Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-28
ConFIseatiO o..
From the NV York Tribune

From the NtW YORK Irinune
Confscation of the property of open traitors. or
of disaffected persons who had abscOnced, was in
the Revolution urlversal thatit viii be interest
ing to see how things were managed when the bus
mess TO be done WAS OF a wholesale character, and
such as will very probably occur again
Much Of the legislation OF the several states du-
ring the Revolution, touching treason, was the re-
suit Of Cor gressioHal recommendation. Congress
passed egeral acts and resolutions Of its owe. by
which al. ve-e subjected to martial law and to
death who should furnish pro rs and certain,
other articles to the Kings troops in New Jersey
Pennsylvania and Delaware, while Tories taken in
arms were to be sent 10 the States to which they
belonged there to be dealt with as traitors The
State legislation, however, was much more elective
as well as severe. IL was under these laws that the
great bulk of the ccnhscatIOns was made. In Rhode
Island, death and COnfscatOn of estate attached 10
him him who communicated with the ministry
or their agents who supplied the forces or
pilOted an armed ship Of the enemy. Other
laws confscated the property Of certain persons
designated by name. Connecticut was more len
lent probably because she harbOred more To-
res proportionately. than any other State. The
penalty there was liss Of estate and three
wears IMPRISONMENT. In Massachusetts, the laws
were especially comprehensive, searching
and sitting the whole population OF lis
disa fFacte1 spirits By single law she named
and identified three hundred and eight of those who
had fed beyond her limits, and denounced against
any one of them who should return Imprisonment
and transportation, and death Tor returning sec
ond time. By another act, twenty nine, notorious
cOnspirators" were visited with cOnhscaron- Two
of these had been Governors, one Lieutenant-lOY-
ernor. one Treasurer, one Attorney General, one
Chief Justice and four Commissioners Of Customs
Now Wampsb1e passed acts similar 20 these, under
which seventy-six of her former citizens were
prohibited from returning and the estates OF tWen-
weight were forfeited. In New York the County
Committees could arrest and decide upon the guilt
of persons supposed TO be in correspondence with
the enemy. or who had committed some other speCi
fed act They might impris0n or Danish the guilty
LAWYERS OPP )sed 10 independence were prombl'ed
from praeticing The effects OF five hundred and
seventy.nine persons three of whom were women,
were coufiseated. New Jersey punished traitors
and disafectsd persons with severity fOrfelting
their personal effects and leasing their real estate
TO others In Pennsy lVRnia sixty two persons were
required, By name, to appear IN court and aolde
trial for treason Or in default thereof to stand at
tained; and by subsequent act, thirty SIX others
also designated by name, were subjected 10 conns-
cation One Of these WAS Galloway msn Of nlsn
position and great fortune, who being hmgi out
fell off and fled 10 EnVland. His cOn1seated proper
ty was worth 10000. Delawfre a1d NJ ri.9nd
were equally stringent in their enac Is Virgins
treate2 her al i.aifaeted as aliens, and eOn1sca'e4
thar fleets In North Carolina the connscauon act
contained the names Of sixty-hye persons Ahu II u
mercantile firms It stripped them OF ianGs' negroes
ard everything GeOrgia adopted similar eglslauoh-
| South Carolina ranked next to Massachusetts, IN
severity Her small offenders tOriy-hve IN NUMBER
were allowed to retain their estates by paying twelve
ppr cent Of their value. When Charleston surren-
dered to the British, two hundred and ten OF her
nrincipal inhabitants signed address to Sir Hen
/ ry Clinton. in which they begged to be readmltted
10 the character and condition Of British subjects
| OF these precious traitors sixtythree were siter
ward banished sni Lost their property AnOther SCI
/ of eighty. who h ID held commissions under the
! Grown. sd d Il like fate, as did thirteen others
/ vino cougratula;ed CORVALLIS on defeating the
Americans at Camden, and fourteen more VINO were
/ what was termed obnoxious
! This copiOus summary of the laws for PHnisning
/ those who were 10 any way disahected 20 the OOF
| erument shows that every State was wei aware Of
the neces. ity for doing so. They secured the TWO
fold purpose of banishing one set OF traitors ano
| sDies and Of impoverishing another whose wealth
enabled them 70 be more dangerous IN eOnssqu
/ But the laws under which they were punished OF
! tba ststnte booS. Many Of them. though frameC
] for particular emergency, must be found sPpiea
| bic to the treasonable acts and language OF SONS
who live in the North and hey should be overhaul
/ cd and examined.