The weekly union record., 1865-12-23
Gov. Stone on Impartial Suffrage.

doNeInor stone, OF Iowa, gave Col.
Bentor. his opponent, some terrible
skinnings during the late canvass. This
extract is worth reading:
i have said, upon other occasions,
that | don't see why it is that the Dem
oerats should be so opposed 10 negro
suffrage. | remember, and you all
remember, that, che year ago last Fall.
the President made call for 100000
additional men. Our quota was $4,000
and some hundred. We did hot meet
the quota under the call. Prior to thas
time our State had raised.a negro regi-
ment numbering about 700 men. re
member that the call was issued with
promise that if the quota should not be
filled by certain day, that draft
should take place for the purpose of
supplying the deficiency.
| remember that some Of these same
anti-negro suffrage" men under forty
five years of age, with trembling knees,
were selling their horses, and cattle,
and farms for what they could get for
them. Some of these men were starting
for Canada and some for the gold re-
gions, and the rush was so great that
was compelled to call out the militia on
our western border to prevent any more
from leaving. Twas afraid the entire
copperhead party would leave, and that
nobody would be left to fight me here
this Fall. Laughter and applausel
In the dead of winter they hitched
up their teams and travelled to TIE verge
of the plains and there waited for the
grass to grow in the Spring, that they
might wend their way over the plains.
But in the meantime the troubles with
the Indians broke out and there these
men were. They could not so forward
for fear Of the Indians, and draft was
in their rear. Laughter. They didn't
known which way to go. They kept
waiting there till finally there come
telegram from myself, announcing that
Iowa was out of the draft Then these
Copperhcads came sneaking back, look
ing so much like escaped convicts as to
be mistaken for them. How did we
get out Of the draft ? | went to Wash
ington and got the authorities to allow
the regiment of negroes on the quota Of
our State. 1t was decided that one
three years man was equal to three
one-year men, and as most, if not all,
the negroes in that regiment were en-
listed for three years, all | had to do to
the filing of our quota was
to set down and multiply 700 negroes
by 8 and this gave 2,100 negroes to
be credited to our quota. Laughter
and applause. In that way | succeeded
in getting Iowa cut of the draft; and
had it not been for that regiment many
of those who are opposing negro suffrage
here would, in all probability, be slum-
bering in their graves on Southern soil.
Many Of this class who did not sell
their farms and get away, ascertalned
that negro recuits would be received as
substitutes. Now Colonel, tell you, if
you had been here, as l was, and seen
these fellows smelling around all over
the country for ringers" to 60 as sub
stitutes, you would not have thought of
being their anti-negro suffrage candi-
date for Governor. Loud cheers.l
Now, when this negro regiment comes
home, after having fought side by side
With our white soldiers in putting down
the rebellion, ask you, as matter of
Justice, which has the better right to
vote, the honest negro soldier who has
fought in the Union army, or the son
Of George Wallace Jones, who fought
in the rebel army
Which has the better right to vote,
the negro who has carried musket in
defense of our country and our country's
flag, or the miserable northern traitors
and rebel bushwackers? | tell you, my
friends, | would let the honest negro
soldier vote in preference to such men
as these. Applause.
MEssRs. Charles ". Howard, Oscar
Lane, and W. R. Shafter, of Vermont,
have the largest dairy farm in the
world. 1t consists Of over seventy-one
thousand acres, in Marin county, Cali
fornia, forty thousand of which are very
choice dairy land The balance is
,urrad timber. land. ten thousand acres