The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1916-02-23

Finds It Necessary to Compel Citizens
TO Join the Fighting Forees-What
Lincoln Said In Days Of Civil War
When Similar Steps Were Taken.
In England they call it "conscrip-
ton" in America draft" But the
parallel between the conditions under
which compulsory military service was
adopted in the United States and the
circumstances in which it becomes eff
fective in Great Britain is quite com
plete.
In the sixties the United States was
fighting for the preservation of the
Union.
Half century ago the United States
adopted conscription as a method of
obtaining recruits at a time when vol
unteering had almost entirely ceased,
owing to the poor success Of the Union
commanders in the war with the south;
England today requires more men for
the successful prosecution of the war
than ordinary methods Of appeal have
secured-more men by far than ex-
traorlinary efforts, including tile Dor
by campaign, have won for the colOrs
and the "slacEers' are unwilling to
enlist in part because the prestige Of
victories in the field belongs largely to
the cnemyS arms.
In this country in 1868 there We're
large numbers of ablebUdied men who
were eligible for military service; in
Great Britain in 1916 there are great
numbers of eligible men who of their
own accord do not come forward to en-
list
Also in the time Of the civil war the
government at Washington tried to
avoid resort 10 extreme measures, but
adopted CONSUMPTION at last, while il
England there was q long period Of
hesitation, aud at last obligatory serv-
ice Is adopted
The Draft Riots.
And finally in this country there
were serious riots when the draft be-
gan operations, and in England the
possibility Of serious disorders has had
the grave study of the premier and
his advisers. Also in both countries 4
process of registration Of all citizens
eligible for service preceded the inau-
guratiOn Of cOnscription.
There are many persons who remem-
Der well the terrible days in mid-July,
1863, when the streets of northern
cities were full of rioters. and the dis
orders had to be quelled by force of
arms.
In New York the rioting lasted four
days, in which the loss in killed and
wounded men was nearly 1000, and
the damage TO property, public and
private, was estimated at more than
$500, 900.
The disorders were not so serious i'll
other cities In Boston there was one
riot, which threatened to assume for
midable proportions, costing at least
seven lives and the wOunding Of
score of persons. There was trouble
ia Portsmouth, y. H.; rioting occurred
in Troy, y. V, and there was II deal of
cOmmotion in Holmes county, o.
This is the story Of the draft and
the riots which it orcasioned, with
minimum amount of attention to the
big riot in New York and rather full
statement of the troubles in Boston.
When the elections of 1852 were held
the party Of the administration was
defeated in such important states as
New York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois ana Wisconsin.
The adverse verdict against the party
of Lincoln was Il protest against the
sacrifice of such vast amounts of life
and treasure without the accomplish
ing of very great military results.
In some states the draft already had
been put i'm operation, but as state
measure, to secure men for the militia.
In Pennsylvania and Wisconsin there
was open violence against it in August
1862.
BY 1863 volunteering had almost
ceased. The efforts by the states to
use the draft were not satisfactory,
and at length "A CONSUMPTION act was
passed by the national congress and
approved on March 3 of that year.
This draft operated directly upon the
people of the nation instead Of through
the states as Intermediates.
In the south CONSUMPTION act was
rigidly enforced. President Lincoln re-
fused TO suspend the draft or to delay
it while waiting for Il supreme court
decision upon its legality, saying: 1--WE
are cOntcndmg with an enemy who, as
understand, drives every ablcbodied
man he can reach into his ranks, very
much as Il butcher drives bullocks into
a slaughter pen. My purpose is
to bc iu my action just and constitu-
tional and yet practical"
The words of Lincoln apply to the
situation across the water today and
state the ease for CONSUMPTION almost
as Lord Northcliffe himself would put
It. With CONSUMPTION it will be inter