The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-25
COndscation,

congress is naw discussing, in both branches
various propositions iorpunishlng rebels by con-
Gsca'ing their property, but there appears to be
40 immediate prospect of any agreement upon
a satisfactory bill, one that will be adequate to
Ssunlsn she rebels and at the same time not be
Obnoxious to very grave constitutional objections.
There is unouestionably very general desire on
the part ot'the large majority of Congress, as
s'yellnssahs large majority Of the loyal people of
Ftne nation, to make the rebels pay more than
sheir share, by taxation, Of the expenses of the
Wal which they have SO wickedly commenced.
But when this desire is pressed to legislative
expression in the form OF law, it is met by o
xAyiety Of objections, some Of which VIC will no.
sioS.
1T scenls evident at the very outset that any
general contiscation ofrebel property would come
entirely short Of reaching the object Of punish
AAenr--'wbich is Of course one of its chief OBJ.
je1ts--unless il included the slaves Of rebels in
its operation. 1t is also obvious that, when it
}9osatesnpon these slaves, It's only result will DO
70 make them ireemen, the Government der-
Fing NO benefit from the contiscation except the
Incidental one Of getting rid of so much slavery.
l-he objections here interposed by those hostile
20 such coniiscation are not few. They argue
3h2t lnasmuch us the government cannot make
any money by thus coDfiscating slavery they
GkGald not resort to it That it would be dan
I5eroas to emancipate at once 50 many slaves as
would thus be freed ; and that there is no place
20 which these freed negroes can 20, inasmuch as
Chg North do MT want them and the South
',Fould MT have them. There is, of course,
anoSher objection and that is-that it would
SO far weaken Slavery as to ensure its speedy
and complete extinction. These objections we
hardly consider as sound and will give our re,l
sons
part OF this coufscation Is to be in the ma
fnre Ola punishment, the government expecting
20 derive only incidental benefits from it, When
q man is hung the government derives no direct
9eneht,and yet ills not apparent on that account
that murder should not be punished. And if
she cOnfscation of the slaves of rebels is in the
nature OF q punishment to them it answers so far
Che end which the government has in view. An5
we deem the suggestion that it would be impos-
sible 20 dispose Of these freed slaves, as an i'm.
peachnent AT once Of the enterprise and the
philanthropy Of the nation. 1t is very appa
rent tact that toe country has used the labor OF
a'i Ihe slaves Tor years. IL must also be admit
gcG that their Labor has been regarded as profta-
bic by The Shareholders, the slaves having, in
act, not only supported themselves, but their
IDLE masters by their idustry. If is not true
sha5 negro works any less cheeriully, or prof.
.ably, as II freeman than rs u slave, but, on the
contrary, all experience proves that free labor is
moro readily performed and more productive
st&n slave labor. The South will need the
a9groes 70 work their plantations just rs much
LITER they are free as now, and would be COM
paled to hire them or suffer their plantations
20 run 10 waste. The result would be that the
negroes would, in the great majority of instan-
ccs, remain where they now are.
But it the South, for any reason, should
choose 70 Danish Tree negroes from their terrific
,ry by State Legislation as an act of retaliation
tof their fscation--wLich we cannot fairly
presume they will do, inasmuch as we suppo,e
shat in the restored Union VIC are to have, what
are now the rebelous States are to be in har-
iaony and accord with the General Government
and will not endeayor TO elnbarrass it, or defeat
its attempts TO punish treason--it would still be