Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1866-08-08
Every Man Qualified under the State
Election Laws Shall Vote.
No Voter Is Disqualified through Failure
to Report as ~ol6icr or Conscript
20 a Provost Marshal.

drafted men are being printed at the
Estate printing office IN this city, under
instructions from the State officials.
These lists, it is said, will average
about one hundred and fifty to each
regiment, thus aggregating from thirty
to thirty-fve thousand names. They
fare to be sent, with copies of the now
ldefunct act Of Legislature disfranchis-
ling deserters and non-reporting draft
=. ed men, to all the election officers Of
the State, with orders TO refuse the
votes Of all whose names appear npon
the lists Covert threats and induce
Dments, as circumstances may requife,
Twill probably accompany the lists.
The Disunionists seem determined
to make what little they can out ofthe
Estate act, Notwithstanding they know
full well that the late decision of the
Supreme Court renders the State act
hull and Uoid. Gov Curtin gave as a
reason for his delay in signing the
State act that the decision OF the
Supreme Court in the Franklin county
case, il rendered against the election
officer, U0Hld upset the State act. The
\ Court having so decided--that an
election officer cannot be made o tri-
bunal for the trial of deserters-the
State act becomes a mere nullity, Of
no force or effect, except as a bug
bear The Court also decided that
Congress has not only no authority to
Sempolper election officers, to disfianchise
ldeserters and non-reporting drafted
Imen, but no authority to empower Legis-
ldtureS to authorize such officers to try
or disfranchse such men for offences
against the Federal Government. The
Court distinctly stated that nothing
but the euidence Of trial by court mar
ltidi, and sentence approved, can be made
grounds for Acknowledgement All de-
Serters and noR-rep0rting drafted men,
therefore, otherwise legally qualified,
can cote IN Pennsylvania on the second
/ Tuesday Of October, and THE ELECTION
OFFICER OR INDIVIDUAL WHO SHALL
lATTEMPT TO PREVENT THEM WILL BE
LIABLE TO HEAVY PUNISHMENT Let
this be distinctly understood all over
the State.
This scheme now perfecting is GER
tainly the dernier resort of the Geary
Disunionists, knowing, as they do.
that no deserter or drafted man, who
ioas formerly a "Republican," can, by
amy possibility, be expected to vote
for Geary or any other candidate Of
his party, since that party has past
those acts Of political outld0ry agdiaSt
him. 1t has been well Judged, by the
\ Gearv faction, that all "Republican'
ln0H-reporting drdJted men WIN help 10
keep out OF office those who uniustlv
and unlawfully attempted to deprive
them Of their rights under the Consti-
tuition Of the State and of the Union.
Hence the effort which is about to be
made to deter men from voting, by
. sending out these formidable lists.
But none but ignorant and timid per-
sons will take any account Of the
threats of Disunionists. Some of them
may be induced TO vote for Geary,
under promise ofthe Geary politicians
that they viii not be thereafter mo-
Tested or disfranehised, by the indi-
vidual who shall give mp his righ. OF
{ choice merely to retain the right to
vote, (Which, in his ignorance he may
think he has lost,) is neither a free
man nor a man in any sense. 1t is to
be hoped that the number who tan be
SO intimidated and humbugged is very
small
The Democratic party having de-
Tended the membership of all political
parties from the attempted unlawful
deprivation of political rights, it is
therefore no moro than fair that those
men, irrespective Of party, should aid
the Democracy in upholding the State
land Federal Constitutions, through
and by which their rights are secured.
If family ties, disapproval Of the ne.
gro aspect of the war, or other circum-
stances and influences beyond their
control, prevented them from striving
on fields Of bait le for the Union,
they may now repair that neglect
by voting the Union. Every bal
, lot that may be cast for Hester
: Clymer will be telling blow for
the restoration Of the Union no
cording to the wise policy of Presi-
dent Johnson, whilst every vote cast
for John w. Geary will be a blow at
constitutional freedom and theFeder-
al Union. Let this fact be kept con-
stantly in view, and let every man,
qualified under the State election laws.
demand and secure his vote. There
IS no ldD nor poCer to preUeat-except
brute force. If fthat shall be attempted,
meet is as best you can.--Patriot d,
, Unioa.