Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1865-02-15
CLEARF1ELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, FEB u 1868

vice as the whole number did in H.. 'ot
surpassed exploit 49, "''-
But there is even more seriops e,ror
thsn has been above exposed Tho oIan.a
ofthe act OF third of March 1862 nndar
which your officers profess TO be actino
has not been in force since tho oItb Fabss'
airy 1864. 5c n '0"
Whether induced theret by the strange
ness Of the system Which had been adopt
eo under 1t, or for whatever reasons. Con
gress thought fit TO pass the act of 9th of
February, lS6i (entitled, a''An act TO a
'nend.the act OF Sd March, lS63") which
provides, (secrion 2 that the quota of
each ward Of o city, Town, SC, shall be as
nearly as possible in proportion
10 the number of men resi-.
dent therein liable to render military scr.
vice. taking into account as far as practi
cable the numter which had been pre-
vlously furnished therefrom.
mus the former act was amended hv
giving credits, not to districts but 10
smaller localities, and by omittipp the
provision for consi leriug 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,
without reference TO the time of service.
ANA THIS was followed up by The act of
ain July 1861 (passed at the same SESSION.
"hich provides (saction that the Prcsi-
dent may at his discretion, call ior any
NUMBER OF volunteers for the respective
terms OF one, two and three years, with
oounties regulated according to their term
OF enlistment, and (sec,ion y that in case
me quota OF any town, &C., shall not be
Tiled within the space of sixty DAYS after
such call, then the President shall i'm
mediately order u draft for one year to fiji
such quota.
These arc the causes which now regu-
late the subject. 1t is not for me or you, sir
TO discuss the question Of. their proprierty.
They are to be obeyed.
1t would be easy to show that they form
q reasonable and Ineligible system. For
merly when calls were made of men for
military service, they were made by re-
| qulsitions on the Governors of the respec-
! tive States who then proceeded TO draft
the required number TO fill the quota of
! the State. In this draft, men from any
State or locality who had voluntarily ell
tered the serv ice OF the United States, by
enlistipg in the army or otherwise, were
not taken into account. No credits were
given for them on the quota, any more
than 70. NOW Who had of their own accord
engaged themselves in any other lawful
| employment. The system, however, of
raising very large bodies of men as volun-
teers, under the act of Congress of 1861,
| bad drawn upon the military population
of the respective States and military To-
calities very heavily and not quite equally
and therefore the enrolment act Of 1868
was passed, it vas thought best to provide
for equalizing the exhaustion, by allowing
credits to localities for the volunteers fu--
nished by them. But the government
had accepted volunteers for various terms
Of service, and hence the effort to render
the equalization more perfect by consider
ing and allowing for the time of their SER
vice as we'll as the number os men. The
acts of 1864, above recited, have modified d
this system, by fixing definite term
of service tone year, for which men are to
! be drafted. Volunteers for not less than
that term are to be credited TO their To-
calities on the quota and receive a certain
bounty from the government. Such Of
them rs choose to enlist for longer terms
|
menl, but so far as regards the increased
term beyond one year, are not to be cred
Iited OH the quota, but are 10 be lett on the
same footing that all volunteers were on
before the act of 1868. That is 10 say, the
government rnnounces that 1t will take
! by its authority a certain number OF men
from locality for military service for one
year. That is the lawful demand which II
will enforce. 1t pays bounlies in case OF
/ localities to facilitate them in complying
with this demahd without a compulsory
draft. But Il has made no demand fer
men to serve for two or three years. The
government aeceiyes anG pays additional
bounties To volunteers for these terms, but
in that, deals with men only, and as the
increased term of service beyond one year,
is not agreed to be rendered in compliance
with any demand of the government, 1t
gives the locality no credit on the QUO
Ia for it. The government requires lO0,
! 600 men for one year, not a less number
of men for Q longer term. For deficen-
cy in the NJ amber OF volunteers for that
term it makes draft for one year. This
is 10 TIL the duota-not more nor less
when the draft has been effected the quo
/ u Is lull--tHSIS - lAGs'LCI SNNOsS Va w"
cheney.
You see that the system thus establish
ed by law is not without foundation in
reason, and can be readily understood.
Sir, you may not have heretofore been
apprised Of the fact that your sgoerdinates
are wholly disregarding the act OF oath
February, 1861. They are proceeding in
open and direct violation of il, and are
thus creating naturally, great confusion
and uncertainty among the people Ihey
announce on the one hand that although
q three-years' man counts only as one
year man towards the quota on which he
volunteers, yet that he shall be counted
as three one-y ears men, towards the quota
on future call. This is directly in the
teeth of the law. On the oothcr hand, they
are cyphering out deficiency on the last
call, by counting three one-year's men as
only equivalent TO one three years man,
which is equally against law.
Thus the quota OF Pennsylvania under
the call of 18th July last was filed in &C
cordapce with the law by men TO serve