The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1862-08-27
COMMUNICATIONS.
IFoR THE LANCASTER LEDGER. I


What it cost to Enroll the Conscripts
Take Lancaster District as basis, which
will hold good, | presume, for the entire
Confederacy. There were about 60 per.
sons left in the District liable to conscrp-
ton. after taking out the exempts, and
these cost the Confederate States about
$45o,Oo, or about $3.50 per head. For
the laborious duty of Enrolling these Con.
scripts. there were appointed officers,
one with the rank and pay Of Colonel
$l75,O0 per month-~ith three assistant
Enrolling officers, each of the rank and
pay OF lst Lieutenant, say $4,000 per
month, which foots up the little SUN Of
$3.50, in round numbers. Each OF these
officers were in the pay Of the Govern.
ment for one month. but as this was Sans
bus mess and Sans money, Of course no
one has any right TO complain. To have
Transcribed all the Rolls and written out
Transportation, for 60 men, supposing
that the Government had furnished no
printed forms, would have taken a single
man OF ordinary business habits, perhaps
two days. Now do not mean to say
that these 4 officers were actually engag
ed in this service for a whole month, but
that they were in the pay Of the Govern.
ment for a full month is manifest, for the
assistant Enrolling officers have received
their pay iu cash-S9O,O0 each-which
is a sum nearly equal TO the private sol
.diers' pay for eight months. I do not
know the number Of Conscripts in the
State, nor in the Confederate States, bu,
have understood that North Carolina b ad
about $4,000. Now this number at the
basis which have adopted, $7,5O'per
head, would foot up the snug little sum
OF $4,000. This sum Of money would
be $4,000 more than a Regiment, 1000
strong, would get in IL months, at pri.
'va.es pay. Is this righti
I do not purpose following this train Of
thought further than to show the absurd.
.ity Of the Conscript Act. II one single
State costs the Confederate States $780,
900 to Enroll her conscrpts, what, by
the rules Of simple proportion, will it cost
to Enroll all the Conscripts in the Con.
federate S,ates2 Any smart school boy
can make the calculation, but can ne get
his enumeration righti If the volunteer
system bad proved inadequate for the ex
igencies Of the war, which | am not rea
dy to admit, then the system Of drafting
should have been iesorted 70. Each reg.
iment or brigade, as he case may be, to
furnish proportion Of men equal to the
number OF men liable 10 each regiment
or brigade from the ages Of 18 to 45.-
BY this means they could have been call.
ed out as the pressing exigencies OF the
war demanded, this might have been gu
perintended by the home militia officers,
for unless they can figure in this way
they will not have much service to per.
form, as they are held back by the join,
action of the FIVE Governors, from IN &C.
tive participation ir the frat corps of Re-
serves. Thus might this enormous sum
of money. amounting in the aggregate 10
millions. have been saved, and added on
to the $ll per month Of the poor soldier,
who is compelled BY an exravagan. and
upgrateful Governmeu. to serve for this
pittance, and this same Government. suf.
fsripg the land sbsrks and extortioners
to take from bis wife and dependent Chi.
dren, whom he is compelled to leave a.