The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1865-02-16

these changes Delng caused by no inter-
venlng circumstances that [ am aware Of
In fact, our quota on the last call was
filed, and there can be no deficiency to
be now supplied.
Their plan is unjust to the districts and
to the Government It wholly ignores
the losses of men by desertion, sickness,
death and casualties. The losses from
most of these causes are greater during
the first year than afterwards A town
which has furnished three thousand men
for one year has probably lost three-ffths
OF them from these causes before the ex-
piration Of the term. Another equal town
which has furnished one thousand men
for three years may before the expiration
of that term have lost seyenteen-twenti-
eths of them. The first town will have
thus given sixteen hundred men to the
country-the second but eight hundred
and fifty. There is no equality in this
The exhaustion of the industrial popula-
ton of the two towns is in very unequal
proportions. As to the Government
Government has in the first case the ac-
tual service during the whole year of
fourteen hundred men in the second
case, the actual service of say four hun
dred men during the whole first year, of
probably not more than two hundred men
during the whole second year, and say
one hundred and fifty men at most during
the whole third year. Besides, the amount
of service that may be required promptly
is to be considered, and not merely the
agreed term of sevice. At the late storm
of Fort Fisher, one at least of the Penn
sylvania one-year regiments was engaged,
and behaved most gallantly-who will say
that if third Of their umber had been
enlisted for three years, it would on that
account have been able to perform as much
service as the whole number did in that
unsurpassed exploit
But there is even more serious error
than has been above exposed The clause
of the act of Sd March, 1868, under which
your officers profess to be acting, has not
been in force since the 24th February,
1864
Whether induced thereto by the strange
ness of the system which had been adopted
thought fit to pass the act of oath Febru-
ary, 1864, (entitled An act to amend the
act of Sd March, 1869 which provides
(section p that the quota of each ward
Of a city, town, &C., shall be, as nearly as
possible, in proportion to the number Of
men resident therein liable to render
military service, taking into account, as
far as practicable, the number which had
been previously furnished therefrom.
Thus the former act was amended BY
giving credits, not to districts, but to
smaller localities, and by emitting the
provision for considering and allowing for
the time of service in estimating credits
they were directed in future to be given,
as far as practicable, on the basis of the
number of men previously furnished, with
out reference to the time of service.
And this was followed up by the act of
18th July, 1864, (passed at the same ses-
sion,) which provides (section J. that the
President may, at his discretion, call for
any number of volunteers for the respect
i've terms of one, two and three years, with
bounties regulated according to their term
of enlistment, and (section y that in case
the quota of any town, &C., shall not be
filed within the space Of sixty days after
such call, then the President shall imme-
diately order a draft for one year to FIJI
such quota.
These are the clauses which now regu-
late the subject 1t is not for me or you,
sir, to discuss the question of their propri-
ETY.. They are to be obeycd.
1t would be easy to show that they form
a reasonable and ineligible system For
merly when calls were made of men for
military service, they were made by requi-
'itions on the Governors Of the respective
States, who then proceeded to draft the
required number to FIJI the quota Of the
State. In this draft, men from any State
Or locality who had voluntarily entered
he service of .he United States, by enlist |
ng in the army or otherwise, were not |
aiken into account. No credits were given
or them on the quota, any more than for
men who had of their own accord engaged !!
themselves in any other lawful employ |
nent. The system, however, of raising |
very large bodies of men as volunteers, |
1nder the act of Congress Of 1861, had |
lrawn upon the military population of the
States and localities very heav-
lg, and not quite cquably, and therefore
when the enrolment act of 1868 was |
passed, it was thought best to provide for
,qualizlng the exhaustion, by allowing /
;redits to localities for the volunteers fur
lished by them. But the Government
lad accepted volunteers for various terms
# service, and hence the effort to render
he equalization more perfect by consider