pennsylva-
MIA at least, the control of the ballot box
es was in the hands of the Republican
candidate, and scrutiny was of course
impossible. Under these circumstances
it is as impudent for the Federal govern,
men to boast of its victory in Pennsylva-
MIA and Ohio as for the wings to exult in
the return of of the Duke Of Somerset 8
candidate for Totnes. In either case the
election is a mere mockery. EUerS
man sOho Uoted for the opposition did 81
at the risk Of ruin; and number o
votes, sufficient to turn the scale, were
held by men absolutely dependent OF
the mercy of the victorious party.
This is the country which is fighting
for human rights and the extension o
political liberty. This is the countr,
winch wages an 1nternecine war on be
half of Justice and freedom with natiol
which has not, in the midst of invasion
found it necessary to suspend the writ @
habeas corpus, or allowed military nece:
sity to interrupt the course of civil Law
In the South the press is free; in tn
North several papers have been SUI
) pressed, and even in the Empire City tn
Provost Marshal has warned the jou
mails to publish no news unfavorable I
! the Federal cause. In the South n
: State has for moment been deprived {
any portion of its rights; in the Mort
| Kentucky and Maryland are subjecte
to military despotism of the most hat
! full kind, their sovereign status being e
3 tirely ignored and their local Cover
9 ments overthrown at the point of Il
= bayonet In the South no man has bee
imprisoned or banished without leg
trial; in the North Imprisonment al
exile at the pleasure of the administr
ton are habitually inflicted upon its lea
ing opponents. And yet there are En-
lishmen besotted, ignorant, or dishone
enough to tell US that the defeat of t
North would be a heavy disaster to
cause of human liberty; that the sub
CATION of the South and the extension
:. the iron tyranny under which Maryla
- and Kentucky are now suffering throuI
out the area of the Confederate Stat
is an event for which all lovers of fr
dom ought to pray. Are these men
possession of their senses2 are they
rant hypocrites or merely frantic fan
icsi Are they really persuaded d
Oil martial law and the suspension of
habeas corpus at the pleasure of the
- ecutive are the symptoms of free G
sot ~ ernment, or hare they been so long d.
" ted to the ,Oorship Of the negro that t
10 consider liberty a gift of pAich o
lew black men are ,Oorthy, and political
for vitads The natural condition Of the ,oI
7. raees i............ l.