The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-08
BURLINGTON WEEKLY HAWKEYE;
EXECUTION OF THE CONSUMPTION Act.
The following is from the New York

DOlOA1NU w Il
The following is from the New York
Times:
"Whatever the Government can do by
constituting the law, or whatever Congress
may do by amending it, to cure its defects
and equalize it's operation, ought TO be
cheerfully and promptly done. There ought
to be, as we are sure there is, no DISPOSE
ton in any quarter to make itpress unjust
ly upon any class of the community; and
all ought to understand the Government
will do everything in its power to mitigate
its seventies and remove all just causes OF
complaint. But beyond this it should be
distinctly understood the Government can
hour to mob violence, whatever may be
the motive out of which it springs. The
laws are to be obeyed, rigidly and uniyer-
sally, until they are amended or annulled."
The foregoing has our entire concur
renee. Every man who has any just con-
ception of his duty as citizen and mem
Der of society, will set his face against
mobs.
But, as the Times remarks, everything
that can be done by the authorities should
be done to satisfy the people that the law
in question is discreetly and fairly eXecut-
ed. We ourselves think that the Secretary
of War or his Provost Marshal has allowed
Observation-Disclosures omissions ought, If
possible, to be supplied. One Of these re-
lates to the enrolment and the other to the
mode of draft. 1t ought to be unnecessary
to say that both these procedures should be
conducted in accordance with rules, whose
application will furnish the best possible
proofs that everything has been ordered in
the most considerate, impartial and tairest
manner.
And first of the enrolment. We sup
pose, though we have no information res
pecting it, that the Congressional District
is parceled out into conveniently small
subdivisions. The enrolling officer pro-
ceeds to his duty. He has made, we will
suppose, a faithful list. Having done this,
it should be his duty to post up one or more
of these lists, alphabetically arranged, in
the most public places of his district. 1t
should be so posted up a length of time suf-
fcient to give any inhabitants OF the dis
trict ansopportunity of examining it. The
advantages of this exposure are obvious.
natural curiosity and the deep interest
every man liable to the draft would feel in
seeing this list, would induce an examina-
ton and scrutiny of it by numerous per-
sons. If names which ought to be on the
list are not there, some one or more OF the
neighbors will discover the fact; and every
man has an interest, as deep as that attach
ing to life and death, to report the omission
feet enrolment would be better insured in
this way than III any other which can be
suggested. If a better one can be suggest
ed we should be glad to hear it. And II
any one can give us a good, sufficient rea-
son why this should not be adopted. we
should be glad to hear that, too. In several
of the States poll-lists are required to be
exhibited before an election. You cannot
elect constable without complying with
this prerequisite. Now, if any one can con-
vince us that while there is propriety in
taking these precautions against error, so
| that man entitled shall not lose his vote
for some petty township officer, or one not
entitled shall be refused his vote, it is quite
| proper to dispense with all such precau-
| tons in the conduct Of matter which af-
fects life and health, and prosperity in life
of scores of thousands of our fellow-citi-
zens, our sons and brothers, we shall yield
| to the force of the argument. But we do
not expect any one will attempt to prove
| this.
! The other point is that of the draft. Now
| it may be said, if you can be perfectly sure
that the draft will be fairly managed, it
matters not much how the names are
drawn. But without questioning the hon
esty or accuracy of an otficial-it being
wholly unnecessary to make question
| about that-it is to our apprehension plain
that in case of such vital interest as the
that all is done right should be afforded
| Now, what is the best possible? We an
swer that it is the process ordered in every
| draft by the French Government. That
procedure is to draw evel y name from
| wheel, and have it recorded either against
blank, which: exempts, or number, which
conscripts. Nothing else which can be i'm
that the draft has been conducted honestly
| and accurately.
| OF course, people who are interested
should at all proper times, when it is con-
| venient, have access to some copy of the
rolls. so as to have evidence by their own
verification that the numbers of the en-
| rolled and their names correspond with the
names and numbers drawn from the
| wheel.
Some persons propose to treat such pro-
visions and procedures as ''technicalities"
Of no moment. But according to the view
we take of their Importance and justice, we
should say that, if these are mere technic-
alities or points OF no interest, you might
properly dispense with notice TO the de-
PENDANTS to suit in an action, and also with
the rule or evidence which always requires
the best attainable 10 be produced.
AS the Times suggests alterations, it pro-
badly considers that there is time to make
them. 1t appears to us that the additional
time required to make as nearly as posi-
| Dlc, d ptIiSCt Cdh NC
ded. AS to the mode of drafting, all the
Provost Marshal has to do is to order it
done IN the way suggested. That method
is absolutely, and beyond all question or
cavil perfect one.
| We hope the attention Of the War De-
partment will be called in an urgent man
ner to consider the reasonableness of these
provisions. Their adoption would in our
judgment reconcile thousands upon thou
sands to the enrolment, who will without
it feel bitterly that, it positive injustice
will not be done those who are drafted, (by
having the danger Of a draft increased to
them by the omission of names which
ought to be enrolled,) at least the best
means possible of satisfying them, and Of
securing perfect enrolment and impair
tial draft have not been resorted to.-Mo.
Repub.
MATURIN L. FISHER DECLINES THE
COPPERHEAD NOMINATIoN.-For the last
three days the leading Copperheads in this
section have been in a ferment They have
been hurrying to and fro, lodging into
stairways and corners and whispering, and