The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-25
sRsrDrNr uNcOLV AND THE DRAFT

a 3 nme,.
The President stands firm against every solicit
tAtion TO postpone the draft. To the procriyti.
nators who have asked IL, that they may Rll their
quota by volunteers, his reply is, that for this
end HE proclamation gave ample time, and that
the army is not t. he punished 1t that time has
been wasted. To the alsrmists who are con
cerntd lest The draft cannot he enforced without
resistance and insuuectiOn his reply is that It il
has come TO this, the quicker thc Government
proves Us power 20 maintain lis laws the better
10 the little calCuatOrs Of his party VITO are eX-
erciscd lest the enforcement Of this draft will
defeat his election his reply is that whatever his
fate, he shall do his duty. We rejoice in this
spirit. IL Is precisely what the crisis demands.
This draft is severe measure. To try to
nghten II by any pretense that II is easy to bear
Is mockery. Probably never since this Gov
ernment was instituted has u imposed 50 hard
requirement With every effort TO make it as
tolerahle as possible, IL yet comes as a hardship
almost, II not absolutely, uneNampled Ia our
history. Probably no man IN the country uu-
dersiants this better than Abraham Lincoln him
self. But for all thtt he does not aiuch.
Tie also understands that II this nation is TO be
saved, IL must suhdue the Rebellion against il I;
and that the Rebellion cannot be subdued with
out such reinforcement 70 our armies as this
draft will provide. IL is not question whether
the draft Is an evil. No sane man denies it. The
only question is, whether II is or Is not less evil
NNan national ruin, which can be prevented by il
Sne. President Lincoln, In his capacity as head
the nation, has decided, and has done accord
ingly. II remains for the people, as the body of
the nation, 10 decide and TO do accordingly.
The power of the Northern people to stand this
draft admits Of no doubt. II VII take where
u there has been no abatement by alien aud freed
men recruits, about one In five of the population
between the ages of twenty and fOrty-hYe. The
Rebel ion we are fighting has taken not simply
one in FIVE, but every man between these
ages, Iesides great numbers above and below
them. Granting that the labor of the two or
three million of slaves in the Rebel lines
/ allows more cOmuete drain of the white
population for war purposes than We could
endure, yet no man can say that this negro labor
will not be offset, and more than 4 dozen times
offset, by the industry of the four-fftns Of our
/ able bodied population which will be untouc he'd
by the draft Ii is impossible to pretend that this
I draft will not be vastly less heavy burden upon
the loyal Stairs than JEFF Davis conscriptions
have been upon the Rebel States. Our 20 Her to
enoure II, then, is beyond question. The only
question is one Of will simply.
What is that will Are the people willing to
maintain the war or not We do not think Il
Il any mi' fortune that the question has taken a
. practical shape that must be answered decisvely,
one way or the Other. II the heart of the North
A ern people IL sut b that President Lincoln must
be defeated in November, because he enforces
4 the DRIFT -uthorized by Congress and indisoen-
sable to the success Of the war, IL cannot be too
n soon Understood. This Government IS a Gov
erDInent OF the peop and for the people. II has
people.
Iftbey deliberately choose to desert 1t, rather
than 10 defend ii at sacrifice. no earthly agency
can prevent thcm-or, If 1t were so possible ought
to prevent them. A people 50 degenerate would
be no longer worthy of free Government. If
Il we have indeed come 10 condition that It is a
matter OF doubt whether we can abide such
sacrifice for the preservation of such a republic
las this, when the Rebels are submitting to so
much grt ater sacrifices 10 uphold their accursed
Confederacy let the test come in the very sharpest
form.
If we are of a stuff that cannot stand this test,
1t is useless TO spill another drop of blood to save
the republic. II is as sure as fate that our enc
mics must prevail, II they are so superior to us
IN manhood To keep our heroic soldiers 20 the
= heht with only such people to support them,
would be SNIP murder. Even should they win
&'ictory, We could put IL TO no use. 1t would turn
MO dross in our hands
Il The Coppel hC ADS are welcome to all the party
capital they can make against President Lincoln
because of this draft. That il will give them
many votes we do not doubt. The meanest ele-
#men's Of human nature will be excited by it, and
"eNcitd just in proportion to the sIcrifice il i'm
poses In very many mtn, these are the elements
Wbi' b govern. They will have their course against
President Lincoln. IL il idle TO expect anything
+ else. But we do not believe that the majority of
\ the Northern people can be thus swayed.
4, We have faith thar this draft will be met by
the majority with the same patriotic spirit in
which il was proclaimed. We even think that
the very toldneSs of the President in calling for
%sucb a heavy contribution of men and the very
IS 2steadfastnCss with which he has resisted all
&efforts 70 postpone it, will make him more friends
tthaD enemies. IL Is new proof that he allows
s. mo selfish considerations to govern him where
the public interests are concerned. 1t has q
touch, too, of that same Jacksonian courage
(which, sooner or later Is sure to strike home to
1.-THE popular heart.
ri President Lincoln, In our opinion Is surer to
Xbe Reelected because of his proclamation and
enforcement of this draft before November than
If he had STAYED it of. or alt 'g.ther abstaned
from it. We may he mistaken. But even il it
Wso proves, If President Lincoln Is defeated be-
cause Of the draft, we shall never regret that he
mas 80 faithfully done his duty. Better such
teieat that any reward for faithlessness.