The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-10 00:00:00

mat ter of comparatia ely small importance, it never.
theless excites indignant comments among the
labouring classes, and will effectually des f all his
chances of re-election to the mayoralty. M . Opdyke
persistently ignores the grievance of the i cot, which
is that a mm not possessing 300 dols., and not able
to borrow it, must, if draughted, go t y battle and
take the chance of being killed, maimed, invalided,
or taken prisoner; while the rich man may exempt
himself from all personal dangor by a money pay-
ment of comparatively small amount. If there were
no exemption to be procured by money, the draught
would be as unpopular among the rich as among
the poor. But, in American parlance, the Mayor
"doesn't see it." He thinks that " a young man in
robust health, who has come to this side of the Atlan-
tic, perhaps from absolute poverty and social degra-
dation in his own country to such freedom, comfort,
property, and social position as so many foreigners
have sought here and found before him, is bound to
serve personally if draughted," for the reason that
" he is offered bounty, food, elothing, pay,threefold
what he hal ever aspired to in his own country."
But, suppose this "robust young man" should say to
Mr. Opdyke—rich in me and in posse by Govern-
ment favour and the numerous contracts which
follow to reward such patriotism as his—" It is
true that I came to this country for freedom,
comfort, property, and social position,' but I prefer
the first of these blessings to all the rest. It is
because I thought the country was free that I came
to it, and if I am compelled to become a soldier
against my will, I shall consider myself a
slave. In
your own language, Mr. Mayor, though you accilY
men
the words to negroes, and not to white ,
I say
that ' whether the man who labours with
' his hands
should be a free man or a slave, whether he should
own himself or be owned
by another,no diseetihdeinuglt.i,maAtea
question which this nation is w
far as I can I will decide in favour
myselfof
do
rmanently
ril remuneration. Ido not
e by
mwiyshdatiloy
bweo work
nfeodr
te fairm por raethe Government, or by any general under whom
elie. efamTahtehinsewgrilol,slaanvde
ordered to
work, perhaps
haipskermyp g
lisnicoamy pbeelloerddet
you:and the abolitionists cry out against the villany ;
but you would compel me to fight against my will,
and insult me at the same time by talking of
my
' f
tor m
such a "
What answer could the Mayor
give
speech as this except the answer
e edo
of a despot ? The Mayor says in another part
of his manifesto, that the " policy of the
Draughting Act was to provide soldiers for the
national armies, not money for the national trea-
sury." But although the Mayor, as a rich man,
may scout the idea, the only effectual mode of
carrying out such a policy would be to abolish the
commutation, and compel both rich and poor to risk
their lives alike, and serve shoulder to shoulder.
To test whether such an arrangement would be ac-
. ceptable to the Mayor, an Irish conscript, who signs
i himself William Collins, jun., has publicly offered
I to serve in the ranks, provided always that Mr.
Opdyke's son—who is also a conscript, will do
likewise, and that Mr. Opdyke, sen., will not use
any personal or political influence to procure a com-
mission for the young man as lieutenant, captain,
major, colonel, or brigadier-general. This challenge
no sooner appeared in the newspapers than every one
who read it came to the conclusion that the gauntlet
had been thrown in vain, and that Mr. Opdyke
would either himself pay, or allow his son to pay,
the 300 dole. It turns out, however, that Mr. Opdyke
is not to be impaled upon either born of the dilem-
ma, and that the Government in this particular case
will get neither man nor greenbacks, inasmuch as
Mr. Opdyke, jun., is an invalid, and will claim
exemption on the ground of physical disability.
What Mr. Collins, jun., will do under the circum-
stances remains to be seen, but, judging from the
tone of his letter, he will neither shoulder the mus-
ket nor part with his money, but claim his alienage
as a British subject. _ _

The process of hearing claims of exemption has
already commenced in some of the wards, with re-
sults that promise but little wool for all the cry that
has been made. Yesterday in one district only six
available soldiers were procurable out of a list of 66
conscripts. Never had Queen Victoria so many
avowed subjects in New York as she has at this
day, and never did physical infirmity either of