Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-29
THE MILITIA LAW.
How Volunteer Companies are TO
be Filled UP by Draft from
the Enrolled Militia.


The act to organize and discipline the
militia recently passed by the Legislature
has not been published in such shape as
to give it general circulation, and its pro-
visions are very imperfectly understood
even by many of those who helped to make
the law. We give below summary Of
those provisions authorizing the draft from
the enrolled militia to fill up volunteer COM
panies, in which people generally are most
interested at this time, in view of the prob
ability for draft at an early day:
When any company now organized, OF
that may hereafter be organized, under the
militia law shall become reduced below the
minimum standard by death, discharges OF
otherwise, It shall be filled by draft from
the enrolled militia, from such district as
the Governor may designate within said
county where said company was organized
The draft to be made as follows: first, from
those of the enrolled militia who have not
commuted their service by the payment Of
four dollars into the county treasury sec
ond, from those who have so commuted
their service; and in such cases those who
have paid the communication money and are
drafted, their communication money shall be
returned to them; provided the money was
paid within three months preceding the
CALL Hli.tt
Whenever the Governor shall order adraft
from the enrolled militia, as authorized by
sec. IL, as above described, or whenever
general draft of the militia shall be made,
such draft shall be determined by lot, to be
drawn by the Auditor of the county, in the
presence of the Probate Judge, Commits
sioner, Clerk, Sheriff, or Trustees of any
city, ward or township, or any two of the
same.
Any person drafted may, within five days
after receiving notice of the same, present
to the County Auditor of such county his
certificate of exemption, or other proof of
his non-liability to military duty, which
shall be duly verified; and If such County
Auditor shall decide that such person is
exempt, or not liable, he shall be discharg-
ed, and another person shall be drafted in
his stead.
Any person drafted as above stated, may
offer substitute at the time of the rendez-
vous Of the drafted military force and mill
tia, and such substitute, if he be an able
bodied man Of the age of twenty-one years
and upwards, and shall consent voluntarily
to subject himself to all the duties, fines,
forfeitures and punishments to which his
principal would have been subject
shall be accepted by the commandant of
the company to which his principal may
belong.
The minimum of companies is as follows:
Infantry, SO; Cavalry, So; Artillery, two
gun battery, 40; four-gun battery, 9S six
gun battery, IA. All persons subject to
military duty, and who are not now mem
bers of some volunteer organization, shall
either become members of some volunteer
organization or pay into the county treasu-
ry, annually, the sum of four dollars, which
sum shall be communication for fines and
penalties for neglect to perform military
service, except under calls to prevent rebel
invasion, or suppress insurrection.
After the enrolment of the militia is
filed with the County Auditor, he shall
give two weeks notice in the county pa
pers, requiring the payment of the commu-
tation money, or the presentation of ex-
emption papers, before the 10Th of August,
and if any enrolled person shall fail to pay
the "a or file his exemption on or before
that date, the Auditor is required to pro-
ceed to collect the same with penalty ad-
ded Of thirty per cent, and the Auditor is
required to collect the same by distress, to-
gether with the penalty and such costs as
are allowed to County Treasurers five per
cent? upon distraint for taxes; he is also
empowered to appoint collectors at re-
muneration Of not over twenty per cent.
on the amount collected, together with the
costs. lesh. ,bNiltA