Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-12-07


he Next DFaf:--How shall the Law
be Changed
The slow rate recruiting is going on
n many portions of the country makes
t pretty certain that the draft will have
% be relied on to raise the men called
ior by the President Some townships
and counties have, by energy and liberal
bouhties, secured their quotas already,
but we have heard of no State that can
be said to be near out Of the woods
The great States of Pennsylvania and
New York (outside of the city,, SO far as
we can learn, are making but little effort
to avoid the draft The last draft was
such farce that the people of those
States regard the whole drafting system
as mere matter of moonshine-a scare
crow to brighten the timid into volun
teering. 81 have three hundred dol
lars sailed down to pay my exemption,
and I'm all right" says one; 1--WE got
a touch of the rheumatic, and 1 can't
go" says another; I'VE are IS years of
age" say half dozen" let EN- draft
we are in favor of draft, that's the way
to get men; we are opposed to the sys-
TEN of volunteering to fill up the army"
All of these classes manifest but little in
terest in raising volunteers. The con-
sequence is, the work hangs heavy on
the hands of the Governors, and the ar
mics are filling up at rate that would
secure the recognition of the confederacy
the men, In addition to the indifference
of those who consider themselves ex-
empt from military duty, on the part of
others there appears to be general feel
ing Of security, especially in this part of
the State, which says, in so many words,
"Well, 1 guess there won't be much of a
draft, after all Governor Morton will
manage to fill Indiana's quota in some
way. It's well enough for recruiting of
fcers to work upon the fears of the timid,
and the pride of the patriotic, to Eli up
their companies, but that's about all that
will ever come of the draft in Indiana"
And so they payne more attention to the
matter, nor will they, till they find them
selves drafted and notified to appear at
some military rendezvous, within a spe-
Gifted time. Then they viii regret their
folly, and cry Justify for substitutes; but
substitutes will be worth nearly their
weight in gold-in fact will be out of the
market No other course will be open
to the poor conseript then, but to shout
der his musket and march to the front,
to the tune of Way down South in Dix
ie," or "When this Cruel War is Over.
But will the present conscript law be
changed? Just as certain as Congress
assemblies. What changes will be made
First and foremost, the $500 exemption
clause will be stricken out. This clause
has been great source of objection to
our Democratic brethren, who claim to
be the peculiar friends of the poor, and
the Union men are resolved that the OBJ
jectionable feature shall be removed.
Second, the age classification will be
changed, so as to include all between the
ages Of twenty and forty-fve in one class
from which the draft will make its selec
ton of soldiers. This change is de
manded by justice Men between the
ages OF % anu 10 are as able, generally
to endure the hardships of military
life, as those between the ages Of
% and 50. In four cases out of five
the families of men between the ages Of
30 and 10 are not as helpless as those Of
men from 80 to 50. In the case of the
. former, some of the children are sufi
GENTLY advanced in years to be of as
, sistance to the mother, while in the case
of the latter, their families are compos
ed of very small children and are en-
} tirely dependent upon--and utterly help
less in thesabsence of-the father. Thil
point needs no lengthy argument to sus
tain it. 1t is apparent to even the casua
observer. Either, therefore, all men o
, families should be exempt or none
: Again: men over the age of 35 are bet
ter prepared to leave their business thai
t those under that age Generally the,
t have secured homes for their families
, and their business is so we'll establi shet
as to require but little effort to keep i
going during their absence. With the
' young man, who is the possessor of moth
ing but growing and helpless family
r who is just beginning a business, tina
n will be ruined if heis taken away from
= it; who has no home provided for his lit
! tie family from which they may not b,
: driven by some rapacious landlord-hov
: differentl The draft very nearly ruini
e him, pecuniarily, and in case of hi
!. death, destroys his family. Above all
D however, the men over 50 years of age
as a class, are better able to obtain sub
t stitutes. Many of them have boys .olc
4 enough to go; all of them can raise tht
! money to pay for substitute, while il
: most instances men under 81 have moi
D the ability to pay large sums for substi
tutes- However great the suferings o
4 their families they would have to go.
5 The present law makes another dis
= tinction in which we could never see an,
$ justice or good sense. 1t provides that
t widower, however wealthy, who has on,
: or more children depending upon hin
S for support, shall be exempt, while th'
/ Ill