The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-08

THE CONsCRIPTIoN-NOT MONEY, BUT
MEN.-The appropriation of two millions
and a half by the city government of New
York to purchase exemption for all the
conscripts from that city is in the first
place cowardly concession to the mob,
and in the second place an attempt to de-
feat the object Of the government, and pre-
vent the reinforcement OF the armies of the
Union. The example of New York is be-
ing followed by other cities in that state,
and may become so general as to make the
law nullity; for it is not money but men
that the government needs. There are
doubts as TO the legality of the operation,
but there can be no doubt that it is unpat-
riotic and mischievOus. If New York is so
entirely at the mercy Of few thousand
rutfians, who filled it's streets with murder
and rapine last week, that in no other way
can the peace of the city and the lives and
property of the citizens be secured, there
may be some excuse for the concession
even II the case were as bad as that, the
New Workers had better call for help from
the country and keep up the intestine war
till their desperate classes are com pletely
eXterminated, rather than thus to yield the
vital point of the supremacy OF the law
A mob bought off is still mob; the COM
bat is only postponed, to be renewed
again whenever the mob is baked of it's
will.
But there is course of action by which
cities and towns may alleviate the hard
ships of the draft without doing anything
| to defeat it. Provision may be made, and
! should be, for the families and dependents
| of needy conscripts, and for paying the ex-
emption fees of such as cannot 60 and have
| not the means to pay for themselves. The
course taken by the town of Cape Eliza
beth, Maine, was both sensible and patri-
otto. The people being called together at
the instance OF some Copperhead artizans
in order to get a vote for the New York
plan of buying off all the conScripts, they
rejected it with great unanimity, and vo-
ted to pay every drafted man who goes to
the war or prOcures substitute $780,
That is the true idea. Offer no induce
mentS to men to stay at home, but increase
the inducements for going. And, in the
present state OF the war, with resonable
prospect, as there certainly is, that it Will
terminate before half the three years term
expires, $3.50 added to the government
bounty and pay holds out the promise of
large wages and little work, and we be-
lieve half the able-bod conscripts would
prefer to serve rather than be excused, on
such conditions. The Copperhead politi-
clans, defeated in their purpose 20 stop the
draft by mob violence, will resort to all
| sorts of devices to neutralize and defeat it
| indirectly. Loyal citizens must meet them
at every point, and while they see to it
| that the law is enforced because it is law
and is right, also make every proper effort
| and sacrifice to eaualize the burdens of the
| CONSUMPTION and remunerate those who go
| into the service of the country. In this
matter we are fighting through the most
| essential contest of the whole war, and if
| the CONSUMPTION fails we lose all that we
have won from the enemy by hard fighting
and the rebellion succeeds at last by the
aid of treason and cowardice at the North.
This must not be. Let every true man
swear it shall not be.