The Daily Dispatch: January 23, 1862., [Electronic resource]

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[for the Richmond Dispatch]
the militia --who are exempt?

As the Legislature is now employed in devising a plan to furnish Virginia's quota of the confederate Army for another campaign, and as that plan will most probably render necessary a heavy draft on the militia of the State, the question ‘"Who are exempt?"’ or rather who ought to he exempted? becomes a very important one;

That the Legislature should determine this question clearly and definitely, as an act of justice to the whole body of the militia, is, it seems to me, highly essential, and that it should make the subjects of exemption as few as possible is also very important. The Adjutant General, in a late report, makes the number of militiamen some 130,000 or 140,000. This, I presume, includes all the male citizens of the State between eighteen and forty-five years of age, except those whose physical disability is so plain as to have prevented them from being enrolled. Now, of this number, if I am to judge from what I hear and see, a large proportion will claim exemption on the score physical disability. In the community in which the writer resides, there are numersous persons who have suddenly become afflicted with blindness, deatness, dameness, and many other complaints disqualifying them for military service; and such, I presume, is the case all over the State.

Again. the ranks of the militia are likely to be very much thinned by persons professing to be working for the Government That is, men who manage to get a job once a month-- a wagon. a set of harness, or something of the kind — but whose regular employment is working for other, perhaps better, customers.

Another class of would-be exempts is overseers, by far the healthiest, hardiest class of men among us.

Now, I would have the Legislature to look at this matter closely and exempt only such as are in truth physically unfit to be soldiers — or whose services at home are likely to be productive of more benefit to the public than they would be in the army.

What justice is there in making a stripling of twenty years whose face has never been exposed to the sunfor and hour at a time, and who has never done any harder work in his life than measure tape and calico, do service as a soldier, while the robust man of thirty years, five feet ten in his stockings, remaing at home, merely because he is an overseer What justice in making B., who doesn't complain of ill heath but who weighs only 115 pounds, and is not able to lift his own weight, shoulder a musket, while D. who weighs 175 pounds and can fell an ox with his flat, is exempted because he is a little hard of hearing. or has some trifling complaint which never yet to any case, produced death? Why take one man from his business close his doors, and leave his family with no one to support and provide for them and leave another at home to do $100 worth of work for Government and $5,000 worth for his regular customers?

If the necessities of the country require the services of the militia let all be enrolled — so that every man may have an equal chance, If the Government requires workmen, let it employ them regularly and constantly — not give them an occasional job merely to keep them out of the army.

I repeat, let the Legislature look closely into this matter of exemptions, or they will have room for continual complaint and dissatisfaction, productive of great trouble.

Fair Play.