Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-10-08
way THE DRAFT HAS PARTIALLY FAILED.


The almost total failure Of the draft In New Eng
land is generally felt by the supporters of the war in
ago, when the list Of persons in Massachusetts, who
were exempted for alleged physical disability
had already grown very large, and when the con-
tingent Of recruits for the army" promised to BE-
rather small in the Bay State, the Boston Daily
Advertiser thought it timely to remind the public
of the "understood fact that there is in every com
munity vastly greater proportion of physical IN
soundness than any ordinary observer can realize.
This understood fact was made very clear re-
CARDS the community to which the Advertiser more
particularly referred.
Now that the returns Of the provost marshals
charged with the execution of the enrolment law
are nearly complete, and when the quota of troops
secured by its enforcement is found to be even
more paltry than any body had supposed, our
esteemed contemporary seems to think that fur
ther explanation is necessary, and gives it in the
following terms
Every obstacle that party hostility prejudice, half
concealed sympathy with the foe, disgust with the
hatred If the in whose hands it is placed or appeals
mob violence, TO CLASS
escape the service of the country could throw in the
Of the Government it has bad to surmoun and it is not
surprising that the result should be that law, which
approved by the public Judgment at It's passage should
no be o ked upon with doubt respects either policy
or practical advantage by large part OF the community
Bat although that party spirit which was willing to
risk Ting in order to the execution OF this
law is sponsbs much indeed for the greater part
of the difficulties which have beset the trial OF the new
system il is due to truth that should say that share
OF the responsibility must tall IN another quarter The
IN thAfj dat
ford to furnish opponents of the Government OPP
portunity every turn fr their INSCRIPTIONS practices
and that could safely load itself with every Inconvenience
and dispense with ordinarily prudent management Of
the delicate matters entrusted to it. The execution OF the
law was undertaken without any settled plan of operations
without foresight of difficulties without preparation for
possible trouble in such city as New York, without
care in the selection of ubo dnate officials and without
an ert at udicous and consistent Interpretation of the
law We mead not remind readers how heavy has been
the burden thus laid upon itself by the Department nor
how abundant have been the arguments retexs and pro-
vocatives to mischief on which an eager opposition was
ready to lay hold Thus has the law failed OF that eec
tive support from its friends which might have counter
acted in the efforts OF it's enemies; and thus
has great system which goes far to insure national
brought before the country in its first trial
with such doubtful advantage that men now dOubtfuy
discuss the chances Of any second resort TO It's ard
We entirely concur with the Advertiser in these
reflections The political resistance to this law
was, in many cases, pushed greatly beyond the
limits necessary for the due development of loyal
opposition to any particular measure OF hoy
deemed to be injudcious. And in so saying, we
do not direct our remarks to the mob resistance
of which it's execution was made the occasion, Ofor
this nobody can excuse or palliate;) but we mean
to say that many opponents Of the S ADMINISTRATION
allowed their partisan antipathies to control their
Interpretation of the law in such way as to pro-
cure for it an odum to which it YVES rot entitled BY
either its spirit or its letter.
The mistake made by the War Department in
initiating the preliminary measures for the en-
forcement OF the law consisted in the fact that
nearly all the earlier regulations were conceived 10
a spirit Of rgor not sustained by the law, and
which were pronounced untenable by the proper
authority in the War Department SO soon as the
public sense Of their injustice had called attention
to them But in this matter as indeed IN all mat
tiers, it was very important to begin right; and
though the Secretary of War sought, by his fire
auent revisioDs of the regulations, to make amends
for the errors that had been inadvertently com
mitted the law, commencing under such lnausp
cious omens, failed, as the Advertiser says, o.
that effective support from its friends which
might have counteracted in a measure, the efforts
of it's enemies"
In this respeo.., however, we are glad to say thai
the last end Of the law has been better than it,
rst; for the latest regulations of the Provost Mar
shall General have all been conceived in spirit o.
equity not to say benefcence-a fact which i
gives us the more pleasure to acknowledge because
candid minds will fnd in them the proof tina
whatever mistakes may have been made at any tim'
in the administration of the statute they proceeded
from ipadvertence, and not from spirit of miiitar.
oppression.