Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-24
Gov Seymour's Reply 10 President
Lfncoln's Letter.
ALBANY, August 8, 1863.
To the President offhe United States:


/ received your communication of the 7th in
slant, this day While | recognize the conces
sions you make. I re. ret your refusal to comply
with my request TO have the draft in this State
suspended until il can be ascertained if the en-
rollments are made in accordance with the Law of
Congress or the principles of justice. know
that our army needs recruits, and for this and
other reasons | regret a decision which stands in
the way Of a prompt and cheerful movement TO
Gil up the thinned ranks of our regiments. New
York has never paused in its efforts TO send vol
unteers to the assistance Of the gallant soldiers
in the field 1t has not only met every call here
tofore made. while every other Atlantic and the
New England States, except Rhode Island. were
delinquent. but il continued liberal bounties 10
volunteers when all efforts we're suspended in
many other quarters. Active e~xertiens are now
made to organize new and oh up old regiments
These e%xertions would be more successful if the
draft was suspended, and much better men than
reluctant conscripts would Join our armies.
On the 9TH inst | advised you by letter that |
would furnish the strongest proof of the injustice
if not fraud in the enrolment of eettain districts.
l row send a full report made to me by Judge
Advocate Waterbury. am confident when you
have read it that Won will agree with
me that the honor Of the nation and Of your Ad
ministration demands that the abuses it points out
should be corrected aud punished. 70
You saw that We are cOnfendinr with an enemy
who. as YOU understand. "drives every able bodied
man he can reach into die ranks, yery much as a
butcher drives buil0cks into q slaughter pen. Z"
You will agree with me that even this. IL Impair
TALLY done to all classes, Is more tolerable than
any scheme which shall fradulently force a por-
ton Of the community into military service by a
dishonest perver<ion Of the law.
You will see by the report Of Mr.. Waterbury
that there is no theory which can explain or jus
tify the enrolment in this State wish to call
your attention TO the tables on pages 5, 6, 7 and
3, which show that in nine Congressional Dis
tricts in Manhattan. Long aud Staten Islands the
number of conscripts called for il 30. 729. while
in nineteen other districts the number of con
scripts called for is only 80, 626. This draft is to
be made from the first class. those between the
ages Of % and 35- IL appears by the census of
1860 that in the first nine Congressional Districts
there were l64. 1871 males betw cen 20 and IS;
they are called upon for b .729 conScripts. In
the other nineteen districts, with a population OF
males between 90 and IS of go, Use, only &c.
626 are demanded.
Again, to show the partisan character Of the
enrolment. you will find in the 2lst page of the
military report that in the first nine Congressional
Districts the total vote of 1860 was ISL ,243; the
number of cobscripts now demanded is 33, 129.
In the nineteen other districts the total vote was
457 ,257: vet these districts are called upon To
furnish only SO. 626 drafted men. Each of the
nine districts gave msjorities in favor of one DO
litical party. and each of the nineteen districts
gave majorities in favor of the other party.
You can not and will not fail to redress these
gross wrongs. Yours truly,
HoRArIo SEYMOUR.