The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1863-08-14
The Draft I'm New York.

I
The following is the Presidents reply
TO Gov. Seymour, of New York. ia rela.
ton to postponing the drat. The Press
dent takes the true and manly course.
Seymour's letter is very long, or we would
publish it also. We answer however
covers all the ground. Here is the re-
ply:
Executive MANSION, WAsHsoGTosl
August 7.
His Erleney HordtiO Sc ymour, Gouernor
Nev York, Albany, ". Y.
Your commun cation of the Sd instant
has been received and attentively consd-
cred. | cannot suspend the draft in New
York, as you requested, because, among
other reasons, TINE is to important. By
the figures you send, which presume are
correct, the twelve districts represented
fall in two classes of eight aud four re-
spectively.
Tho disparity Of the quotas for the draft
in these two classes is certainly very
striking, being the difference between an
average OF 2,200 in one class aud 4,S64
in the other. Assuming that the districts
are equal, one to another, in entire popu-
lation, as required by the plan on which
they were made, this disparity is such as
to require attention. Much Of it, howev-
er, suppose will be accounted for by the
TACT that 81 many more persons fit for
soldiers are in the city than are in the
country, who have too recently arrived
from other parts OF the United States and
from Europe to be either included in the
CELSIUS Of 1860, or to have voted in 1862.
StiD, making due allowance for this, ] am
yet unwilling to stand upon /; as an en-
tirely sufficient explanation Of the great
disparity. ! shall direct the draft to pro-
ceed in all the districts, drawing, how sv-
er, at first from each OF the four districts
to wit, the Second, Fourth, sixth and
Eighth-oniy 1900, being the average
quota Of the other class. Alter this
drawing, these four Districts, and also the
Seventeenth and Twcnty-ninth, shall %
carefully re-enrolled-and, If you please,
agents Of yours may witness every step
oil the process. Any deficiency which
may appear by the new enrolment will
be supplied by special draft for that OBJ
Jcct, allowing due credit for volunteers
who may be obtained from these Districts
respectively during the interval and at
all points, SO far as consistent with prac-
teal convenience, due credits shall be
give for volunteers, and your Excellency
shall be notified of the time fixed for com.
mencing Graft in each District.
/ do not object to abd deci sion of the
United st ties Supreme Court, or of the
Judges thcJcol, on the constitutonality
of The draft law. In fact, / should be
willing 10 facilitate the obtaining of il.
But | cannot consent to lose the time
while it is being obtained. We are con-
tending with an enemy who, as l under
stand, drives every ablebodied man he can
reach into his ranks, very much as n
butcher drives bullock into slaughter
pen. No time is wasted, no argument is
used.
This produces an army which will
soon turn upon our now victorious sold
icrs already in the field, If they shall not
be sustained by recruits as they should
be. 1t produces an army with rapidity
not to be matched on our side. if we first
waste time TO re-cxperiment with the vol
unteer system, already deemed by Con-
gress, aud palpably, in fact, so far ex-
hausted as to be inadequate and then
more time to obtain a Court decision as
to whether n law is constitutional which
requires II part of those not now in the
service to 60 to the aid of those who are
already in it ard still more time to de-
termlne with absolute certainty that we
get those who are to go in the precisely
legal proportion To those who are not to
go. My purpose is to be in my action
just and constitutional, and yet practical,
IN performing the important duty with
which | nm charged, of maintaining the
unity and and the free principles OF our
common country.
Your obedient servant,