Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-10-16

nvW,rr.r7e sTsTE OEErRAL COMMITTEE ROoMs
Uolumbus, Ode, September %, ls63.
To Lieutsnsnt Colonel C-H Grosvsnor sad Others,
! Army OF the Cumberland;
G~EyTLE1gEa Yours OF the I4sA Inst, pro
pouuBiiaz certain Undergraduates to Us, has bees
| r~eesivs1. You ask us:
a Do you, and the paTty you represent in
! Ohio. admit the csHstitutionslty Of the Law Of
the OHIO LagislAturs, passed at is last session,
giving the soldiers In The field the right to ve5s
Whistler that law is constitutional IS Obvious
II q purely legal question: the decision Of which
! cannot BE-. and ought not 70 Dc, in The slightest
degree affected By any admission or denial Of
I ths Democrats or any ether party. II raised,
/ Il must be decided BY the Supreme Court Of the
Safe (tam out Of five Of whose msmbers ere
| Rspubhezns) in sccordauee vita what the court
shan believe 70 be the requirements Of the Con
s~ftuti0n. and wholly Irrespective Of any party
creed For these Yeaso2s, We might, without
/ disrsspecE. decline % answer your guestion-6rst,
becsuse of is immate-LaitV snd, secondly
because Il seems 10 ssg0r Of tie idea
that tie rights Of the eitzsn are to
be dstsrmined by pa-iy crseds and not
I By iusicisl decision. We are sure yea DO
not mean tAis, for If sl parties in Ohio believed
the laT 70 be unesnstiiutisnsl, you and ycur
fellow soldiers woald yet insist, and properly,
too, uDon voting upon the lsw-lssviEg its con
stitafousFily 20 Be decided, not By individuals
CT parties, bat By that suDTeme judicial tribunal
provided By the Constitution TO decide e. But,
yenilemea, we have no c-oHceslmeBis 70 make,
snd the sincere respect We entertain toE you IL
Suces US e waive al other considerations, AID
answer yoUr question, promising that we have
already sufficiently answered il IN our address
to the soldiers, which you bad not seen whom
your letter wss written, but which we trust you
have seen before this, and Ognd satisfactory
upon this point
The duties Of this committee are executive II
heir character, and II Is nc psrs Of them TO
make ereeds for the Democratic party. The
psrty speaks for Itself through is primary mset-
Tags and Safe conventions, and te them we
therefore refer for is opinions. The fsets are IS
follows At the session before the lsst Of the
General Assembly, bills were introduced 70 su-
.h0rizs tho ssldjoTs t. vote. Two Of them we're
introduced by Democrats-Nessrs Dressed and
SsFlar-=nd one by r apublicsn-Ar. Guneksl
They were supported y the Dem0crats-indesd
the movement originated with the Democrats
bat failed fT want Of Republican suppOrt-tha
Republicans being Ia the majority. In view ef
this defeat of the bills, the Democratic State
convention that assembled al ColumbHs on July
1, 1863, Resslrsd, That the refusal Of the Gen
ersl Assembly to permit cur gallant soldiers IN
The field the right to vote was = great and IN
iuslifabls wrong 20 them, that ought not TO
have been committed"
This resolution. with tho others contained 10
the platform of thai convention, was ratified by
the Democracy OF every county, We believe, III
b. Sale. 81 primary meetings, and 10 these
fsets ard the triumphs Of the Democracy a. the
lection lsst fall, more than to any other cause,
are you Indebted for the law authorizing you 70
Here, then, gentleman, you have the
Of The party, pronounced ia the most
rE.s-4--- -. - -.4E--- sn.E - ~--4T :
say could add to It's force. All that the party
bss ever asked, or viii ever ask, is fair play.
We are sorry TO have IsssoR to believe thst If
not had fair play ia many instances 30 far.
While Republican papers. speeches snd d5cU-
have beea freely cireulste1 IN the army, I
Democratic papers, speeches and documents
have been, IN y great measure, suppressed
PostmssteTs s-d provost maTshals have as
sumsd 10 decide fer the soldier what hs should
read, Sc If he were not competent 70 decide for
and Democratic newspapers have been
brown cut Of the mails or destroyed, or their
circulation prohibited, as the whim, caprice or
Of these subOrdIns,s officials dictatst.
Of course, We do not mean to say that all post
snd provost msrshals have acted IN tbis
way, bat tie number who have so scfed has
Deea and is 20 numerous as TO constitute .
Of which We have a Just right to
The Democratic party has furnished as many
IS any other party, and they have
ought as bFavely and endured the hsTdshiPS OF
var with as much fortgude 81 any ether sol
Aud yetmauy of these brave men daily
zee their fathers, brothers and friends tradueed
q Republican newspapers, freely circplstsd in
he camps, as traitors aud plotters against their
,auairy, while the Democratic newspapers that
-epel and cJnfass these base accusations they
never see. We need not say to you, who are
and, therefore, men Of hoRor, that
is not rght-to ven, wbe wers horn aRd
cared under free institutions, that this is not
consistent vita thsir spirit If the solsjer is to
tie elective frsnchise-sad al admit
ought 30 have the same opportunities
,iHzsns have for Information, and form ms
lpiliens o. course we do nOs mean that our
should bec0ae the areas Of stump speak
rs and electioneerers-the well being snd dis
Of the army forbid thst-bas We DO mean
hat The soldier should be permitted to read and
for himss!f-snd it IS only by permitting
his that The law authorizing him to vote, can
etsia It's popularity. Permit this; open 70 him .
be avenues OF information; in the formation of
is opinions and the casting Of bis vote let him
q ss free ss if he were a. h0mei and whatever
lay be the effect ef bis Suffrage it will bsrespee-
ID BY bis c0CntIymen and cheerfaily aeqUieseed
]. That ysu, gentlemen, will exeTt your grest
nd deserved influence to prom0te this fairness
nd secure this desirable result va confidently
ope.
You ask us three other questions, namely!
- Il il not the programme Of your party il &
Mo 70 contest the elecjon for Governor, II Dir (
aiandigham shall Teesivs 3 majority Of The {
me vote, even though the soldiers votes q
lOuld give Mr.. Broagh q clear majority '
- L Is not further part OF your programme L
ISSUE . certificates Of ELECTION, o. procure y
eb certificates to be issuedt msmha7a of the T
g~isla.ure, when the Democrats receive a ma /
Of the home votes Of the district, without f
for OF counting Inc soldiers Yotss il
L it NOT the i~ntsntioR Of ycur party to .
pose and render viod and imperative he law o
wing the soldiers the right to vote . e
To shese questions we have merely 20 reply 2
a. there is no such programme IS is supposed
either Of the q1estiJus. u
IN conclusion, gentlemen, permit as % say that b
IA are justly jealous Of the soldiers right to b
You believe it q constitutional right. You
,leve that If ITS result should be the election
Mr Brougb, that he viii be eonstHtutionaly
setsd Governor. And 50 believing, YOU are A
'zious thst, ia that event. the Constitution A