Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-14
BY GALES & SEAToN.
THURSDAY, JANUARY IA, 1864.
TIE ENROLMENT ACT.

lt4 TIE ENkOls1MENI All.
The New York Evening Post, in arguing against
the repeal OF the "three hundred dollar commuta-
tion clause in the enrolment act correctly states
that the question raised by its proposed abrogation
or retention is simply aquestion "whether enlist
ments shall be kept in the hands of the State and
General Government, whether they shall fall
into the hands Of unprincipled middle-men, whose
interest it is to rob the recruits" To this state
ment our contemporary adds;
In France where both plans have been tried, it
found that the broker system grew rapidly into niquty
too be borne the retained the lions share
Of the bounss, and furnished to the Government the
poorest eAss O. men Cur experience durlog tns ia'e
fair trial abolished and aDdrr the system now IN
there tho cODscrpt either IN person pays
tabshsd price, he chosrs " iurnsh substitute rather
than pay the exemption money 10 the Government, lie
at liberty to do that but he leld responsible for that
subsute and if the latter deserts his principal Is taken
to the remainder OF the term II Congress we're t'
enact silHr Iule the result would be that very few
would procure substitutes bemselses these who could
not serve person would pay the exemption fee to the
Government in whose hands the recruiting would thur
remain the exclusion of aldshaks bounty thieves and
brokers', vtssf se sa1st
1T is urged by some that the three hundred dollar
exemption clause fsvors tho rich at the OF the
poor Nothing ba more wide OF tho truth than this
idea the contrary this clause the only pro cion Of
the OF moderate MEANS aud 1t intended for hs
very purpose by The French Government who adopted
after trying various experiments which ought not TO
blunder into again One of these TO have exemp
ton but 10 leave tho conscpt himself to buy bis subst
tute. very Oh price Tor substutes followed, which
price was chic absurbed by class Of brokers sharks
who were created by this system The result would
follow here Durag the State draft 10 Massachusetts ~
1862 when exemption clause in force the prco O
substitutes rose at once to $500 The draft was then sas
pended to try The bounty system during which, writes
with bOuDtes $500, Of there
shaiks who brought me- few assured that they
had much larger number laid awaiting The resumption
Of the drA whom they cCJ control aud for whom they
would not take $500
There is to believe that much OF the
for removing the three hundred dollar communication CLAUSE
from these brokers' aud this pressure is Of the
csuses OF ihe dunrss Of recruiting ut present high
bonntes. No daubt many who intend to enlist are
holding back in the hope Of draft without Communication
Among the journals which originally opposed
the commutation clause on the alleged ground that
it "favored the rich was the Cincinnati Enquirer,
but since the proposition 10 repeal the clause has
been brought forward, our Democratic contem-
porary has changed its position on the subject. II
now argues as follows:
An attempt will be made at the present session Of
Congress 70 repeal the three hundred dollar exemption
clause n the act We have objected to that
clause for the that il favored the rich at the
pense Of the poor We think it ought to be one hundred
dolars, Ir perhaps smaller rum, that would place u
within the reach 0f ALL Bat opposed ~ the repeal
IL object TO have communication price fixed at all
II cannot be reduced let the three hundred dollar cause
stAnd Ne tie. repeal Of it absolutely would allow sub
sttutes any price they choose aud wOu work most
disastrousy the people All countries, InonHrch
CAL that have conscrpions, fix pecunary limit Tor sub
sttutss, aud il We adopt their law We ought to follow
their practice We hope every Democratic aud CoDser-
vsv- member will vote against the repeal of the three
hundred dollar csuse the proposition 10 not to reduce II
The fact i the Administration, with the sum raised BY
money induce larger number Of the three year vol
reebst than the services al the conscrpts
they thus would ket by The repeal would be worth
1t is very evident that the discussion Of the
question has led to an simost unanimous expires
sion Of opinion in favor of retaining provision
fer communication, whatever notifications may be
introduced into the law as it now stands. As il
well said by the Boston. Daily Advertiser, The
slamor which has arisen againstIthe Communication
clause as a device for fsvoring the rich would
soon be answered, We apprehend, if draft were u
be enforced without It. To the rich it matters
little whether they avoid personal service by com
mutation or by furnishing substitutes. But there
are thousands Of men of limited means 10 whom
the payment for substitute would be runous
and by whose payment Of Communication the country
is really the gsiner; it for the benefit Of these
that this provision was originally adopted.
Y Z ~ M { I u Z