The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-07-19
Change OF Policy.

line events OF the last lew weeks nave
wrought an immense change in the tone
and spirit of the present war. Hitherto,
with occasional exceptions, rs in the cases
of Gems. Fremont's, Hunters and Phelps
proclamations, promptly modified by the
President, the war has been waged on
the assumption that the people OF the
south were q part of ourselves and entitled
to every right we enjoy when they lay
down their arms On this assumption, OF
course, the government had to deal only
with actual traitors. Those found in arms
against the government-having appeared
to force, must be subdued by force; but
those not taken with arms in their hands,
could only be punished as individual
traitors after trial and conviction by due
| process of law. The rights of property
and of personal freedom, as secured to all
the people of the L. S. by the constitution
remained intact to the people of the south
as we'll as the north, until forfeited by the
overt act and declared SO by competent
judicial process and authority.
On such assumptions, the war was an
nounced to be for the restoration of the
Constitution as it IS and the Union as it
was. Since the late events before Rich
mond, however, the abolition cry for a
more vigorous policy" has prevailed, and
both Congress and the President have
been busy shaping and inaugurating it for
two weeks past. This new policy is par
TALLY developed by the coniscation bill
just passed by Congress and which the
President has approved. This act makes
it the duty of our generals IN the field to
seize, as they enter any rebellious dis
trict, and that includes every southern
state, all the property they can lay hands
| on belonging to traitors and confiscate it /;
not after trial of such traitor and finding
him guilty by "two witnesses &c; but the
proceeding is to be IN rem, as against con-
traband goods captured at sea. The slaves,
also, of all persons in rebellion are to be
seized and set free by the same summary
process, and to recover his property the
owner must reverse the usual course, and
prove that he is not traitor; thus assum-
ing that all slave owners as well as owners
Of any other property to be traitors per Sc,
until they show the contrary.
This is said to be going to the root of the
rebellion. The four millions of laborers
and tie vast estates upon which they have
been employed in raising the means to
I'D oil hn no aha1
to be taken away, and the people Of the
south impoverished and starved into sub
mission. No more guarding rebels farms,
houses, barns, hen coops and pig-styes
ren contiscation, and the proceeds devoted
to the port of our armies. sticks
and tufts of grass have been tried long
enough; we will see what virtue there is
in stones
We have no saueamishuess about max
ing the property of traitors pay part of
the expenses of this causeless and most
| wicked rebellion; nor are we Mortified at
the idea of denuding rebel plantations Of
their slaves, so that they can raise no more
! corn or potatoes to feed repel armies, and
compelling said slaves to dig bitches for
and become hewers of wood and drawers
of water to our soldiers. But as Il question
of policy-as question whether such
| measures will not rather tend to strengthen
| than weaken the rebels, by inspiring them
with greater unauimity and desperation,
surely we may be permitted to entertain
| the most serious doubts. We fear the war
is only commencing in earnest, and that
in savagery and bloody obstinacy the war
hitherto has been but childs play to the
| war to come