Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-07-14

:
att must be borne in mind that something like hun
dred and fifty regiments of the old veterans did not re-
enlist that from forty to two hundred men IN each OF
The regiments that renewed their service declined to re-
enlist We have estimated the mustered out men from
these at 10000 tits certainly that many asd
perhaps great deal more We have estimated the losses
to armies during this campaign at 100000 men by deaths
wounds sickness and captures, which Is certainly mode
rate one Adding all these together and deductmg them
from the accessons to the army, have credit oil
that s the army probably now $1,000 stronger
than it was at the close of the last campaign
"What in view Of these figures, becomes of Senator
Wilson's 100000 renforcements Meantime the rebels
have added by sweeping conscrpon more men 70 ieer
forces since last fall than have They relatively
stronger to-day than they were year ago. The number
of effective soldiers not now and has not been Tor
eighteen months many as the public have supposed
Such deceptive statements those put forth by Senator
Wilson do infinite mischief by creating false hopes dlscon
TENT and encouragement in the minds of the people"
We are inclined to think that there must be
some force in these suggestions if it be true that
the Secretary of War expects soon to order another
draft under the revised enrolment law. And yet
Mr.. Wilson was very explicit in his statements,
and, as the recognised medium of communication
between the War Department and the Senate, he
made them repeatedly to the same effect. Speak
ing as late as the Goth ultimo, he said:
"Lsst October we called for 100000 That included
however all the that had enlisted from the 26h Of
NAV 1868 We then called for 500 900 10 February
hut that included the 900 Of October and made
an aggregate call Of half million men. Then we called
for 100000 in March, making aggregate cal d
200 900 from the 26h day Of May 1863 TO the present
time. Those haUe been raised Some of the States
have raised in the aggregate about 10000 more men than
were called for Other States have failed to the amount
of about 000 The returns of the draft ordered in
for 900 who have been drafted and of that number
we hold about $4,000 About 4,400 men held 5000
furnish substitutes, and S,4OO pay the communication"
On the same day he said that the aggregate
number of troops actually furnished to the Gov
eminent by the people, if measured by the term
of three years service, footed up one million and
sight hundred thousand men That is, the Gov
eminent, under its several calls, has received a
number of men representing a force of 100000
troops enlisted for three years. ,..
One source of discrepancy between the nominal
returns of the enrolment bureau and the number
of men actually put by it in the field may be found,
perhaps, in the following statement made by MIR.
Senator Sherman, of Ohio, in the course of the
debate on the 23d ultimo, when he said
Owing to fraudulent and inc cent systems practsed
throughout the country perhaps by officers them
selves the Communication money has been grossly wasted
In many has been paid out to improper substitutes
supposed myself originally that the agents Of the Gov
eminent could better be trusted the employing hiring
of substitutes than the drafted but experience has
shown the 0fceTs OF government nave
cheated and defrauded in hiring substitutes than the
drafted man and the cases are numerous where officers
Of the Government have employed substitutes for the
mutation money, and within twenty -four hours afterwards
The substitute has deserted the Government has not only
Lost the services Of the drafted man, but of the snbute
and lost the money besides" ,a
The principles on which alone draft can be
enforced without giving cause of just complaint
were thus expressed In the same debate by Sena-
tor Sherman He said:
81 wish could go little further and compel the an
thortes at the other end Of the avenue 70 enforce the
drafts thing they have yet done under spy Of opr
draft laws, and which fear they will not do Joish ~
could compel them 10 enforce he draft airlv and eouaLv IN
all sections Of the country that could be no com
plant about inequality and then should have accom-
plshed great result We know that this Governor win
beg of and that Governor will beg off, and one State will
want to take money and 20 to other State To hire
substtues Every section will have it's particular plan
and mode Of doing business Some will be for doing il
through the State authorities and IL seems to me,
that it is important for to induce the executive
authorities 70 enforce the draft fairly that section
can complain, so that each State will contribute its pro
portion II according tn it's population and
IA addition to that in my Judgment in hiring substitutes
Iney ought TO be confined 10 the State IN which the men
are GRATED so that each State will furnish the same
amount OF physical service in proportion to IT'S population
linen Jet the drst DO enforced aryand think there will
be no complaint" .1
There can be noqucstion as othe justice these
representations butitis proper to say that the bill Of
Congress, as justpas,cd, makes impossible for the
Secretary Of War to enforce the draft according to
the principles propounded by Mr.. Sherman. For
that bill allows the agents Of the Loyal States to
20 into the insprrectionary States for the pur,