The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-10-05

The Soldiers Of the Republic.
BY HORACE GREELEy.

Of the Four Millions OF persons qualified ia
for Electors of President on the eventful
eighth OF November ensuing, at least HALF a
Million will on that day confront as soldiers
the serried hosts of the Rebellion. OF these
considerable proportion will be deprived OF
their Right of Suffrage by the failure of their
respective States to adapt their election laws
TO the exigencies OF the case, while some 9TH
eTs will be so located or SO occupied that they
will be unable to vote. But, after making the
needful deductions, it is morally certain that
between Two and Three Hundred Thousand
Soldiers in camp, on the march, or in hospital
will on that day record, by their ballots, their
judgment on the State and Needs of the Ma
tion, and that their votes will go very far
toward deciding the result. This becomes,
then, a deeply interesting qrestion-"How
will the Soldiers vote ~ eera dqs- -
The Past is, to great extent, mirror OF
the Future. The thing which hath been,
it is that which shall be-" There are excep-
tions to this, as to all general rules; but the
antecedent presumption Is very strong that
men will, in given circumstances, do as in like
circumstances they have, hitherto done.
Let us carefully consider, then, the manner
in which the Soldiers of the Republic have
hitherto cast their votes, SO far as they have
been permitted to vote at all, since they en-
listed in the war for the Union.
PEEYsYLYANIA alone allowed her Soldiers
serving in other States to vote at her election
of 1861. Her soldiers then cast, in all, II ,35l
votes for the " Union," 8, ,l73 for the "Demo-
cratic" State ticket-not quite four "Union,
to one Democratic" The Supreme Court
ultimately decided these votes invalid but
that did not affect their significance SO far as
regards this inquiry. naiao .1aA
In 1862, the legal voters of a few regiments
and companies voted in ignorance orr def
anee Of the adjudication above noticed. They
gave, in all, 1867 for the Union," 25l for the
Democratic" ticket And in 1868, five regi-
ments, then stationed at Knoxville, Tennessee,
held a volunteer election, and cast 1892 votes
ler Goyernor Curtin, Union and SO for
Judge Woodward, his "Demoeraticn compet-
itor. These votes, though necessarily reject
ed ~ the canYassers' may fairly be considered
by the people, IN - %
The soldiers Of Iowa were in 1862 first au-
thorized to vote while out of the State; and
they then cast IA ,S74 votes for the " Union" to
Alb for the "Democratie" ticket-betweea
three and four to one. In 1868, they voted
second time, and nov gave 1904 for the
.Lincoln' to 1904 for the"Qemocratic" can
didates=-Ypore than fire to ope, Yet the
"Democratic1 candidate thus badly handled
was Gen. Tuttle, then fighting in the war, and
who had written a much stronger War letter
than Gen. MeClelian's acceptance. IN his
own brigade be was Fery badly beaten by his
"pnion' competitor. "a
WISCONSIN In 1862 polled Soldier-vote Of
1878 /" Republican Union" to 2,046 for the
"Demoeraticp candidates--oyer four to one.-
In 1868, her regiments cast 9257 votes for
Lewis, Union," for Governor, to TAT for
Palmer, Democratic" more than tweIoe to,
one. o
ONO enabled her soldiers to vote in the
field for the first time last year; and they gave
Brough, "Union," for Governor, Al ,453 to q
39l for Vallandigham, the Z" exile and martyr"
at least eighteen to one. But for the losses
of her regiments in the desperate, protracted,
untoward battle on the Chicamauga, a few
days before her election; Brough's majority
would have been considerably larger. The
above aggregates do not include the vote
polled ia the Libby prison at Richmond-1B2
for Brough, none for Vallandigham-whic
could not be legally counted. a98l
MISSOURI in 1862 allowed her soldiers to
vote under certain circumstances, and they
cast 2,139 for the "Emancipation" to seUeR
for the Democratic" ticket. In 1868, the
Missouri soldiers voted more generally, poll
. ing 1927 Radical" to III Conservative bal
lots Many more-3,0 900, it is stated-were
rejected and suppressed by conservative"
County Clerks, who adjudged them not cast
according to the prescribed forms. One Col
q onel in actual service was a CONSERVATIVE
candidate, and polled 69 votes in his own regi-
ment. str q
CALIFORNIA first enabled her soldiers to
vote at the election of 1861 and they polled
for Low, "Union" candidate for Governor,
4,l43; Downey, democratic" 140. ao1
COLORADO chose a delegate to Congress in
1862, and authorized her soldiers TO vote
They polled 567 Republican" to tavelpe
democratic" ballots sso
These are all the votes cast by Soldiers
whereof we have any record-nearly all that
hare been cast by soldiers in the field since
the war began. They show that, in the ag-
gregate, 120,60S votes have been cast during
the War for Republican, Emancipation
"Radcal," or 'Union" tickets, to 1879 fol
democratic" or CONSERVATIVE candidates
The Democratic" vote is rather short of one
eighth of the total, and its proportion has
diminished from wear to year with the pro-
gress OF the struggle. IS hae
That the soldiers who have voted at home
have quite as decisively voted on the right
side is notorious; but these, as has been urg
ed, were selected-sent home on purpose to
vote the Administration tickets, and because
they would SO Yote-so that the result proves
nothing decisively with regard to the feeling
of the Army. But no such cavi can be
plausibly urged with regard to those who vot
ed in the field nor-though thousands who SC
voted are now out of the seryice-has an,
complaint been made that even one soldie
yoing in camp has ever been constrained t,
poll another ballot than that of his own ire
choice. PA
In the Presidential Election before us, th
soldiers of New Hampshire, Connecticut
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Cali
fornia, and probably some other States, wi
vote in camp or field as If they were a
home and in attendance at the polls. Man
Of them will deliberately prepare a5d trans
init their ballots beforehand, so that thei
standing in line of battle or resisting raj
on tne DAY Of election will not deprive then
oi voice in thechoice Of our rulers for th
heAe ioar years. Though many minors ant
SOME aliens are found in every regiment.
Is propaple that the Army Vote of Nov. S Il
VIII not De snort of the following aggregates
New York, 10000 Pennsvlvania 55 M
Ohio, - $4,000 Iowa - Ok m
Connecticut, $4,000 Wisconsin, oo'o0
N. Hampshire, 10000 Missouri. * r9SSS SnS
California, 5000 West Virginia ~ ~ V0t oot
Total for these States, : 257 oo
Suppose only three-fourths of these votes :
be thrown for Lincoln and johnson, is ther
one of the above States-Missonri possibl
excepted-that can be carried over it ior M
Clellsn and Pendeton2 Who will sober
pretend that one can? Yet these States
say nothing OF Others certain to vote for hi
suffice to re-elect Mr.. Lincoln-as follow
Whole No. of Electors, '231. Needed
chose, 116. "
New York. SO Pennsylvania, 80