New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-02-04
NH. FRY,S DRAFT.

| III full III another column. Az the late nOur at
which il was received We have no time TO deal
with it in detail, and fortunately little Of detail
is necessary. for the indciensiblc theory which
underlies The whole scheme is broadly stated in |
single sentence Mr.. Fly declares that "Un-
der the call Of December ~, [2Cth is the real
date, it il required: tlat ihice hundred thou
sand 600, 000) men, (and not credits alone)
shall be obtained" On that declaration We do |
cuss the whole question. ........ |
Who says "shall be obtained :" Not the |
law; not the President; only Mr.. Fry. The
Presidents call was for 500, 600 men. Mr.. Fry |
agsravates it into q call for $4,000 men Plus
an those which different localities have supplied
in advance OF the call. The "actual call. "
therefore, as is elsewhere stated, is for four
hundred or five hundred thousand men," II is
upon that theory, if ut all, that MI Fry's quo
tas are TO be justified.
Unhappily for the theory, the Law ard the
text OF TIC PRESIDENT call aye stil in existence
ard may be- quoted. They directly contra,iic:
aud utterly upset this theory. The call OF the
President, dated Decenbx %, 1861, recites that
on the call Of July II. 1861, for 50q,C mon the
number was reduced BY previous credits to
80, 600, and but $50, 0C0 were actually oh
| tanned. and "in ordor 10 supply tho of"ro
said deficiency the President Issues bis
call of December 20-no. for four or five
hundred thousand, but for "Three Hundred
Thousand" Both legs Of Mr. Fry's theory are
therefore knocked from under him. The call
Was not for 100000 men, independently of all
credits II was not for ionr or five hundred thou
sand actually" II was for 500, 600 men to FL
deficiency on previous call OF go co., ind
there il nowhere any hint hat credits for actua!
intervening eIiisimcnts are to be disallowcd.
till Mr. Provost-Marshnl General Fry with biz
aritblne,iesl lcgeidcmsn appears upon tho
scene.
| Nor does the law tolerate this theory Of 0
fixed number without regard to previous credits.
The law provides for a call for volunteers; ifI
for tho deficiency The President has no rover
! TO order dreft for the whole number expressed
in tie call, If any part Of the call shall have
been previously filed. The languaseis: "The
President shall immediately order draft for
one year to hill such Quota, or airy part thereof
,ehih may be urfHed." If "a district has supplied
volunteers either before or after the
call, they count in filing its quota.
and no juggery Of figures can make
| it otherwise. The written law stands. !
Under the law, it is wholly immaterial when
the district became entitled to credits. The |
men it has furnished the Government are to be
accounted for by the Government, and we ven |
ture to say not he who drew the law, nor any |
legislator who voted for it, nor any sane man
who ever read it-eXcept Mr.. Fy-supp0se1
credits for previous enlistments could be with |
held. What the law contemplates is simply !
that each district shall furnish its ratable pro.
portion Of men for the defense Of the Republic
its proportion, md no more than its proportion.
A correspondent who appears in yesterday 3 |
Eoemng Post as the officially inspired apologisl
of Mr.. Fry, sums up the case in the following
paragraph, which We beg tho reader patiently |
TO pcruse:
~ third causc Of lcfeose IN the quota came from,
the fo,owinR iacis EewYcrk Ci,y, thenks 20 the en-
eyy Of Mr.. Blnnt has been prompt to claim all the
credits sho was entitled to. Other localities had not
done 10. but men the call WIS announced all pors Of
the country hss,cned to claim their credits. Thosshad
20 be allowed. Under the system formerly prevailing
the allow OF these credits would have affected
otAer localities. 1t would merely have decreased
TIE number OF now men 20 be obiaii ed BY the call Blt
under tie system already referred ~ O( requiring the
cR to actually produce three hundred thousand men,
tho allow cneo of the, credits Of course required new
assignment OF quotas throughout the country Corrcc
tons tho enrolment necessarily above cd ia other local
ties also involved f Cher changes tbs quotas These
worked against New York City bccaue, sho Lad meyi
Ousiy claimed hor credits aud hed not yet got into
position TO show specifically tho in hcr enroll
meni. 49, ~ ..'.s-s-. .--.-sss-.ns /
We take that as al unintentional but decisive
admission Of the iletnlty Of the system Of com.
putation adopted by Mr.. Fry. We hayc shown