Year: 1863

Daily. pc! annum,- 90.


rri-Wesklv. 90.


The COnscription Act.


Congress has at last passed the Conscrip


ton Act, the vote in the House being quit


decided-(ll5 to 49)


This act authorizes the President to rails,
by draft such number Of troops as may il
his judgment be necessary to put down thu
rebellion. By this bill the whole people o
the country are enrolled, and not merely thu
militia. 1t may never be necessary to enforce
the act, but it was evidently the duty of Con
gress to provide for any exigency that might
occur.


By the bill all abie-bodied men between ths
ages of 20 and IS are subject to the draft. and
persons drafted have the privilege of hiring
substitutes. or Of purchasing exemption by
paying to the government such sum as may
be hereafter stipulated by the Secretary Of
War, not exceeding $500.


The more important provisions of the Act,
as to who are included and who exempt, are
as follows:


Sec. l. That all able bodied male citizens
of the United States, and persons of foreign
birth who shall have declared on oath their
intention to become citizens under and in
pursuance of the laws thereof, between the
ages of twenty and forty five years, except as
hereinafter excepted, are hereby declared to
constitute the national forces, and shall be La
BILE to perform military duty in the service Of
the United States, when called out by the
President for that purpose.


Sec. 2. That the following persons be, and
they are hereby, excepted and exempted from
the provisions of this act, and shall not be IL
able to military duty under the same--to wit
such as are rejected as physically or mentally
unit for The service also, first, the Vice
President of the United States, Judges of the
various courts of the United States, the heads
of the various executive departments Of the
Government, and the Governors of the sever
al States and, second, the only son liable to
military duty ofa widow dependent upon his
labor for support third, the only son of aged
or infirm parent or parents dependent upon
his labor for support fourth, where there are
two or more sons of aged or infrm parents
subject to draft, the father, or if he be dead,
the mother, may elect which son shall be ex-
empt fifth, the only brother of children not
twelve years old, having neither father nor
mother, dependent on his labor for support
sixth, the father of motherless children under
twelve years Of age, dependent upon his labor
for support; seventh, where there are father
and sons in the same family and household,
and two of them are in the military service of
the United States as non-commissioned Off
GERS, musicians or privates, the residue of
such family and household, not exceeding
two, shall be exempt; and no persens but
such as are herein excepted shall be exempt:
Provided, however, That no person who has
been convicted of any felony shall be enrolled
or permitted to serve in said forces.


SEC. 8. That the national forces Of the
United States, not now in military service, en-
rolled under this act, shall be divided into
two classes, the first of which shall COM
prise all persons subject to do military duty,
between the ages of twenty and thirty-five
years, and all unmarried persons subject to
do military duty above the age of thirty-fve,
and under that of forty-ive the second class
military duty, and they shall not. in any dis
trict, be called into the service of the United
States until those of the first class have been
called.


The machinery of the conscription is to be
wholly under the direction of the President,
and is to consist of Provost Marshal General,
with deputies in each Congressional district,
who, besides conducting the draft, are to ar
rest deserters, spies and traitors. All per-
sons enrolled by the Provost Marshals are to
be subject to draft during two years from the
1st of July after their enrolment, for service
for three years or during the war, with the
same advance pay and bounty as volunteers
under the present law. In assigning their
quotas to the second districts the President is
to consider the troops they have already fur
nished for the war, and apportion accord
ingly. ..


Resistance to draft under this act is pun
ishable with fine not exceeding $500 and
Imprisonment not exceeding two years.


It will be seen that the act does not exclude
negroes from draft. Of course, however,
they will be assigned to regiments of their
own color.