The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-08-20
President Lincoln ON she Draft.
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, August Z


His Excellency, Roratio Seymour, Governor of
New York. Albany, N. Y;
Your communication of the Sd inst. has
been received and attentivelv considered |
cannot consent to suspend the draft in New
York, as you request, because among other
reasons, TIME is too important. By figures
you send, which presume are correct, the
twelve districts represented fall in two classes
of eight and four respectively.
The disparity of the quotas for the draft in
these two classes is certainly very striking,
being the difference between an average of
Q 200 in one class and 1864 in the other.
Assuming that the districts are equal one to
another, in entire population, as required by
the plan on which they were made, this DIS
parity is such as to require attention. Much
Of it, however, | suppose, will be accounted
for by the fact that so many more persons Mt
for soldiers are in the city than are in the
I country, who have too recently arrived from
other parts of the United States and from Eu-
rope to be either included i'll the census OF
1860, or to have voted i'll 1862 Still, max
ing due allowance for this, / am yet unwill-
ing to stand upon it as an entirely sufficient
explanation of the great disparity. snail
direct the draft to proceed in all tho districts,
drawing, however, at first from each OF the
four districts-to wit, the End, 4th, 9th and
8th-only 1920, being the average quota OF
the other class After this drawing, these
four districts, and also the 18th and 10Th, shall
be carefully re-enrolled-and if you please,
agents of yours may witness every step OF the
process. Any deficiency which may appear
| bv the new enrolment will be supplied by a
special draft for that object allowing due cred
| # for volunteers who may be obtained from
these districts respectively during the inter
val and at all points, so far as consistent with
practical convenience, due credits shall be Civ
en- for volunteers, and your Excellency shall
be notified of the time fixed for commencing
draft in each district.
| do not object to abide decision OF the
Uuited States Supreme Court or OF the Judges
thereof on the constitutionality of the draft
law. In fact, | should be willing to facilitate
the obtaining of it. But cannot consent to
lose the time while it is being obtained We
are contending against an enemy who, as L
understand, drives every able-bodied man he
| can reach into his ranks, very much as a
| butcher drives bullocks into slaughter-pen.
| No time is wasted, no argument used. Inns
produces an army which will soon turn upon
orr now victorious soldiers already in the held,
| if thew shall not be sustained by recruits as
they should be. 1t produces an army with a
rapidity not to be matched on our side; II we
first waste time to re-experiment with the vol
unteer system, already deemed by Congress,
and palpably, in fact, 50 far exhausted as 70
be inadequate; and then more time TO OBTAIN
! q Court decision as to whether law Is con-
stitutional which requires part OF those not
now in the service to go to the aid OF those
who are already in it; and still more time TO
determine with absolute certainty that we get
those who are to 90, in the precisely legal pro-
norton r to those Who are hot to CO. My pur-
pose is to be in my action just and constitu-
tionaI and vet practical in performing the
imnortant duty with which 1 am charged, of
kmaintaining the unity and the free principles
of our common country.
Your obedient servant A. LINCOLN.