Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-10-28
rHE DRAFT.

Stnfe m Put Oi Provost Marshal 0enI Efv.
81 ere,ary Stanton has just promulgated a
statement OF Provost Marshal General Fry,
giving certain facts connected With the draft.
The Provost Marshal, in his communication,
after noticing some OF the disadvantages un-
der " hich those charged with enforcing the
CONSUMPTION law have labored, says the gen.
eral principles of the law distribute the bur-
dens OF military service fairly among those
liable 70 bear them, but there is, perhaps, more
generosity than business in some OF its humane
provisions. With certain notifications, which
can readily be made by Congress, the military
strength of the country may, by the direct and
indirect operation of this act, be surely and
cheaply brought into the field.
Several OF the Western States have not been
subjected TO the present draft on account of the
excess OF volunteers heretofore furnished, ana
from the same cause the quotas in other West
ern States are rendered quite small; the pres
ent draft is therefore but partial one, and no
specific total was established rs the quota for
it, OF those drawn in the present draft, m
Guiding the so per cent additional, over so per
cent have reported in accordance with the or.
ders OF the Boards. OF the 90 per cent who
have not reported, many are not Willful de-
serters. being unavoidably absent at sea and
the like. The deserters are telng arrested.
VI all examined about 30 per cent. have been
exempted on account Of physical disability;
about 30 per cent. have been exempted under
or found not liable to military duty on account
OF aliel age, unsuitableness OF age, non-resi-
dents, sc.
and consequently form no portion Of the Ma
tional forces.
About 40 per cent of the men examined have
! heen held to service, and have either entered
| the army in person, furnished substitutes, or
paid Communication.
About one. half of those held to service have
s.. paid communication; of the remainder about one
third have gone in person, and two thirds ha We
furnished substitutes, and all except a few In
transit and small proportion Of deserters
from among the earlier substitutes accepted
are in the ranks OF their regiments in front OF
the enemy.
The proportions above given are based upon
the reports up to this time from the seventy
three Congressional Districts where the draft
has been completed or has most nearly ap-
| preached completion.
Since the present rebellion began about two
hundred thousand soldiers, after entering SER
| vice, have been discharged on surgeons certi-
fcate OF disability. 1t is probable that at least
one.half OF them were unfit for service when
received. 1t may be safely said hat forty
millions of money was uselessly expended IN
! bringing them into the field, to say nothing OF
/ their subsequent expense to the Government
In Great Britain under the system Of volun-
| tary enlistments the rejections average over u
/ per cent. In France, from 1881 to 1885, the
average number OF exemptions annually was
9ie60; so that, to secure the contingent of OOOC
| men, I1,e6O conscripts were annually ex-
| amined
Of the recruits who presented themselves for
enlistment in our regular army in 1852, 20 per
cent were rejected for physical infrmties ex-
| elusive of age or stature. Between LIST January
/ and LIST July last more than one half were re.
| jected. These were men who desired to be &C.
cepted. These proportions are of interest in
connection with the fact that less than one.
third Of the drafted men who desired not to be
accepted have been exempted on account OF
physical unfitness.
| There have been but few cases of incompe.
! tency, fraud, neglect or abuse in the examina.
/ ton of drafted men.
All the expenditures up to this time ON &C.
count OF this Bureau, including the Enroll
ment, draft and pay Of officers and persons
connected with it, are but little over s., 200 900
| These expenditures include all made on &C.
count Of the machinery which has produced
the arrest and return Of twenty thousand de.
| serters.
| The amount of money received from the
Craft up to this date is about ten times as great
! as all the expenses incurred on account Of the
Enrolment Act those resulting from the New
! York rists are not, however, included in this
statement, as they are more properly attrbu.
utable to other causes and other persons than
~ HE n.~~e