The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1863-03-10
The CONSUMPTION Bill.

ES The Coppcrheads are making a
great ado about the Conscription bill,
and assert that it dscriminates in favor
of the Rich ana against the Poor. They,
of course. are going to oppose that, as
well as every other, means TO sustain The
government, and this pretence is as good
as any other for opposition. Now look
at the provision. II is as follows:
SIC, -. and be it further enacted, Tha. any
person drafted and notified to appear as afcre-
said, may, on or before the day fixed for his
appearance, furnish an acceptable substitute to
take his place in the draft or he may nav TO
such person as the Secretary of War may au-
thorizcd to receive it, such sum, not exceeding
three hundred dollars, as the Secretary may
determine, for the procuration OF such substi-
tute ; and hereupon such persons so furnishing
the substitute or paying the money shall be
discharged from further liability under that
draft. And any person failing to report after
due service of notice, as herein prescribed
without furnishing substitute or paying the
sum required therefor, shall be deemed deser.
ter, and shall be arrested by the Provost Mar
shall and sent TO the nearest military post for
trial by court martial, unless, upon proper
duty, the Board Of Enrolment shall relieve
him from the draft.
Will any one pretend that there should
be no provision in The bill permitting
man TO procure a substitute That is
more onerous feature than any country
has deemed it necessary TO adopt, and
We think no one viii ask that such NAV be
the course of our government. Well, if
substitutes are TO be allowed, how shall
they be procured ? You will say BY
competition. Well, the bill grants the
privilege. 1t says TO every poor man, as
well as every rich man, procure substi
tute for five, or ten, or fifty, or one bun
dred, or two hundred dollars, if you can.
But supposing there is a large demand
for substitutes. The price will go up to
500 or 600, or even 10 1000 dollars
What Is to become Of The poor man then?
The rich can pay these prices, the poor
cannot. Is the poor benefited by leaving
the matter thus ? Certainly not. But
The government says: q will stand |
between the poor man and this compeli |
ton. | will not allow the rich TO bid up
the price ofsubstitues beyond the means
Of the poor. Let the drafted man pro-
cure a substitute for such sum as he can,
but If he cannot procure one for less
than $4,000 then | engage 10 procure
one for HIM FOR that amount" The
government simply stands between the |
poor man and the sharks who always
make 1t business to procure substitutes,
AMI who, of course, sell them 10 those |
who are Wiling to give the biggest price.
II the poor man can get his substitute
for less, the government tells Kim to do /
so. Ii he cannot, then the government
says 10 him that it viii save him from
aging sum greater than $500 therefor.
How this is 10 his injustice, we fail TO
perceive On Tie contrary, it seems to
US 10 be his protection. The law, in
this respect, Is modelled after the French
system, which is esteemed The most per-
tecl IN detail, and Tie iarest in operation
in the world. The Chicago Post, Dem.
oerati,', in noticing this Copperhead ab.
lection, fronounces it ridiculous, and
says that the system is The correct one,
and the Democratic one.