578 



NEW JERSEY. 



Measures have been taken to complete the 

 organization of the reserve militia of the State, 

 and she is now provided with arms sufficient 

 to equip all the militia that would be required 

 for actual service in any emergency within the 

 State. "Within the last two years the State has 

 paid for ordnance and ordnance stores, includ- 

 ing arms of all descriptions purchased for State 

 use, $277,408. From the militia, a limited num- 

 ber of companies are designated each year to 

 compose a State guard. In case of actual or 

 threatened invasion, riot or insurrection, this 

 force is to be called out first for duty, in con- 

 sideration of which certain privileges are 

 granted to them. Under the act of Congress to 

 raise troops which allowed recruiting in the in- 

 surrectionary States, application was made to 

 Gov. Parker by individuals, to recruit for town- 

 ships in the State. In reply, he stated that he 

 bad determined not to appoint any general 

 agents for the State, and thus stated his objec- 

 tions, which were similar to the views of the 

 Governor of New York : 



When I appoint an agent to transact business for 

 the State of New Jersey I expect to protect him while 

 in the discharge of his duties. I cannot give protec- 

 tion to agents appointed to recruit in the rebel States. 

 My letter of authority would not ensure their treat- 

 ment as prisoners of war. 



I think it will be found that but few recruits can be 

 obtained in the rebel States. The New York "Times" 

 of this morning alleges that men cannot now be had 

 there, and gives this as the opinion of Gens. Grant 

 and Sherman, and counsels that we should not rely 

 upon filling our quota from that source, and thereby 

 neglect recruiting elsewhere. 



I am satisfied that the Union army would to-day 

 be stronger, both in numbers and efficiency, if the 

 Government had never recruited in the rebel States. 

 The emancipation proclamation, and the consequent 

 arming of the negroes, while adding to the despera- 

 tion of the enemy, and building up an almost in- 

 surmountable barrier to the terms of pacification, 

 quenched the spirit of volunteering among the people 

 of the North. Soon after these measures were 

 adopted it was thought necessary to pass a conscrip- 

 tion act, although but a few weeks previous to this 

 radical change of policy the chairman of the Military 

 Committee in the United States Senate advised 

 against the acceptance of volunteers then flocking in 

 regiments to our standard. 



The great change wrought by this policy is demon- 

 strated by the present almost unanimous desire of the 

 people to keep out of the army, and the running to 

 and fro of nearly the whole population to seize upon 

 any expedient to avoid personal military service, re- 

 garding not the fitness of the substitute, if the certi- 

 ficate of exemption can be procured. So long as the 

 governmental policy disheartens to such an extent, 

 a successful issue cannot be expected. To insure 

 success the people should have a heart in the strug- 

 gle, be willing to do their own fighting, and not 

 place their reliance on a distinct and inferior race. 

 There can never be a sufficient number of negro 

 troops in the army to compensate for the injury done 

 the Union cause by arming them. 



Each sub-district is responsible for its own quota 

 of men, and I recognize the right of the people of 

 each district to raise their own men in their own 

 way. I will not, therefore, interpose my individual 

 opinion in opposition to the will of the people of any 

 locality to prevent them from availing themselves of 

 the law of Congress to fill their quota and avoid a 

 draft. Without any knowledge, desire, or action on 

 my part, I have been made the medium through 



whom the people, who desire to recruit in this way, 

 may attain the object ; and I will, on petition of the 

 proper authorities of any sub-district, give to such 

 person as may be named credentials to procure re- 

 cognition from the United States authorities. The 

 Eower of such agents to recruit is derived from the 

 iw of Congress, and to the General Government 

 they must look for protection. I hope that all the 

 districts in this State will be able to fill the quota 

 with volunteers, and that there may be no further 

 drafting in New Jersey. 



I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 JOEL PARKER. 



The number of children who attended tha 

 public schools during the year is 149,672, being 

 an increase of 6,146 over the number in 1863. 

 The amount of money raised by tax for schools 

 during the year was $427,067; ditto from the 

 State, $80,000 ; total from all sources, $637,079. 

 The amount of available school fund belonging 

 to the State is $511,439. To this sum a cer- 

 tain amount is added annually to become a part 

 of the permanent fund. The Normal School is 

 no longer an experiment in the State ; its ben- 

 eficial influence on the cause of education has 

 been fully demonstrated. 



The grant of land made by Congress to each 

 State, for the purpose of establishing a college 

 for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic 

 arts, was accepted by the trustees of Rutgers 

 College in New Brunswick, and preparations 

 made to carry out the conditions and objects 

 of the grant. The State geological survey is 

 now progressing, after having been for a few 

 years entirely suspended. In the Insane Asy- 

 lum there are 32 6 patients; 158 were discharged 

 during the year, of whom 62 had recovered, 

 and 44 improved in their mental condition. 



The measures taken in the Federal Congress 

 to make a post road of the railroad extending 

 from Raritan Bay to the Delaware River were, 

 on March 24th, the subject of a special message 

 by the Governor to the Legislature. After re- 

 citing the bill, two questions were considered by 

 the Governor: 1st. Whether the proposed ac- 

 tion of Congress would affect the pecuniary 

 interest of the State ; 2d. Whether it would 

 infringe upon the sovereignty of the State. He 

 then reviewed the history of the contract with 

 the joint companies, Camden and Amboy Rail- 

 road and Delaware and Raritan Canal, which 

 would not now be repudiated, and referred the 

 subject to the Legislature in whose province it 

 was to inquire whether the State interests 

 would be affected. This, however, he regarded 

 as of small importance compared with the prin- 

 ciple of State sovereignty which was involved. 

 Against any infringement of the rights of the 

 State he protested, and insisted that if the 

 Federal Government needed a road for the 

 transportation of the mails or for war purposes, 

 it must operate it for those purposes itself, and 

 not through private parties for their own ben- 

 efit as provided in the bill before Congress. 

 The passage of such a law, he considered, 

 would be an indignity to the State, although 

 not binding. It would make parties now under 

 judicial injunction from violating the State 



