Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-25
The Dfaereuee Between the FEDERAL and
N 3ebeT f0uscrtut Law.


The Union act for enrolling and call
ng out the national forces" as 1t IS ent-
led. declares alIable-bodied male citizens |
between the ages Of twenty and forty-hve
Years subject TO military duty. The rebel |
!. copscription act as it is properly nam |
ed with its amendments, now enforced in |
the Southern States, declares all ghits |
male citizens between the ages Of eighteen |
and forty-fve 10 be actually part Of the
rebel army, and 10 be treated as -deserters
if they do not voluntarily enroll them
selves and take up arms.
The Union law exempts from service
first, ali such as arc mentally or physl-
eaDy unfit; second, the only son Of
widow depending upon his labor for sup
port; third, the only son of an aged orln-
firm parent or parents depending upon his
labor for support; fourth, where there are
two or more sons Of aged or inhrm pa
rents subject to draft, the father, or if he
lie dead, the mother may elect which son
shall to exempt; fifth, the only brother OF
children not twelve years old, having
neither father nor mother, and dependent
upon his labor for support; sixth, the
father Of motheriess children under twelve
years Of age, dependent upon has labor Tor
support and seventh, where there are Q
father and sons in the same family and
household, and two Of them are in the
military service Of the United States IS
non. commissioned cficers, musicians or
privates. the residue Of such family and
household, net exceeding two, shall be ex-
empt. Thus it makes careful aud especial
provisions in favor Of the poor and help
less, aud exempts none Of the wealtmer
class
The rebel conscription act, however, ex-
empts in the first place all the slaves
who are the property Of rich planters al
been everywhere pressed into the service.
But secondly, not contented with thus ex-
empting the property Of the wealthy, and
taking out Of the number subjeet to mill
i!ary draft, nearly half OF the able-bodled
men Of the South, the act further exempts
an able bodied white man for every TWEEN
ty slaves-that is 10 say, whoever Is suth-
eiently wealthy TO own twenty slaves, IS
thereby relieved from military duty. But
no provision is found in favor Of the poor
whites or their helpless families. The
only son of poor widow, the father of
motherless children, Of he is poor) the
brother of helpless orphans, unless he IS
a wealthy slave owner IS forced into the
army, though the mother or children
starve to death--as many have done.
The Union law offers bounty Of hfty
dollars to every soldier who re-enlists for
year; but does not make establishments
compulsory. The rebel law, passed just
before the time when the term Of service
Of a great part Of the rebel army expired,
declares briefly that " all persons who are
noW in the armies of the Confederacy, and
whose term of service will expire before
the end of the war, shall be continued In
The service for three years, etc. If our
Congress had passed such law as this,
not one Of our iwo-years or nine-mOnths
men would receive his discharge at the
close Of his term of service. Il is notori-
GUS that this provision was strictly and
even inhumanly enforced by the rebel
leaders, whereby great suffering was caused
among the families of the poor deceived
soldiers-for it applies only to the work
ingmen. Shareholders are exempt from
service.
The Union law authorizes the President
to take the necessary measures for enroll
ment OF draft, dividing the country into
districts which are to correspond with the
Congressional districts. This is especially
spoken against by the CoppeTheads, who
declare it an outrage that the President
should act in the matter at all. The rebe
act declares (section 3d) "That for the en-
rollment of all persons comprehended
within the provisions of this act, who are
not already in service in the armies Of the
Confederate States, it shall be lawful fol
the President, with the consent of the Gov
| ernors of the respective States, to employ
State officers; and on future t0lOJtaiH sucl
consent he shall employ CONFEDERATE officers
charged with the duty Of making such en-
rollment, in accordance with rules auc
| regulations to be prescribed By him" Thus
the Governors of States are in the bluntes
manner informed that no refusal Of their:
will be considered; and while our Law
prescribes to the President the precis'
manner in which he is to make the enroll
ment and draft, and thus carefully protects
the people from wrongful assumptions o
authority, the rebel act gives unlimited
power, in matters of detail, 10 Jefferson
Davis.
The Union law fixes the price to be paiC
| to substitutes at three hundred dollars, {
sum within the reach of men of very mod
crate means, who may find it impossible t.
serve without great distress to those de
pendent upon them. The rebel act has NJ
such regulation; and the consequence il
that substitutes cannot be obtained in thu
| South for less than one thousand dollars
and, indeed g, 500 have been paid for one
None but opulent men can afford TO pur
chase a substitute.
There is much talk of State rights among
the rebels, but notwithstanding this, theil
CONSUMPTION act gives authority to Davis
| to fill all vacancies which may occur among
officers, from the company upwards-anC
as no new regiments were creaNd under th'
act, but the old ones filed up to the max
imum, 1t amounts to an exclusive and alb
solute power Of appointing officers.
We have thus compared the two acts now
/ in force in the Northern and Southern
parts Of the United States, to show oul
readers the real difference between a Law
enacted by a Constitutional Government
anxious only to put the people in a cOndi
| tion to defend their national existence an6
integrity, and law enacted by a usurp
| ing despotism, which is resolved to rule Of
ruin. The one is as light and moderate
as it can be made under the circumstance
careful of the feelings and rights Of th'
people-while the other is harsh, impera
tive and absolute. Yet the reactionists O
the North to serve their political ends
denounce the one, while their mouths art
kept as close as the cave Of Ali Baba il
regard to the other. Whist the North doei
to preserve and defend the Union they
find abominable; but what the South does
though infinitely worse in spirit and de
tail, to break up the Union, they pass ovel
in silence.
Let it be remembered, moreover, that i
the rebels had not enacted their eonsorip
ton we should have had no need for ours
We could have suppressed their rebellion
so far as it was a voluntary movement By
| yOluufners aloua. hut when thew force tbi