Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-03
AUGUSTA Maine,
23d Nov. 1870.

1ss4atS s4ssoas, Commissioners &c.
SELDEN Common,
Gentlemen: l acknowledge the receipt of your
favor of the 10Th inst, prcpounding certain in
quiries which you say have been addressed to
"each member of the Congressional delegation
"from Maine for the year 1915" These inqui-
ries refer to the mode in which certain credits of
three enumerated classes procured for differ
ent towns Of this State on their quotas under the
several calls for troops in the year referred to.
In answer to youl inquiries, beg leave to
say
First: That mo recruiting officer nor agent of
| any town" nor any other person ever applied to
me, or so far as know to the Congressional dele.
cation CT any member thereof for any "ad in OBJ.
'tAining for Maine its equitable share of such
"credts, for any particular town or disrc of the
Estate, for the necessary orders or sanctions to
"have such credits allowed upon its quotas"
Second! have no knowledge that the Maine
delegation or any member thereof ever "made
Representations solicitations to the war office
cor any military authority" to secure the estab.
lishment of "a rule principle for the distribution
of those classes of recruits to the several States
land particularly to the assignment of certain
"number of them to Maine" Formyself, never
held any sort of conference with the war office or
any military authority ON the subject.
Third: have no knowledge whatever as to
the mode in which "indv iduals obtained posses.
sion of the rolls or lists of the men of the classes
referred to-" nor do know chow the necessary
"orders were procured IRON the War Department
"for the assignment Of these classes of men upon
"the quotas Of towns in this State" l was never
consulted by any one with reference to obtaining
"credts for the districts of Maine, for any class of
"recruits," and was never solicited by any one
'for aid or influence in the accomplishment OF
"such purposes" Nor do know "by interview
or correspondence" of any one being interested in
procuring credits for the classes of men referred
to.
have thus answered your questions as directly
and as explicitly as am able to. For four or five
years past have heard runners of various kinds
touching this subject, but neither personally nor
officially have l the slightest knowledge that
would aid your investigation. 1t will readily oc-
cur to you, that Of all persons in public position.
member Of Congress would be the least likely to
have any knowledge of the kind you arc seeking
The matter was wholly within the control and adj
justmcnt Of the State authorities and the Execu-
tive branch Of the General Government; and the
war office was always represented by an army Of
fcer located in Maine. Any interpositon on the
part of a member of Congress would have been
gratuitous and offensive, and the State authorities
and citizens alike respected their position by not
invoking their assistance or advice. The matter was
never, to my recollection, made the subject of con-
ference in the Congressional delegation, nor indeed
was it ever recognized or mentioned as being
within the scope Of such conference.
The subject, however, had its legitimate con-
ncclion with Congress, and with that am fami-
lar. Before the war had reached the end of its
second year, it became evident that volunteering
could not be relied upon as u means of promptly
recruiting our armies and hence Congress on the
Sd of March, 1868, passed the well-known "act for
enrolling and calling out the national forces and
for other purposes" After several drafts had
been made in different States under this act it was
amended the ensuing year by two additional acts,
of Feb. "a and July 4, 1864. In the last named
act provisions were inserted allowing the Gov
ernors Of loyal States to send recruiting agents
into any of the rebel States except Tennessee,
Arkansas and Louisiana and further allowing all
naval enllstments past and future to be credited
on the military quota Of any State that had fur
nished or should furnish such enlis.ments. Both
these provisions were designed to relieve as far as
possible the rigors Of the draft throughout the
North, and the one in regard to naval enlisments
was deemed at the time to be a peculiar advan-
tage and ameloration to the Eastern States.
The operation Of the law, however was not in
all respects satisfactory. Abuses of various kinds
occurred under it, and in the matter of credits for
naval enlistments some States got a much larger
share than they were entitled to, ard others con-
sequently got less than their equitable proportion
1t was particularly, and think truthfnlly alleged
that Massachusetts and New York got credit for a
large number Of men that belonged to Maine.
This arose from the fact that the chief naval re.