Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-05-08
ON CONFIsCATION.



dietary Committee as TO their reporting
against all the Confscatiou bills, Mr.
Colfax proceeded:
The bill that was laid On the table a
short time ago would have left the matter
in very indefinite state. as | thought, in
scanning its provisions after our adjourn
ment last night l was in favor Of the
first section of the bill. which declares
that any man who shall hereafter wilfuly
persist in the unholy rebellion. against
this Government shall be stripped Of his
property. of his stocks. Of his money, and
effects. But the second section provides
that these proceedings shall be in the Uni
ted States court. and that that court is to
order this property to be sold And when
| recollected the decision OF the Supreme
Court Of the United States made at one
time in reference to .'property." decision
which helped to infame the South into de-
mands for rights" never before recogniz-
ed, l felt it might possibly decide that the
slaves of these rebels were property.
aud that then we should be held up before
the country and before the world as au.
thorizing the slaves of rebels to be sold
and their proceeds to be paid into the
Treasury. do not myself, as the House
knows. regard slaves as property. They
are persons "held to labor" to use the Ian.
guage of the Constitution. But l have
grave doubts as to what the Supreme
Court would decide, and the bill Just laid
on the table, having been under the previ-
Gus question, and therefore not amendable
l prefer that we shall ourselves settle this
important point indisputably by the de-
tails Of whatever bill we may pass, and
not leave it as a question of construction
to the courts.
We omit debate on q point Of orde,
as to whether. on motion to refer. th,
whole subject could be considered, which
was decided affirmatively by the Speaker J
/ was saying, Mr.. Speaker, when inter
rupted. that the engineers of this rebellion
the Cstilines who sat here in the Conn
Gil Chambers Of the Republic. and who,
with the oath on their lips and in THEN
hearts to support the Constitution Of tn,
United States. plotted treason at night
as has been shown by papers recovered a
Florida. particularly the letter Of Mr.. Yu
lee. describing the proceedings Of the mid
night conclaves of these men to their con
federates in the southern States-shoul,
be punished by the severcst penalties oi
the law, for they have added to their trea
son perjury. aud are doubly condemue,
1 hafo HD1 I'D
have there been men more guilty and NOR
deserving of the EXTREMIST terrors of III
law. The murderer takes but singh
lie, and we call him infamous. But thcs,
men wickedly and wilfully plunged |,
peaceful country into the horrors of civi
war, and inaugurated regime Of assas
sination and outrage against the Unior
men in their midst. hanging. plundering
imprisoning in a manner that throws into
the shade the atrocities Of the French Rev
olution. Not content with this, they aim
ed their blows at the life of the Republic
itself; and on many a battlefield, in car
nival Of blood. they sought not only t
destroy the Union itself. but to murder it
defenders. PIunging into even still darke
crimes. they haze bayoneted the wounded
on the field of carnage. buried the dead
that fell in their hands with every possibl,
ignominy. and then to gloat their revenge
dug up their lifeless remains from tn
tomb. where even savsges would have al
lowed them to rest. and converted their
skulls into drinking cups barbarisn
that would have disgraced the yisigoths o
Alaric. the barbarian. in the dark ages o
the past. The blood of our soldiers erie:
ont from the ground against them. Has
not forbearance ceased to be a virtue
We were told . year ago that lenienc,
would probably induce them to return to
their allegiance; and to cease this unna, ur.
al war: and what has been the result? LIE
the bloody battlefield OF this conflict an
swer. ~ ~
When / return home shall miss man,
familiar face that has looked iu pas
years with the beaming eye of friendship
upon me. shall see those who have com.
home with constitutions broken down By
exposure and wounds and disease to linge,
and die. Ishall see women whom l hsv,
met Sabbath after Sabbath leaning on {
beloved husbands arm, as they went tc
the peaceful sanctuary, clothed now in
widows weeds. 1 shall see orphans desti
tute. with no one to train their infant
steps into paths OF usefulness. shall SEE
the swelling hillock in the graveyard
where. after life's fitful fever. we shall ell
be gathered-betokening that there, pre-
maturely cut off by rifle ball aimed Al