The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-02-08
Present Position of the Bounty Question.

bno SLOAAuS vi ulcdBToculchb USS''
Boards. For this reason we reproduce the
orders that passed in the respective branches
The following is the order that passed the
Board of Aldermen: ~
Ordered, That as an inducement to those
capable of performing military service, and to
All the quota of this city, under the last call of
the President Of the United States, OF Dec. 10,
1864, for three hundred thousand men, there be
paid from the City Treasury to every recruit, as
volunteer, drafted man or substitute, mustered
into the service on the quota of this city;-for
one year the sum of $500; for two years the
sum of $500; for three years the sum of $500;
these amounts to be paid by instalments as fol-
lows: Two hundred dollars on being mustered
into service, fifty dollars for each succeeding
Six month"; service as private or non commits
stoned officer Satisfactory evidence will be re-
quired of the recruit being in service before the
instruments will be paid. If killed or discharged
for wounds received in service, the bounty that
may be due up to the expiration of the time Oh
their enlistment viii be paid to the legal heirs of
those that are killed, also to those that are dis
charged from wounds received in service.
This order to take effect and be in force on
and after the passage of q law legalizing the
payment of bounties by cities and towns, by
the Legislature of the State y
The following is the order passed unani-
mously by the Common Council, only one
member being absent: cAS
Ordered as .folIoaus s i H.
!. That to each man who shall be accepted in
the service of the United States, on the quota
Of this city, under the call of Dec 10, 1864.
either personally or by substitute, whether by
volunteering or by draft, shall BE- paid bounty
as follows, to wit:
For one years service, $500.
For three tire wear YEAR,. 'I service 5cO:
Such bounties to be paid on the mastering
Of the recruit into the service of the United
States.
2. That the foregoing provision shall be in
force and take effect, and the Treasurer be au-
thorized to pay the bounties which it contem-
plates, as soon as the Legislature of the State
shall enact law under the operation of which
the legality of such bounties shall be unques-
toned. wi
1t will be seen that the disagreement re-
lates to the mode of paying the bounties,-the
Common Council following the vote of the
city Of the meeting of Friday, proposing to
pay the bounty in a single sum on the mus
tering into the q. s. service of the recruit,
and the Aldermen proposing to pay in itstall-
ments, all above 5000 to be paid semi annual
ly 10 $50 payments.
The reason for this position of the Alder
men on this question, as we understand it, is
to place motive before the recruit to contin-
ne his service and not desert, and to protect
him, If possible, against the swindling opera
tons of unprincipled brokers.
To this the Common Council seem to reply,
that, as draft will in all probability have to
be made, the $500 or more, as the case may
be, will be practically bounty to the drafted
man If he sees ftsto go himself, or SO much
aid towards procuring substitute, and that
the mere promise Of the city to pay INSTALL
ments would be unavailing nprocuring such
substitutes. No enrolled man is eligible for
substitute. Substitutes have got to be drawn,
ia large measure, from aliens, or that class of
persons who have small if any confidence in
the promise Of anybody So far as protection
against swindling is concerned, it is argued
that In nine cases OUT Of ten, should substi-
tutes be obtained, they would assign their
claim upon the city for mere trife of cash
In hand, and thus wide door would be OPEN
ed for the very kind Of swindling against
which 1t is desirable to guard. 1t is further
argued that q large proportion of those now
1890
all knaves and bounty jumpers, are men with
out families, and among the aliens they are
largely men without legal heirs or representa-
tives IN the country. SO that little impression
could be made upon them by promises of pay
year hence, perhaps to be made to others
when they. are numbered among the slain.
Again, it is argued by the Common Coun-
Gil that the conditions on which these propos-
ed installments are to be paid are impractical
bic. To be paid Ito whom does not appear !
on satisfactory evidence that the recruit is
still in. the service. How many Thousand
cases have occurred in which, after a great
battle or great rout, the soldier has been re-
ported simply missing, and no further intelli-
gence has ever come to his friends to show
his fate. Perhaps he is put down as desert
er," when, II the swamp should give up its
dead, he would be found to have fallen nobly
with his face to the foe, or to have died in
loneliness and despair by some rivulet or
spring to which he had dragged his mangled
form; or, perhaps, unable to do this, had
struggled off in his bewilderment and died of
thirst and starvation, with no eve but Gods
upon him, with only the stars for his watch
ers, and vultures and beasts of prey to do him
funeral honors.
Or, perhaps, long, long weary months after
he was "missed"-perhaps years-it turns out
that all this long time he had been dragging
out miserable existence in some rebel prison.
or, may be, he helps to swell that long roll. all
nameless and unknown, who fill up the grave
yards, the silent population of which have
been furnished by those southern ihells. And
because no satisfactory evidence" of his
whereabouts can be forthcoming, forsooth the
anstailment cannot be paid Is il not safe to
say, therefore, that the conditions on which IL
Is proposed to pay these installments are often
impossible of fuldlment? Then, again, 1t is
proposed to pay the back installment il the re-
crult Is discharged for wounds received in the
Se'sice. suppose he is discharged for a brok-
Oh oown constitution, or as the result of any
otner OF the Thousand and one casualties Incl
dent to camp life aside from wounds i bo 70
60 unpaid?
There is another co ms liberation I, ma.
bounties paid by this city heretofore ana vi III
paid by the State, the payment in full has hoon
made on the mastering in of the recruit. Whv
cnange the system now2 Theoretically the
lnstallment system has merit, but practically
IL mas never been adopted. 1t is said that
miserable trash is sent to the army instead of
men, and this evil should be avoidad. bpt
does this come OF the bounties, or even Of the
mode of paying them, or does it not rather
come OF dealing with irresponsible parties
New York burglars and black legs-for re-
cruitsS Portland filed her last quota with
good men, aud yet they were paid as much
bounty as is now proposed, and all in one sum
on Delng mustered in. The only difference is,
sne money was then raised by private SUBJ