Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-21
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, February 8, 1885.


Complaint il made to me by Vermont that the
assignment Of her quota for the draft on the pend.
ing call is intIinSieay unjust and also in bad faith
Of the Governments promise to fairly allow credits
for men previously furnished. To illustrate, sup
posed case is stated s follows:
Vermont and New Hampshire must between them
furnish G,O00 men on the pending call, and being
equals each must furnish as many ss the other in
the long run. But the Government dnds that on
former calls Vermont furnished a surplus Of 5OO
and New Hampshire a surplus ef 800 These two
! Burpluses making 2 0l0; and added to the 5000,
making 500 to be forHishsd by the two States or
900 each, less BY fair credits Then subtract Yer.
monts Surplus Of 500 from her 000 leaves 500 az
her quota on the pending CALI and likewise subtract
New Hampshire's surplus Of 1900 from her 1000,
leaves 2.5,O as her quota on the pending call.
These 800 and 500 make precisely the 900 which
the supposed case requires from the two States I;
and it is Just equal for Vermont TO furnish Loo
more Hotv than New Hampshire, bscause New Hnnp-
shire has heretoors furnished 900 more than Ver-
mont, which sqHalizes the burdens OF the two in
the long run. And this result, so far from being
bad faith to Vermonti is indispensable to keeping
good faith with New Hampshire. By no other e
| suit can the 6,OOO men be obtained from the two
States, and at the same time deal justly and keep
faith with both and we do but confuse ourselves in
questioning the process by which the right result Is
reached. The supposed case is perfect as sn iius-
! iration.
The pending call Is not for 300 900 men subject to
fair credits, but is for $4,000 remaining after all
fair credits have been deducted and tits imposBi-
bic to eonoeds what Vermont asks, without coming
out short Of the 300, 900 men, or making other To-
oslities pay for the Partially shown her.
This, upon the case stated. II there be different
reasons for making allowance to Vermont, let
them be presented and considered. 81
Yours truly, A. LINCOLN
In regard to postponement of the DRAFT,
he said to Committee appointed by the
Rhode Island Legislature:
at will take some time for the Provost
Marshal in your State to effect a draft.
Therefore, 'OithOttt granting any postpone
ntento of the time sQHen the draft is liable to
begin, yoa are authorized to state to tho
General Assembly thmt so long as Rhode
Island is diligently engaged in furnishing
mon By voLantGry enlistment, so that the
Government can see that it is being as iosII
served as it could be in any other soay, no
orders shall be issued for draft in tIs
State" D..
On the recommendation of the Presi-
dent, the Rhode Island Committee had an
interview with Mr.. Stanton, and report
substantially as follows;
The conferences with the secretary Of war, before
whom your committee were without delay admitted,
wssin every respect entirely sAtfactory. The plan
which the President had suggested was deemed TO
be desirable one in the case Of thiI State. Ths
committee were informed that before q draft could
take place In any distret an order to that effect
must hrst issue from the Secretary through the
ProYost-Marshal General and that 50 long as the
business Of recruiting should be pursued with re.
suits satisfactory to the department no order for
draft would issue for this State. The Secretary
was equally firm with the President In the.decsra-
tion that no particular extension OF time could be
allowed, and that while q full assurance would be
given that no draft should be had while recrutir
was sctlTely progressing, that this must be under
stood as the condition upon which the liability to
have one was Euspsnded. The Secretary directed
US to confer vi General Fry upon the subject apd
also engage to state the arrangement which had
himself. = I :
From General Fry, the PrSvost. .Marshsl-G General,
your committee were again assured that the prAc-
tee in his department was to Issue a special order
to tho Assistant Provost bsfors the draft
In any district was to be commenced, and that
while It would be most prejudiciA to the pubic in
terest TO have 1t understood thTt the day for COM
menoing the draft was to be postponed In any par
tieular district yet the plan which had bren pro
posed Of filling the quota By enlistmentS received
bis hearty approval; and that, II he saw as many
men were being secured 20 tie Government from
this source daily as would bel . average result
from draft taking into the account the NJ cessary
delays incident to the notification, examination.
and deciding upon exemption claims Of men OBJ
tanned in that way he should issue no order to DO
ANYTHING which would be disagreeable to the people
Of this state. 0t1 =
These statements ought to be sAtisfac-
tory to those who have insisted that the
late call for 100000 men included CREDITS.
The President distinctly asserts that the
call was q for 30O, 1000 after all fair credits
have been deducted 1t is also seen that
50 long as recruits are obtained By SOEun-
tssring, as RAPIDLY as they tOouII BE- obtained
By drafting, tbs draft aOtH Not take place.
This leaves opportunity for volunteering
for few days longer. Let the men be
hurried forward therefore. Ha sa-Lla