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


the time OF service.
And this was followed up BY the act OF
4th July 1864 (passed al the same SESSION.
which provides (section y tha, the Presl-
dent NAV al his discretion, call Tor any
number of volunteers for the respective
terms of one, two and three years, with
bounties regulated according 10 their term
OF enlistment and (sectioh p that in case
The quota OF any town, &c, shall not be
filled within the space OF Sky days after
such call then the President shall immedi-
diaiely oruer such draft for one year TO
fill such quota.
These are the causes which now regu-
laie he subject. tits not for me or you,
sir, to discuss the question of their proPrI-
ETY. They are to be obeyed.
II would be easy TO show that they form
reasonable and ineligible system. For
merry when calls were made OF men for
military service. they were made by requI-
snlous on he Governors OF The respective
States, who then proceeded TO draft the re-
qnired number to fiji The quota OF the State.
In this draft, men from any locality who
had volnnlurily entered the service OF tie
United States, by enIisling in the army or
otherwise, were not taken into account. No
credits were given for them on the quota
any more thar Tor men who had OF their
own accord engaged themselves in any
o:her lawful employment. The system
however, of raising very large bodies oi
men as volunteers, under the act OF Con-
gress' OF 1861, bad drawn upon the military
population OF The respective States and 10
calites very heavily, and not quite equally
and therefore when the enrolment act oi
1868 was passed, il was thought best 10
provide for equaliZing the exhaustion, oy al
lowing credits 10 localities for the volun-
.eers furnished by them But the govern
ment bad accepted volunteers Tor various
terms of service, and hence the effort 10
render the equalization more perfect y
considering and allowing for the time OF
their service as well as the number OF men.
The acts OF 1864, above reeited, have mod
fled this system, by fixing definite term
OF service Zone year, tor which men are to
be drafted Volunteers for not less than
that term are 20 be credited to their local.
Ties on the quota aud receive certain
ponniy from The government. Such OF ibem
a. choose 10 enlist tor longer terms receive
further bouulies from the government bnt
so far as regards the increased term beyond
one year are not 10 be credited on The QUO
ia, bat are 10 be left on the same footing
that all. volunteers were on before the
act of 1858 That is 10 say, the govern
ment announces That it vii! take by its au-
thori;y a Ger ain number of men from To-
caliiy tor military service .or one year =
That Is the lawful demand which it will en-
force. II pays bounlies in case OF localI-
Ties 10 facilitate them in complying wlth
this demand without compulsory draft.
But it has made no demand Tor men to
serve tor two or three years. The govern
meni receives and pays additional bouniies
to volunteers Tor these terms, but, IN that,
deals with men only, and, as the Increased
term of service beyond one year IL not
agreed TO be rendered in COM pIisnce with
any demand of the government, IL gives the
locality no credit on he quota for 1t, The
government requires 100 900 men Tor one
year not a less number OF men for longer
term. For deficiency in the number OF
volunteers tor that term i; makes draft :or
one year This Is to FIJI the quota not
more nor less-when The drall has been ef-
fec,ed the quota is fuI-lhere is neither ex-
cess or deficiency.
You see that the system thus established
by law is not without foundation in reason,
and can be readily understood.
/ Sir, you may have been heretofore aP-
/ pr-ed OF the fact that your subordjnates are
wholly disregsrding the act OF 24th Febru-
ary, 1864 They are proceeding IN open
aiing naturally, great confusion and un-
certainty among the people. They an
nouuce on the one hand inat although a
Ihree-years' man counts only as one year
man towards the quota on which be volun-
teers yet that he shall he counted as three
one-year's men, towards The quota on fu
ture call. This is directly in the teeth oil
The law On The other hand, they are cy.
phering out deficiency on the last CALL by
counting three one-year's men as only
equivalen, 10 one three years man, which
is equally against law.
Thus the quota OF Pennsy lvsnia under
the cail of 18th July last was filed in ac-
cordance with The law bv men TO serve foT
not less than one year. The term of ser
vice OF these men is.not yet half expired,
aud yet your subordnates are threatening a
draft to fill ar alleged deficiency on that
very call, the existence OF which they at
tempt to make out by persisiing in their
unlawful and unsubstanlial theories aud