The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-05-20
Democratic support of the Soldiers

The Democratic press and the Democratic
members of the Legislature have, from the
beginning been in favor of law to allow
the soldiers TO vote They labored for it and
helped to pass -CoEamJus Statesman
By the law of this State, our gallant sol
diers will have voice in the next election
An effort has been made to prejudice the
Democratic soldiers in the army, against their
political brethren at home, by alleging that
they are hostile to the exercise of the cleo
tive franchise by the army. Nothing could
be more hideously false Cleveland Plain
Dealer. fio 5e
Thus assert the Statesman and Plain Deal
er. Now the facts taken from the record,
prove, that there is not a syllable of truth in
the assertion of either - sa -
At the last regular session of the Legisla-
ture, year ago last winter, on the very last
i day of its session, IN the evening, a bill al
lowing soldiers to vote was reported in the
House. The bill was crude, uudgested, i'm
perfect and unsatisfactory and without any
opposition to such course, it was postponed
until the adjourned session of this last winter,
when the bill coming up in the House SUBJ
stitute was offered by Union member. A
very important feature in this last bill was
the 9Th section, which provided that each SOL
dler should write his name on the back of his
ballot The Democrats, under lead of Con-
verse, of Franklin and Snnyth of Licking,
attacked this provision on the score that it
destroyed the secrecy of the ballot but this
feature was agreed to, and the bill went to the
/ Senate. In the Senate, the 9Th section was
stricken out lest it might be held unconstitu-
/ tional.
The bill came back to the House when
! Converse, Smythe and all the Democrats
| wheeled square around and insisted upon the
/ 8th section being retained in the BILL Of
course the only motive for such change of
base'' was that the law. if passed, might be
/ held to be unconstitutional. The House
through the aid of the Democratic members
who had thus faced about-voted to adhere
to that section and Committee of Confer
eRce was appointed.
h. This Committee on the 18th of April two
days before the adjournment, reported in fa-
vor of striking out the 9Th section, or essen
TALLY modifying it 1t should be noted that
this was the second Committee of Conference,
the first one having failed to agree As the
time was short, and as this report was from
the second Committee on that subject, the
fate of the bill itself hung upon the vote
which this report should receive A vote
against it being, under the circumstances, fa-
tai TO the bill .1.4.-s-.s -.t
The vote stood fifty-one Union votes for
the report, against taeenty-one Democratic votes
against the report. Not a Democratic Uote Das
cast IN .ttruor. of the report. There the fate of
the measure was settled. and the bill was
saved by Union votes, every Democrat so uot-
ing as to KILT.
The Democrats on the start fought against
this 9th section, and yet voted to retain it
when by SO doing there wasa chance of pass
ing an unconstitutional bill, or by the dis
agreement of the two Houses on the report of
the Committee of Conference, there was a
chanceof defeating the bill
Now with this record staring them in the
face the Statesman and the Plain Dealer claim
the bill. They may tell that to marines but
soldiers will not believe them.-C Cleveland
l Herald sa-s 55are