The national Republican., 1862-04-16
SENATOR HARRIS UPON CONFIsCA.
TiON.

The bill for the confscation oi rebel property,
proposed by Mr. Harris in the Senate on Monday
Us a substitute for the bill reported by the Judi
ciary Committee, provides for the forfeiture Of
the eutire property Of all persons having hereto
fore taken an oath to support the Constitution of
the United States, or holding positions ia the
Confederate service requiring them to take an
oath TO support the Constitution Of the Conied
crate Government, who shall, alter the passage
OF the bill be found in arms against the nation.
al authority, or aiding and sbcttiug others who
may be so in arms.
Mr.. Harris's bill, as will be seen, does not
Confscate the property Of all persons commit
ting certain specified acts, but only Of certain
classes Of persons, 50 described as to exclude
those who may be entitled TO mercirul consid
Grafton, because ignorant and misled by others
The bill only reaches those who have held
under the national and State Governments, ol
now hold under the Confederate Government
Offices Of a grade to require, for the discharge
Of their duties, the taking Of an oath " support
the Constitution OF the United States, or Of the
Confederate States.
The seventh section OF Mr. Harriss bill is o,
follows:
THAT every person having or pretending I,
have any claim to tho service or labor OF any
other person in any State under the laws there
OF, who during the present rebellion shall TAXI
up arms against the United States. or in any
manner give aid and comfort to said rebellion
shall thereby forthwith forfeit all right to sucl
service or labor; and the persons from whom /
nll n.nH ,t.t,ItE llln Elu
shall, ,pso fdcto, on the commission Of the ac
of forfeiture by the party having or pretendiD.
TO have any such claim to the service or la6o
as aforesaid, be discharged therefrom, anu be
come forever thereafter free persons, ANY Law
Of any State or of the United States to the con
trary notwithstanding. And whenever any
person claiming to be entitled 10 the service %
labor OF any other person declared TO be dis
charged from such labor or service under th
provisions Of this act shall seek to enforce sucl
claim, he shall, in the first instance, bciC n
any order for the surrender of the persol
whose service is claimed, establish not only
his title TO such service, As now provided by
law, but also that he is and has been, duriu.
the existing rebellion. loyal to the Government
Of the United Stat,s."
Upon this section, Mr.. Harris observed:
but whatever else may or may not be done
1t cannot be wrong or unwlse for the Govern
ment to avail itself of the power which Treason
has placed in its hands TO declare the forfeiture
AS our armies advance further and Still iur
ther into rebel territory, the number OF slaves
who viii become separated from their masters
and thus practically set al liberty, will be con
stanUy increasing. The longer the war con
tnues, the greater will be the extent Of tbs
practical emancipation. What ia 10 become %
this constantly increasing mass Of ignorant
ImprUvIdent, degraded, and desplsed human nity
] cannot tnresee. Its destiny is As yet shrUudet
IN the impenetrabls mystery Of future events
But this can predict, with unerrlne certainty
that not one OF all this multitude who shall thus
be liberated through the madness Of their m -
tiers. VIII ever, with the authority or COnSun nj
OF this Government, be returned to bondage
His liberation, accidental in It's origin, ans
seeming to he temporary, Is sure to become ,
permanent and real thing.
The section now under consideration PRO
vides for the case Of such liberated slaves. h,
merely changing u rule of evidence the burdeI
IL thrown upon the master, who claims that In
slave who has escaped from his possession
shall be returned To his service, OF proving no
0nI bis title to such service, but also thai h,
himself has not forfeited his right by his owi
lnndelty to his Government. The provision il
f'unded upon the presumption, by no mean
violent or unreasonable IN this rebellion, th;l
the slave owner IL himself disloyal. | regart
this Ms BY far the most important and etfuctiv,
provision IN this section oi the bill. Wheri
The slave continues IN the custody of his rebu
master At the close oi The rebellion, II Is no
very likely think that he will be liberated h,
IN tho case OF rebel leaders, whose whole es
tate may be forfeited under the frsl section Z
the bill.r
The position taken by Mr.. Harris, with hi
well known conservative views, will tcud I
remove any apprehension that Congicss ca
possibly adjourn without passing some el,i3ier
measure for The confscalion Of the property
persistent rebels
What precise form such measure will lnall
take, 1t ia not now possible to foresee; but tho
il will include the liberation of the slaves {
men who, after fair warning, shall continue /
make war upon the nation, we have no doub
Gov. johnson, Of Tennessee, says that rcbt
has no right to own any species Of prop.ri.
Certainly, to permit him 10 exercise dominic
over others, is an intolcrablc absurdily.
INDIANA Pol.iTltS. At the township election