Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-12-24

system shall vote for he bill any shape il nlsy a
sumo but shall vote against lha FIRST action, because
believe the could be Ised by the lair enforcement
the conscIpt0n law with such amendments as the wisdom
oil Congress devise, and without burdenng the Urea
sury with the demand of one hundred mil
hon dollars / know ii said that the three hundred
thousand wl not be raised by the 9TH of January
and consequently all the bounty will not be paid but the
amendment proposed by the committee viii save Ia ge
sum In my judgment very large portion of the three
Luedred thousand called Cor by the President in his
proclamation of October last has already been raised and
this bill the only legal authority That authorizes the pay
ment Of bounty to those that have been raised Whether
we can under the circumstances refuse to pay who
nave enlisted on the faith OF the proclamation differ
emit question Perhaps cannot refuse, because IN
time OF admit that the executive authorities must
often exercise peDary powers and go beyond tho limits
and terms of the law think there Of that kind
where they may be justified by the necessities of the
do not believe however, that this is such but
think from midity from fear to enforce the law
was prescribed by Congress- the executive authorities have
made 1t necessary to call upon the Secretary OF the Trea
suy for large of money, which doubt te may be
able to raise but adds very much to the burden already
thrown upon that Department of the Government
| Mr. WILSON. Mr. President, think the passage Of
the fret section of this BILL with the limitation put upon
it, that is only to continue until the 9Th day Of January
next will money to the Treasury of the United States
agree with the Senator from Ohio that the offer Of these
boultes by the GOvernm Mt made without authority
OF law The Government had authority to offer h0nn-
ties Tor any persons TO enlist beyond the xtent of the
amount already received communication But, cir there
had been great deal OF Misrepresentation in the country
in regard to the enrolment act cOnscrptOn act,
some choose to call it, Its results well the itself
had been misrepresented L was said to be failure.
Sr, it was not failure Ii not great and eminent
cess it was failure The Government made draft Of
about onefth OF the persons enrolled between the
OF twenty aud years in some OF the States The
Government undertook to raise class OF feet
men, The Government said that the volunteer service
great ny had been enlisted who had broken down
after few months service and that we ought to have
nothing but perfect men They made, think, one hun
dred and twenty Of exemption, and under
take to say that any enrolling board could let off nearly
every drafted man under these exemption cau About
oneourth OF all the persons drafted throughout the Uni
ted States held to service About sixty thousand
men placed in the service either drafted
as substitutes and about forty thousand men paid the
mutation, and the Government authorized to offer
bcunes to that extent, which would rase forty thousand
men, and more.
The Government then, instead of going and making
another draft in which, beyond all doubt in drawing the
number Of men, they would have obtained at least
twice the number of soldiers twice the amount OF money
obtained by the previous draft called the 18th Octo
Der for three hundred thousand men, promising to pay
veterans bounty of $400 and other persons $500 Sup
posing they obtained the half from each class
here promise of $l05 100000 bounties. The
Government had then about nine million dollars paid in
Communication the Government has now about twelve mil
lions That all the money the Government had pay
the bounties promised.
Now, sir, the fret section Of this bill undertakes to
egaze and to fulfill the pledge made by the Government
to the people of the country and the States The pro-
position Of the Government limited to the 9Th day Of
January next The promise that persons enlisting
"
bountes We propose TO accept the proposition and to
fulfill the promise but propose to cose it that day
and fall back upon the bounty 500 for persons who
drafted or who volunteer after that day not allowing It,
however, to substitutes. We require the man who is
drafted to pay the whole himself to get substitute
agree with the Senator from Ohio that it is very
important to DO careful 10 what either for boun
ties any thing else pay in carrying the 1t
is important that should be careful to keep the credit
of the Government sound the Treasury full the currency
solid aud productive industry of the country pros
ha SApA in ind fhp
portion of the three hundred thousand called for by the
proclamation Of the President October 18th have been
raised think the Senator must be greatly mistaken.
do not believe that onethrd of the number have been
raised or that more than onethrd of the number will be
raised by the 9th day of January next The Government
asks for 500 900 000 That $40, 900 900 will only
pay the bountes for between fifty and sixty thousand
1t is said that we have enlisted who have been
for two or three weeks and that there no money
appropriated to pay them. think had better fulfill
the pledge Of the Government and to do must stand
by the first section Of this bill.
Mr.. HENDRICKS. Mr. President, the debate which
has sprung up does not really TO be upon that
amendment bat upon the question which has been raised
between the Senator from Ohio and the chairman of the
Committee Military Affairs. Upon that question de-
sire to express the opinion that Congress ought to
volunteering rather than to rely upon what of necess
ty must be unpopular measure OF the Governmentths
draft. think have had evidence enough in the
try that the army be supplied with by volunteer
ing; and although the Senator from Massachusetts will
admit that the draft has been failure thus far, he will
hardly claim that it has been success. Here Mr.. II.
recited many statistics Of the late draft which he thought
c. ud not be caiued az success.
But from the commencement of this every effort
Il part of the Administration to troops by appeals
to the patriotism OF the people by appeals to their desire
provide for their families before they enter the service
by giving them bounes, has been u At least
prior the issuance OF proclamation by the President
which shall not discuss, there failure in the
volunteer system. | claim that il success; and
may venture army OF volunteers better army
than army Of conscrpteJ They go freely, cheer
fully and they freely and cheeruly You hard
expect army composed Of who forced to CO.
when their interests will cacey allow them to co. when
the condition of their families will scarcely allow them to
Co. to be as valuable an army in the 6sa made up
Of volunteers claim therefore, that the effort the
part Of the Government to obtain its troops by volunteer
ing has been success and the fort to raise troops by
draft has heen failure
What then is the plain duty Of Congress With these
facts bere is it not plSi1 duty to undertake to
Gil up the army by volunteering rather than by draft
do not ask that the draft law be repealed, for know
that such ion in this body would not prevail but it
better that 1t we're repeated 10 my Judgment and
that the Government should pay liberal bounes to the
soldiers advance Of their going into the field in order
that they might well provide for their families during their
absence IL ought t be the permanent policy OF the Gov
eminent to fill up the army by volunteers and not by
drafted men, and my votes this subject shall be gov
erned by that policy.
Senators have criticised the of the Admintra-
ton IN offering this bounty Of $500 OF not
going to say that the Department did right in Offering
bounty Of $500 beyond the amount of money received
from those who paid Communication money instead OF going
into the service under the draft for ia that they did not
act according to but the purpose Of the Admnisra
ton right, aud that purpose Of the Administration
Congress ought to endorse by giving liberal bounes in
stesd of wis must be an the