, 1862-07-18
the. PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Rebellion a Crime, and Traitors to
be Punished.
THE SLAVES OF REBELS FREEMEH.
The Unsigned Draught Of Veto.

THE SLAVES Of REBELS FREEMEH.
The Unsigned Draught of Veto.
The following Is the Presidents message.
transmitted to Congress yesterday:
Fel1ow-Cftizens Of the Senate and House Of Re-
pretentatfyes:
Considering the bill for an act to suppress
insurrection, to punish treason and rebellion.
to seize and confiseats the property Of rebels,
and for other purposes, and joint resolution
explanatory Of said set as being substantially
one. IhaEe approved and signed both. Be.
fore I Tas informed Of the passage Of the res
olution had prepared draught stating OBJ
jection to the bill becoming Law, COPY Of
which draught is herewith transmitted.
(Signed,) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
July II, 1862.
THE UNSIGNED DRAUGHT OF VETO.
Fellow Citizen. Of the Hou.e ot Representative;
herewith return to youE honorable body.
in which it originated, the bill for an act, en-
Titled an act to suppress treason, to sieze
ard conf1scate the property Of rebels, and for
other purposes" together with my objections
to its becoming q Law.
There is much IN the bill to which I per
celye no objection. It ia wholly prospective
and It touches neither person or property Of
any particular citizen, in which particular it
section provides for the conviction and pun
isbment Of persons who shall be guilty of
treason, and the person who shall fnctte, SET
on foot, assist or engage in any rebellion or i1-
surreetton against the authority of the Uni
ted States, OF the laws thereof, or shall give
a,o or comfort to any such existing rebellion
or fnsurrect1on,
By 1nir construction the PERSONS within
these sections are not to be punished without
regular trial, in duly constituted courts, nm.
der the forms and all the substantial provis-
to their several cases.
10 this perceive no objection, especially
ns such persons would be within the general
pardonlng power, and also within the special
provision for pardon and amnesty contained
It also provides that the slaves of persons
eonfscated under these sections shall be free.
think there is an unfortunate form Of expres-
sion rather than substantial objection to
this. II is startling to say that Congress can
tfes t1 a., s1aye r within State, and yet were it
been transferred to the nation, and that Con
gress had then liberated him, the difficulty
would vanish, and this fs the real csse
The traitor against the general government
to1teits his slaves as justly as be does any other
property, and he toTfeits both to the govern
mint against which he ofends. The govern
menE, 70 tar as there can be ownership, owns
Inc toIae1sed slaves, and the question for Con
gEess IN regard to them is, shall they be made
Tree or kold to new nasterss see no obiec.
tlon to Congress deciding in advance that
1Hff sHAlL BE FREE. To the high hosor Of
ksentucky, ssan as I am informed, she has
E, cheat, and has sold none but
liberated all hope the same is true Of seue
other STATES. Indeed do not believe it would
oe physically possible for the general govern
ment to return persons 60 cIrcumstanced to
aetua slavery. l believe there would be
po5sacA resistance to it which would never
pc moved aside by argument, or driven away
% force. la this view OF it hare no obiec-
ton to this featnre Of the bill.
Another matter in these two sections, and
Innn,pg ha s9Sough other parts Of the act, will
to the third and fourth sections.
so far as wish to notice the fifth and sixth
sections, they may be considered together
tnat the enforcement Of these sections woul3
90 no injustice to the persons embraced With
tnena, Is clear. That those who make a
causeless war should be compelled to Day The
cost 81 It, is too obviously just to be called in
aneEuon. 70 give government protection to
the property Of persons who have abandoned
1t and gone on crusade to overthrow that
ssme government, is absurd, If considered IL
The mere light Of Justice.
The seyeIest Justice may not al~aYs be the
best policy. The principle OF sfezfng and 40.
| Propriating the propfFty Of the persons en-.
hraced in these sections Is certainly not verp
Objectionable, but O justly discrimina,iue
aprneat1cn Of It you'd be very difficult, and
Would It not be wise to place a power oi
remission somewhere, 10 that these persons
ma! kDoF they have something TO save BY de.
eisting. any am not sureWhether such 20 vi !,
Of remission is or1s not within section thirteen
| without special act Of Congress,
think our military commanders, when, ii
military phrase, they are within the enemy'e
t country, should In an orderly manner seizt
and keep whatever Of real or personal proper
| ~ may be necessary or convenient for thei1
commands, andat the same time preserye II
zone WY thsevidence Of what they do.
What haTe sid In regard to slaves whfle
commenting on the first and second section
| is applicable to the ninth, With the difference
that no provision Is made in the whole act 70,
deter1ointpg whether particular fndlvldna
slase does Or does not fall within the classe.
certain conditions, but whether these cpndi
| tioDs do or do not pertain to him, no mode o
ascerta1nipg Is provided. This could be easil1
fo he tenth section make no objection
the oath therein required seems to be proper
and the remainder Of the section Is snostan
italy identical With law already existing,
The eleventh section simply assumes to con
fer discretionary powers 1pon the executive
without the Law. / hare no hesitation to II
as far In the direction Indicated as may =;
/ ny ttme deem eKpedieata q I'd an ready to g.!
nov think It is proper for our military com
manders to employ as laborers Is many per
sons ot AfHean descent as can be used to I'D
vantage.
The twelfth aud thirteenth sections an
something better than uaobjectlonab1e, ani
the fourteenth Is entirely proper, II all othe
parts Of the act shall stand. That to which
chiefly object perNades most parts Of the act
but more distinctly appears In the first, sec
ond, seventh and eighth sections. It is tn,
| sum Of those provisions which result in tn
| diyestiug Of title forever for the causes O
treason, and the ingnedients'of treason. bu
forfeiture extending beyond the lines 0
| the guilty parties, whereas the constitution
Of the United States declares that no attainde
ct treason shall Terk corruption Of blood q
forfeiture except during the life Of the persol
this case, still think the greater punishment
t cannot be constitutiona11y Inflicted in differ
ent form for the same oHense.
With great respect, I am constrained to sa1
! thing this feature ot the *act Is unconsutu
| Iiona1. 1T would not be difficult to modify 1t
may remark that the provision Of the con
| stifut1on put In Language borrowed from
Great Britain. applies only n this country, ~
Again, this act by; proceeding H. ran, for
ifeits property for the ingredient. Of treason
without conviction Of the supposed criminal
OF personal hearing given him i, in my pro
That We may touch property lying withIr
notfoa 3n sr; CI,,,1,r i. :. .S;s.-7