Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-03-17
Shall The Soldier Vote in Camp?

The opponents of the Constitutional
Convention are laboring hard to make the
people believe, that its friends have no
other object in view, than abolishment of
what is left of. slavery. Whilst we are
free to admit, that such is the leading
purpose of the Convention, that at the
same time, we must maintain, that it is
very far from being the only one. The
constitution under which we have lived
for the last twelve years has never been
satisfactory to the people of Maryland
1t has always had its opponents among all
classes and shades Of politics. We do
not say every section is wrong and needs
reform, but we do say there are, in it,
imperfections enough, aside from the
slavery question, to warrant the call of a
Constitutional Convention. We could
specify numerous errors in that faulty in
strument, but we will content oursclf for
the present with the following:
In Article l Section we find the fol-
lowing provision Every free white male
person of twenty-one years of age, or up
wards, who shall have been one year next
preceding the election, a resident of the
State, and for six months resident Of
the city of Baltimore, or of any county
in which he may offer TO vote, and being
at the time of the election, citizen of the
United States, shall be entitled to vote
in the ,card or election district IN which ht
resides" &c. 'r"
Thus it will be seen that the soldier
who is in the army doing battle for his
country, cannot vote at any election un
less he is sent home to his precinct. Sc
imperative is this clause that even the
Legislature cannot cure it. The Con-
stitution should be so amended in this par.
ticular, rs to allow our citizen soldiers
who are now scattered from the Pennsyl
vania line to the Mississippi river, to cas-
their ballots in the tented field, where
they are nobly striveing against armed
traitors. They are fighting the enemy il
the front with the bayonet, and they have
n right to cast their ballots to keep down
disloyalty at home. Of course the en-.
emys of the Convention are opposed tt
allow this poor boom to be extended te
the soldier. They know the soldier is
loyal, and will vote accordingly.
This is no light matter for the consid-
Grafton of the loyal people of Maryland,
There are now in our army not less than
Is, 900 union men Of our State And in
addition to this, we are in arrear Of 16, 00C
men to fill the calls of the President. i
this quota is to be filed by volunteering
it may Be set down as a fixed fact, it will
be done with union men. If Maryland i.
to be continued loyal State she cannot
afford to send to the battlefield so many
of Her trusty men, without securing te
them the right of suffrage wherever they
may be, when elections come OH. The
scenes of 1861 in Baltimore and Fred
erick, are fresh in the minds Of all. The
same element still exists in our midst ant
cannot be trusted. ~ n
The same exhibition in the way of sol.
diers voting in camp, existed in New York
but the people of that patriotic State went
to work, and made the necessary change
in their constitution. So that they can
now vote and fight at the same time and
place.
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