The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-12-08
Letter from tho state Capital.
AUGUSTA, Dec. 1855

Maine. Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York
and New Jersey, and that none Of these
States have been accredited anything for the
men so furnished. This State alone is known
TO have upwards of three thousand men now
serving in the navy. From its extended and
populous line of sea-coast, and with necessa-
rily most OF its seaboard population embra-
cling the mariners vocation, and obtaining
livelihood by maritime pursuits, Maine has
long been the most prolific nursery for men
for this branch Of the service of any state in
the Union. Many OF our seaport towns are
almost wholly engaged in maritime pursuits:
hence a call for troops from these places, bears
peculiarly hard upon them, from their mode
Of life and the fact of all their surplus men
being already in the naval service of the
Country. A greater number Of men In pro-
portion to our population, is yearly furnished
from this State than from any other State in
the Union, and, unless Massachusetts, exceeds
us, which is very doubtful, we annually fur
nish more men for the navy than any other
State. Yet the general government allows us
no credit for these men, but calls upon us for
Just as many as though not one Of these had
has been felt and several attempts have been
made to remedy it, but without success. Men
who have all their lifetimes been accustomed
to the sea and who can hardly walk straight
upon the land. even when perfectly sober, do
not feel called upon to shoulder musket and
knapsack and travel up AID down the swamps
and valleys and hills of red clay in Virginia,
or any other part of rebeldom to set them
selves up as target for dirt-eaters and trail
tors to shoot at, when they can keep out Of
harms way and make more money by follow
ing their accustomed vocations. Still those
men could be procured for the navy if towns
were encouraged to furnish their quotas to
the naval as we'll as the land service, and
could offer the same bounties for each and
give men their choice of which branch Of the
service to enter
With view of having this matter satisfac-
torily adjusted, to the benefit of such towns
and individuals, as well as to the general gov
ernment, which is at this time greatly in want
of men for the naval branch of the service,
Governor Coburn, a short time since addressed
letter to the Honorable Secretary of the
Navy, to see If he could not effect an arrange
ment by which such men could, If they chose,
enter the Navy and be credited to the quota of
the State, in the same manner as volunteers
for the land service. He has just received the
following reply to his letter:
NAVY DRIP RTuExr noc I 1890
SIR:-i have the honor to acknowledge
yours Of the 10Th ultimo, with enclosures.
The difficulty stated by you has been felt
and noted by the Department. BY the opera
ton Of the draft and the system OF high boun-
ties, the naval branch Of the public service is
being deprived of its legitimate force. have
brought the subject TO the attention of the
President, who is favorably disposed and fully
aware of the injustice to the maritime com
munities, as well as to the Navy; but the War
Department interposes the law as barrier to
allowing navy recruits to be credited TO the
quota assigned to the several localities.
As it could never have been intended TO
impair the naval service, or to deny the mari
time towns full credit for the seamen supplied
by thein,l cannot doubt that any defect in the
existing law will be promptly corrected by
Congress, when it assemblies. We are greatly
in want of seamen, and all mariners called or
itCtbCo luto Tue puUllC scTttCc SnOulu De per-
mitted to enter the Navy, where they can be
more useful than in the Army.
Very respectfully your obedt serv't,
tSignedl GIDEON WELLEs,
Secretary of the Navy.
His Excellency, ABSER CoBURs, Governor of
the State OF Maine, Augusta, Maine.
Such action will probably be taken BY Con-
gress, at an early day, as will set the whole
matter right, but of course the anticipation of
such action should not In the meantime delay
enlistments to I'LL the quotas already assigned.
Recruits are coming in rapidly, and present
Indications are that the quota of the State
will be filled, in almost all towns, by volun-
teers. The wisdom Of the plan adopted for
raising our contingent is becoming every day
more apparent. In no State are cnlistments
going forward SO rapidly as in Maine. Our
men are enlisting at home instead Of going TO
New Hampshire or Massachusetts,, as they
would have been induced 10 II it had been de-
cided that each town was entitled to its own
men, with whatever amount of bounty they
chose to offer, or even with no bounty at all,
as all know by experience some towns would
have voted. Some were of opinion that the
Legislature shonld have been called together
to arrange for uniform system Of bounties
throughout the State, but the poor success
which has attended a trial of it in Massachu-
sets proves the wisdom of the course adopted
by the Governor in this State.
In that State the Legislature fixed uniform
bounty to be paid by the State to all volun-
teers, and forbade town bounties altogether,
but even now towns have gone to bidding up
on one another to such an extent that it has
become necessary to issue a general order
from the Adjutant Generals Office of that
State, from which take the following ex-
tracts:
1t being represented that bounties or pecuniary
consideration are paid offered to volunteers BY OF
on behalf Of some municipalities,
It's Ordered,
], That all such payments will be considered as so
much money paid on account of the Commonwealth
and that it b. deducted from the State Bounty at the
time OF paying the same. The Adjutant General will
| prepare the rolls accordingly.
The law forbids all municipal bounties, and the
Governor will endeavor to prevent il being done,
even indirectly He urges on all good citizens the
necessity OF aiding In enforcing the law in this re-
| spect, and Of discountenancing all evasiOns OF it,
From the above it will be seen that legisla-
tive enactments are not sufficient to prevent
towns bidding upon each other, but that the
forbidding Of it falls at last upon the COM
nander-in-chief, who has full authority to
control the whole rnatfar Hanca thu n. lii, 70 81