Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-23
ELECTION DAY IN TIE ARMY.
EEoyv the Soldiers in Erons of Chatta-
no0Ga Accomplished Difficult
Inter Ocean.

Inter ocean,
Election day in the army called fut many
queer traits of soldier character At the
time of the October elections in Is.;2 the bovs
were penned up in Chattanooga. They pre-
pared for the election with the greatest care.
They read the instructions over and over
again, and still they were in state of be-
wilderment. They understood one thing
There was to be ballot box, and SERGEANT
Flopper made it good and strong He fin
ished it the day before the election, and, put
ting it under his blouse, carried it secretly to
the captains quarters. The boys were duly
impressed with the mystery, and strange as
1t may appear, thought it was the right
thing to do.
On the morning Of the memorable day the
boys came out promptly at roll cali. 1t WAS
raining. Everybody was keen to swear that
IL always rained on election days at home
therefore "things was moving" The boys
LOOK breakfast in silence, and then brushed up
G1eir guns. 1t was an easy thing to run an
eiec0ion-anybody could do it-there was
mourning TO 90, you know. They were nearly
al young men When they came to think
apouI IL there ought to be some old men for
Judges. Inc captains quarters were thrown
open lmpressively, and the tent gradually
assumed the appearance of a general confer
ence room At last the question, ''Whos 60
ing TO run the boat!" began to circulate The
captain got nervous, and the lieutenant GOT,
nervous and finally everybody got nervous.
These men who cached" to storm Mis-
sion Ridge dared not make single move on
the ballot box. At last Peter Piper, the old
est man IN the company, raised to his feet
and took off his hat. Everybody else took off
his hat no Ioi,
chucked his lighted pipe into his pocket. Old
Peter said: lit pears to me that we ought to
organize" ''Thats what I think remarked
several, and everybody nodded their heads
in approval. After an embarrassing silence
old Peter said: 81 move that Capt. Crocker
be chairman of this meetin'" A half dozen
seconded the motion with activity, and when
it was put the repressed emotions found ut
terance in a laundering "Aye"
The captain took the chair with great dig
nifty, but there was break. Old Peter had
exhausted his stock of suggestions and the
thing chung fire." much to the embarrass-
ment and disgust of everybody At last,
growing desperate, the captain rose to his
feet and said abruptly: ''The polls ought to
be opened in five minutes. If they are not
we will lose every burned vote" This was
w oA.S POiAAH, SSiiN AiieiAJ JON5OS G1hu SCCIS-
taries We're elected, the box was placed on a
table and voting commenced. How i'm
portantly the man would announce his
name, and with what care the judge would
take the ticket and put it in the box, clap
ping his outspread hand over the open
ing as soon as the ticket was in How
patiently they sat there all day, ever
though they knew there could not possibly be
another man to vote, and at the close how
pompously Hopper cried from the tent front,
80, yes; o, yes, the polls viii close in five
minutes" although the boys were not quite
sure whether this was legitimate or not.
Then came the counting out, and the energy
with which ''tally' was said by the clerks
was truly refreshing.
Not man in the company felt easy until
the whole thing was finished, and then with
intense relief they talked about common
affairs until nearly midnight. They We're all
agreed on one point-that the most difficult
thing the soldiers i'll front of Chattanooga
ever attempted to do was to run an election.