The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-05-15
Garrets Davis - Csnriscasisn

Senator Davis, of Kentucky, made
speech Of great length, in the Senate
some three weeks ago, against the con
bscAtion Of the property and slaves Of trai
tors b. the Government. for the benefit O
the Government. He must have satis6e<
himself that such measure, in the form
proposed BY others. was both uncosstitu
tional and inpolitic. Nevertheless, he
admits, In his own bill. both the consti
tutionality and the policy Of con6scation
in some form. And, as It strikes un.
learned minds. the great difficulties in
the way Of passing con6scation bill
through the Senate are. in the fir1t place,
that such bin might restore these ma
uonal rights of freedom TO large num-
Der Of human beings. The second diff
Guilty in the way Of the passage of the bill
is. that there are so many very sharp law
yers in the Senat. that none of them can
FRI ne bill which some one can't pick a
6xw in.
The justice and policy Of coniscation
of rebel property, in some form. and to
greater or less extent, is Admitted BY nh
except the original yallandighammers
and such ssmi-traitors as Powell and
salisbury.
Senator Davis himself proposes, in his
bill. that al persons injured by the war
shall have right 70 sue traitors and re-
cover Of them, in TIE courts Of justice,
for the injury sustained. and that the
property and slaves Of rebels shall be sold
to satisfy the same, He says:
set TO work and drew up one, forfeit
ing all the estate Of any person engaged
IN the rebellion, or who shall give aid
and comfort to it. making the bin pros
pective. and allowing thirty days notice,
to give those who are still with the rebels
knowledge OF the passage of such bill,
that they might, If they chose, repent
and come back to their duty and their al
legiance TO the Government.
knew--and that was the reason why
| introduced one feature Of 1.-THE con.
scientious objection Of great many
men 10 the Government selling slaves.
With view Of obvia,ing that objection,
have proposed, as may rightfully be
done, that the forfeiture shall not inure
to the United States Government, but to
every person injured by the rebellion in
MS person or property propose that
whore any man falls in battle or dies
from disease in this war, he shall be held
TO have received damages from the con-
federates to the amount of $4,000, and
his personal representatives may sue for
or assign the claim.
do not care about this matter Of for
telture particularly. l want the rebel
leaders punished. Those that are impen
ltent and incorrigible, and continue to be
SO. ! want punished. They cannot live
IN the same country with Union men,
They must come back and submit to the
laws and liye.as quiet citizens. or they
must perish upon the gallows or 60 into
exile. II you want to proselytes thcm
and bring them back to the Government
and induce them to drop their secession
and disunion principles, 10 my opinion
the WAY to do that most effeetually is to
offer them, on the one side, where they
are not very guilty. immunity, peace, and
protection. and on the other the psllows
or exile and the forfeiture Of their whole
estate Ny State wants such law az
that. The Union people Of my State want
IT, am ready here to vote for it. but
not to free their slaves, not to free any
slaves, because Congress has no power to
DO that. am for Congress passing
and would be quite as severe and % I'm
relen'ing in my feelings and conduct as
most msn--any law Of punishment, OF
forfeiture Of life or property, to fall upon
the guilty. the egregiously guilty, and to
spare the ignorant and deluded. and ia
OTTER them the hope Of immunity and par.
don. But. sir, ] would want such Law
as that passed with condition. / would
not want unconditional immunity offered
to any man who had left his State 10 ioir
the rebellion. ! do not care what his de.
gree of outlines was. would want him
pardoned only on the express condition
that he should give up his treason, tha,
lie should come back, snd submit himsel
quietly, orderly, as good citizen. to III.
law. and whenever be showed DISPOSE
tion 70 rise in rebellion seainst the law
that ne should still be subject to be pros
eeuted Tor his original CRIME. We can
not have harmony, peace, and quie
upon any other conditions.
Thus it will be seen that Senator Dari
himself not only justifes but insists upo,
eenksest ON. both Of the property an.
slaves Of rebels, but holds that i. is un
constitutional TO free their slaves. N
sensible man. impoverished by the pseis
dlces of . stakeholder, or by legal tecb