The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1863-04-09
The Conscript Law and the Poor
81. ssl.a.r -u ... Man. 1H a1.' srf H

congress, because, as they allege, II
makes distinction between the poor
and rich. The Mozart Hall Democrats.
led by Fernando Wood, have proclaim
ed hostility TO the act on this ground
one OF their resolutions, passed formal
ly nt headquarters on Tuesday night,
declaring that The people everywhere
should he awakened to the Infamous
distinction which it 1.-THE Conscription
law makes between rich and poor,
whereby the former is allowed to buy
his freedom for the sum of three hun
dred dollars, whilst the latter, unable to
command that sum, is TO be torn away
from his employment, his home and
family, and forced at tho point Of the
bayonot, into the ranks Of the army"
The taLledu of the reluctant I conscript
pricksd away from home by bayonets
is calcuated to be effective, and If the
objection to the law, as thus presented,
we're well taken, its moral force would
be greatly impaired. But the fact is
otherwise. The complaint made Of tho
law does not fix three, hundred dollars
as the sum that any one must pay in
order to obtain exemption from the
draft. Hgives 70 Me Secretary of War a
Discretionary po,Oer TO Jir fhe sum tehich
shall Jgy exemption in each indiuidual
case, Jai in no case shall over hree hun.
drrd dollars be paid. The Secretary
may require of a rich man $500 for ex.
emptioD, and he may let poor man of
---opocwhO deserves exemption for rea-
sons Of sick ness and holplcsSness of his
family-for the sum Of SO, if he will.
The language of the law is this: sr-
That any person drafted and Motif
ed to appear as aforesaid, may,
on or beforeithe day fixed for his appear
ance, furnish an acceptable substitute
to take his place in the draft, or he may
pay to such person as the Secretary of
War may authorize to receive it, such
sum, not exceeding three hundred dol,
lars, as the Secretary may determine, for
the procuration of such substitute"
1t is impossible for language to bo
palmer than this, and it,scatters to the
winds the wretched bit Of demagogue-
ism that Fernando Wood & Co. are
about to poison the minds Of their fol
lows with. Beside this specific provis-
ion Of the law, which enables the Sec.
retary of War, by sliding scale, to
adapt it to the case Of every man. acoor-
ding to bis wealth or poverty, the law,
in other respGcts.is full of7humaue ex
tmp'ious, intended toreIicvo poor fam
ilics from too large a share of its bur
dGns. Theseconl section OF the law
contains exemptions, as. follows: tf
THAT the following persons be and
they arc hereby excepted and ercmptea
from the provisinns Of this act. \
The Onl son of a widow, dependent
upon his labor for support; 49, =
the only brother Of children not twelve
years old, having neither father nor
mother, dependent nponi his labor for
support. x 4 Where there are
father and sons in the same household,
and two Of them are in the military SER
vice of tho United States as non com
missioned officers, musicians OF privates,
the residue Of such family and housct'
hold. not exceeding two, shall be cx
smps." rs .s.r t,aaa p az .Tba
With such exemptions as these, which
are Of manifest prOpriety. II and which
preclude, as faras law can, the possibil-
ity Of aged and iA6rm parsnts or or.
phansd AchiIdrehl saiferi6g 6gLsnd with
tho discretion which is given to the
Secretary Of War to fx the sum ofex.
empIion money, in every case. as low as
the condition and necessities Of tho
drafted person may render proper--it
cannot occur that any. the Slightest in.
justice can happen undsr its enforce.
mept. II wasinteuded 10 bear, equally,
on allelnsses, according to their cOhdi-
ton, and it does, in its letter nd spir.
IL, treat the poor as Justly as the fich
Mozart Iiallimagiues, no doubt, that
it has started out on avery promising
tack in originating this impeachment
Of the ConscriptiOn act; but so soon as
tho people, having their attention drawn
to the subject, learn how wise and be-
nigp j.. its provisions tho Law really IS,
they will have a stronger reason than
ever to distrust, as utterly false and dis.
loyal, ,ths opposition of. the Copper
heads to the necessary war measures Of
the natiOn.-lN. Y. Times. ,,,.,,
-----T----sOS- 600 "a
! ssKag.-s...-1f LA..LL - A..