The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-02-01

theologian IN tho tm0 OF ehooIoQicai vsx.
He b . politician In tho time whom politics arc
the Life Of people, political general when
political generals are . disease The parallel
b obvious Butler Is the continuation into our
own time Of the same historical person.
Wrongs or tho PremedA1ated Draft-Au
Our Quotas HeretoGDrs FILLED.
We gave in our columns yesterday the ~
marks Of Supervisor Blunt, IN the Board o.
Supervisors ON Monday. This is most In
portant speech, and must attract general ~
tention for the facts which arc embodied in il
relative to the acts Of the County Volunteering
Committee and the monstrous demand juss
made upon US for twsnty-one thousand men.
The Supervisory County Volunteering and
Bounty Paying Committee commenced Opera-
tons In August, 1863 Since May, 1868, and
including which, the government have demanded
from the country, ON various calls, one mil
lion five hundred thousand men, tho proper
ton for the city Of New York being flfty-eight
thousand five hundred and eight men, every
quota having been filled by the committee, at
total cost to the county Of six millions seven
hundred and thirty-two thousand six hundred
and thirty-three dollars and thirty-eight cent?.
or . trife over one hundred dollars per man.
These are significant facts, and show bow
faithful and industrious our committee haze
been in its successful endeavors to respond b
every fair demand of the government BuE
there is different state Of affairs now existing.
Another call for three hundred thousand men
has been made, and the number demanded by
General Fry, in his communication in December.
from the city of New York, as deficiency, was
four thousand four hundred and thirty-three
men. Even this was more than the books of The
committee showed was due the government,
but it was assumed to be correct, and the COM
mittee went assduously to work to fill this quota.
when, presto, another order is received from
this incomprehensble public officer demanding
on this call twenty-one thousand and nineteen
menl No one, not even the committee itself,
seems to know on what this monstrom
demand Is based. On the earlier calls
for five hundred thousand men our
quota was fixed at twenty-three thousand one
hundred and forty. How Mr.. Fry can cypher
out our quota at twenty-one thousand and nine
teen on call for three hundred thousand u
beyond our ken. Thirteen thousand would bs
nearer the truth. But he may arrive at these
figures (twenty-one thousand and nineteen) by
taking from us our naval enlistments, on the
ground that they cost the county nothing.
But this he cannot do without ignoring
positive act Of Congress, which declares that
all naval enlistments since 1851, not credited to
any district, shall be credited to the town or
district in which such enlistments were made.
This, though most just law, was not inssigated
by any New York influence. Other cities than
this hoped to benefit by it, and have done 50;
but none so greatly perhaps as New York This
was her good fortune, apd not her fault.
Mr.. Blunt, chairman of the committee, set
Immediately at work to take advantage
of this law of Congress by overhauling The
naval enlistments made at this port, and hs
luckily found the numbers very large, sufficient
to fill our late quota, and surplus for some
future call over. The acts of our committee
were acceded to by the Provost Marshal, and
our quota acknowledged by him to be COM
plete, even after taking from us numbers SUM-
cient to fll the quota Of Kings county,
to do. Now all this work, it Is sus-
pected, is ignored, and these naval en-
listments taken from us after having been
conceded, and scattered over the whole
country, and especially in districts which have
been backward in filling their quotas, owing to
lack of vigor, penuriousness, or want Of patrf
otism. But General Fry certainly has no right, NO
power, to commit SO gross wrong as this, and,
while we stand fully credited with every soldier
demanded Of US, thus scatter the accounts to tho
Winds and force us at this late hour into con-
scription to raise twenty-ons thousand more
men.
This is an outrage on common sense, and it,
palpable unfairness and injustice will lead,
we fear, to the most deplorable results.
General Fry can know little Of the state Of
feeling his order has created among oil classes,
or he would pause, or the government would,
before attempting to enforce this great wrong.
Our capitalists are interested in this quss
ton far more than they appear to realize.
A CONSUMPTION here takes from rs twenty
one thousand men mainly from the great
middle class, the small traders, the
industrious and Woodworking. The large
mass Of floating population, those
myrads of men who have no especial ties
among us, will not be caught; they will all b
of. So will also large numbers Of our wealthy
young men, while others win find substi-
tutes. The draft would, therefore, deprive n
probably Of at least fifty thousand able-bodied
men, most Of them the very life-blood Of this
great commercial city.
The mere common laboring man now gse
his two dollars and fifty cents per day for hi
work. This is equal to seven hundred and
fifty dollars per annum. Take away fifty thou
sand able-bodied men from among us, and u
IN eunal 10 abstractinr thirty-seyen and half