Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-06
- cnN.rlsEPTIoN.

Aln 4 fllHNs tlN --+1h- -
DAVIS sent IN a message to Congress, ln wmeh
he saws: :. 1 therefore recomm' / the passage
of a law declaring that ali persons residing
within the Confederate States, between tha a.,=s
of eighteen apdthfr.y-fve = ars, and rigas.u.Iy
subject to military du:y shall be held to he ia
the military service OF the Confederate .aJes =
The message concludes with recomn. ding u at
all the legislation heretofore enacted which
would eorfiet with the system proposed be Te
pealed. The course of legI,iation here recon
mended, sweeps at once from oug laws the sys-
TEN of raising and maintaining armies which
has hitherto prevailed in his country from its
early history, and which was drawn from che
custom prevalent iu England. The system pre-
posed Is that of The CoNsCRIPr3S, which was
originally in existence among taa Romans, was
in modern times adopted by the French, and al
terwsIds introduced under one form or other,
into most of th European states charge so
sweeping as the one proposed, demands the
earnest attention Of those who are to be affected
by it. If the conscription BE- introduced, not an
individual citizen viii be unaffected by its work
ings in his or her person or family not a do
nestle heart1in al the length aud 5rrai b et
the Confe5e~ecy will Escape It's action, which is
celiaed r. .-~.- a system tha- IS '' ,a
personal .H.z,-. taererv .izog- Should b. e.
6sotsd upon bY every llziza. tsla7s he sans
tons its il1 .tioa uz9n .jr.ad aad It's entail
raent ssp9u MS p1s,arity. We s.e Ha,v iu t.e
progress o. @ revelation; ,hat rss1.u-oa "a p
IT,. Z. j.
ture Of our country, and the line Of 2einc'i e
sd. pied now is lie a young tree clnid-d to tie
fruitfu eartn 70 grae and expand, aud in other
generations to produce iraF that viii nouTisa, or
poison that viii destroy As Tree people We
have at ali times claimed and exercised the ughF
Of narrowly scruti.-ziag ana freely diseussin g
the proceedings OF cur public mem A. d tine
Ike ths present, this duty Of watchiui suPerin-
tendence over our legislative and executive OH
cials, their policy ana conduct, is Of more in
portance than during ordinary ePochs, for We
are now making precedauts to be quoted and
submitted to in future times. In case when
the whole military policy of our fathers, and of
the free land from which we sprung, is proposed
to be cast aside, this narrow scrutiny and free
discussion is especially requisite.
What is the conscription We prefer giving
tie explanation l. other words than our own; in
words written without view to any bearing they
may have upon events now exis ting among us.
The history of Europe, by ALISON, is we'll
known and highly esteemed work; from the lst
vol pags562 of that book, HARPER's edition,
I543, we copy the following account of the mod
eTn origin of the conscription, which was intro
duced in France in l795, at a period Of strong
public difficulty TIE historian says:
1t remained to adopt some method for the augmenta-
ton Of the army, which had been extremely diminished
by sick ess and dessEuo3 since the neaca - Ta-T'o
EUrmQ. The Skeletons ai re regiments and the non
commissioned officers remained but the ran,s exhibited
large chasus which existing state f the law pro
vided OF supplying The couvautiou- npEy with
ss ding their energy hrd made no permanent provision
for recr1itirg their army 07t had cauteuied Themselves
with two legies OF 10000 aug one OF L25JJl men.
which with Tire vo '-utry supHiies since furnished by
euei. u tLe "ft T Nl t.1 SINE t'' i'" t-'t s
revolutionary fervor had su1sGed. and 1eces existed
t'F nndng DsrHlsneHf supply Of soldiers o meet ae
wars INTO Wlcu tAr lsltiu-e atAuilnA OF III govern
ment had r.uTged ths country some l1stng resource
became inospeus- 10 M e u-e d Hlcuiy, General
Jourdan propos u Tire law of the c NsCkPTION, which
became Of the ms-t important e0n-e gU.rc q the
rsFoiUIi0n. b this decree every FrenChmaD from
twenty 70 orty-hve ye Of age was declared able
to military service. whose liable to divided
into classes, according b e years Of er birth. snd the
government authorized cal the youh gest,
second third class according 70 toe eIgences OF the
tnfs The conser pUo1 take place by lOl in the
class from which il direced TO be tax
This was the origin OF she conscripiiou among
modern nations sYVe have now to noticeits work
ings and ascertain It's influence upon the per
sonal feelings and individual happiness of the
people among whom it was introduced. To do
this we viii pass from the year 1795 to that of
1907, when NAPOLEON applied for sill another
addition to the previous eonscriptioHs. We
quote from vel. ,, page 459, Of the history:
So great was the general apprehension that the gov
eminent did not venture TO pronugste the order for
the publc journals public mui had in degree,
been prepared for the shock aud when IL announced
Reginaud 81. Angeiy-the uvai0r iutrusted Wih the
task-shed tears EUd even the s0qH ous Senate co1i
not eKpr.ss their acqU-escuce by any f tue
tons Wit which they usuay received tire imperial
dates 80 poweTfu was t1e public ieeiug, 50 visible
and universal the expression OF terror in the capital
that it was found necessary assuage s general grief
0T clause declaring that the levy al mrs be
merely organized as an army of reserve . Thes-
premises, however, proved entirely illusory.
measure producing effects such as these
could, Of course, only be administered by the
pressure Of harsh legislation, carried relentlessly
into practice; the following from vol ., page
SIS. of our authority informs Us on this point:
Exemptions at FIRST allowed 70 be purchassd for
three hundred francs but tis privilege was repealed
and in tie latter years Of the Empire substitute could
not be procured for less than eight Hu irrd aud
sand pounds lfour 20 i've thousand d3lsrsJ It
decrsed mat d-srt-r, person who failed to
attend should be hued fifteen hundred francs and sem
teneed o. thre years hard lab the iute.0r with his
head shaved bis beard long; If deserted fro %
the army his punishment was to be undergone in a
frontier place. where le enteuee hard labor
ten years on oread d W ter, vito bullet OF eight
pounds weight 81 % i.s leg, with shaved head
acd al Urshavsd cvasai ia eo--EgI ri wscI death
itsei4 Ho9id have appeared an act o. mercy SHthwase
th- pGii.luleut yvBscl aVgl -, witloat ai c1l all
the youth Of Fr Bc- If they tri-a TO avoid the con
scIipion-
ALISON expresses his opinion OF the system of
the conscription in tie following volds:
Thus the Justice Of heaven made the rzvouloaar pas
sions II France t-e- means of working ont theE own
punishment. DE- tr0sioI5 aggr-s lou Switzerland.
the flames Of Underg 5.deu, tle subugaon sf Itay,
were registered 10 me ooz of fate ami brought about
dreadful and lasting retrbu7u Not the Davouats OF
the allies not the defense OF their country occassO1cd
this lasting scoUrgs rls invasion Of other States the
cries Of Injured nnacs1ce 0t brouglt t into existence.
They liked 1on ITS infatuated people that terrible law,
which cgr5a 6sg iliJ e0cry cgtage, d9d 0Gt1fe
Wlt tsar5 sUsrg 0lr ia France Wide as had been the
spread OF me national n, wide was the lash OF na
donal punishment.
History is philosophy teaching by example"
The reader has IN the above, materials for draw
ing conclusions as to the nature, influence, and
consequences Of the conscnption. aud as to the
propriety Of substituting If for the system under
which our fathers fought and conquered.
B~The ladies of Salem, Miss have forwarded
to Gen. Sterling Price sixty-two dollars-the pro-
ceeds Of a concert giveu tor the benefit Of the
gallant soldiers under his command The gift
is made not SO much for its value as a testimo-
Ill nf .bn;r s-...raci,tion Of tl,a r,--...s.. Il