Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-20
LEADER,
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1865.

: DA1L1 LEADER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER %, 1865.
Now that the election is overland notl
ing for the present is to be made out of III
soldiers, the Democracy of Ohio propos
to raise the question as to the right of .o
diers outside the State to vote. The
claim that the law says that soldiers out
SIDE the State may vote during the exis
tenee ofithe rebellion. They say that a
the rebellion is ended, they have, no. far
ther authority to vote except at their lega
residence within Ohio. af...
The following State officers have been
certainly elected in Mississippi: Swan,
Auditor Echols Treasurer; Braugher, Sec
retaryof State; Hooker, Attorney General
West, Beyton, Reynolds and Harrison,
to Congress
Hon. George V. Lawrence, member of
Congress from Washington county, Penn.
died on Friday Of bilious diarrhea, after a
protracted illness.
The Question of ROunfIes to COIored
Troops.
The subjoined letter from the Second
Comptroller of the Treasury to the Paw
master General summarizes the opinion
of Attorney General Speed on the subject
Of granting bOunties to colOred troops. to
which allusion was made in an editorial in
yesterdays LEADER:
Sir: This Office, on the Goth ult, sub
mitted to the Secretary of the Treasury
the views entertained here upon certain
question relating to the bounties to which
colored troops heretofore employed in the
service of the United States are entitled nv
law, and requested the opinion of the Al
torney General, who, in a very able and
elaborate opinion, ,concurs with this officer |
substantially affirming that colored SOL |
dlers entering the military service were in |
all cases TO be treated as freemen at the 4
date OF their acceptance in the service.
and that there was upon the statute
books no law either forbidding their en-
pioyment in the army or with the ex-
ception of the brief period of nineteen
days intervening the passage of the
act of June 18th, and that of July
4th, 1864, creating, on account of color
any distinction in the pay allowance or
bounty, to which soldiers were entitled.
From the most reliable information. il is
believed that few, if any, colored volun-
teers enlisted during the interval of niue
teen days above alluded to- and the anoma-
ly Of legislation of the act of June 18th,
1864, will therefore deprive few, if anv.
soldiers of bounty. The Attorney General
sums up his argument in the following |
First-That persons of color who NAV
have acquired their freedom by the pro
visions of the act of July 18th, 1862, and
who were mustered into the military ser
vice prior to the 18th of June, 1865, are |
sntitled TO receive the bounty allowed by
aw for volunteers.
Second-That persons Of color who may
nave escaped from slavery after the pass
ng Of the act of July 18TH 1862, and who
nay have been mustered into the military
ervice before the 18th of June, 1864, and
who were unclaimed by loyal owners at
he time of enlistment, are entitled to re-
'eive the bounty payable by law to volun-
eers. II
Ihlrd-That all persons of celoE Eeman- 4 :
ipated by the Presidents proclamation of
January lst 1863, who, after the date of q
hat proclamation and before the 18th of | I
une, 1864, enlisted and were mustered I
nto the service as volunteers, are entitled ?
0 like bounty
Fourth-That all persons of color must
red into service after the 18th of July,
S64, are entitled to receive respectively
ach sums of bounty as the President may
ave ordered in the different States not !,
xceeding one hundred dollars, and
Fifth-That all volunteers received in
, the service after July 4, 1864, are en-
tiled to receive the same bounty for the I
erm of enlistment without regard to color =
1t will be perceived that in these five II
oints that were in reply the specific ques- v
ions from this office the rights of colored | u
oldiers who may not have been free on u
ne 18th Of April 1861, and yet volunteer
d between that date and the act of JULY | .
Z, 1862, are not embraced. The Attor- :
ey General however, says elsewhere, in q
is opinion, on treating of the second sec
on of the act of June Is, 1864 which | =
ad been thought by somc to have depriv- .
/ colored soldiers of bounty, that the y
tier of that provision does not effect the .
ghts vested under the laws in force at r.
ie time of their enlistment, which ii has "a
cen seen gave the same bounty to eolored g
zen rightfnlly received into the. service e.
was accorded to white troops, and fur y
Ter still, his opinion states unhesitatingly | =
rat enlistment in the Union army makes u
ie slave a free man forever EMIT
ng him to be placed on footing with W
/
1ectfully requested to direct the payments y
bounty in conformity with the foregoing y
ecision, allowing to colored soldiers, ln
herever, and except from the 18th Of y
une to the 4th of July, 1864, whenever W
llisted during the rebellion, the bounty u u
rovided for volunteers by laws existing at y
le terms of such enlistment Ill
J. NJ. BRoADHEAD, Comptroller. p'