Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-10-30
The Arfaay Vote.

No one, with spark Of common honesty
will pretend for moment that the farcica
elections had in the army are any index tt
the true sentiments OF the great body o
the soldiers, could those sentiments be per
mitted to be fairly expre sed. The enormous
frauds perpetIated by the abolition party al
home, in the home vote, have fitting coun
terpart in the appliances made ure of in tn
armv to subordinate the will OF the soldier to
he will of his superior in of1ice.-Des Moines
Statesman.
The author of the foregoing is one W. II.
Merritt, who gained some reput tion as Lieu
tenant Colonel of the Iowa First less as q
| Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa,
and still less as member of Jim Lanes staff.
Merritt has had some experience with vol
unteer soldiers, and knows of what stuff they
are made. lie is not ignorant of their strong,
independent spirits, their ready intelligence,
and their restlessness under restraint. Ac-
customed to think and act for themselves,
they succumb to necessary military restraint
and discipline under protest. Their friends
communicate with them by |etter--they are
in cons ant receipt Of newspapers they read
party platforms and the published sentiments
of those who make and stand upon those
platforms. They are thus enabled to form
their own opinions. On the day of cleo ion
they are permitted to freely express their
choice at the ballo.-box. The fact, that at the
recent election there were ballots cast for the
candidates of both parties, is proof suilici Mt
that :" the soldiers ,re"e permitted to fairly
express their sentiments"
The political demagogue who would insult
the manhood of the Iowa soldier by charging
him with voting as his supcri officer dictat-
ed, must be very mean rebel. We havere
liable intelligence that a prominent officer in
the 10th Regiment labored assiduously for
Tuttle, and agaiost some of the Union candi.
dates in this county The regiment polled
two hundred and four votes, of which only
sixteen were cast as this officer desired. We
will make the case still stronger, by saying,
that he was assisted by 4 captaio, VINO has
the reputation here at. home Of being a
most effective political canvasser In this
case then, 1SS brave Iowa spirits turned their
backs upon their superior officers, and refus.
ed to be dictated to.
An Iowa soldier not NAN enough to 20 to
the ballot box and vote as he wishes to. He
who has braved danger and courted death at
the cannon's mouth permitted his will to
be subordinated to the wishes of superior
officers The man is a coward, and meaner
than a rebel, who would thus insult our he
roes.
We know that Mr.. Merritt is in sad spirits.
His investment in the Daily Statesman is
poor one, in view of the limited patronage
half dozen Democratic members of the Legis-
lature will have to lavish upon it. Like our
own rebels in this county, Billy Merritt has
been rebuked badly at home hut woRsE-y in
the army.
A friend at our elbow just from the army
says that no one thing at home is more COM
planned Of and draws out stronger invectives
from the soldiers han the repeated charge By
Democratic papers, that they left their man
hood at home when they enlisted and that
their votes against that party are cast to the
etfectual refutation Of the foul SANDER.