Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-08-13
w. ID. WALLAOHi
THE FRENCH SYSTEM OF DRAFTING

Under French law every birth In the empire
must oe registered within forty hours, under
pain OF severe penalties for any attempted viola.
tioa Of the code. France Ii divided Into 90 oCo
communes, each Of which has q mayor holding
his appointment from the Department Of the In,
spects the nost Important branch OF the French
government. IL 10 In presence Of the mayor that
births are declared and formally placed upon
record t0r tsfsrs rsfsrtse. aad sss The law TO
quires that the child shall itself be brought be-
fore the civic functonary, the full names Of the
infant given, the names and condition Of both
parents, when known, given, also the sex Of the
child declared, all the facts certified to by two
credible witnesses, whose names, residences and
occupations are also carefully recorded.
1t Will be seen at glance that the Information
thus obtained Is Of immense utility TO the Govern
ment In conducting the operations Of the conscrip-
tiOn, whose mec hanism may be described In very
few wOrds: The Government calls for contin-
gent, let suppose, OF 100 600 recruits for 1854
The Legislative Body authorizes the levy 10 be
made. Each department Of the Empire, Of which
there are now eighty nine, n required to furnish
quota, based upon the amount Of its population.
The mayors hold lists Of all individuals born in
their respective communes, and notifications are
sent TO every male child born in 1912 (the draft
ing age being 20 years) that he 10 TO present him.
self on such day at the marie, to take part in
the drawing. This notification Is q mere formal
ity, as every young man knows when he will be
required 10 come forward, and Il frequently hap
pens that :ycung Frenchmen, residing abroad,
return to ,nsiI nsiSs "a land al shi, period for the
chose, might be readily avoided, by simply re-
manning out Of France.
To illustrate the mode in which the drawing
commune is required to furnish 100 conscriptsN
the total number Of elig BILE young men being saw
500. Five hundred bits Of paper are placed In an
urn, OF which four hundred are blanks, and the
remainder, marked from one to one hundred,
oblige their holders to " fall in" The 400 who
have escaped are now exempt from military ser
vice, unless some extraordinary event-such a.
Nrvw@ a. r.nNE EEan aAAr.l a n
out Of the entire arms bearing population.
The mode Of raising recruits, as has been seen,
10 simple enough-all being Afforded fair chance.
As regards exemptions, the French system Is
scarcely len simple. In the frat place, the con-
scripts undergo rigid medical examination, and
II any are found laboring under physical disantl-
ity they are at once discharged. Next In order
diyiduals with families dependent upon them
Thus the only son OF widowed mother 10 ex-
empted. SO also 10 the only brother of an orphan
sister. Brothers Of soldier still serving In the
army are exempted until the latter's term shall
expire, only one Of a family being drawn at one
time. wife cannot exempt her husband, even
II there be children, a. the law holds that young
men ought not to marry until they have fulfilled
their military obligations to the State.
A fast class OF exemptions has q pecuniary
feature. In former years that In to say up tc
1s5Smao cpnscriPt not eIemP. by phyiie.l
could escape service, except by producing a sub.
stitute. This had given rise to degrading
species Of trade or speculation, In which large
numbers Of man sellers and buyers were engaged
But, under the system referred to, the conscripi
who bought q substitute was rssponsibh for III,
EESJitxts, and IL the latter deserted, or disd be
fore the expiration Of the seven years term, was
liable 10 be forced back into the ranks
This system was abolished In 1856, by ords
OF the Emperor, and the Government Itself &C.
Septs pecuniary indemnity for the withdrawal
OF = conscript, and practically pays for his sub
stituts by offering an ample bounty to volunteers.
Its arrsuged that the sum received and paid by
Government shall vary according to the mill tary
exigencies Of the country, but the present basis
In as follows: A conscript 10 exempted for 2 400
francs $3.50, aRd the Government pays a bounty
10 volunteers amounting to 200 francs (s440, }
making q profit Of 600 francs by the exchange.