Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-11-07
SOLDIERS DOING
DUTY On BORDER
TO VOTE TODAY
For First Time in Fifty
Years Soldiers Will Vote
in the Field.

The thousands of national guards
men encamped along the Mexican
border are to exercise their rights OF
franchise today, Notwithstanding the
fact that in most INSTANCES they are
hundreds of miles away from their
legal voting residence. The most OF
them have been enabled to exercise
the right to vote by special act OF the
legislatures of their respective states
When it became evident that large
part of the troops would not be able
to return home before election day
the legislatures in many of the states
were hurridly summoned in special
session to enact suoll laws as would
permit of the absent voting" In
most cases commissioners have been
assigned to the various commands IN
the field, whose duty it will be to see
that the qualified voters among the
troops are supplied with the regular
ballots of their respective states and
districts, and to superintend the cast
ing of the ballots and their return to
the proper officials.
The states have made 40 provision
for wiring the returns from the
border and in most cases the official
results will not be known until the
returns arc received by mail or
brought home by the special commits
sioners. Contests in some OF the
states and in many OF the congress
sional districts are expected to be
close and the exact standing of some
of the candidates may not be def
nitely known until after the soldier
vote is counted.
About 100000 May Vote.
Il is estimated there are between
$4,000 and 100000 qualified voters
among the troops stationed along the
Mexican border and in the various
damps. A hundred thousand votes
more or less has made little differ
ence in recent national elections
Nevertheless, it is easily conceivable
that the soldier vote might have de
cisive bearing exceedingly close.
This is the first time since the
civil war that soldiers have voted II
the field. Gen. U. S. Grant played {
prominent part in winning the VOTE
for the national guardsnfen doing ser
vide in the field at that time, and i
was upon his suggestion that man.
of the checks and restraints unde
which the auardsmen vote today wer'
made.
The question Of whether soldiers
in the field should vote was brough
up in the presidential campaign o
1864 and General Grant was consulted
by Secretary OF War Station as to tn
advisability of allowing the soldier
to vote At that time the exercise O
the right of suffrage by army men il
the field was novel thing In
letter to the secretary OF war fron
City Point, Va. General Grant Wen
on record as favoring the plan Il
permit the, soldiers TO vote. and sc
forth numerous excellent reasons. II
also exhibited foresight in tn y check
and restraints with which he urges
that the process should be guarded
Army Elected Lincoln.
Fourteen OF the state authorize
their troops in the field to vote in tn
I llOil NElNli was iclh .<ON Q. JSO1
The voting passed off very quietly il
the camps. Every soldier was al
lowed freedom in the choice of candi
dates, and it is said that no election
had ever been conducted with create
fairness.
The total vote counted as a result
OF the campaign. including both tn
rome and the army votes. was 4.166,
537. and Mr.. Lincoln's plurality wa
494 ,567. The soldiers vote in favo
of Mr.. Lincoln over Mcclellan was il
the proportion OF more than three t
one. The army votes Of Kansas, Min
nesota and Vermont, which arrive
too late to be COUNTED, and certai'
votes rejected for informality in Wis
ccnsin. would have brought up tn,
total to about 4,175,000. and Mr.. Lin
coln't majority to number in ex
cess of half million. Under tn
circumstances. with Lincoln such
popular favorite over Mcclellan, tn
army vote played no significant par
in the results OF the election. eve,
though there were at least halt mil
lion soldiers in the field.
Although General Grant was large
ly instrumental i'll securing the bal
lot rights for the soldiers. he himsel
did not have an opportunity to vot,
at. the election, as his state QllinoiS
had made no provision for allowins
her soldiers at the front to cast thei
ballots.