Year: 1864




In the district l represent the examination wa
held at Cham5ersburg. In Somerset county SIS
hundred and eight persons were drafted. ano
many Of those men had one hundred and TWEEN
ty FIVE miles to travel to reach the place of ez
animation. We had no railroads leading throuel
the county to the place where the men were re
quired to report. They had to travel that dis
tance in October over the read which then ex.
listed III the mountains, and the expense to the
Government amounted ouan average to seven
or eight dollars to the man. The expense OF
that single county in the district was over five
thousand dollars. If the amendment Is adopted
the expense Of holding the examination in the
different counties, win not be more than one
tenth what it is by compelling the men 10 report
at the place where the examinations are now
held by the provost marshal.


MIR. Grinnen / ask the gentleman from Penn
sgsvania to accept this modification, Sin all
counties where there are not less than five thous-
and inhabitants"


Mr.. Coifroth. Certainly l will accept That
modification. Now sir, as a general thing in
Pennsylvania outside of the cities, drafted men
have to undergo the hardship, fatigue and ex-
Pense of travelling long distances, sometimes
rom IS 70 so miles, to appear before the board
Of enrolment. My own district IS about two
hundred miles in length, running west nearly to
she MonOngahela river, and down TO the State
af Maryl land, at Carroll county. Some of the
1Pafted men of my district have to cross five or
six mountains in order to reach Chambersbure,
whereas if the examinations had been held in
the county towns it would have been accommo-
aating to them and would have saved money to
tie Government.


! ! claim this out Of Justice to the people We
arc legislating here not to impose greater bur
dens than are absolutely necessary upon the
masses OF the people. We are here to make
tic burdens as light as possible upon their shout
qers This we can do by the adoption of tie
amendment which ! have offered At tn, same
tine i wall effect saving Of expense to The
Government As q matter OF justice, therefore,
I ask The etner side CT the house to consider
t 20 amendment and TO adopt it,


Mr.. Stevens May / ask my colleague to
modify his amendment by making it read ''au-
I i'sqr;zed" 3nsfead'of ''requred?"


VI. CoHroth. | would yield 10 my distin-
guished colleague, but | am afraid that if we
use the word authorized" the object would not
be accomplished.


Mr., Stevens. The great difficulty before was
that the Secretary of war considered he WAS not
authorized to order this to be done | think my
colleague had better accept the modification


hr. Coilroth. Then | viii accept my col
leagues suggestion, and modify my amendment
so as to make it read authorized


Ir. Schenck. move to amend the amend
ment by inserting as substitute for it the saw
enteenth section Of the House bill as follows:


That the Secretary Of war is authorized, when
ever in his Judgment the public interest will be
subserv ed thereby, to permit or require boards
of examination of enrolled or drafted. men to
hold their examinations at different points with
In their respective enrolment districts to be de-
terrniued by him.


The committee on Military Affairs was salts
fled that there was much reason in asking that
the law should be amended in this particular
The committee had the whole subject before it,
and after consideration, adopted this IS the best
iorm IN winch that authority OF requirement
could be placed. At first it WAS thought Of pro-
v!ding that these sessions Of the boards Of en-
roilment should he held in the several districts,
at the county seats, but there was found to be
difficulty about that


There are States-MiSsouri and Kentucky,
Ior eNanple-whcre it would be impossible, or
at least dangerous, TO hold the SESSIONS Of the
enrolment board at the county seats; and yet
they may be within districts OF country The
grc2ter part Of which may be occupied BY our
troops or by loyal citizens. Then there are dis
tricts in which the county seat would not be the
best place for the sessions Of the enrolment
board. This was felt to be the case in regard
to the State Of Michigan, member from which
State Is on the committee. And yet thcre are
large districts over which men must travel a
great distance if the board is to sit in only one
place. IL was therefore thought advisable that
instead OF requiring absolutely that the sessions
OF the enrolling boards should be held at the sev
eral county seats it should be left TO be deter
mined, under the administration Of the law, by
the War Department, whether they ere to be
held at particular points, of such prominent
character; Of such accessibility and convenience,
as make them the most proper points. There
are places where it may be well to hold sessions
at more than one point; and on the other hand
there are places where sessions at one point may
do for two counties think the committee has
put the matter in the best shape, all things con-
sidered; and therefore hope the substitute win
be adopted


Mr.. Winfield. I think that the question pre-
sented 70 the committee by the amendment Of
fered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania, and
by the substitute proposed by the chairman Of
the Military Committee, comes before US in this
light: while il is conceded that perhaps some
reformation of the evil complained Of by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (KEr. Coffrothl is
and important, the question arises
whether the local boards of enrolment are not
better judges of the necessity Of affording this
relief than the Secretary of War can possibly
be. 1t appears TO me that the Secretary of War
in She midst of his multifarious duties would not
desire to assume the responsibility and trouble
Of determining with reference to each Of these