The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-05-10

iicaliOn, TrumbulI's "bill 10 cOn6scate
the property and -fFee"the slaves Of the
rebels" The members from the Border
States and the few Democrats in Congress,
are opposed to il, but the Abolition ele-
ment in Congress is all powerful and
brushes opposition. The measure has
created intense excitement and alarmed
all the loyal men Of the slave States II
will drive them, for selfprotectiOn and in
opposition to their feelings, into the ranks
Of the SecesSioOists The Abolitionists
are in power and evidently determined to
carry things with high hand. We take
the following Geographic dispatch from
the Union of Wednesday:
"NEw YORK, May Sd.
"The. TIlRes' special Washington dispatch
says the town wAS startled BY . rumnr tn.day
that all members Of Congress from the border
slave States and . number Of conservative
sympaihisers from other States, are seriously
cOnsdering the prOpriety Of Withdrawing in
body from the Senate and House, in cOnse-
Quence # the determination Of the radicals to
R8oc8AG OO1bc~eNNOA1
What is the character Of the measure
that has so alarmed 6: the members Of
Congress from the border slave States and
q number of conservative sympathiscrS
from other States What renders it so
obnoxious to them! Was it not intro
duced BY and has it not received the sup
port of the immaculate UniOnists Of Con-
gress! Is it not an Administration mea
sure! We are assured that the President
and every member Of the Cabinet approves
it. Surely, then, it must be a COnstitu-
tional measure, for all these men have
sworn to support the Constitution. To
show what al infamous bill it is, We take
the following s4tFacts from the speech of
Hon. John S. Carlisle, Of Virginia, deliv-
cred in the Senate Of the United States,
March IL, 1862. in opposition to it M.
Carlisle is devoted Union man, and has
sacrificed more for it than all the Rrpubli-
cans in Congress combined. lie says:
"The Din under consideration is emit :
tied "A bill to con6scate the property and
free the slaves OF rebels. The objects of
the bill, as stated in the title, are, in my
opinion, beyond the power OF accomplish
mcnt, if we regard our constitutional OBJ
legations. The Supreme Court uOuId
hare to pronounce such u LGW uncOmstitu-
tiondL in any case arising under it, if it
could be brought before that tribunal for
its decision. The founders Of the Govern.
ment intended to secure TO every citizen,
and have so provided in the Constitution,
the right to test the cOnstitutionalIty of
any Congressional enactment before the
Supreme Court but here is bill taking
from more than One-tOurth of the entire
population Of this whole country all their
property, Of erery Kind and description,
reducing them to beggdry and rant, @ith-
out judicial tridt or legal inrestigattO".
The bill denies to the citizen the cOmStttU
tiOnaL right of testing the constitutional
ty of the act before the tribunal created
by the Constitution. 1t would seem as
il the authors OF the bill, conscious Of the
uncOnstitutiO Of the proposed meas-
ure, purposeIy famed it so that its con-
stitutionality could not be- pronounced
upon by the Supreme Court.
THE bill proposes to contiscate to the
use Of the Government all the property,
real and personal, belonging to the clti-
zens OF the seeded States who are or
may be in the s, rvice Of the SO-called
Confederate States, or who in any way
NAV give aid and comfort to the rebellion.
When it is remembered that the authors
of the rebellion were in possession Of the
various State Governments, and used the
power and machinery of their respective
State Governments to compel the people
to acquiesce in their unconstitutional acts,
and tO recognize their usurped authority,
| it will be seen that all the property Of
each and every citizen in the seeded
States would be forfeited under this bill.
Such sweeping proposition, so cruel and
unjust measure, one better calculated to
continue the war forever and exhaust the
whole country, never has been in the his
tory of the world, and predict never will
be again, proposed in any Legislative as
sembly representing a civilized communi-
t.. .... .......... .............
by the bill ali the property, except
slaves, is to be sold, and the proceeds put
into the public Treasury, The slaves are
to be emancipatcd in riOldtiOn Of the Con-
stitution and in disregard If the Constitu-
tional rights Of their owners and Of the
States wherein they reside. The want OF
power in Congress to interfere with slave
nv in the States where it exists has always
heretofore been admitted the most ultra
Abolitionists admit that Congress cannot
interfere with slavery in the States, and
because this is so. they denOunce the
Constitution as n covenant with death and
league with hell"
Is it any wonder that the threatened
passage of the bill has caused great ex-
element? If Congress can pass one nm
constitutional measurc-and that the Con-
fiscaton Bill is clearly SO even its friends
admit-can it not pass another? Is not
the precedent most dangerous one
destructive of the privileges and the rights
Of people and States? Mr.. Carlisle is n
profound jurist, and he declares the bill
flagrantly unconstitutional. and yet in
spite of his declarations, the Republicans
pass it, and the President has signitied
his willingness to sign it! The bill is
not only unconstitutional, but the people
are to be heavily taxed to colonlze the
cmancipated negroes. On this point Mr..
Carlisle remarks, and his remarks ought
to have some weight with tax papers:
"The third section Of this bill makes it
the duty of the President to colOnize the
negroes at the cost Of the Government; Of
course the Government to get the money
by taxing the people. 1t is not enough to
tax them for war purposes, but they must
he taxed to pHy overseers on Georgia and
South Carolina plantations; taxed to the
tune of ten dollars an acre, to buy imple-
rnents OF husbandry for all the land titled
by the overseers in Georgia and South
Carolina; taxed to buy land in tropical