Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-21
IRREGULAR RECRUITING.

Governor ANDREW, Of Massachusetts,, in his re-
cent able and interesting message to the Legisla-
ture of that State advocates at considerable length
and with much earnestness the policy of allowing
the State to recruit her wasted regiments and fill
up new ones within the limits of the so-called Se-
osded States, where, he adds, /" men are abundant
and civil employment is deficient" The people
of Massachusetts, having, he urges, sent into the
field at least out of every three of her en-
rolled militia at some time or another since the
war began and having spent for the service alrea-
~dy not less than Sl50O0,0O0, including municipal
expenditures, but not including the national taxa
ton, may now be permitted to suggest any mea-
sure of justice tending to preserve her industry,
her ability to be useful to the country, and yet to
swell the ranks of the national armies" And such
. "measure Of justice" he supposes himself to find
in the expedient indicated, the righteousness and
utility Of which he enforces by the following con-
siderations:
Every man she mi ht thus induce to JOIN her ranks
would be civilian saved to the national industry one
colder added to the army Of the Unon one the less
bic victim Of rebel CONSUMPTION, Union Of the
South enjoying in the form Of Massachusetts bounty
rebellion had visited i'm Now, whether white
black why should not be permitted to invite them
to Gomez Why should we not encourage them by the
pecuniary advantages of remunerative service Why
not weaken the walls of the house of the enemy by at
tracing whatsoever supports them And how could the
mission be actively prosecuted of disabusing msn
formed Southern men, and spreading the South
ruined by nsolent arstOcracy the principles Of the
Democratic NORTH venture to suppose that the oppor-
unty offered to any inhabitants of dsoya States Of
ing in the regiments OF the patriotic ate volunteers
orh k.l. - lo.-
ing under their tried and experienced commanders shout
der to shoulder with their intelligent of the rank
and file would be the beginning Of Of the many moral
victories OF the This measure, already proposed in
Congress- permitting all the Loyal States to recruit for
their volunteer corps those States to which conn-
gsnts assigned ctuy submit deserves the sup
port of the Legislature of Massachusetts
We think the Governor has failed to take COM
prehensive view of the problem in question when
he looks upon the field reclaimed from the "grasp
of rebel usurpation" as simply recruiting ground
for the benefit and relief Of the Loyal States Nor
can this matter Of military duty be regulat d n
the way he proposes, by simple balancing of &C.
counts between communities differently situated in
respect to the proportion Of their arms-bearing
population who are engaged in lucrative branches
of productive industry Yet to this extent Gov
Andrew pushes his principle when he says:
Whenever one community can furnish volunteers for
armies and other communities afford pay them
to come. but cannot afford to their from
their own industry the simplest political economy teaches
the wasteuness of refusing to allow these balances to be
adjusted BY the laws q" supply and demand Not to do
seems to as 1t would seem in mechanics TO reject the
Of the lever and to insist moving all bodies by
dead lift"
The practical application of such doctrine,
stated as it is without limitations or reservations
would imply that wealthy manufacturing State
like Massachusetts, might properly go into the
market, within loyal States less opuent in the
arts than herself, for the purpose of buying men to
do military duty in her name and behalf, thus
leaving her own inhabitants at leisure to pursue
their vocations without interruption, and to reap
an undue share of the pecuniary advantages result
ing from profitable contracts to supply the army
for the Governor argues that his principle holds
good wherever one community can furnish vol
unteers for our armies and tho other communities
can afford to pay for them" Illinois, for instance,
ployed in lucrative calings, can afford to furnish
men, while Massachusetts,, with her wealth and
productive industry, can afford to pay for them.
And such being the case, the Governor Of Msssa-
chusetts ought to be free, in accordance with his
theory, to purvey recruits within Illinois. But
Gov. YATES, of the latter State, does not see the
matter in this light for it having come to his know.
ledge that certain persons were acting on the plan
advocated by the Governor of Massachusetts, he
recently issued proclamation ordering the arrest
of "any and all persons recruiting white or black
men in that State for companies or regiments in
other States"
Not to say that the plan Of Gov. Andrew, az
proposed by him with reference to the Seeded
States" proceeds on the assumption that these
States, States, have no duty Of military service
and lie as mere waste territory within which the
loyal States may go to buy troops, We submit that
there is additional reason why this policy should
not be adopted 1t would be attended with obvious
practical injustice and inequality, because its en-
forcement would throw upon The communities
within which it is proposed to carry on this recruit
ing the burden and misery Of helpless and de-
pendent population, which would necessarily be left
by the absorption of the transferring blacks into
the ranks Of another State, whose citizens would
illus be relieved not only from military service, but
from the charge Of meeting the restitution created
by such service 10 the families of the poor