The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-09-09
Honor to Whom Honor is Due,

ri
stated that the drafted men of this county wer
indebted to Hon. A. H. Coffroth for the favo
OF not being compelled to travel one hundre
miles across the mountains to Chambersburg, a
: was the case last fall. To this little pape
called ''The Old Flag" published at Chambers
burg, by one Alexander King NJ sClure of legis
latlYe corruption notoriety makes this most sill
and absurd reply
General Coffroth had just about as much &
do with the change, allowing drafted men to re
port In their respective counties, as the man II
the moon. 1t was first urged in the columns O
the depository, and subsequently ordered by th
Secretary of War, in compliance with dis.
patch sent him by the chief editor of this paper
The enrolment does not apply to this draft, and
the amendment proposed by Mr. Coffroth is not
yet in force"
The facts are these One of the first acts of
Mr.. Coffroth on taking his seat in Congress was
to introduce the following resolutions
'f1esolred, That the Military Committee be
| directed Immediately to inquire into the expedi
ency of amending the act eatitled, San Act for
enrolling and calling out the National forces and
for other purposes, approved March Sd, 1868" :"
to compel the Provost Aarshals of the differ
ent Congressional districts to hold their exami-
nations for physical disability, or any other cause
| OF exemption, in the county town of each coun-
ty, IN their respective Congressional districts" I"
referring to this resolution, the Herald &,
| Wing of Jan. 9th said -
''ldon. A. H. Coffroth has given notice of
proposed amendment to the conscription act re-
curing boards of enrolment to hold their ex-
aminatlons and hear applications for exemption
in the different county towns of each district.
This amendment would be emnently Just and
proper, and we trust the Honorable gentleman
may succeed in having it engrafted in the BILL
The resolution quoted above and TO which
5he Herald referred was passed. When the a.
mended act for enrolling and calling out the ma
tional forces was under consideration, 8Ir Cof-
froth offered the substance of the resolution as
an amendment.
The following extracts from the Congression-
al Proceedings will fully explain how and to
whom belongs the credit of the change in sit
tings of the board of enrolment. The Con-
scription bill being under consideration, Mr. Cof-
fl 9th moved to amend the section by adding the
following:-
enrolled or drafted men are required TO noIu
their examinations within each county in their
respective enrolment districts.
Mr. A. Meyers. suggest to the gentleman
that he insert after the words County the
words sat the county seat, where practicable"
Air. Coffroth. | accept the modification
desire to say single word in favor of the a
mendment Under the first draft the provost
marshal of the sixteenth district of Pennsylva-
MIA held his examinations where he resided
and / suppose that was the case in almost every
district In the district | represent, the exam
inaton was held at Chambersburg. In Somer-
set county six hundred and eight persons were
drafted and many of these men had one humid
red and twenty-five miles to travel to reach the
place of examination We had no railroad
leading through the cCGnty 30 the place where
the men were required to report.-They had to
travel that distance In October over the bad
roads which then existed on the mountains, and
the expense to the government amounted on an
average to seven or eight dollars to the man.
The expense of that single county in the district
was over FIVE thousand dollars. If the amend
ment is adopted, the expense of holding the ex
aminations in the different counties will not be
more than one tenth what it is by compelling
the men to report at the place where the exam
nations are now held by the provost marshal.
Mr. Grinnell I ask the gentleman from Penn
syvania to accept this modification, Sin all coun-
inhabitants"
Mr.. Coffroth. Certainly, will accept that
modification. Now, sir, as general thing in
Pennsylvania outside of the cities, drafted men
have TO undergo the hardship, fatigue, and ex-
pense of travelling long distances, sometimes
from seventy-fve to eighty miles, to appear be-
fore the board of enrolment. My own district
is about two hundred miles in length, running
west nearly to the Monongahela river, and down
to the State of Maryland, at Carroll county.
Some of the drafted men of my district have
TO cross five or six mountains in order to reach
Chambersburg whereas If the examinations had
been held in the county towns it would have sa
we'd money to the Government
/ claim this out of justice to the people. We
are legislating here not TO impose greater bur
dens than are absolutely necessary upon the mas
ses of the people. We are here to make the
burdens as light as possible upon their shoulders
This we can do by the adoption of the amend
ment which have offered. AT the same time
it will effect a saving of expense to the Gov
ernment.- AS matter of justice, therefore, ]
ask the other side of the House to consider this
amendment and to adopt it,
Mr. Coffroth accepted various notifications
offered by different members and the amendment
was passed.
In the face of these facts, Alexandria King
Mcclure is foolish enough TO state that the Sec
retary of War, in compliance with dispatch
sent by Aler Hing MChre made the change
The ridiculous part of thu business, is that
Mr. Stevens in the debate on the snbject said,
The great difficulty before ras that the Secretary
of Var considered he agds not authorized to ordcr
The boards to meet in eacR county" How then