CONGRESS, U. S. 



323 



of being twenty pei cent, in some of our States, 

 as appears by the enrolment, and as appears by 

 the returns of the census, it is twenty-two and 

 twenty-three per cent. But take it upon the 

 average that the enrolment, if properly made, 

 would include one-fifth of the population. 

 What is our population ? I take it it is con- 

 siderably more than twenty millions. Then 

 we should have four millions on the enrolment. 

 Now, take the worst case that can possibly 

 happen, that one-half of those men on the en- 

 rolment hire the other half for substitutes, and 

 you would have two million men in the field. 

 I merely state this as a matter of figures, as a 

 matter of certainty, to show that the elements 

 of the draft could not, by any possibility, ever 

 be exhausted by allowing one man to hire an- 

 other as a substitute." 



Mr. Lane, of Indiana, replied: "There were 

 in round numbers enrolled a little over three 

 millions. The last draft was for three hundred 

 thousand men. Of that number one-third were 

 rejected as physically incompetent. That is 

 not stricken out of the Senator's calculation. 

 Another third, or almost another third, bought 

 themselves off by exemption. Tliat is not 

 stricken out of the Senator's calculation. Now, 

 how often will you repeat that draft before you 

 exhaust the basis ? " 



Mr. Harris, of New York, followed : " It is 

 true that out of the four hundred and fifty 

 thousand men drafted one-third were exempted 

 for physical and mental disability, and nearly 

 one-third more as being aliens and non-resi- 

 dents, and already in the service, and excused 

 on account of their social and domestic condi- 

 tion; so that really but about perhaps one 

 hundred and fifty thousand of the four hundred 

 and fifty thousand would be held ; and of this 

 number it is further true that about twenty per 

 cent, did not appear, so that we did not get by 

 the draft any thing like the three hundred 

 thousand men who were called for. That is 

 true ; but it is still true that the call for three 

 hundred thousand men may be repeated six 

 times before this basis is exhausted. As I was 

 about to say, I cannot contemplate, I will not 

 contemplate, such a condition of things in our 

 country as that we shall have occasion to re- 

 peat six times a draft for three hundred thou- 

 sand men. All we have to do, in my judg- 

 ment, is to carry on vigorously the efforts now 

 being made to fill up our army by recruiting 

 and by drafting, prepare for a vigorous and 

 energetic campaign in the spring, and we shall 

 never have occasion for another draft." 



The amendment of Mr. Sumner was further 

 discussed by himself and others and lost yeas, 

 15 ; nays, 25. 



The question now came up on the amend- 

 ment reported by the Committee on Military 

 Affairs, as follows : 



And be it further enacted, That so much of the act 

 entitled "An act for enrolling and calling out the na- 

 tional forces and for other purposes," approved on 

 the 3d day of March, 1863, as authorizes the discharge 



of persons drafted into the service of the United 

 States under the authority of that act upon the pay- 

 ment of a sum of money not exceeding 300, be, and 

 the same is hereby, repealed. 



To this Mr. "Wilson, of Massachusetts, offered 

 an amendment, providing for a commutation, 

 more or less than $300, according to the re- 

 sources of the drafted man. 



Mr. Grimes, of Iowa, said : "I should like 

 to know from the chairman of the Committee 

 on Military Affairs, before we have a vote on 

 this question, what is the probable number of 

 colored soldiers now in the service, or that are 

 likely to be in the service under the attempted 

 organizations which I understand are being 

 made under the authority of the "War Depart- 

 ment. I should like to know whether or not 

 any steps have been taken to enroll the colored 

 men in what are known as the ' border States,' 

 and if so, when those steps were inaugurated." 



Mr. "Wilson replied : "I understand that we 

 have fifty thousand colored troops enlisted. It 

 may be that we have increased that number 

 considerably within the last two or three 

 weeks ; but it was understood about the time 

 of the meeting of Congress, some four weeks 

 ago, that we had about fifty thousand men. 

 We are increasing them now at a more rapid 

 rate than at any other period, for the reason 

 that we can reach them better. "We have for the 

 last few weeks been doing well in Maryland. 

 "We are doing well in Eastern Virginia. Gen- 

 eral Butler told me the other day that since he 

 had entered his department he had raised about 

 three thousand. "We are doing fairly in Mis- 

 souri, but not so well as we ought to do there. 

 We are raising colored men in Tennessee and 

 in some other parts of the country. The Gov- 

 ernment has not pressed this matter of raising 

 black troops with so much vigor as some of us 

 think it ought to have done; but there has 

 been great difficulty in reaching these people. 

 They have been moved away and kept out of 

 the reach of our armies as far as possible. 

 They have now found their way in, and we are 

 enlisting them. I think that as our armies ad- 

 vance we shall raise many more of them ; and 

 I am sure that the policy of the Government 

 now being fixed, and the public sentiment de- 

 manding it, every effort will be made to enlist 

 colored troops ; for, sir, if there be any thing 

 in the prosecution of this war that the people 

 are in favor of, it is the raising of black trpopa 

 to fight the battles of our country. Everybody 

 now demands it. 



" The Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grimes) put 

 another question; and that is, whether the 

 Government has enrolled the colored men in 

 the border States. I understand that in Mary- 

 land they have done so ; I believe they have 

 done it in Kentucky ; I speak now of the free- 

 men, not the slaves. I am told that that is the 

 case. I do not know certainly whether it be 

 so or not. At any rate, there is no doubt that the 

 Government has the power to do it. I am told 

 that in the State of Maryland the Government 



