The Conscription Bill

In to duy's issue, by the rojection of inuoh matter of interest, we give place to the National Force Luw - inore genorally known a the Cmiscription Act - eiiaoted by Congruas jus, prior to its adjournment The iinportance of this act to every citizen rendors it unnecessary that we should give any excuse for the space it occupie. As a cali will probabh soon ba mado under it for"300 000 more'1 men or twioe that number- say as enon as the Spring eloctions are over - all of our roaders should miiks themselvts thoroughly aequaiuted with ts provi?ions Give the act a careful readinp-, and then file away this paper forfutuie use. Thia bill hts many good features, atnong theiu, the aboüshing of so many classexemptiotm, or. exemptions of United States officials, froin tido waiters and eustom house markers down to members of Congress. Out with its otlier im provements it has improved wondorfullv in ignoring the existence of States ai;d State authnritios, and goes a great vrnyg towarde absolute centralization. It operates direutly upon the peop'e, ai d relies upon no Stato agencies to place the rnilitia in ths field, thtis repudiating all the past practices of tho Government, if not t!ie provfsions of the Constitutiou. We will not, however, discuss these features of the law at this time. One very obnoxiou feature of the law we dppire just tiow to point out. Section 13 provides tbat any drufted man may commule by furuishing an acceptabln substitute or by paying intotlio treasury the sum of %3ÖÖ or undor, as the Sesrotary of War may determins In this State sueh a hae and ory was made over the 8100 exeuiption clause of tho Stata militia law, that the Legislature Ins been compeüed to strike it out, and leavo every drafted man to go or furni.sli hts substitute. But the Congress of the United States fixes tho pnce of eommutatiou at $300, indirectly estabüshe that sum as the price of substitutos, and thus compels the poor man to enter the armv and permita the rieli man to stiy at homo and get rieher. This is aeting fully up to the oíd federal maxim that the Govt-rnment was made for the riel). Imperial France has asimilar law, but t ishardlv fitted for llopublii-an America. Are "he rich utider uo obligations to shed tlnir blood to maintaio the institutions which have onriehed them ? Or shaü thev shed only crocodilo tears and treasury notes while the poor men go forth to save tho country? War brings hardships, and ha rdihipg, we suppese, never will fall equally upon al] classes, but it does seem to us that tho burdens should be as nearly equally divided as possible, and that the Provost Marshal should not be set to draft with a net that catches the poor and próvidos a sure w;iy of escapo for tho rich. Had not the Government bet ter it-ly a little longer upon volunteers, and f it must draft compel overy ablebodied draftod man to serve, or leave each to furuish big own substituto at the best te;-ins he can ebtain him. Our peopio are not educated to the standard of furced levieu, and if levies must be foroed groat eire sliould ba taken that they ueitlier diionmir.ate in favor or against classes What say our intelligent readers to the $300 exemption clause ? IdP" Congress before a!j:iirrvna; re duced the dtity on printÍDg paper írrttn 35 to 26 per cent. Nota dollar'n worth ot prin'.ing papur was importad mulcr the (.ld rato and probuhly vll not be under tho now - at laust whilo exchitnges rule so bigh. 2} par cont i.s as eflectually prohibitory as was 35 per cent, and publiehers and tho reading public havo reason 10 thank Congresa for nothing. C3 Wií inviie tho nttention of our fellow Demócrata in the soverul Townsliipw of t.riis couaty, to the Constitution of t lio Ann Arbor Uemocratio Association, in íur uolurnoa to day. Au important elegiioo is at hand, and th roiia;h orgunizatioo is neceunary to givo any hope of uccoss. The RepubItcam are orgainzing seciet iissociations a'l over tho Stule, and these secret íhuociations must be mot by pi.lilic ones. Let Deinoorats rnovo In every town, and so move thal ever} dcmocratio votur will bo at the polls on tho 6th dav of April next. L3fT Tbe üuitod States Sonate is still in executive session, actiug upon nuinbe.less milititry and civic íiomiuatlOM.