The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-11-20
From til. For, sasyl. yIna., Sentinel.
a Military Election Farce.

! We have repeatedly alluded to the farce O
having elections held in our military CAMPS
where The soldiers arc coerced by their officer
either to vote as they may indicate, or ID sta,
from the polls altogether. 1t is an outrage OF
the sanctity of TIE ballot box, and the vote tax
en- is no index of the feelings Of the soldiers
1t only shows the views of the officers, aud too
many Of them, having an eye to promotion
seek to curry favor by absolutely compelling the
men to vote in such way Us the Administration
may dictate
A case in point occurred at the late election
held in Louisville, by the Ohio troops stationed
there. At the Exchange Barracks $40 votes
were cast, only two of which were for Vallan-
digham. The two that votei FIR Vallandgbam
were Immediately arrested and placed under
guard.
One of these arrested men is ci,izsn of De-
fiance County, Ohio, and is well known there
as worthy and respectable man, whose word
may be implicitly relied on For voting as bis
conscience dictated he was arrested and threat :
| ened to be shot! With such revelations in view,
who can deny that the military elections are
farce-an outrage on the sanctity of the ballot
box-and thatinstead Of being apriviege to the
soldier, it only renders him passive slave in
the hands of his officers, or subjects him to the
grossest outrages if he determines to exercise
his rights as a free man.
The Defiance Denocrat publishes an extract
from letter by Mr.. Forlow, the soldier above
alluded to, giving an account of the treatment
he received because he ventured to vote for
Vallandigham. Read his statament:
IL will give you brief statement Of the
manner in which the election was conducted
here. l started at the hour of two O'Clock D.
m. to the place appointed for the Ohio soldiers
to vote. went there, not sayinga a word to
any one concerning the election ....
"Royal Taylor, the State Agent otficiated.
asked them if they had any Democratic tickets.
They said they had not. Then asked if they
had any tickets of any kind for Defiance Coun-
ty. had ticket in my pocket, neatly folded,
on purpose for the occasion. | handed it to one
OF the officers, and he asked for my county and
township, which l gave. The man who put the
tickets into the box had it in his hand the last
| saw of it. .i l4h
81 started back to the Hospital. / got part
way back, when an officer and guard caught
| me and took me back into the office, and said
here is man that voted for Vallandigham, and
an officer sent him to the Major and told him
| to shoot the damned cuss. They took us down
to Barracks No. l and put us in thd-, what
| they called guard house, but call it prison,
or nearly dungeon.
I'VE were summoned to appear before court
martial about ten o'clock thatnight. The charge
| against me was, voting for Vaandigham. /
plead guilty of the charge Iwrote my defense,
and was then taken to prison, and have been
kept there ever since. There was another man
voted about the same time as did, who was
treated in the same manner, by the name Of I.
s. King, of Adams county, Ohio
Il am here, not for any immoral conduct
whatever, but merely for voting the regularly
nominated Democratic ticket Of my native
State"