Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-03-26
Free speech ana soldiers Rights

history the motto OF patrlotlc men WAS
Free Trade and Sailors Rights." Our
motto-our demand now should be equal.
ly briei aud mpbatic--"Free Speech and
Soldiers Rights"
We demand Free Speech for ell citi-
zens without regard to party, faction,
sect or clique, whether at home or in the
''tented field" II is one Of the n.born
rights Of Americans which they can new.
er permit to bc taken away or infringed
upon, without forfeiting all claim to be
called free men.
But We especially demand Of men in
authority that they shall respect the rights
Of our citizen soldiers. They only differ
from other citizens in ths-that they are
under military law. But military law is
not the arbitrary whim or caprice Of an
officer orr General or Commander-in-
Chief; but it consists Of as well settled
principles and rules as the civil or mu-
nicipal law itself, Of which the military
law in TACT forms part.
The soldier, then, in the camp or field
is as much under the protection Of the
law as the citizen at home. The former
is not, as''some seem to think, the slave of
irresponsible officers or authorities. The
law holds, or should bs made to hold these
to as strict an account for their conduct
toward the soldiers under them and for
tho orders they issue, as it does a Sheriff
or the Judge of civil court. One is
lust as much bound by law and prece-
dents as the other. The soldier has his
rights as we'll as any other citizen, and if
there be any difference made the rights Of
the former should be more carefully guard
cd and protected.
Some men invested with little brief
military authority, seem to imagine that
when citizen volunteers to serve his
country as private soldier, he loses all
the rights he formerly possessed as a citi-
zen, and at once becomes the slave of ar
bitrary, despotc military authority. But
this is by no means the case. BY becom-
ing a soldier, q man is not divested OF
HE character as a citizen. He is still 0
citizen as well as soldier. He is enti.
tied to all his rights as citizen not in
consistent with his duties as a soldier
He is subject to both civil and militia
ry law, and is entitled to the protectio,
and guarantees of both; for the two, a,
remarked before, constitute but one code
having the same sanction, and equally
binding on officers and men.
We demand, therefore, that the lega
and constitutional rights of our either
soldiers shall be accorded them in thei
full measure and to their full extent. Th,
private soldier should be fully ant
promptly paid his scanty pittance if every
other Government creditor goes unpaid
No tax will the people pay more cheer
fully than that what they know goes di
rectly to pay off as fast as they become
due the wages Of our brave soldiers. More
than this--tho soldiers are entitled to
substantial, healthy food. com Portable
clothing; to the best medical attendance
and nursing when sick, and to be careful
ly guarded from unnecessary or careless
fatigue and exposure.
But there is among others one impor
tant right which our soldiers are entitled
to demand, and which every good an,
patriotic citizen will unite in demandin,
for them. 1t is right to use and EMO
as far as possible the same means of in
formation as to public affairs that thei
iellow-citizc in civil life possess and en-
pers, pamphlets and books that are allow
ed to circulate outside should not be OK
cludcd from the camps or lines of tn
army. There should be no censorship O
the press in tho army that is not estab
lished all over the country. The estab
lshment Of such n censorship is calcula
ted, if not intended, to bring on direc
conflict between citizens and soldiers be
cause the former posses means of inform
alton which arc withheld from the latter
and may be prompted to n different an
conflicting course of thought and actor
ltlis expected that Ohio soldiers, where
ever they may be, will vote at our mex
State election 1t is the right--it is til
duty Of these soldiers to be informed as t
our State and general palitics. The
should have the opportunity to hear bot
Sides--all sides as far as practicable. Ic
wo every day hear of military orders ex
Guiding certain Democratic papers from
the army lines. Other facts daily com
to our knowledc, showing that Democrat
ic an Conservative journals are subecte,
to rigid military censorship, and whel
directed to the soldiers. are withheld from
Ahcil, W illlt tN'IJ IaClIhN anu encourage
mcnt is afforded to the circulation anon
the soldiers Of the most rabid Abolition
journals, speeches and tracts.
The object plainly is to aboiihOntze tn
army by taking from the soldiers the rigl
to have and read such papers and polite
al documents as arc open to their lello,
citizens, The paper that father read
at home is denied to his son in the arm,
the tract that mother sends her darlin
boy in the camp that boy is not permi
tied to see, because it does not slua
with the political sentiments of some OF
in authority over him. the speech that hi
Heightened II brother at home must NJ
be read by the brother in tho camp {
field, because, iorsooth. some abolitio
biarkguarl has called the author of I'll
speech Buttcruut or n Copperhcad, an
tho song that has been sung by a lovin
sister, while her heart was full of sadnes
at tho peril to which her dear soldier
brother was exposed that brother mus
not see, because some military censo
thinks it contains sentiments that do no
accord with his style Of Abolition 10y
atty.
In tho name of the soldiers-in th
name Of our common country, its Cor
sl..K. /