The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-03-07
THE CONsCRIPTION ACT.
A Bill for Enrolling and Calling Out
the National Forces, and for other
PURPOSES,

fufpOStS.
WHEREAS, There now exists in the
United States an insurrection and rebel
lion against the authority thereof, and it
is, under the Constitution of the United
States, the duty of the Government to
suppress insurrection and rebellion,
to guarantee to each State Republican
form of government, and to preserve the
public tranquility; and,
Whereas, For these high purposes a
military force is Indispensable, to raise
and support which all persons ought will
lingly to contribute; and,
Whereas, No service can be more
praiseworthy and honorable than that
which is rendered for the maintenance of
the Constitution and Union, and the con-
sequent preservation of free government;
therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assembled, That
all able bodied male citizens of the Unit
ed States, and persons of foreign birth
who shall have declared on oath their in
tention to become citizens under and in
pursuance to the laws thereof, between
the ages of twenty and forty-fve years,
except as hereinafter excepted, are here
by declared to constitute the national
forces, and shall be liable to perfnrm mil
itary duty in the service OF the United
States when called out by the President
for that purpose.
Sec. 2 And be it further enacted, That
the following persons be, and they are
harah1- avnar{o1 nn1 IL
provisions of this act, and shall not be
liable to military duty under the same,
to-wit: Such as are rejected as physically
or mentally unfit for the service: also,
first, the Vice President of the United
States, the Judges of the various Courts
of the United States, the heads of the
various executive departments of the
Government, and the Governors of the
several States; and, second, the only son
liable to military duty of widow depen-
dent upon his labor for support; third,
the only son of an aged or infirm parent
or parents, dependent upon his labor for
support; fourth, where there are two or
more sons of aged or infrm parents sub
ject to draft, the father, or, if he be dead,
the mother, may elect which son shall be
exempt; fifth, the only brother of chill
dren not twelve years old, having neither
father nor mother, dependent upon his
F. labor for support; sixth, the father of
motherless children under twelve years
of age, dependent upon his labor for sup
port; seventh, where there are father
and sons in the same family and house
hold, and two of them are in the military
Of tho ITpitad Statac n @ nopoO,npoicc aJ
officers, musicians or privates, the res
idue of such family, not exceeding two,
shall be exempt; and no persons but
such as are herein exempt shall be ex-
empt Prorided, howerer, That no per-
son who has been convicted of any felony
shall be enrolled or permitted to serve
in such forces.
Sec. g. And be it further enacted, That
the national forces of the United States,
not now in the military st-~ice, enrolled
under the act, shall be divided into two
classes, the first of which shall comprise
all persons subject to do military duty
between the ages Of twenty and thirty
FIVE years, and all unmarried persons
subject to do duty above the age of thirty
FIVE and under the age of forty-fve; the
second class shall comprise all other per-
sons subject to do military duty, and that
they shall not, in any district, be called
into the service of the United States until
those of the first class shall have been
called.
Sec 4. And be it further enacted, That
for greater convenience in enrolling,
calling out, and organizing the national
! forces, and for the arrest of deserters
and spies of the enemy, the United States
shall be divided into districts, of which
the District of Columbia shall constitute
one, each Territory Of the United States
shall constitute one or more, as the Pres
ident shall direct, and each Congression-
al district of the respective States as fixed
by law Of the State next preceding the
enrolment, shall constitute one; Pro
Uided, That in the States which Lave not
by their laws been divided into two or
more Congressional districts, the Presi-
cent of the United States shall divide the
same into so many enrolment districts
as he may deem fit and convenient.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That
for each of said districts there shall be
appointed by the President Provost
Marshal, with the rank, pay ard emolu-
ments of Captain of Cavalry, or an Off
Ger of said rank shall be detailed by the
President, who shall be under the direc-
ton and subject to the orders of Pro-