The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-03-29
The Chicago COMMITTEES on IN he
Draft@rheir Interview with
Mr. LincOin-More OF the Pre-
sIdeRrS Little Stories.

The Chicago Committee on th e
Draft@rheir Interview with
mr. LtncOin-More of the Pre-
sideRps Little stories.
The people Of Chicago recently sent de.
/ pu;ation 10 Washington, TO induce the Pre-
sident to reduce the quota Of Cook county,
which is claimed to be excessive. The Pre-.
sident, however, insisted tha. the draft
should proceed on the basis Uf The present
enrolment, and ordered that new enroll
ment shall Subsequently he made BY Others
| than the present enrolling officers, and that,
| il the present enrolment shall be found to
be excessive, the county shall have credit for
all men furnished since March Sd, 1865, up
ON the basis Of the new enrolment. The
! Chicago Times gives the following humor-
OTIS report Of the interview between the Pre-
Sident aud the chicago deputatiOn:
mo, said the President, 'notwithstaud-
ing you offer to furnish 2OO0 more men than
| have the right to demand or expect of you.
| YOU cannot be permitted-to regard yourself
free OF the draft. | have demanded 500
men instead OF 600, and you must comply
with my demand. -
But, said the Chicago committee" that
is 1900 more men than you have the right to
ask there is no justice in that"
Il know 1t, said the President, 'but |
viii give YOU credit upon the next draft. -
Why, Mr.. Lincoln, said ono Of the
committee, II though: VIC are not going to
haue another draft: somebody certainly tolG
me so.
Very true, replied the President, ''but
did you not hear the same assertion before
election, and yet you are now having an
other draft; and notwithstanding you hear
the same thing now, you may have still an
other, and perhaps dozen ofthem.
Another member OF the c0mniitte sug-
gcsted-" Before the election, there were
prom se3 that proper credits should all be
made upon the next call, which is the pres
ent one, and now the people have right to
expect their credits.
swell, know" replied Mr.. Lincoln,
THAT | promised TO allow you all credits
upon this call you would not have been
willing to have filled the call Of 1864, if |
had not made such promise. | have got
the men under the call of 1861 they are
about used up, and | want more men and
] am willing to make another promise--you
| shall have your credit upon the next call. J"
But promises don't do us any good, Mf.
Lincoln, was the reply.
We'll, they keep in good humOr, | guess,
and at any rate promises are all | have to
give. The New England States are lend
ing a moral support TO the war, and it is
nothing mere than Justice that that moral
support should be credited upon her quotas,
and, furnishing the moral support, New En-
| gland has a right to expect that the West
shall iulnish the physical support. If
Boston does the praying, why should Chica-
go dcmur at being compelled to do the fight
ing. And that reminds me of joke -
Somebody returned to me one of my fasting
proclamationS, with the words "a day Of
drafting and prayer written over it. Fry
| thought it suggestive of what people would
say when the quotas were announced-pr2y :
ing in Boston and drafting in Chicago
And that reminded me very forci ly Of a
man in Sangamon county, Illinois, who was
arrested upon the charge OF murder The
State = attorney was sick, and | was APP
pointed 10 prosecute. There wlS great cX-
citemcnt, and the court room was thronged
with spectators. 1t was one Of my maiden
cases, and as my reputation depended upon
success, ] was determined to achieve it
The cOunsels for the defense were very in
genious in their theories as to how the MR.
der, which was very mysterious, might have
been committed, and disccursod elomlently
upon the injustice which would be done to
the poor mani if, in reality innocent, he were
found guilty and hung. | told the jury that
the best thing they could do WAS to hang
him, and, it in the course Of time. it would
be shown that he was innocent, the court
could cause such fact to be placed on his
tombstone. ! did not win the case, but
cou'! never underst and why Fry couldn't
see the point, but enlightened him by tell
ing him that was Just 'rhcre the joke ,ct,s.-
Now don't want any of the committee to
mention this storH for some evil disposed
persons might torture it into a wrong mean
ing. by declaring that compelling Chicago
to furnish 1900 men more than can justly be
required of her, and giving her credit upon
the next call, is somewhat like hanging an
innocent man for murder, and stating the
| fact Of his Innocence upon his tombstone. :"