The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-06
Armed Rebels VS.. skedaddlers.

Under the operation of the laws of the
United States, person who, to escape draft
into the military service of the Government.
went to Canada or other parts beyond the iu-
risdiction Of the United States, is incapacita-
ted to hold Office and has become disfranchis-
ed, having lost all the rights of citizenship.
The 21st section of the act of Congress APP
proved on the Sd of March last, reads as fol-
lows:
SEC. q. And be it further enacted, That in addi-
ton to the other lawful penalties of the crime Of de-
sertion from the military and naval service of the
United States, who shall not return to said service
report themselves to provost marshal within sixty
days after the proclamation hereinafter mentioned,
shall be deemed and taken to have voluntarily relin-
quished and forfeited their rights of citizenship and
their rights to become citizens; and such deserters
shall be forever incapable of holding any office of
trust or profit under the United States OF of exer-
csing any rights of citizcng thereof and all persons
who shall hereafter desert the military naval SER
vice, and all persons who being duly enrolled 90 be-
yond the limits Of the United States With intent to
Guoid any qt into the military naval service, d.
" ordered shall be liable to the penalties Of this Sec
tiom And the President is hereby authorized and re-
his setting forth he provisions 20 Of tbs
SECTOR, in which proclamation the President is re-
quested to notify all deserers returning within sixty
days as Aforesaid, that they shall be pardoned on
condition of returning to their regiments and compa-
mes or such other organizations they may be assign
a EerIOd a p
equal to their original term OF enlistment.
On the 18th of March the President did is
sue his proclamation, in accordance with the
foregoing act, so that those stockholders who
did not avail themselves of its provisions pri-
or to the 18th of May following, found them
selves disffanchised, and cast eff from all the
rights of citizenship.
We have referred to this matter at the pres
ent time only for single object; to call atten-
ton to the fact that, practically, the act of
leaving the country to escape the draft is made
more heinous and objectionable offence than
taking up arms against the flag to destroy the
national unity. In other words, under the
practical operation of the ideas ami policy now
prevailing, traitor who, inspired with the
fell purpose of destroying our institutions
took up arms against his country and bathed
his hands in fratefnal blood, is made to suffer
more lightly than he who, perhaps through
sheer cowardice, stepped across the Canada
military servicei
Those who engaged in actual rebellion, if
not very rich, or the holders of very high Of
fees, find themselves pardoned by general
amnesty, while very few of the excepted cases
have proved too aggravated to fail of execu-
tive clemency when such clemency has been
sought InSouth Carolina rebel Lieutenant
General has been chosen to the highest office
in the State-one of the last of the rebel chiefs
to yield, and who now says he yielded os,lg to
necessity, and his pardon, we are told, is now
under consideration, and few, we apprehend,
are the doubts of its being granted.
We are not disposed to quarrel with the pol
icy which is thus lenient towards blood-stain
ed traitors; perhaps it is the best policy that
can be adopted; but why, when such lenity is
shown to them, should not general pardon be
extended to those men at the North who
sought to escape service in the army or navy
by escaping to foreign land? Why punish
the less offenses and pardon the greater? But
suppose these stockholders should be all par
doned, how would such an act appear to the
gallant heroes who did not finch from duty,
but stood in their lot and place, and now that
peace has come, have returned home, perhaps
manned for life, to hobble on crutches, to stand
aside for deserters and stockholders, and beg
beg for situations that will keep them from
starvation, while the craven-spirited, base
hearted men who fed from their country rath-
er than defend it, are restored to all their
former privileges? Would this be the enter
tainment to which our brave boys were invit-
ed when urged to enlist2 Would this be
faithful redemption of the promises made to
them when they first assumed the uniform
OF the q. S. army? 1t may all cork right, it
may all be right, for the brave men who have
perilcd all for their country to find themselves
on a level with those who shirked all respon-
sibility and danger, but we can't see it; no
more than we can see the wisdom or the jus
tice of giving all power in sthe South to those
who staked their last farthing upon success in
destroying the country, while the only class of
men among them who were constantly loyal
and fought to uphold the country's honor, are
left powerless, at the mercy of those whose
treason they aided to thwart. All this mag
be right, probably is, but we are too blind or
obtuse to see it.