The Proposed Conscription Bill

Prora '.ha Xaticua! IntiíHigeucer, Senator Wilsm's " oOnscription " bilí, wliicli seema ti) btí n a fair way for a passage thraúgh the Se.iuto, s tlie subject of inuch Jie ;usion among militar v iiion. It is generalij denoutwed as un fair, ihexpedient and impracticable, and ealculatfd to provoke ü;i amcunt of unpopularitv whielí would be avoided by a moro equitabiu tiieasure. The íirst serious objection to t!io bilí a that it overrides nll Staiu authonty and puts tlio w lióle business of regulating and enfarcing a dfiift in tlio hands of tho President. This provisión implica a distrust of the loj'alty and patriotism oí' the QwÁrnorl of tho NortLem Statos, whioh tha liberal j opc-rat'ou of thoso Govcrnnrs and thoae ', Slates heretofore doea not justify. The State authorities oannot fail to í'eel that they are t rea tod with negleetaud injustice if the bilí passcg in thi.s sh;ipo. It would ] be far bctter to rely frankly upon tho aid i of the local authorities in executing a conscription mcasure, than to snub and set theni aside as the bilí proposes to do. It ia just such over-riding of 8tate eovermuents and State pride that makes the rebel consenption so odious all through tho secedod States. This ia ono of these things in which it ouglit to ba our boast that we do not copy froto the enemy. Anothor strong objection lies against this consenptioi) bilí. It is drawn up ettlier in perfect ignoranco, or m willful "neglect, of all the maxims of military , polioy, founded in coumion senso, and i ratiíied by cxp(.'rienee of all the best Cghtin5 nations on tha earth. This bilí makes no distiuction on account of ages or coudition. All able-bodied inon be tween 18 and 45 aro liable to be drafted; and no coininutation monoy is accepted. The man with a large fainily to support has no preferente over the man who is alone in the world The man who has clitnbed up to middle lifa. with indifferent health, and who would be killed by a day s hard marchiiig or a uight's exposure, ia put on the same footiug as the athletic vigoroua fullow of twonty-five. The bilí, instead of being so contrived as to give the least jar to all the institu tions and interests oí' society, seems to be espeoially designed to bear with iron hardoess'upoii the settlcd order of things. In monarchie? and despotisius - where the raising of armios is reducod to a science - care is taken that the business interests of the country are not upset bv an indiscrimiudte draft. Exceptions are made in favor of men with families - Tho young and strong ara taken before the middle-iiged aie called upon, and a commutation fee ia aocopted by the government froiii those who are dra-.vu but are unable to go to the war. A conscription system like the Freueh has been found. by long practice, to bo not only admirably efficiënt, but to causo the least possible disorder to all the interests of the country. If the Senator had gone to work to get up a bilí, which would tend to rnake the very naine of consoription odious, he could not have surpassed this effort.