Year: 1862

UDg .UrlhatHGs


WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1se2.


THE DRAFT.


a false and injurious impression still
continues to prevail as to the nature and
Office Of tho draft, and its product is COM
pared with that enrolled by spontaneous
patriotism in volunteering. The latter is
admirable and not to be overprized as q |
token of the loyalty Of citizens to the State,
but the latter is egen more than that |
1t marks the re1iance Of the government
upon the citizens. One is like the burst Of
generous enthusiasm in the shape Of sub |
scriptions, tile other the steady aud unfail- |
ing fountain Of the public tax What pub
lie improvement can be safely left to the
former, Let the experience Of all our COM
munities show. Even in the times Of |
peace, kew weak and defective the volun-
tary system would stand, compared with
The plan born Of long experience and GUS
tom, which gives us the tax gatherer and
his strict list exempting none, visiting all
alike. Or how would the war debt now
eccruing be- borne, were it dependant upon
popular enthusiasm in the form Of vo1un-
tary subscription? What would be the
effect in Wall Street, aud where would
gtocks SO upborne be quoted or dealt inl


We have, by delaying the draft, and by
the o6ium cast upon it as system, dis
torted aud misappreciated its value, and
community cannot be too soon educated to
better and sounder view. Here before
as lies paper, loyal and earnest, and evi-
dently well sustained in what we know to
be an enlightened and liberal community
in one Of the older scaboard states. And
yet it has labored article, aimed to incite
volunteering by heaping odium on the
draft "The drafted soldier" it says,
"wiu be the dog and despised among his
fellow soldiers in the army, the menia1 and
The recipient Of low and infamous orders
and dutics,"-and so on for column. we
deprecate all this, But we equally depre-
cste the system openly pursued asa policy
of holding the draft in te7rorem over our
communities. 1t was seen and known to
be inevitable long ago. # it is a sound
rule moi to abuse bridge which has car
1ied one safe ever, it is still better one
not TO abuse bridge by which you must


cross. Far better smooth the way to the
policy that is inevitable, and acceptit with
all the advantages Of eagerness and early
endorsement


It will do no harm now to write it, now
that the paying Of bounties has ceased,
that they never should have been paid at
sll 1t Will be written down in the history
Of this war as an OVERSIGHT, that when
once our noble volunteer army took the
field year ago, the draft should have
at once given us a reserve, to which
ou1 commanders could look to
keep their regiments full We should
then have had only two classes Of men
in service, the volunteers who rallied to
the first call Of the country, and the drafted
men representing the sure sources Of tile
PUN u VI l4AV N*Ut&44l4AIAts " Y AAfE AU ~
and not 10 the advantage Of either the first
OF last class, an intermediate grade Of men
called out by boun1ies, these sums varying
in amount, and Of bad effect, from the IN
evltablc consequences Of comparison and
iuyidiousness, among our troops.


We do not write this in fault finding
spirit, but to note down the lesson as
learned by community, at an immense tut
Ton fee. Bounties have added largely to
the burdens Of community, without having
added tithe in the direction which should
be the sole and only care of community,
the care for those the soldier in service
leaves behind him, since the pay and care
of the soldier himself is the duty Of the
Government. The draft will give US better
men, for it calls for picked men, and will
accept no other. Let no man really disa-
bled by lack Of physical soundness take
anxiety to himself lest his condition be not
an exemption. It is the care Of thc Gov
uument that all such be excluded, and that
for public reasons. There Will be no
eluding and slurring over infrmities, too
Usual in the inspections ofvolunteers. We
shall have sounder body Of troops than
can be collected in any other way, in num-
bers sufficient to answer the purposes Of
the Government at this time Let us as
citizens understand this thing better, and
let the Government have the fullest conf
dence that the people are alive to every
demand Of this crisis. Arm our troops
With policy as they take the field, push
forward the fresh legions, bearing with
them purpose to use every means TO our
SUCCESS God has stored up in the institu-
tions Of the rebels, and The war will cnd
g}o1iously for the country and the deslnies
,ofLumanity.