The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1865-02-15

not nave 966n ulH1cult 10 ascertain, Ot OH0
thousand men enlisted for three years, what
was the average number that renamed ac-
tnaIIy in the service at the end oil the first
and second years respectively, and Tins the
act could have been substantially complied
with. For instance, suppose it 10 have
been found that OF one thousand men en-
listed tor three wears, there remained in the
service an average of forty per cen, at ;he
close OF the first year, and twenty per cent
al rhe close OF The second year The re-
suit woud have heen under the provisions
OF the act, iha: sixteen hundred ohe-year's
men would have beer taken as the equiva-
lent OF one thousand three years men.
Unfortunately the heads of bureaus, TO
whom the matter seems 10 have been en-
trusted. began by falling into a strange mis-
construction of the act. They did in effec;
strike from the 18th section the phrases
'period Of their service" and slime Of their
SERVICE" and insert in lieu thereof the
phrase ''term of their enlistment" and
then proceeded TO apportion credits by
multiplying the number OF men furnished
from a dislIici by the number OF years for
which they were enlisted. Calculations
made on this basis were OF course most
travsgant, and the people every where felt
that somehow injustice was being done
In the attempt to soften this, numerous and
contradictory orders have been issued from
the Provost Marshal Generals office, and
long essays by himself and others have
been in vain published TO explain aud JUS
tify their action.
In iacl, as soon as thew get beyond the
morally ceriain limit of the actual service
ol The man, their calculation has no longer
a practical basis. Its principle, carried TO
a legitimate extreme, would Justify the en-.
listment of one man for $4,000 years, and
credi,ing him az the whole quota OF the
State with a small excess.
Surely every reasonable man can say for
himself whether he has found that getting
one pair Of boots for three years is practi-
caAy equivalent to getting three pairs o!
boots for one year
The visionary character of the system on
which they have proceeded cannot better
Re illustrated than by The result at which
,hev have arrived on The present occasion.
The quota of Pennsylvania on :he last call
was announced to be 81 700. Her quota 10
make mp deficiencies nnder that call was
arnounced TO be IS 999 men, On the 24;r
instant il was announced that the quota of
the Western district had on revision bee0
fixed at p 5i2, which wonlG make that of
the whole State about "a OHO and later on
the same day il was further announced tha;
the quota OF the Western district was
55l2. and that OF the whole State 49 5S2.
All OF these changes being caused by no
intervening changes that am aware Of
In fact, our quota on The last cali was filled
and there can be no deficiency 10 be now
supplied.
Their plan is unjnst 20 the districts and
to The government. 1t wholly ignores The
losses OF men by deseriio sickness, death
and casualties The losses from mos, Of
these canses are greater during the first
year of service than afterwards. A town
Which, has furnished three thousand men
for one year. has probably lost ibrse-flihs
OF them from these causes before the eypi
ration OF the term. Another equal town
which has furnished one thousand men
for three years may before the expiration OF
that term have lost seventeen -iwentieths of
them The first town will have thus given
sixteen hundred men to he country-the
second bot eight hun dred and fiIy There
is no equality in this The exhaustion of
the industrial population Of the two towns.
is in very uneqa! proportions As TO the
government-the government has in the
FIRST case the actual service during the
whole year Of fourteen hundred men-in
the eecond case the actual service ol say
four hundred men during The whole first
year. OF probably not more thar two hun
dred men during the whole second year,
and say one hundred and fifty men AT most
/. amount of service that may be required
prom ply is 10 be considered, and no; mere
Iy the agreed Term of service. AT the late
storm OF Fort Fisher, one al least OF the
Pennsylvania one year regiments was
gagged and behaved most galIanilY-who
will say that If one third OF their number
had been enlist ed for three years; it would
on that account have been able 10 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
this act OF Sd Of March 1868, under which
your officers profess TO be acting, has not
been IN lorce since the 24tn OF February,
1864
Whether induced thereto by The strange
meas of the system which has been adopted
mixer IL. or for whatever reasons. Cor.