The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-10-21
From the Soldiers-.Stone's Ma
jority in the Grey Beard ISegi-
1nent 500.

From the Soldiers-.Stone'sM Ma
jority in the Grey Beard ISegi-
| ment 800.
--'.7 ALTON, Oct. l4th, 1868.
DEAR TiMEs The election passed of
yesterday 10 our regiment with but little
excitement except among the officers, and
they were busy all day in rallying the men,
and try ing to get them to vote the Store tick.
ct. Every means was rcsorted to to make
clean sweep. An agent from Iowa was
here, and had tickets printed here for every
county represented in this regiment. This
gave them great advantage, as Democrats
were wanting tickets, but did not know
who were the candidates. l and others
wrote out tickets, put only the State officers
on them. We of Clayton were more fortu-
nate as, in addition to the ticket you sent,
/ got some from Senator Hammer; these
were all right, as the name of the county
was printed at their head. / voted one
and gave the others to our other four men,
what they did cannot tell. AS l write
the vote is not ascertained, but will an
mex it below. The majority for Stone is
large, and there are reasons to account for
it; but will venture to say that let this
regiment be placed beyond restraint, with
equal chances to procure tickets, and the
abolitionsts would have less than 100 ma
jority Democrats could not :get tickets.
One captain received a lot of Democratic
tickets to give his men: he suppressed them
and refused to gare them to his men. The
officers forgot all about the General Order
issued last September by Gen. SchoGeld,
forbidiing officers from attempting, by any
means, to Interfere with the private soldiers
in casting their votes. The vote was ia
ken at the Head Quarters, but after the
main portion had voted the judges removed
for time to the hospital, nearly halfmile
from where the polls were opened, and
there received the vote of the sick and dy.
ing. We have our smallpox hospital on
an Island nearly opposite this place, here
our officers send men in exile for petty Of
fences, and moke them guard the hospital;
here were some forty odd Grey Boards
these were brought over in a boat and all
voted. A few of our men have been sen.
fenced to confinement in the pcnitentiary
fer desertion and abuse of officers, these al
so were brought out and voted. Taking all
these things together, prisoners votes, re-
moving the poll books to the hospital, sup
preston, &C., &C., and it strikes me that
if the vote Of this regiment elects any body,
the defeated candidates could set aside the
vote. A week before the election an order
was issued by the Colonel prohibiting phi.
vate soldiers from elcctioneering, notwi,h
standing tie officers uere at the business for
soeek past. Then an election in this regi
meat convinccs me that our forefa;hers took
right view Of matters and prohibited sol
ders voting. The news Of the Ohio SOL
ders vote is enough to show that the Off
GERS control all elections when taken in
camp, and is lamentablc evidence that
we are rapidly drifting to military gov
eminent, that is at no distant day, to con
troll the elections, and ultimately overthrow
our free institutions. | am well.
Yours, truly, W.P.
Election Returns 545; Tuttl.
A; Stones majority sol.
a PHILOSOPHER. -GHAEKY, Of the Fay
cite County Pioneer, thus philosophically
closes his comments on the late elections:
"Therc is no use of growing or lament
ing over the result. We repeat what we
always have said, that revolution must
take place in the minds of the people, and
a charge from radical to conservative off.
GERS must lie made before restoration can
possibly be effected; and the persistence
in the people to elect extremists to office,
copvinces US that they have not yet been
sorely enough afflicted with war and all
its attendant evils. Inasmuch as the peo-
pie are the sovereigns and they have
shown their disposition to continue indef-
nitely the present deplorable state Of affairs,
we quietly, yet regretfully submit to their
WILL"