Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-09
Solicitor Whiting ON the ENROLMENT
wRR GAzErTE-oEKIcrAL.
WAR DEPART'ST, SoLIcIroR's OFFICE, I
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such volunteer, or in case of q draft, as
hereinafter provided, any substitute shall
be credited 10 the town, township. ward of
a city, precinct, or election district, or of a
county not so subdivied, toward the quota
of which he may have volunteered or en-
gagged as a substitute.
"In case any quota, or part thereof, SHALL
not be filed within fifty days after such
call, the President ia required Immediately
to order draft for one year to fill such
quota or part thereof which may then be
untitled"
This act is in addition to, and in amend
ment OF, the prior acts for "enrOlling and
calling out the national forces" and must
be construed in connection Herewith.
On the 18th day of July, 1864, the Pres
ident called for 500, 900 volunteers under
the provisions of the above cited act.
Volunteers and drafted men are thus to
be introduced into the service for one, two,
or three years, whereas, by the prior enroll
ment laws of 1863 and 1854, the only Pc
Rod of service provided was for three
years or during the war; and hundreds of
thousands of soldiers are now In the serv-
ice as three years men.
Questions having arisen relating to the
settlement of quotas of which the oHe
years men are now to constitute part,
consideration of the objects, principles
and provisions Of the enrolment laws has
become necessary. -..........
The chief object of these laws is to bring
able bodied men into the military service,
and to distribute as equally as practicable
the burden of supplying them. .s....-.
In order to equalize the quotas, the ter
ritory from which troops are to be drawn
is required by law to be divided into dis.
tricts, &C. and each district is to supply
its due proportion of men.
But as some districts send more and
some less than their respective share of
troops, and send some soldiers for longer
and others for shorter term of service,
the law requires the President:to equaliEe
the quotas of the respective districts, by
their taking into consideration the num-
Der of men, and the terms of their service
in each district.
If the number of men were taken into
consideration, without regard to the time
of their service, il is clear that the gross
est inequality would exist in the respect
i've contributions of different districts, to
the aggregate military service of their
country.
If district A furnishes 900 men for one
year, it contributes only oue-third as much
TO the military service as District B, which
furnishes 1000 men for three years, al
though for the first year the contributions
of A and B are, in mere point of numbers,
equal. IS. %
But during the second aud third years
of the three years. term District A is
these districts A must raise l 900 men for
the second year, and 1000 men for the
third year of that term.
Hence the rule of equalization requires
that the number of men from each district
should be multiplied by the number of
years of each mans service. The product
gives the amount of years service actually
rendered; aud it is this product found for
each ward, district, &c, which is to form
the basis of comparison for equalizing the
service required from all the districts res
pectiVely. Such is the requirement of the
statute, and it embodies practical good
sense and even handed justice.
To apply these principles to the present
state OF facts, and to the draft to be made
on the 9th of September next:
The amount of service rendered by each
"district," &c, has been already ascertain
ed by multiplying the number of men by
their respective periods of service, thus
settling the old account of each district up
to this date, in accordance with the princi-
Piles above stated. d..
new call is now made for 100000
men. This number will be distributed
among "districts," &C., as required by law,
in strict proportion 10 the number of mil-
itary forces enrolled therein. That distri-
button having been made, each district
will be charged in account with it's quota
in the first instance. a. ia
But in some districts troops have al
ready been furnished in excess of their
quotas. Each district must have its sep
arate account made up, either by crediting
the excess or charging the defect of years
divided by three assuming as the unit of
all former quotas one man rendering three
years service.)
In other words, in settling and equaliz-
ing the old accounts of the different dis
tricts, their respective number of years.
service will be divided by three, and the
quotient will give the number of men fur
nished heretofore by each district, every
person being thus reckoned as one three
years man and the ezceSs of men over
former calls will be deducted from, or the
deficiency in former calls will be added to,
and constitute part of the respective quo
tas now to be obtained. All persons vol
unteering previously to the draft will in
like manner be credited.
The call is for one, two. or three years.
volunteers; the draft will, according to
law, be for one year only.
The question now arises:
/. Whether the three years. men will,
under the present call, be credited in the
quota OF a district the same as three one.
year menH In other words, if District A
shall be required to furnish 300 one-year
men, will the requirements of law and the
Presidents call be satisfied if il should
furnish 100 three years's menu
In considering this question, it will be
observed that one man engaged to serve
three years has been deemed the unit on
which military service has been equali7ed