North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-09-23

men of the South the upper hand of the 90.
cessionists. This is prevented by the poliov
| oftho Abolitionists at tie North and when.
they lose political power here, then their
| twin brothers, the secessionists of the South.
! will fall from power there. Both look to
military despotlsm as the means to keep,
their hold on power. AS soldiers, you have
had full experience of military rule Nou
know It's uses, its hardships and its evils.-
| Necessary in armies, it is not, as Won. welr
know, form Of Government flt for a free.
people. The strict submission, the unuues-
tioning obedience to every superior requireG
by military disciplsne-these You agreed to.
give in military duties during the term OF
your enlistment But do you want to Hre'
under the same rule ut homes Do you see'
with satisfaction "provost marshals" lord.
ing it over the G institution and'the laws; ifs'
all gu: peaceful towns and villages Are
they butter and wiser thaa our judges and,
magistrates You kntw some of them WE'LL
Some are gallant officers, but many, are iSno-'
rant partisan polItlcians, needing as much az
any men to be held in check by the law from
perpetrating wrongs and falling into errors.
By the Conscripton act all men from the"
a1e of twenty to iorty-five are made liable to-
military duty, and from all who may he
claimed as within this elass as well az from
all soldiers, the protection OF civil justice is
now taken away by proclamation and no.
citizen is to be allowed to vindicate his right
TO liberty if deprived of it by any military
authority. Whilst you were fighting for
the Constitution, you AMI all Of us, it seems,,
have lost the constitutional rights and safe
guards of liberty which are our birthright as
American frcemen.
Stump orators, some of them political gen
erals. forbid YOU TO reflect on these things
They tell You now to think only OF war
Tn ere is a time and place for all things. In
the fl Id you have thought and acted as SOL
diers Your noble deeds prove how we'll
You d your military duty. You will d" 10
! again when You return to the field. But II
voa are 10 be here on election day, now is
+ the time f,r you to think, as free-born citi--
zens, Of the political condition of youi coun-
try We Ak You to vote With us to maIn-
| tain. for yourselves and your children, the
! free constitutional G ,vcrnmcnt that your ia
! theirs left to you. Tank of these things now
| before it is too late. The next preclamatioF
! NAV as.aiI The ballat-boX. Let Us use IL
! wisely while it is ret left to us.
But you are urgcd-perhaps you wiaV es
ordered not to vote for the caniidatcs OF
/ the Democracy. Why not 2 We cannot
! reply with fact or Argument to the vile slang
made up of vulgar abuse snl political nick
names, such a " "Copperhcais, " traitors"
'seceSsom,tS,'' AM the ike. You learned
70 d.spi<e these long a-n. when they were
! poured out upon the galiant sons oil Penn
>yvauia--upon McCielloa:. McCall, P4ster-
son and many other, who have been your
I leaders AMI vuur comrates in the field.
! life srcnt in honorable service Of our coun-
| try is no protection from partisan abuse but
rather seems to provoke 1t. You will Judge
men by their lives and characters IN. i6e
! Das.. if ynu wish to he soFe Of them In tho
fu;ure When dlI QUO cand' date for Govern
or. Geo. W. w % flH1Td FhScG uu'J
or,ler to serve III nSelf or his party, in any
! trnSt that PENNSYLVANIA gave into his keep.
ing - lie deprived the sol liers of vote"
sap some Of the Republican politicians. We,
are glad 10 meet charge that has any mean
ing IN it. We will give feV 4ords to this.
When YOU come to tho p Ills in your prep
er election districts, you will find that mo-
one has deprived you Of your vote. There
was question whether the Constitution OF
Pennsylvania provided any means for citi-
zen TO vote when he was absent from his
hor.e Oh the DAY of an elactior. Four cases
Of camp voting came, about the same tiInr,
before the courts, nr rather three ca'eS.-
( For in the case known as ShimAelpeunich's
case it was proved and admitted that no..
votes had been really given by any one the,
pretended returns We're shown to be forgeries
made up in Philadelphia, and as such the
Court rejec:ed them.
The case OF most Importance was the case
! of Ewing against Thompson, well remembered
in Pit iladelpaia. The election was for Sheriff
of that county, very lucr alive office, Of
great politlcal Importance. Mr.. Robert Ew-
ing, the Democratic candidate, had a najori-
ty, if votes given for him in the camps in Vir
ginia could be counted. To politicians the
other cases were important only because the
decision in them would decide whether n
Democrat or Republican should be the
Sheriff of Philadelphia. The Republicans
opposed the soldiers vote because it was for
Ewing, the Democratic candidate. Mr.
Mann, the Republican District Attorney,
made upa case by indicting German named
: kunsman for voting frauduIently in camp
in Virginia In this case Judge Allison, Oh