The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-11-08


The condition OF the various branches or the mill
tfy service stated the accompanying report Of
tie Secretary Of Mar. Amsng the suggestions made
fos legislative action with view to add to the num-
bers AMI efficiency of the army, all OF which will re-
celSe your consideration, there some prominent
| topics which merit special notice.
The exemption from military duty now accorded
by law ~ all PERSONS engaged in certain specified
pursuits professions shown by experience to be
unwise il IL believed 10 be delensbe in theory
The defence Of home, family and country is uniyeT
sally recognized the paramount political duty Of
every member of society and in a form of govern
ment like ours where each citizen Enjoys equality
ofrigh;s and privileges nothing can be invIdous
than unequal distribution ofduties and oblg
No pursuit. nor position should relieve any one who
is able to do active duty from enrolment in the
army, unless his functions services use
ful to the defence of his country in another sphere
But it is manifest that this cannot be the with
entire classes. All telegraph operators, workmen in
mlHes professors, teachers. engineers. editors and
| employees OF newspapers, lourneyTnen printers,
shoem'uers. tanners, blacksmiths, millers, physi-
| cians and the numerous other classes mentioned in
the laws, cannot, the nature of things be either
equally necessary in their several professions
distributed throughout the country in such proper
| lions that only the exact numbers required are
| found IN each locality; nor can it be everywhere
impossible to replace those within the c0nsript age
by men older and less capable of active field ser
| vices. discretion should be vested in the mill
tary authorities, 40 that sufficient number Of those
essential TO the public service might be detailed To
continue the exercise of their pursuits profess
sions but the exemption ON service of the entire
classes should be wholly abandoned 1t affords
great facility for abuses, offers the terytation as
| well the ready means OF escaping Service by
fraudulent devices, and is of the principal OBJ
sructons to the efficient operation OF the.conscipt
| laws.
general militia law is needu in the interest of
the public defence. The Constitution, by vestng the
power in Congress- imposes on it the duty of provi
| ding g for organizing, armiug and dscipiining the
militia and for governing such part Of them NAV
be employed in the service of the Confederate States
The great diversity in the legislation of the several
States on this subject, and the absence Of any pro-
vision establishing exact method for calling the
militia into Confederate service, sources OF
baSrasment which ought longer to be suffered to
impede defensive measures.
The legislation in relation to the cavalry demands
change. The policy of requiring the men to furnish
their own horses has proven pernlclOus in many
spects. 1t nterferes with discipline, inpairs efii
cheney. and is the of frequent and prolonged
absence from appropriate duty. The subject is fully
treated III the Sec1etaryS report, with suggestions
as to the proper measures tor reforming that branch
of the service.
The recommendation, hithorto often made, is
again renewed, that some measure be adopted for
the reorganization and consolidation OF companies
and regiments when so far reduced numbers a5
seriously 10 impair their efficiency. 1t is the
necessary that this should De dont the absence
legislation on the subject has forced generals the
hetd To resort to vaIlOus expedisnts ior approxma-
ting the desired end. 1s IL surely an evil that
commanding officer should ba placed III Position
which forces upon him the choice Of allow ing the
efficiency Of his command TO be seriously .npaIed
oI ol attempting 10 supply by Inc exercise Of doubt
iul Authority tho want OF proper legal pToSision.-
The regard for the sensiblity OF officers who have
heretofore served with credit and which il bs ved
to be the controlling motive that has hitherto OBJ
stTuctet legislation this subject, however honor
able and proper, may be carried to point which
nouEly lnjIIel the public good; and ii ihis b. The
case II can scarcely BE- questiOnpd which OF the two
considerations should be deemed paramount.
The SecretaIy's recomueI dat!Ons the subject
OF facilitating the acquisition OF the IRON required
for maintaining the Efficiency OF railroad coumuni
cation on the important military lines COM
mended to your favor. The necessity for the opoTa
tfon, in tul yiSor, Of such lines is TOO apparent 10
need comment
The question in dispute between the two CO.
vatnmenti relative 10 the exchange OF prisoners
OF war has been frequently presented in former
messages and reports, ami Is fully treated by
the Secretary. The eolicludo OF the Government
Tor the ieiIef OF our captive rellOw-ctlZcnI has
known no abatement; but has, on the contrary
been stll more deeply evoked by the additional slf
eings 10 whirh they have been wantonly subjected
by deprivation OF adequate food, clothing and fuel
which they note even permitted purchase from
the prison suffers Finding that the eneiay attempted
to ex.uGe their barbarous treatment by the un-
founded allegation that II was Ietallatorg for like
conducr part, All offer made hy us with
view OI ending ali pIGtcXt tOr stc
or pretended retaliation.
The offer has been accepted, ana each Govern
ment is hereafter, to be allowed 10 provide neoes-
sary comforts 10 citizens held aptlve by the
other. Active efforts ara III prOgTess Tor the
date execution OF this agreement and 1t is hoped
that but few days will eiapseS before shall 10
heved from the distressing thought that painft,l
ply sical suffering endured bv many Of fol-
low-cln1en- whose forttude N captivity illustrates
the national character as fully did their vaor
actual conflict.
EMrLoYMENT OF sLEEa.
The employment OF slaves Tor service with the
amy tesmsters Cooks, the way OF work
upon foruttcatlons, or III the Government woik
shops or IN hospitals, and other similar duties,
authorized by the act OF l5th February last, and
provision made Tor their imEressnent 10 a mum
Der not exceeding twenty thousand, II itShoud be
found impracticable 10 Obtain them by contract with
the owners The law contemplated the hiring only
OI the labor OF these slaves, ana imposed on the
Government the liability 10 pay for tho value Of
such as might De lost 10 the owners from casualties
resulting from their employment in the service
This has produced loss result than was anti
cipaed, and further provision is required TO render
II efiicacous But my present purpose is 10 invite
your consideration TO the propIlety of radical
modification in the theory of the law.
Viewed merely as property, and therefore as the
subject OF impressment the service labor OF the
slave has been frequently claimed FOR short periods
III the construction OF defensive works The slave,
however, bears another relation 10 tie State that Of
person. The law Of last February cont-mliates
only the relation OF the slave 10 the master, and
limits the impressnent 10 certain term OF service.
But Tor the purposes enumerated in the act instruc
ton III the manner OF tncaInplng, marching and
parking trains is needf that in this limit
ed employment length OF service adds greatly to
value OF the negTos labor Hazard is also encoun-
tered all the positions TO which the negroes can b
assigned for service with the amy, and the duties
required OF them demand 10y atty and zeal In this
aspect, the relation Of person predounates so far
10 render 1t doubtful whether the private right
Of property consistently and benehcially be con-
tnued, and 1t would seem proper 10 acquire for the
public service the entire property in the labor of the
slave and 10 pay therefor due compensation rather
than to impress his labor for short terms and this
the more especially the effect OF the re.ert law
would vest this entire property IN all cases where
the slave might be recapturad after compen satiou
for his oas had been paid, 10 tha private owner
whenever the entire property in the service OF
slave s thus acquired by the Government the Ques-
ton Is presented, by what tenure he should be held
Should he be retained - servitude, OF should his
emancipation be held put to him as a reward for
faithful service, or should 1t be granted TT once on
the promise Of such service and if emancipste,i
what action should be taken to secure for the freed
man the permission of the State from which he was
drawn to reside within its limits after the close OF
his public service The permission would doubtless
DC more readily accorded a reward tor past faith
fnl service and double motive for sealous dis
charge OF duty would thus be offered TO those en-
ployed by the Government their freedom, and the
qualification OF the local attachment which is 80
marked characteristic OF tho negro and forms no
powerful an incentive to his action The policy OF
engaging TO berate the negro his discharge after
SERVED faithfully rendered, to me preferable
10 that Of granting Immediate manumi salon. or that
Of retaining Nun in servitude. III this policy
should recommend itself 70 the Judgment OF Con-
gress, it ia suggested that in sddtion the duties
heretofore performed by the slave, he might ba ad
vantaseously employed pioneer and engineer la
bofer and in that event. that the number should be
augmented 10 forty thousand
Beyond this limit and these employments il does
not seem To me desirable, under existing eiTeum-
stances, 10 go. A broad moral distinetion exists
between the of slaves as soldiers in the defence
OF their homes, and the ineement OF the same ye-
sohs 10 nsurreetion against their masters The one
Is lusrhable, necessary; the other Is iniquitous
and unworthy o; civilized people; eld such is tho
Judgment OF all writers on public Law as well a.
and fFlaaa