The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-04-25

DISTINGUISHING $4,000 Whites tn
Make Voters out of 1000 Ne
grOes.
The following Is part Of an article In the
Cincinnati Commercial which commends
itself to general consideration. what has
the Journal got to say about itp
Some time ago the Provost Marshal Gem
.eral ut Washington informed Adjutant
General Cowan that there was entered on
his rolls 1900 desertlons against Ohio
troops during the whole war, and of these
Il Is not known that more than $500 or B.
loco have been relieved Of the charge. The
records at Columbus are incomplete. They
only give the condition Of the rolls at the
date Of the muster out and discharge, aud
no reports were ever returned of those
dropped from the rolls of the regiments
during the war. But these rolls. imperfect
rs they are, show am average oil elght 10
ten desertions charged to each company at
the date Of muster out, making an average
of eighty to one hundred per regiment.
THE total of regiments exceeded two hun
ldred, and the rate of desertlons per COM
pany would give an aggregate of from
iGO0O to 10000, which confirms the record
of the Provost Marshal's office at Washing
ton. ,
How many of these desertions occurred
after the surrender of the rebel armies, "
is impossible to tell. That they were very
numerous. however, there Is no room to
doubt. Apprehensiye that they were to be
sent to Texas and the Indian frontiers TO
serve out the whole of the three years vet
eran enlistment of which nearly two years
remained, the troops deserted In such NUM-
bers. aud there was such dissatisfaction
among those who remained, that the War
Department changed its policy and mus
tered the troops out us fast As possible. The
soldiers felt that the spirit of their contract
Justified their discharge. They had the
promise Of enlisting officers that they
should be discharged at the end of the war,
and this was the general understanding
but the government manifcstiug a DISPOSE
ton not to release them, but to send them
upon a service notcOntemplated whenthey
entered the army, they deserted by scores
and hundreds. The oifensc was technical.
They believed themselves to have fulfilled
their contract with the Governments and
that it had no claim upon them for service,
other than In the wal to put down the re-
bellion. They did NOT leave the army while
an armed enemy remained under the Con-
federate flag.
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 otlenses
with puuishments which were not threat
ened or contemplated ut the time the otiense
was committed-and this is a point to be
seriously considered-we inquire, what will
be the effect of the amendment If adopted.
Are the people of Ohio ready to distran-
chisc five white men for every black en-
franchised? Taking the census table OF
1860 we find that there was then a black
population of 3G,673 persons in Ohio. Al
lowing one-sixth as the population ofvoters
we have CLIP, and deducting from this
number one-third rs having Il visible ad-
mixture of African blood, and consequent
ly voters now, there remain 4,074 who
would be en~franchised. According to the
Provost Marshal's books, there are 2LOOC
Ohio soldiers still charged with desertion,
who will be DISTINGUISHED under the amend
ment. This then is the practical effect OF
the amendment tinkered and botched into
its present shape by a Legislature either
too timid to meet the suffrage question
squarely, or insiucere in its professions OF
desire to enfranchise the few blacks in
Ohio.
When the people come to understand the
bearing of tile amendment and the injus.
tice it will work to thousands of men whC
were in the army, they will put it under
their feet.