Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-03-27
How Abolition " Thunder from the Ar
49, my" Is Manufactured.

26, gives specimen Of the process 1t pub
lishes with loud "Aourish of trumpets" an
article headed {" Resolutions of the S2d o. v.
l." purporting to be On official report, which
commences as follows:
At meeting of the officers of the 32i Regi-
mept Ohio Volunteer Infantry, held at Lake
Providence, La, March l4th, 1868, on motion
of Surgeon Brundage, Chaplain r. B. Bennett
was appointed Chairman, and Let Lieut.. G, A.
Stevens, Secretary Of the meeting.
On motion, committee OF three, consisting
OF Major A. M. Crumbecker, Surgeon A. HI.
i Bfundage, and Capt. ]. j. Hibbets, was chosen
to draft the following resolutions, which were
read and unanimously adopted
Then follow the preamble and resolutions in
the usual tone and style of such partisan pro.
duclions manufactured as per order of dema-
gogues at home. Il will be noted that IL was
at . meeting, not of the soldiers of the regi-
ment, or of delegates chosen by them from
their respective companies, but of the officers,
that Q committee was appointed consisting
wholly of officers, to draft resolutions, which,
taking the above official statement to be correct,
were already 'cut and dried" Whether all
the commissioned officers in the regiment par
icipated in this meeting does not appear, and
we are also left in the dark as to whether the
commissioned officers had any hand in it.
The probability is that they had not. But one
thing Is clear from the official report, that the
private soldiers were excluded from the meet
ing that concocted the resolutions.
The official report, the introduction to which
we have quoted above, is signed by the above
named Chairman and Secretary of the officers
meeting. Appended to this report is certif.
catesigned by B. F. Porrs, Colonel; R H. BENT.
LET, Lieutenant Colonel, and A. CRuMBEcKER,
Major, of the 32d o. " l., stating that the
preamble and resolutions were read to the SOL
diers Of the regiment on dress parade and by
them "unanimously adopted"
As to the unanimous adoption of the resolu-
tions the state of the case was this The SOL
diers were drawn up On dress parade and not
yet dismissed from duty for the day. They
felt bound to obey their officers in all things,
or at least not to appear to insult them by OBJ
jecting then and there to anything they might
say or do, or propose that the regiment should
do. Certain resolutions, which those officers or
sportion Of them bad already adopted, were
read to the privates while thus on dress parade.
The soldiers did not probably half hear them,
and those who did, heard them then for the first
time. There was no discussion slloWed-ro
soldier could propose an amendment or altera-
tion, or in fact say word pro or con. The Of
fcers' resolutions were quito vote, and because
no soldier while under drill and inspection on
dress parade, had the hardihood to intimate
what would have been treated as q disrespect
to the officers, by saying "No," the resolutions
are heralded abroad as ''unanimously adopt
ed"
Every true patriot and honest man, who has
any real regard for our soldiers in the field,
whatever may be his political opinions, will
protest most earnestly against this mode Of
dealing with our brave boys-our sons and
brothers, who are sacrificing all they hold dear
in life for the sake of preserving those civil
and political rights our fathers hequeathed us.
He will ask: Are these men in the field to be
made the mere slaves of few men entrusted
with little brief military authority over them,
or the tools of partisan demsgogues at homer
If soldiers are to be permitted to exercise the
right of q free public expression of political
opinions like other citizens--if dress parades
are to be turned into political meetngs-if
soldiers are to be called upon to adopt resolu-
lions expressive of their opinions on the conduct
Of the war and the character of political par
ties at home-let them proceed in the custom
anyway, allow them to appoint their own Chair
man and Secretary of such meeting, select
their own committee to draft resolutions, and
discuss, amend and alter, il they choose, the
resolutions reported BY such committee, and
finally let the vote on the adoption of any reso-
lutions be full, free and untrammeled by military
official interference Of any sort. If an officer
takes part in any such meeting let him stand
oh the same level with the common soldier,
Just as the President of the United States would
with the humblest citizen In an ordinary polit-
ical meeting at home. sG
We do NOT cay that political meetings of SOL
dies In camp or field would be proper or should
be encouraged; but this we do say most en-
phaticslly, that II resolutions relating to the
policy of the Governmsnt and the conduct of
parties or Of individual citizens, are to be
pslned- of In such numbers &c of late, as the
voice Of soldiers Of entire regiments in the field