Gov. Seymour's Letter To The President

WasliiDgton, Aug. 9. The following is Governor Seymour's letter to the President on the qucstion of the draft iu New York : State of Nbv Vork, ExErniYE Peí'aiitmknt. ï ai.ea.nï, August s, lsea. ƒ To the President of tbc t'uited States : Sik - At my request a number of persons have called upon you with respect to the draft in this State, more particularly as it affected the cities of New York and Brooklyn. To avoid aiisapprehcnsions, I deern it proper to state my views and wishes ia writing. As the draft was one of the causes of the late riot in the city oí' New York, and as that outbreak lias been urged by somo as a reasou for its immediate exceutiun in that city, it is proper that I should speak of that cvent. At the moment when the militia of the city were absent, iu pursuance of your request, and wlieu the forces of the general government wore withdrawn from its fortiñeatious, lcaving it defenseless against auy attaek from abroad or the riot withiu its limite, the Provost Marshal coiurueuced the draft without conBultation with the aulhorities of the State or of the city. The harsh measure of raising troops by compulsión has heretofore been avoided by this gov eminent, and is now resorted to from the belief ou its part that it is uecessary for the support of our arms. I Jjnow you will agree with ine that justice and prudence alike dewand that this lottery for life shall be conducted with the utmost, fairuess and openuess, so that all moy kuow that it is impartial and equal in its operations. It is the right of every ciiizen to be assured that in all public transactions there is strict impartiality in a matter so deeply afï'ecting the persons and bappiness of our people. This is called for by every consideraron. I am happy to say that in mauy of the district in this state the eurolled lists were publicly exhibited, the names were placed iu the wheels from which they were to be draven in the prcsence of men of different parties and of known integrity, and the drawings were eouducted in a manner to avoid suspicion of wrong. - As the enrollmtiits are made in many insiances by persona unknown to the public, who are afl'ected by their action and who have no voice in tlu;ir selection, ctre shou'd be tafeen to prove the correctuess of every (lip. Uufortunatoly this was r.ot done in the district of New York when the draft was commenecd. The exeitement caused by this unexpecied draft led to an unjustifiable attaek upon the cnrolling officers, which ultimatcly grew into the most destructivo riot kuown in the history of our country. Disregard for law and the disrospect for judicial trinaríais prodiced tiieir natural results of robbery and arsou, accompanied by Biurderous ouuages upou a helpless race, and for a time the very csistenee of the commercial metropolis of our country was threatencd. In the sa'Ü and humiliating history of ihis nor, it is cratifyingthat the citizens of New York, with out material aid from the State or nation, wcro able cf thtëmséTves to put down this dangerous insurrecíion. I do not underrate the valüo of the services ren dered by the military or "naval officers of the general government who were ' tioned in that city, fijr the publicare un der great and lasting obliga'tions to them for their courage and skill, and their wise and prudent counsels. Kut they had at their command only a haudful of good ■ troops, who alone were entirely unequal j to the duty of del'undiiio; the vast amount j of national property which was endangered. The rioters were nubdued by the ! exortions of the city officials, civil and military, the people, the pólice, and a small body of only 1,200 men, composed equally of the State and national forces, who availed themselves of the a ble ad.vico and direction of the rUstincuishcd militíiry men to whom I have alluded.- It gives a gratifying a;,surauce of the ability of the greatest city of our continent to liiuintain order in its midst under circumstaLccs so disadvantageou.s, iguinst an uprisiug so unexpected, aud having its 01 igin u ques'ioüs deeply exciting to the miuds of the groat musses of its population. Tho return from the wur of some of the New York militia regiments restoied peace and secuiity to ibe city. I ordered tvoops froni different parts of our State, hut I could uot get them to the city before the nut was quelled, neither could the geneiul governnieut give any Buhfctiiutial aid. It could not even man its own furts, nor had it the means to protect its own arsenals and bavy-yards aguinst any of the vessels which yere at that time engtigiid i;i buniing thü (nipi uf our merchante almost within aight of our coast I'1' r ;i time these very fortifieatinns were the ehief danger to the l:arbr of New Vurk. üne thous;md men could have seized them all, and hnve uscd their annuments for tli e des ■■üctijn of its bhip,iug and of the c.tv il.si'if. At tbc time tliat this riot took place I engnued with Sinator Morgan and Comptroller Ilobirson, of this State, on the subject of h.irhor defenses, and placud' utider the directiou of Uetiernl Vool the unorgauiaed Ijodies of natioual volunteers still undcr my corcinaiid, and I also ordered bodies of the militia from tlio interior of New York into the fortifiontions, to be ander his control, and I mado arrangeinonts with hira for their reception, but on the 12th inst., the day bef'ore the riot brok out, I was requested by Gou Wool t countermand my orders, direoting th militia to proceed to the harbor of New York. Tho reason for this I understani is that tho rules of the service, or th laws of the United Stites, do not perrai the War Department to accept the ser vico of troops for special or uualifiei purposes. Tho inubility hï the govern ment at that momeut to dcfend its forts and public property, or to give any substantial assistance in putting down a roit while the militia of the city wore supportmg the national cause iu another field, will be shown by tho following etter, which was comumuicated to my associatos, Messrs. Morgan and Robiusoa, and to myself, tho week before these ou trages occurred : Heauquaeters Depabtmext of tui; East, ? New Yokk, June 30. $ Tu lus Excelïency Iloratio Sevmour, Govtruor of thö State of Neiv York: Sin : Allow me to cali your attention to the defenseless conditioa of' this city. I have only fivo hundred and fifty men to garrison eight forts. One half of these eannot bo ealled artillerists, being very imperfcctly instructed in any part of artillery duty, The Roanoke is ordered to proceed to Hainpton Eoads, leaving no vessel of war in the harbor or at the depot that could be svaihible in less thar! ten das. The niilitia of this city aud Brooklyn have either boon or are being sent to protect and defend Pennsylvania, who is now paying dear for her riegleoing to take care of horself by guarding jer frontier. Is it wise for New York to 'ollow her example by neglecting to protect the city of New York, the great emiorium of the country, and of more imjurtauee at the present moment to the 'overnment than all other citics under ts control? If I had had a sufficient ïumber of men to man our guns I might )rotect the city from ordiuary ships of var, but not from irón-clud steamers.- n our present condition, from want of nen to man our guns the Alabama or any other vessel of her class niight, vithout fear of injury, enter our harbor and in a few hours destroy ono hundred nillions of property. I havo done all in ruy power to guard against the present condition of the city; but I have ealled he attention of Ihe Mayor, as well as others, again and again to the defenseless eondition of the city. The Mayor can do but little, from the fact that the miliia have been ordered to defend Petmylvania. We ought to have ono or tivo ron-clad steamers and several gunboats o guard the harbor. These, witü men o man the guns of our forts, would be ufficient to prrtect and defend the city. 'ii'' eompany of artillery raisett for the 'orts iu this harbor, whieh I requested 'óttr txcellency to turn over to me, has X'en sent.to Pennsylvania. The coudiion of the city is'an invitation to rebels .o mabe the. effort to assail it. i havo tlm honor to be, ie.s Ktiully, your obodient servant, JOHN E. WO0L, Major General. While this deplorable riot bas brouglit sgraee upon the grent city in which it ccurred it is due to the charaetcv of its lopulation to say that they were aLle to put it down without aid irom any other quarter, to save their city aivd to reseue their own and the fovcrmnetit property from the violeuce of a mob at a critical moment, when tbey had sent their armed men to save the uational capital from ialling into the hands oï hüstile aruis. For this patriotie service they havo alrcady received your thauks and the gratitude of the nstion. Iiowever mucli we may denouuce and d-eplore the violence of bad or misguid'd me.i it would be alike unjust and unrateful to urg-e the execution of the draft iu auy ' spirit of reseutment or to show auy uu iUingness to seo that the most exact juslice isobserved iu the execution öf tha measme and in fixing the nniout of tin: potas. I aiu su no that you will unite vvith me in repell'mg üny eouusela tuj-gestcd by excited pasions or -partisan irejudices; for you have on more than oue occasion acknowledccú the generous aud patriotis prompti'.ude with whieh the eity of New Yor:A has responded to calis made upon V„ by you in moinents of suddeu per,1,. The act of (Jongr. ss provi4-ug for the oonscription direots that in determing the quotas of men to be furnished by eaoh State, regard shall be made to the uumber of valunteers aud inilitia fiunished by them respectively tinco the coiiimencement of the present reblhon, and that thoy sball be so assigned as to equalize the number ainoriw tho distriots of the several States, allowing for tikoko already furni.shed and lor the time of their service. I believe that New York is tho onlv Atlantic State, savs Iihode Island, which has furdished her full rtuota herettfore, and bas also furnished a surplus, which entitles her to a credit upon the present draft. But the statement, made at the office of the Provost Mar.-hal General at Washington of this credit does not agree with that claimed at the office of the Adjutant General of this State. I do not Joubi the impartiality of Colonel Fry, and I believe that the difference? of these statements enn be reeonciled if an opportunity is 'ven to compare the records of the to oiEces. i asís tliat this may be done. After a carcful exainination l aiu satisOcd that tlie quotas i:;nv !'.;'in:i!ided lVu:u tllB congressioiüil district, in New York r.nd K-iigq county }ire glarlfig unjust. Either the names enrolled in these disiricts greátly cxeeeáed tho truc numbers, or the enroihnouts in other paris of the State are grossly deiioicut. Tho prastical iujustice will be the game in eithor case. If regard is had to the number ! heretofore sent from the several districts, I the records of our State show that New ' I York and lirooklyn havo fuvnislied moro tliau thoir proportióp. Theso records were carcfully -kopt under the adininis tration of Gov'ernor Morcan. If the quotas now iixed upon these cities are pi-opuitioucd to tho nuiubers onrollod tbey suffer a doublé w,ron; for they do not gét a due credit tur the past, and tbc enrollmenttí are excessivc as comparec with other Hections of the State. I send you tabica whioh show these rosults : - 'J'ho quota for tuejFburth Congressioual Distot, with a populatioa of 131,854, is 5,881. Thatíixcd upon the F ft e en tb Congressiopál Di.striot, with a populatiou of 132,232, is only 2,260. ïhe quota upon the last-uained dist-iet ehould exceed that of the city district, for the census returns show that there is a largor population of témales and of aliens in the city of New ï"ork thau thero is in the country. If the comparison is made by. the uumber of votes iustead of populatiou taking the last clection, when the vote was very ful!, it will be seen that the cali upoa the city district 5,881 upon a vote of 12,oüo, whilo upou the country district it is only 2,:26O upun a vote of 2o,105. Iu two adjoining districta ia the city of Broklyn the discrcpaneies are qually strikiug. In that represented by Mr. Odell, with apopulation of 182, -2 -12 the quota is 2,69?. Iu the adjoiniuit distntt, represouted by Mr. Kalbíkseh with a population of 151,951, it is -Í, 1 1(5. Yet the voters in Mr. Odoll's district are lti-121, and in that of Mr. Ödell's disriet are 16, 321, aud in that of Mr. fealbeflsoh 15,927. ïho draft as at present proposcd wil L tinow upon the eastern portion of the State, coroparativoy lefes tli.-ni ono-third ófthë Cotigrcssioudl districts, more than oue-hulf of the lardeas of the conscription This is particularly uujust towards New York aud Brooklyii ; for they have not only "urnished their fair proportions hereto'oiu without couuting the nuinbers they iavcgiven to the navy of the country, )ut they have beeu the recruiting grouods or olber States, and constant complaints re iiow made that agents froin other States are now eraployed for that purposo vithiu those cities, aird bring ptrson. here to act as substitutos, fhus rfedueíijg till more tlie nuinbcrof ptirstriïs who wül ie coinpelled to meet this u:;dwe demnnd, vhich obliges theni to leave their i';uniies and their homes, and to peril their ives, if they í:re leus fortúnate than othrs in their ability to pay the suin fixed s a I earnestly request thüt you will direct that the cnrolling offieers shall subniit to the State ities their lista and that an opportunity shall be given me, na Govornor of this State, and to otiier proper State oiïicers, to look uto the fairncss of thse rrocoedit'gs. Justioe to the enrolling ójfifers, to the honor and dignity of the government, to the peop'e who are o'ddepiy affected, and to (hé public: tianmiiiity," Jcnaids that the supicions w Lii.h are entertamed slnill be removed f they are unfounded. Itisjnst to add that tbc adminisration owes this to itself, as these inequalities fall most heavily uj)on thoso, districts whieh have been opposed to its political views. I ain sure that ibis fact will strengtiiPi! ycur purpofe'e to soe that justico is done. The enrollmcn! s ave only complete iu about onc-hull of the dis-.lricts. The results were sent to me at intervals diri:g the nioütli of Julv, but were only. recent ly received by me„ in eonsetjuoüce of My ttVscnce at the city 0f New York. I ain c.ir.'lJen t thrtt you will agree wuh me thnt thé public interest in cv. ry respect vi!l be prumoted by aff'urding the fullest bvltlëric's of the faithlulnehs aDd impartiality with which the coiisiTiijtion is conducted. In the meanwhile largo nuinbors are availing tlieniselvés of the bounties offercd by the St;ite and National govcniuK'nts, and are voluiitarüy cnlisting. thus ïüitigating the disti-css wbieh a compulsovy draft neecsarily èarJ"eë iïito the homes of our -,00. plev Tbc State of New Y, üffers ,;bc. ry. bounties to i'noso who cnli.-st. I beiieveit willbefoundthat ihe übondonment of vcjlüntáry enlistthdpt fói a foroed scription Will prove to be mifo:'ti',na,te as a pohcy, that it will not secure cither so many or so eü'oclive men as that system which ons year sinco gave to the g'oyer ment the largest army that was ever raised within so short a spaco of time by the vo'untiiry action of a'ny poöple. I nat vopoge to disöüis iri this conneetion the reásoíi -vviiy the péople withhuld the support, heretofore so (jiieerfully roudercd. ' Hereuftcr I shall make that the subject of further eomniunication. liut mïng it to tho exhaustion o[' tho mi iib r )B ablo to buar anis, it would on!y prove Ijow heavily this uèw demand falls upon the ptoduci i resta and labor of our country, and it ïyakes anotiici- rcaKiiii why tlie heavy bürtiion 6f the è'óilècfïpt'ión sjhóuld be fenijppred bj cvery act calculated to' remove suspHeiö.hs and to nilay excitenient. Aboye all, it shoujd induce every effort to get volúhtary cnlislnipiit.s, wijic'li fall less hoavüy up'ob the tioincstie happT(qsá aml bustneVs arratrgemeti'ts of our citizons. T a:,k that. the draft may be suspended in this Stnte as has b.een done elsewliele, uutil we shall learn the fesutfs of recruiting, whieh ia npw aetively golDg on tíjiroqghOüt the State, a:;d partieularly in 'the city ol N,cw Vork. I ara a'dvisa'd thivj, large dupibërs are now goíríc on. What. iiircafier be ailowud to this Statu, il, is certiin that there is a balance in its favor. It ; but juk that the delinquent States shouhl' makc up their deíícency 'oeíore Ne.w York wh'túfi has so freely andj generously responded to the calis of the goverument, shall bo fofused the opportunily to fc.ontinuc its voluntary nippurt of the annie.s o{ the Lfaiöfa; Tlicre is another p'oi.nt ffhieli profouniüy Excites tho public mind, which has been brought to your attenliou by persons from this and other Staton. Our peuple have been tai:htlaVii must be uphcld and respected ut evejv cost and evory sacrafico ; that the oonscription act, which demanda tlieir persons, and pcrhaps thoir lives must bc promptly obeyed, because it is a statuto of our goverment. To support the majesty ol law a milliou of aleo bad gonc fortli from northeni liomcs to the battle fields of the South, and more tban 300,00 have beeu laid iu bluody graves, or have perished n lingering Jiseases. The guilt of thu rebclliou consists in an armed band against constitutional or legal obligations The soldier who has givon up hia life; the cap)talist who has oontributed bis treasure ; t!ie mechauic and the laborer who have paid to the tax-gatherer the earnings of their toil, have cheerfuUy made these sacriffces becauso they saw in the powers of law riot only obligations to obedienec but ' protection to thuir homes. It is this protection which alone gives valuo to the government. It is bulieve by at loat one half of the half of the people of the loyal States tliat the Conscription act, ■ whieh they are called upun to ob'ey, beoause it siauds upon tho statuto book, is iu itself a violation of the supr.etne eonstitutional law. Thcre is a fear and suspieion that wliile they are threatcned with tho severost penalties of the law they are depnved of its proteetion. In the muida of the American peoplo the duty of' obedienee and tho right to protection are inseperable. Ifit is, therefore, proposed on the on e hand to exact obedience at the poiut of' the bajonet, and upon tho other hand, to shut off by military power all approaoh to our judicial tribuuals, and to deny redfess for wrongs, we have reason to fear the results. Thcso disasters may bo produced as well by brftigiifg laws into contempt, and by a destnu:tion of respect for the leeision of eourts, as by open resistance. f his goveniment anr] our people have nore to fear from au aequiesence in the disorganizing teachings, that war suspeuds thcir legal rights, or destroys their legal remcdy, than they have to. fear from resistance to the doctrine that measures eau be enforced without regard to the deci.sioiis of judicial tribunals. ïhe refusil of goveniiuentH to give proteetion excites citizeus to disobedience. The successful exeoution of the conscript act depetids upon the settlement, by judical tribunals, ui' it constitutionality. With isuch deeisioh in ïts favor it wiü have a hold upon public respect and deference whic-h it now lacks. A refussl to submit it to this test will beregarded as evidui.co of its illegality and binding forec. A m'easitre so unusual in the i history of this coutry, which jars o harshly wilh tiiose ideas of vuluntary action which have been so conspicuous in the conduct of tbis war, should go forth with all the sanctioii of eve-ry department of our goverflnteot - the legislative, the exeeutive and the judicial. With such sauctions, it would overeóme the hostility which it natm-aüy creates in the minds of a pie -conscious of their patriotism and jealous of ihcir rights. I earnestly urge íliattho governinent interposo no obstructions to tho carlicst practicable judicial decisión upon this poiut. Our accusf.omed procedures give to our citizens the right to bring all questions affecting personal liberty or oompulsory service in dircc.t and sunrmary mauncr to tlicjudges and coui-ts of the State or nation. - T he decisions which would thus natural !v be renderd witliin a brief period, aud after í'ull and ampie discussion, would inake such a current of judicial opinión as vvduid éatísfy the public inind that the act is eithcr valid or void. The right of this goveihuiciit to enforce military service in auy ether modo that pointed out by the eonitiivtujn, cannot be establishod by a violent enforcemet of tho s'atute I It must be detor.-.:;,iej ultimately bv '■ ' jmüoiury It shouUl bc „tenninc'd "in .ncé ()t ;V., culorcomcnt wlnch must 1)0 ücsftü'divè to so many lives, It would bo a cruel mockery to withhold sueh Jceision unfil after the irremidable iiijury of its cxeeution upon thoye who aro unable to.pa.ythe aam. demaiided in lieu of their pürsonw. Those who are ab'e to comniute might have thuir reiuedy by recovery of the money paid in coiuinutation. Noevilsaroto be feared if the law 'shculd be pronounced unconstitutional. Tlie submisbion of this government to chis uecisiuos oí our 'courta would givc t a new and stronger hold upon the publio confidenoe. It would add uew vijor to our system of govemniui.t, and it would cali forth anotber esliibition of v'oluntni-y ofTerings of men and ti-easure, to uphold an administration which shoiild thus defeud auj re. spébf the rightj of the peopliv Thj spirit oí lawh'ssness in our land would be ïebuked. respect for legal objigations would be nvigoi'ated,-ei)rilidenao ui our governmetit wouhl be strengtheued, the .ons uud j.ealon,iea at tho North which now weaken our causo, would at once be healed up, and your vpjee would bê ijotcutir.l in calling "forth tho power and force of a nmtc.A peoplo. By what willmg strength has done in tho past in' the gBSt, you may foreseo what willing and unitedstrength .r.ay accomplish in the .fuiurc. It cannot be said of New York, 1 bulieve it cnnnot bc said of any Noithoni Slalo, that if tho consoription act ba dcclared unconstitutional, the otiun is thereby abandóiied to weakness and paralyüis. P%ttfr9d;euch a í'ale eau ].,'■:;][ n giiverninen-t which ri'presuuta the conviotions of the people, '■-■ "ilh tho spifitfl and provisions i ■■;■ t'. .ü i .-"ïistituiiiju. It is no more -'o under sucli circuuiEtancos than that the ;r;n ofthe strong man should n-fuso to ubey bis will. If this biil vhmh sluda upon tho assumed right of Cúugrggj to psiBS t;uch an act .--huil i'aü ld ■■■■r.nd, ihere is slill lefttlie undisputod aathority to culi forth the armad oi'thi; nation in the inanner distiüi-.tly act fuüii in tho eonstitution of our coaatry. I do nftt dweil upon what I bolieve would be the consequenoe of a violent, harsh poíícy, beforo tho constitu tionality of the act is is tested. You can scan the immediate future as well as I The temper of the peoplo to-day you can readily learn by cousulting, as I have dono, with men of all poütical partie and cf ovory profession and occupation The nation's streagth is in the hearts o the people. Estrange them, divide them and the foundations fail; the structurc must perish'. I am confideut you wil feel tliat acquiesence in my requests will be but Bmall concession for oür government to mako to our people, and particularly that it should assnre itself and them of the acoordance of its subordínate law with the supreme law of the land, It will be but a little price to pay for the pcace of the public mind. It will abate nothing from the dignity, nothing froin the sovereiijnty of the nation to show a just rogard for the majesty of the law, and a parental interest in the wishes and welfare of our citizens. Truly yours, &c, HORATIO SEYMOUR. STATEMENT OF POPULATION, DRAÏT NUMBEB, VOTERS, fcC. Cong'l Dist. Population. Draft. Vote. 1868. Tweiity-ninth 114,556 1,707 20,097 Seventeentli. 114,526 1,83b 17882 Twenty-third.,.: llfi.980 2,088 22,'635 l'weuty-eiglith... 129SÖS 2,015 21,026 Fifteenth 132.232 2,200 23,165 rwenty-seventh.. 135.488 241 6 25001 -l'liivüeüi 1-11,971 2,539 21,866 NEW YORK AND DROOKLYN DISTRICTS. ïliird 132,242 2 G97 16,421 Socond 151.951 4,146 15 967 Sixtli 117,148 4.538 12.777 Eiglith 175,906 4,892 15 195 i'ourth 131,85-i 5;881 12,363 The statement shows the population, the number to be drafted, and the number of votersin the several Congressional Districts in which enrollments have been couiplettd, and of which reports have been made to tilia ofíice up to the 3d day of August, 1863. REPLY OF TUE PRESIDENT. EXECUTIVB Ma.VSION, ) Washington, Aug. 7. 5 Dis Éioellencj HoratTo Sewnaur, Governor oí' New Tvik, Albany.NtMv York.: Your communication of llie 31st inst.i has beoü reoeived aud attentively con sidered. I cannot consent to suspcnd the draft in New York, aa you requeet, because, amoiig odier reasons, time is too important. By the figures you send, which I presume are correct, the twelve districts represeated feil to two classes of eiglit and four respeetively. The disparity of the quotas for the draft in these two classes is certaiuly vcry striking, being the diíFerence between an average of 2,á00 in one eluss, and 4,864 in the other. Aesuming that the districts are equal one to the other in entire population are required by the plan on which they were made, tuis disparity is such as to requiro attention. Much of it, however, I supposc will be accounted for by the fact that so many more persons fit for soldiers are in the city than are in the country, who have too recently arrived from other parts of (he United States aud from Europe to be either includcd in the census of 1860, or to have voted in 1802. Still, making due allowance for this, I am yet unwilling to stand upon it as an entirely sufficient explanation of the great disparity. I shall direct the draft to proceed in all the districts, drawing, however, at first from each of the four districts, to wit : the Beeop'd, Fourth, Sixth aud Eighth, only '2, -200, boing the average quota of the Other class. After this drawing these four districts, and also the Seventecnth and Twecty ninth, shall be earefully roenrollcd, an f you please, agents of yours may witness ev:Vy step of he prQ. Any deficiency which may appeur by the new enrollment will be supplied by a special draft for that object, allowing due credit for volunteers who may be obtained from these distriots respeetively during the interval; and at all points, so f;ir as consistent with praetioal convenienee, due eredits shall be given for volunteers, and your Excellency shall be notified of the time fixed ior couimencuig a draft for each district. I do not object to abido a decisión of the United States Supremo Court, or the Judge thereof, on the constitutionality of the draft law. In fact, I should be willing to facilítate the obtaining of it l?u,t cannot consent to lose the time while it is being obtained. We are contending with an enemy who, as I understand, drives every able bodied man he oan reach into Lis ranks, vcry mueh as a butcher drives bullocks into a slaughter pen. No time is wasted, no argument is used. This produces an army wjngh wiil soon turn upon our now vietorious soldiers already in the field, if thcy shall not be sustained by recruits as they should bo. It produces an army with a rapidity not to bc untühed on our aide if we first waste time to re enpcriinents with the voluntees sysrem. already dcemed by Congres3, and paípably, in fact, so far exhausted as to bc inadequate, and the nioï'j íj-iio to obtain a court decisión as to wlietiicr a hr,y is constitutional, which requires part 'of thoaè noi, ïiow in the service to go tp the aid of thosü who are alrcudy in it; aud still inore tune tp determine with absolute certaiuly that we get those who are to go, iu the precisely legal proportjon to those who a;;o not to go. My puposo. # ta be in niy action just and constitutional, and yct practical, in perforwing the impor tant duty with whieh I am chargcd of maintai'ning tjie uijity aad t!.;a fjeé principio of ouv oonniiou country. Your obodient seryant, A. ilNCOLN. GOV. SSYMCCR's KKJOINDSU TO WIJPSIPEXT I.INCOLN'. Albany, Aug 8, 1863. To the Prpsiclrnt of tho ünitod States . I roceived your couimunication of tbe 7th instant this day, Wr.ñe l recognize the concessions you make, I regret youi' refusal to comply with my fequest td have the draft in this State suspended UDtil it can be ascertained if the cnrollments are made in accordance with the law of Óongress or with the principies of justice. I know that our army needs recruits; and for th;s and otber reasons Í regret a decisión which stands in the way of a prompt and cheerful movement tó fill up the thinned ranks of our regiments. New York has never paused in its efforts to send voiunteers to the assistance of oui gallant soldiers in the field. It has not ■only met every cali heretofore made, while every other Atlantic and the New Eagland States, except Rhode Island; were delinquent, but U oontiuued liberal bounties to voiunteers when all effortá were suspended in many other quarters. Active exertious are now znade to organize new and fill up old regiments. TLese exertions would be more söcèessful if the draft were suspended, and much bettér men than reluctant conscripta would join our armics. On the 7th inst., I advised you by letter that I would furniish the strongest proof of the injustice, if not fraud, in tha enrollment in certain districts. I now seDd a full report made to me by Judge Advocate Waterbury. I ara confidetít when you have read it, that you wilí agree with me, that the honor of the natiou and of your adininistration demands that tlie abuses it points oiïi should be cometed and punished. You say that we are cuntending witU an enemy who, as you understand, "drives every able-bodied man he can reach uta the ranks, very much as a buteher drives bullocks into a slaughter-pen." You wíl! agree with me that even this, if impaftially done to all classes, is more tolerable than any seheme wliich shall fraudulently forcé a portion of the cominunity into military service by a dishonest perversión of the law. You will sue by the report of Mr. Waterbury, thst there is no theory which cap explana or justify the enrollment iti thia State. 1 wish to cali yonr attentiori to the tables or. pages 5, 6, 7 and 8, which show that in niue Congressional Districts in Manhattan and Staten Islands, the nuiuber of conscripta calld for is 35,729, while in uiaeteen other diatrieís the number of conscripta called for is only 30,620. This draft is to be made from the first class, those between thó ages of 20 and 35. It appears by ths census of 18C0, that in the first nine Congressional districts there were 164,797 males between 20 and 35: they are called upon for 33,729 conscripts. In the othci nineteen districts, with a population of males between 20 and 35 of 270,786, only 39,626 are dernanded. Againi to show the partisan character of the enrollment, you will find on the 2,lst pago of the military report that in .he first niue Congressional districts, the total voto of 1860 was 151,243; the number of conscripts now demanded is 33,729. Iu the nineteen other distriets the total vote was 457,257, yet these districts are called upon to funiish only 39,626 drafted men. Each of the ninc districts gave majorities in favor of one )oltical party, and eacli of the nineteen districts gave mnjoritks in favor of thes other party. You cannot and will not fail to right líese gross wrongs Tours, truly, HORATIO SEYMOÜB. the prkstdent's eeply to goteiinor SEYMOdt'S SECOXD LETTER. EXSOCTIVK MaSSION, ) AVashingto, Aug. 11. 5 H! Exccllency-, Horatio Peymour, Gover-nor " Ífl York : ■ UI -öw X'uurs of tlie 8th, with Judge Advocate General Wateibury's was received to day. Askjng you to remember that I eonsider time as beiug very important, both to the general oause ot' the country and to the soldiers in the field, I beg to re1mind you that I waited at your reqpes from the lst uutil tbe Gth iust., to receiye your commuuieation, dated the 3d, la view of its great ]et3th) SP3 tlie knpwo time and apparent care taken in its pre paration, I did aot doubt th:t it coutained your full case as you desired to present it. It coutained the figures for twelve distiicts, omitting the other nioeteen, as I supposod, because you found nothing to c;mplain of as to them. L answered aceoidinaly. Iu doing so. T laid dowu the principio to whic!]0! púr pose adhering, which is to,proceed''with' tbe draft, at the 3auo ti..ie shiploying in-: fallible tneans. to avoid any great wrong. With the comnmnication received to-day, you seud figures for twectyeight di's-' tricts, includiug the twelve soiibefore,' and still omitting tliree, for which I, sup.' poEe the enrollmeuts are notyet received1. In looping over the Fuller list of twenty-' cight districts, I fiud that the quota's for' sitéen of . thern are above 2,000 andbelow 2,700; v.hiie of tye rest, six are above 2,700, aud sis are Lcfoiv 2,000.' Applying the principie to these new factSj tbe Fifth and Seventh districts' raust be addfiil totii.o four iu whjch tb,p' quotas have already besn 'redu'eed to 2,200,for the fii-st druft; and with these' four ethers, niust be s.dded to those to be1 re-enrolled. ïhe corject case will then ' stand ; The quota3 oL tUo tíecoud,' Fourth, Fifih, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth' Distriets fixcd at! 2,200 for the first. draft. ïhe IVovMt Marshal G'cueral informs' me that the drawing is ;;ke'iidy 'coiupleted,' in the Sixteenth, Seventceiith, Eigh-' teenthj Twenty seeoad, TNveptj-fourtbi Twenty-sij;th, TWènty-saventlt, ïweu'tyeighth, Tweuiy-ninth aud Thirtieth distnctü. u the oihcïs, except the threo .oufstañdihg, he drawing will be mada' upnn the Quota's aa now fixed. After tbe; tiibt Jraft the Second. Füurth, Fifth, Sixth. öcventh, Eight, Rixteenth, Seventoenth, Tventy first, Tuenty fifth, Twenty ninth and Thirty-first will.be re-enrolled for the purposc. atid in the manner stateJ in my lc-tter,öf tho 7th inst. The faiue principie wilt be npplied to tiio new I outgtandiug district when they sliall i come it. No part of my farmer letter ia repudiated by reaeon of not being rostated in tliis, or for any other cause. Your obedient servant,