Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6 [Dec. 13, 1862-Nov. 3, 1863].

To Francis C. Sherman and Samuel S. Hayes1Jump to section

``Cypher''
F.C. Sherman, Mayor, & Executive Mansion
S.S. Hayes, Comptroller. Washington, D.C.
Chicago, Illinois Aug. 27, 1863.

Yours of the 24th. in relation to the draft, is received. It seems to me the Government here will be overwhelmed, if it undertakes to conduct these matters with the authorities of cities and counties---that they must be conducted with the Governors of States, who will, of course, represent the cities and counties. Meanwhile you need not to be uneasy until you again hear from here.

A. LINCOLN

Annotation

[1]   ALS, RPB. Sherman and Hayes telegraphed Lincoln on August 24, to protest the unfairness of the draft in Chicago. The telegram, with James B. Fry's inserted comments reproduced in brackets, is as follows:

``The Common Council Chicago on the tenth inst appropriated one hundred & twenty thousand (120000) dollars to be expended in procuring volunteers to take the place of poor men with families who might be drafted from Chicago. They appointed a committee of eleven including the undersigned to take charge of the business and specially authorized them to correspond & confer with any of the Federal authorities [``They should confer with the Governor as we cannot correspond direct with all the civil authorities J B FRY''] in relation to the fairness of the conscription---the acceptance of said Volunteers in lieu of drafted men and such other matters as might pertain to the efficient performance of their duties under the ordinance. A sub committee appointed to wait on the boards of enrolment reported that they were informed by the board that the number of names enrolled for this city was over twenty eight thousand (28000) while the entire vote of the city was twenty thousand three hundred & forty seven (20347) That they (the sub committee) believed the enrolment contained forty percent or eight thousand (8000) more names than could have been legally entered [``I don't see how the vote of the city can control the question of the legality of the Enrolment. If a man didn't choose to vote does it follow from that that it is illegal to enrol him? No such cause of exemption is provided in the law JBF''] & requested of the board permission to take a copy of the corrected consolidated list in order to canvass it & suggest corrections---that

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the request was refused on the ground among others that the list had been sealed up and the board did not feel authorized to unseal it without authority from Washington There upon the committee adopted the following Resolution.

`` `Resolved that a sub committee to be composed of the Mayor & Comptroller be & is hereby appointed to obtain from the President . . . or other proper authority permission for the committee to take copies of the corrected consolidated enrolment list of this District which embraces the City, now on file in the office of the board of Enrolment of this District & such other documents & papers as will enable this committee to ascertain the correctness or incorrectness of said list & all other matters pertaining to the draft in this city.' [``I don't think we should undertake to prove to every squad of men who choose to assemble & appoint a `committee' that we are right. We have opened correspondence with the Governors in regard to everything which affects their States or any part of the same & we are prepared to give the Governors anything they deem necessary for the welfare of the States or any part of them.'']

``The undersigned accordingly represent that the desire of the committee & the City authorities is not to impede in any way the execution of the Conscription Law but only to secure Justice and prevent unfairness in its operation upon the people of Chicago [``I don't think the people of Chicago have any reason to anticipate injustice or unfairness J B FRY'']---to properly administer the funds and perform the duties committed to them & incidentally to preserve the public peace. They desire to take a copy of said list for examination the same having never been published that they may urge such corrections as are important & time will permit & they Respectfully request you Mr President to authorize & direct the sealed consolidated list for the Chicago District on file in the enrolment office here to be unsealed and permission given the conscription war fund committee to take a copy of the same at the expense of the City.'' (DLC-RTL).