Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-04-26

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day. opposes the adoption Of the suf- /
frage amendment in its present shape. /
assigning the following reasons
Without going into further details !
at present, or making inquiry whether /
every principle Of sound policy is not /
violated BY going back now to visit /
military Offenses with punishments !
which were not threatend or eCntem- /
plated at the time the OffeBse was COM
mitted-and this is a point to be serl- /
Ously eonsidered-We inquire. what
will be the effect of the amendment If
adopted. Are the people of Ohio
ready TO disfTancltise five white
men for every black enfTaDehised ?
Taking the census table of 1860 we
end that there was then a black pop
uIation of Sc, ,673 persons in Ohio Al
lowing one-sixth as the population Of
voters we have 6,l72, and deductlng
from this number One-thiTd as having
4 visible admixture of African blood,
and consequently voters now, there re
main 1 O74 who would be entranchlsd.
According 70 the Provost Marshal's
books there are $4,000 Ohio soldiers
still charged with desertiOn, who will
be disfranchised under the amend
ment. This then Is the practical effect
9fthe amendment finkeTed and bOtch
ed into its present shape by a Legisla-
ure either too timid to meet the suf-
frage question squarely, or lnslncere
n its professions Of desire to enfran-
3hise the lew blacks IN Ohio.
The people of Ohio will be surprised
70 learn That $4,000 soldiers sent from
he State to fight the battles of the
Union deserted their cOloTs. The as
4ertiou, if true, fixes a brand of shame
1pon Ohio soldiers as class, and up
70 the fair fame of our State. Ohio
furnished In all 3IO,6 ,654 soldiers to the
Union army and Of these one in every
I3 or nearly eight per cent. according
70 the Commercial deserted Is this
he kind Of stuff men Of Ohio are
made Of A grand army Of 24000
Buckeyes IN the time Of the nation $
Ianger and trial marching to the rear
Think Of it
Certainly NO one jealous of the good
/ aame Of Ohio lCuRfs to believe such a
thing, aud no one need. Tt is simply
lot true, az every Intelligent soldier
Who served any length of time in the
ield well knows And we here ven
ure the assertion. and ohstleuge proof
| o the contrary, that there were not
me thousand men from Ohio regiments
ried and convicted Of the charge OF
lesertiou during the entire war. In
fact there we're not 500. Where then
loes the Commercial muster its army
# 24OOO skedaddlers who will be dis
'ranchised BY the amendment
From the Provost Marshal's books
Forsootb As ttopgh mere charg,
# desertion entered on the books Of
he Provost Marshsl General convie-
ed a man ofthe crime It is absurd
.idiculous, as every one intimate with
heroutine of army reports knows.
The records of the Provost Marshal
| General in refereoce to deserters are
merely transcripts from the reports II
company and regimeutal commanders
| When the commander of company
made up his monthly report he was
equired to account for every man OIL
lis roll There were almost invariably
| 1 good many men absent who coulc
lot be definitely accounted for anc
we're reported according to the bes
knowledge and judgement of the off
GER. Many had disappeared during
lction and were afterwards indefinitely
learG from as being at camps of pa
role. Many had been sent tC hospit-
ais sick and were not afterwards heard
rom. Many had been put on detaoh.
I'd service and afterwards furlougheC
without the knowledge of the compa
~ commander Many in attempting
1t the expiration of furloughs, to re
Join their commands, had been cut of
oy the enemy, or detached temporarily
IN other commands. Aud so in thoas-
md ways, soldiers innocently strayed OIL
we're sent hitber aud thither with.
out the knowledge of their company
oommap ders who were compelled to ac.
count for them in some toay on theil
| reports. These abSentees were otter
borne on the rolls for months as "ab-
1 .ent without leave" because the com.
/ nany commander had no definite
/ knowledge of their desertion, though
the army regulations required that at
ter three days absence over the time
hey should be reported as deserters
Finally, not being heard from, they
we're dropped as, deserters,
The Provost Marshal Generals bu
reau was instituted partly for the pur
pose of looking up these absent me1
md returning them to their proper
commands. Company commander
we're required to send to the depart
nent reports and descriptive lists O
hese absentees, and upon investigation
it was often ascertained that mer
charged with desertion on reports haC
been honorably detached or furlough
ed without the knowledge Of theil
commander, or had been sent to the
hospital, or captured by the enemy
| Others, after being reported to the
| Provost Marshal as deserters returned
to their commands and were taken W
IN the rolls Of the company while OF
the rolls of the Provost Marshal, who
was seldom if ever informed of the re
turn of such men, they were still car
ried as deserters.
In reference to this whole matter o.
reporting deserters the greatest irreg.
aIarity prevailed during the entire
war. In one regiment one rulew was fol
lowed, in another another and we have
known different companies Of the saml