Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-09-22
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'la sp,s saa TO THH 3ut 7al .,....
SOLDIERS OF OHIO
noaa ,a 500 By TIIE hasaall
Democratic State Central Committee.
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1.-THE UNION AND THE CONSTITUTION"
DRnooRAr STATE Cxs'L Cow. Rooms,l
''s'9 CoLUMBUs, Ono, Sept. Is, 1853.
~ faa go .l1rq,1 ADDREss. -aiuW
SOLDIERS OF Omo:--We are approaching On
election of unusual Interest and Importance -
On the second Tuesday OF October next the
people Of our State must, by their, votes, de-
termine the character Of our State Governmenl
for the ensuing two years. Though absent
from your homes, 90 soldiers In the service OF
your country, you are still by the laws Of your
State. citizens. By Virtue OF an act passed on
the 18th OF April last, you have the right to
add your votes to those OF your fellow-citixens
~ 0UW6, uuu buuo b1u ~ tuU OuntuyboI
of YOUR State Government. That act, entitled
"An act to enable qualified voters Of this State,
In the military service Of this State, or Of the
United States, TO exercise the right of suf.
frage," authorizes those of you who, II at
home, would be qualified voters In your re-
spectlye townships and wards, to exercise the
right Of suffrage, on the days appointed for
holding County, State, Congressional or Presi.
dental elections. While thus absent, in the
service of your country, this right 10, by the
provisions of that act, secured 10 you as fully
and absolutely "a IL you were on those days
present at your usual places of election. 10 =.
The right thus guaranteed by o law Of ycus
State, while an inestimable privilege 10 you,
devolves also upon you great and solemn re-
spousibility. To exercise the right Of fran
chise wisely, Justly and independently, is, for
moet men, o delicate and difficuls task, under
ordinary circumstances. To the soldier Ia The
service of his county, far from homo, the diff
Guilty Ia greatly increased. He is in great
measure deprived Of the counsels of bis former
frlends. He is without the advantage Of thai
free and full interchange Of sentiment, 30 which
he has been accustomed. He hears none Of the
public discussions, which to those at homo form
90 important Q part Of the means Of coming 10
q correct conclusion 10 regard to the respeotiys
merits of the principles and The PERSONS be-
tween whom choice must be made. D.. SI
But your case Ia peculiar. You entered the
military service TO aid In subdulog rebellion,
not to find On employment for life, whereby you
would separate yourselves from the ciyil asso-
Citations and interests Of your former homee.
Many Of you left families, oil of you relatives,
also orioles Of friends. And the first wish OF
thoee from Whom you parted was, that your
services might aid In bringing this unhappy and
most disastrous war to just, honorable and
speedy termination; their second wish that yor
might soop return TO enjoy with them the bless
ings OF the peace thusu secured, And In ordel
that you might continue 10 feel 90 deep an In
terest as ever 10 the civil affairs and prospect
Of your State, they determined 10 confer upoI
you through the legislative authority, The rlgh
to cooperate with them 10 the selection Of civi
officers, both for the State and General Gov
ernments. r,..l ....a.n.g ..#8 4cYi
"a This was Democratic movement. On th'
| 28th Of Feb :, 1862 o bill "fo aufherize lpolun
tscys from ths Stste, in actual serutce at the tim
OF general election, to pote ,okereoer thy MAJ
BE-" was introduced into the House of Repre-
sentatiyes by Mr.. Dfesel, Democratic member
aud similar bill BY Mr.. Sayler on the b o
March, which WAS referred to special commit
Ngob-m01Btbs DE0oot NVuvUtb0 huu 0oytoi
| all leading Democratic members. On the 9!i
of April ensuing, the committee reported II
favor Of the bill. Bat its passage was not o
that time favored by the Republican side Of th,
House. Hence 10 was laid on the table and no
taken up egain during that session, But i
view Of Che general popularity Of the measure
Mr.. Gunokel, Republican, introduced bill h
| the same effect Into the Senate, which Ipasse,
that body, but on coming TO the House, tha
also met o similar fate, and therefore failed Il
pass. 1a' i''..'o .ten.''t>' lg.4.
The Democratic State Convention, held Il
Columbus, July 9th, 1892, condemned The re-
lection Of the bill, In the following strong
sterms: 70 -'.''' ''''
Resolced, That the refusal Of the General Assembly
10 permit orr gallant soldiers in the held the right
vote, was great and uDjustiable wrong to them tha
ought not to have been committed.
10 The fall or 1852 the Democrats carried th'
election, whlch was for members of Congress
and certain State officers, but not for the Cen
eral Assembly. In shat the Republicans con
| tinued to have majority, bnt .the current O
popular sentiment was setting strongly In tht
direction Of Democratic measures. The rejec
sion Of the Bill giving the soldiers the right {,
vote wasnot well received by the people. Thi
the Republican members saw, and OF once be
came the profsssed friends Of ihe measure, ant
the bill being silll sustained BY the Democrati
members, passed near the clese Of tho last ses.
sIon by nearly unanimous vote, ~. t,s
This, soldiers of Ohio, 10 brief hlstory 0
the motives and means which led TO the enact
msnt Of the law under which you now have th
right TO aid In selecting the men 10 Gil the ex
ecuiIve and legislative offloea OF our State Gov
ernnent. To The DemoorAtIc party 10 who's
behalf We now address yol, are you mainly In
debted for this Privllsge,ss q ~ I51aeTsI -Ilg,
Moro than half Of you when you left yon
homes were emocrats, and n you were noE
here with as would undoubtedly vote as We do
and would zee the best and most convincinl
reasons for doing so. You would then know
that the Republican papafs that have been die
trlbuted among you since the war begun, hav
CONSTANTLY and perslstently mlsrepresented th
motives and purposes OF the Democratic party
You would then know that chat party ID, as
ever has been, the consistent friend Of che Con
siltntion and the Union, and has never hsrbofe
Ia thonght inimicSl 10 either, or 10 their gallan
defenders. The ground on which the party ha
ever stood and yet stands; 10 truly declsFed Il
tho first resolution OF its Platform adopted 0
| its State Convention of Jnly 4, 1862, as fol
lnWa. di hffs ,Igiag i5 slandA fah H1U0ah -
Il lI,Ir ~, a ,.ssfgha ia3iLsM stagga 's5ihEI e+f
Resoiged, That We arc, .asiwe hayea ever been, Oh
devoted friends Of tho Consultation and tho Unon an
We have no sympathy with the enemiesiof either.
And Why should ws have any such sympathy
Every motive that can actuate the human hear
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