New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-26
CONPIsCATION.

There is nothing IN the Federal Cons'i'u''o"
90 ue read it, that forbids the coonsc'.'o"
Of the property of rebels 10 ue""'
tbe heavy burden, they have wan'ony
thrown upon the county; ana "o "i
amazed that loyal Members oil |0"sioo'
sbould ,esm 20 admit that there is no power ~
tbo Coyorrp,ent 10 confscate absolutely ahu
for ara, A bill of attainder is an Instrument
whereby one person is punished lot INC
crine of another, as when ibe children OF
-, ara held answerable and made to suffer
fo- THAR parent's ofense. This is contrary TO
the genius Of our institutions, and very properly
f,rbdden by the Constitution. If an estate Is
held by yifs tenure, with an indoieasible en-
tail to the holders posterity, Congress cannot
brenk that entail because of the present hold
er's treason; but property he'd in fee simple
may be cOU6scated absolutely and forever.
Such, at least, is our understanding of the
Constitution.
We VINO stand for the Union believe ii has
a right to ex.t-that tie conspiracy aud efforts
10 overthrow il by force md violence are
,crong. If We are beaten, We understand that
the Rebels triumph supplies the needed justi-
ication Of their revolt, aad eIempt' them from
penalties. But suppose they ara beaten and
forced TO submit Internationally 20 the Union:
What tben' Arc the expenses of THE costly,
sapguinary struggle to be borne wholly by the
loyali Or shall the Rebels be required, 30 far
as may be, to pay tEeml What is the answer
of Justice snd common sense
1t is suggested by some Members of Con-
gross that We must triumph before we can
confscate. That is true in q very narrow
sense; in a laryer sense, it 10 false. The
Rebel ranks are ilsd by conscrption and ter
rorisu. They coufscaie rtthessI!; they strip
every Uni.u,st TO the skin, and then they
shoot or hapg n # be do, not profess TO be
converted 10 treasOa. Of their three or four
hundred thouslnd mos = in their ranks TO
war against The Ur'ou, h.j bali arc there be-
cause they base no alternative but death by
violence {. starvation. Their armies are fed
by systematic -ooLey; their currency moves
or by virtue of 80 bayonets behind il:
in short, they cnmpe unity Of ex-
preston if not Of sentiment throughout
the region under their sway, and then seize
whateye- they need to sustain and advance
their cause. The.. system has all the fearful
energy Of the worst days Of the French Reign
Of Terror. He must be hero wAc dare pro-
claim himself Upionist within their bound
ariea; whoever does 80 in that portion of the
Slave States bow held by our armies knows
Well that he viii lose everything If the Rebel
cause shall triumph. Every coward, every
| trimmer, naturally says, in effect: elf com.
peeled TO declare for one side or the
" other, / must pronounce for JEFF Davis, for
ale shows no mercy, while it ia otherwise
" with the defenders Of tho Union" Thus
there Gro to-day not less than One Hundred
thousand fighting for the Rebellion whose
judgments and hearts incliuc them ~ the side
Of tie Union; but they arc still anxious to
live, and they .huu the most obvious aud i'm
minent peril.
We would have Congress do nothing that
the Humanity of the age will not fully ap-
prove; but we feel that extreme tenderness
toward willtul, malignant Rebels is treason 10
the Republic. If the Government shall much
longer hesitate to deal sternly with fragrant
Rebels, they are very likely to deal sternly
with the Government. Milk and honey are ex-
ceIlent in their place, but they will not cure
the cancer now gnawing OF the vitsls Of the
Republic. II our rulers hesitate much longer
10 convince the Southern people that they are
determined to crush out the rebellion, they may
awake to the magnitude Of tho peril too late