TO THE

LEGISLATURE

OF THE

STATE OF MICHIGAN,

CONVENED IN EXTRA SESSION, JANUARY 19, A. D. 1864.

JOHN A. KERRE& CO., PRINTERS TO THE STATE.

GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE.

Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives: I welcome you again to the Capitol. By virtue of that provision of the Constitution which authorizes the Governor to convene the Legislature upon "extraordinary occasions," your present assembling has been required. The period is itself revolutionary and altogether extraordinary. The rebellion still refuses to give us either peace or rest; and no human forecast seems sufficient to provide for all the exigencies of a single year. At your last session, after having tried the hard experiences of war for nearly two years, and learned somewhat of the requirements of the occasion, it was hoped that all had been done which would be required during the term for which you had been elected, and for the fulfillment of the obligation owed by the people of Michigan to the National Government, in its great effort to protect the Union and save the nation entire. All the measures of that session were, I believe, wisely adapted to the purposes had in view; but some changes made by acts of Congress in the methods of recruitment of the National forces, and the failure of those acts to accomplish the object in the manner and to the extent anticipated, have rendered further legislation expedient and even necessary. The enrollment act was evidently intended to dispense with the system of volunteering, and to rely mainly, if not entirely, upon drafting, to reinforce the National armies. No further appeals were to be made directly to the State authorities, to furnish their quotas of volunteers, as had been previously done; but the Government would at once lay its hands upon the men required, by means of the Provost Mar

shals and the machinery of the draft. It resulted, of course, that local and State bounties would be no further required, nor would any further agitation by the local authorities be neces sary, in any part of the country. This project has been tried, apparently with results not altogether satisfactory, whether for the reason that the law itself was crude and defective, or that the system was not in accordance with the habits and genius of our people, it is not necessary now to inquire. The President has, for whatever reason, in his proclamation of October last, "calling upon the Governors of the different States to raise and have enlisted into the United States service, for the various companies and regiments in the field from their respective States, their quotas of three hundred thousand men," returned to the old system, which looks to recruiting as the chief reliance for strengthening the military forces. The demand that the enlistments should all be "for the various companies and regiments in the field," also indicates a determination to cease ornamenting ambitious civilians with the insignia of military command, and in its stead to reinforce the veteran corps' by enlistments into their well trained ranks, under officers of tried courage and skill; a policy so wise that it is only wonderful that it was not adopted long before. As soon as practicable after the issue of this call, the quotas of the several States were made known to them, that of Michigan being a little in excess of eleven thousand. It was the duty of the State to respond to this call for volunteers with the promptness and energy which has characterized our people since the war began, and has made Michigan soldiers a pride and a glory in every army in which they have served. To do this required that all our recruiting machinery which had been laid aside for the draft, should be again brought into full operation. Some little delay was unavoidably occasioned in consequence of the draft being at the time in actual progress; but all things considered, the success has been more than equal to the most sanguine expectations. Recruiting has been brought back to the standard of enthusiasm of the first year of the war, and

the ability of the State still to fill its quotas by the process of voluntary enlistments, has been proved beyond doubt.

BOUNTIES.

This has been accomplished mainly by the offering of liberal bounties to the volunteers, and a thorough agitation and canvass of the communities, consequent upon it. The people have generally taken the matter directly in hand themselves. Without any adequate laws directing their action in a uniform course, they have come together in their local municipal corporations, and in the various ways which seemed best to them, have raised the money to enable them to offer such bounties as seemed sufficient to induce the enlistment of the requisite number of men to fill the quota and escape the draft. As a general thing they have aimed at levying the amount raised, finally, by a uniform tax, in order that all those who ought to contribute to it, should be made to do so, however unwilling any might be; and to this there seems to be no solid objection. If any interest is more indebted than another for protection, to the maintenance of stable government, it is the property upon which the taxation will fall. And inasmuch as the war is waged for the preservation of such government, it may justly demand that the property of the country shall contribute, by fair assessment, to its success in every proper way. What more effectual way than by filling the ranks of the army under the immediate action of the people themselves?

In many instances, county, township and city bonds, and other evidences of debt, have been issued, which lack the necessary statutory sanction, and do not therefore possess, in the hands of the holders, their proper and legitimate value.

These obligations have been entered into in good faith, and in good faith received, presuming upon the patriotism and justice of the Legislature. They have been incurred for the most patriotic object, and have accomplished most honorable and beneficial results, both to the State and the Nation,

I have no hesitation, therefore, in recommending that the legislative sanction be given to the action of the people in the...