The daily gazette., 1879-01-22
FIFTH EDITION.
Letter from Sam uei Townsend.
For the DELAWARE GAZETTE.


MIR. JoHNsoN.--I saw a statement in
your paper last night that the Deid-
,cdredn, after, period of thirteen or
fourteen years, says Delaware has no
claim upon the government for money
paid for substitutes during the war. This,
sir, is a strange doctrine coming from the
Deidudredn and the persons who own
and run that paper. | assert that ten TO
thirteen years ago, at Dover, | proposed
to the then Governor Salisbury that he
recommend that three Democrats Zone
from each county,) and three Republic
cars, Zone from each county,) 60 on to
Washington and ask Congress to appoint
a committee to meet thesebsix men from
Delaware. and for them 10 try
and adjust military matters between
Delaware and the general government;
that Delaware, then, it was asserted, had
incurred Sl,225,0O0 to raise soldiers for
the general government, and that IL was
reported that Delaware, or one Congrts-
sonal district, had furnished l0,j0O three
years men out of voting population, at
the commencement of the war, of
little over lG,5OO men; that we were en-
titled TO a credit of two or three hundred
| thousand dollars on the over number
furnished; and, further, the general gov
| ernment was bound to protect the States
and had assumed and paid off several
States, and only that winter had paid off
Names debt through the request Of
Blaine. Cove Saulshury's answer to me,
was if We paid off Delawarc's debt, they
| would have to pay oil other States war
debts, and he was opposed TO paying
them and, as above stated. cited some
| that had then been paid OIL. He then said
/ New York's debt was 49,, ,0O0, 900, re-
replied that our Sl,225, 900 was more in
proportion TO wealth than New York or
any other State. ! saw at once Salisbury
| would do nothing And II ran on by the
State policy paying the debt off without
making an effort to get the general gov
erninent to give us credit for our number
of soldiers furnished, or waiting until
better counsels prevailed at Washington
and that bill passed by our Legi- lature
to furnish five hundred dollars TO each
drafted person, ran on for ten years be-
fore l learned the exact author OF IL, un-
I'll one day Mr.. Eli salisbury told me he
1 was the father of IL aud drew IL up.
replied, how unfortuDae he was in not
using some few different words. saying 1t
was bill to help the poor men with
families, who it did not suit to 20 to war
TO help them obtain substitutes; but in
stead it strove to keep men out OF the
draft, and insulted more Republicans
than any bill ever passed, and that is the
reason that Republicans grin and pay
the tax
A pretty miserable little State we were
to pass a bill TO keep men out of a draft
whilst Grants States were fighting, and
the government could and would have
swooped down on us and ruined us, il
no persons had been in the way, but the
breckenridge fraternity, for from the
very hour the Republicans determined on
the draft they dete mined to put ne
groes into the war, and make the excuse
TO make voters out of them the negroe>
when the war was over, and thereby
hold and rule the United States. Nor dc
blame the Democrats for appropriating
the money, and In fact every cent the
State was worth, but would have tried
to have used such language as would
placed the wrong on the Republicans, by
saying IN the bill to enable persons that
was poor and who bad families depend na
on them for support, to have five hun
drcl dollars or more towards helping "a
procure substitute in their place. Tn,
reason Delaware's excess of soldiers ruI
up so when the draft was called, every
young man that did not wish TO 20 tc
hBht LOT negro tuuality, Tor the war hat
got down about To that, paid five hun
dred dollars to help find him subsii
tute. had two boys and procured tw,
substitutes. Neither one of said boy.
was drawn, but still they were represent
ed by two soldiers; this is wha
run the number up to 10, 800 three year,
men; people did not write TO see IL the,
would be drafted but hired anything tn.
draft officers would take, bat the genera
government is IN honor bound to pa,
back to the States every dollar incurred
by the States to sustain and save tn,
Union in government and this none,
. we do not owe the government, out ar,
foolishly paying to 1t, would have mad,
our State fine school fund. livet
, through that civil war and know a grea
deal about 1t and its actors; and have no
forgot great deal, | am only sorry di,
not write journal of what saw, an,
had IL published for the benefit of de
scendans. often hear big words o
loyalty spoken that make me laugh i,
my sleep. This niggcr equality or nigge
partnership killed the Republicans, the,
cannot anuoInt the carcass with the mos
:. costly spices to keep 1t from stinkinp
!. SO as much as the Democrats have blum
- dered they are bound 10 win and contro
this country.
SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
TOWNSEND, Jan. end 1870