Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-12-25

Mr.. TRUMBULIs the spokesman of LINCOLN, and
the organ of his administration in the Federal Sen
ate has introduced war bill into that body of
which it boots the South, says the Richmond Esas-
tnsr, to take heed, and from which our legislators
may learn a lesson. 1t orders the coDfscation of
the property, real and personal of al persons en-
gagged in or giving aid and comfort TO- the rebellion
in the Southern States by its description of obnox
ious persons, including every man in the Southern
States. For whoever pays tax, or sells dollsr's
worth of produce to the government, or serves
even by compulsion in the militia of these States,
engages in or gives aid and comfort to the pro-
scribed rebellion within the purview Of the
bill
All property Whatsoever and wherever situa-
ted in the United States" is to be subject to forfeit
urs. The forfeiture shall take immediate effect
upon the commission of act of forfeiture" and all
sales and alterations of the same, made at any time
since the act of forfeiture committed, shall be null
and void. The terms of the law are the most
comprehensive that could be, and all persons
found in arms or in any way aiding abettng
the rebellion are embraced. AL property ia SUBJ
ject to forfeiture whatever be its nature and Il e
forfeiture is to relate back through the whole Pc
riod in war to the beginning, Vesting the property
fl the United States at the moment CT the act Of
rebellion so that any sale made in good faith, at
any subsequent period, is null and in fraud of the
rights of the United States The property in ne
groes is to ungergo the same forfeiture, with this
single exception that whereas, other forfeited
property vests in the United States, that in slaves
is TO cease altogether the slaves becoming free,
and it being made the duty of the President at
once to provide for their transportation, cooni-
cation and settlement in seme tropical country
beyond the limits of the United States"
The property is to be forfeited ipsO factO and IN
santsr by the act of rebellion or of aiding or sbet-
ting it, and the fact Of forfeiture Is to be assumed
by the officers of government, and not to be in
Quired into or declared by any court or commits
sion Of any sort. Without any adjudication of the
facts whatever, the President is to order the seia
ure and appropriation of all forfeited property by
such officers civil or military az be may designate
for the purpose except that in the few limited dis
tricts where the courts Of the Federal Government
are in operation, the corhscstion and seizure may
be, if the President think property their order AL
the property, real and personal, seized is to be
sold without 6elay, and tie proceeds paid into the
Treasury of the United States In case the prop
erty of "loy1l" Unionists be seized and sold they
may file sproofs Of loyalty with the Secretary Of
the Treasury of the United States, and may have
restitution or Reimbursement II to that funstions-
airy the same may seem meet.
Ia brief, the policy of the Federal Government in
this particular is to be simply that Of grab al"
1t il the most barbarous law that has dsgraced the
statute books Of modern times The tyrsnnies Of
the PrussiAn BrAndenburgE, or the Austrian Haps-
bugs, or the Turkish Sultans which, during the
past hundred or mere years, occasionally shocked
modern civilization none of them equal this atroc-
ious measure of the LINCOLN Administration. It is
leveed alike at the property of friend and foe. 1t
is the whole property Of the South in whatsoever
hands found, that Is sought; and having seized all,
1t is left within the discretion Of irresponsible
Secretary to vouchssfe unto whom to make restitu-
ton. 1t hoists the black flag Of determination
against all the rights Of and tlnrn. 1t pro-
claims grand System of public piracy, respecting
nothing as sacred from the clutch Of the eff
eial msrauder. Tie. savsges of the forest,
in their descent upon the pioneer settlers,
in their maimings of beasts OF burden, and
in cutting out the tongues of dumb animals
did not exhibit temper more destructive than these
Vandsls in the Capitol 1t is not merely that they
would trample under foot the political rights of the
South 1t is not alone that they would destroy with
ruthless band our sacred birhright Of constitution
al liberty but they seek fsloniOusly to rifs our
pockets and possess themselves of our worldly
goods. They blend the tyrant and the robber, the
despot and the thief, in their barbarian crusade
against the South.
The auspices under which this bill makes its way
Into the Federal Senate leaves no doubt Gifts be-
coming q law. 1t Is an administration measure !;
and offers booty too magnificent for the virtue of
the opposition TO resist In fact, there is 40 oppo-
sition in the Northern Congress populace six
hundred millions OF patronage having long since
dissolved it into thin air. This il sum which Pu-
ritan virtue can not despise it has subsidized tie
entire race. The bill will go through Congress
with scarcely the Formally Of amendment The
dish is too sAvory to the Yankee palate to permit
the Formally of grace"
In the face of such measure, the Senate Is driv
en- to two things. No mans property in the whole
Confederacy, be he Union" man or SecessionSt, il
safe under statute like this. Even the most "loy-
al" Uuionists rights are worthless, when the ten
ure to his property depends upon the order Of
a corrupt President, and the discretion of an
sutomston Secretary. The Unionist who could
consent to hazard his slI upon such q tenure is 9
DRser craven I1Au SNeu ne las SSt DeSn SsIteWSu
The first thing therefore, fer as all to make up our
minds to, Unionists IS well as secessonists, is te
hsht out this contest with the North to the bitter
end. We can call nothing our own so long as this
Vsndal power that threatens US is able to place
soldier upon Southern soil.
The other thing that we have to DO is to fight back
the enemy with this same weapon of confscation,
Such is the ineficency of our law Ofsequestration
that, though millions dollars worth of real estate
belonging to the enemy exists 10 the South not an
aere Of it can be touched. At the present time,
while money is abundant and prices high, this pro-
perry coud be readily sold at good prices and