of the President previous to the last; the other sub-districts of Buchanan County have barely furnished their quota. Why shall not our sub-district be allowed its surplus of 131 men as a credit? Is it right, is it legal, that sub-districts that have furnished more than their quotas are to be in no better condition than those which have furnished their quotas and nothing more? I think not, and trust that you will have this matter attended to and corrected.

Yours, truly,

WILLARD P. HALL.

[Indorsement.]

WASHINGTON, January 14, 1865.

Respectfully referred to General Fry, Provost-Marshal-General, with the request that he will send a reply to the within with such explanations as the facts in the case may require.

BENJ. F. LOAN.

STATE OF WISCONSIN, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Madison, January 10, 1865.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

DEAR SIR: I am in receipt of Circular Numbers 1, of date January 2, 1865, from the office of the Provost-Marshal-General, in which I find the following paragraph:

Quotas assigned under the call of December 19, 1864, for 300,000 men, must not be reduced except by actual enlistments in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps since the 19th ultimo.

This circular, if carried into effect, will operate very unjustly upon those towns that have by extraordinary efforts and the expenditure of large sums of money succeeded in securing an excess over their quotas on former calls, and will tend greatly to injure the recruiting service.

The fact is pretty well established, in this State at least, that the Government must depend mainly upon recruiting for its soldiers. Out of over 17,000 drafted in this State during the last year I am informed that but about 3,000 are in the service. This being the case, it seems to me that efforts should be directed as far as possible toward stimulating the recruiting service. As a means of doing this I would suggest that those towns that have been energetic and patriotic and filled or more than filled their quotas should have full credit for their efforts and be encouraged in well doing, while those that have made no effort should be made to do their duty.

The effect of this circular would seem to be to affix a penalty upon those towns that are most patriotic and loyal by taking from them credits which in some instances, within my knowledge, have cost many thousand dollars and great effort to obtain, and offer a reward to those towns that have failed to do their duty by giving the credits for men they never raised. The injustice of this circular is so apparent to all that it is causing much comment and excitement among our people and very bitter feelings toward the Provost-Marshal-General. I would therefore respectfully ask that it be so modified that proper and full credits shall be given to all towns that have an excess over their quotas on former calls. In this connection permit me to state