The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-05-23
Speech of Hon. Joseph A. Wright
on COnfscation,
In the U. s. Sennte, Apri5 29.A, 1862.
C0NCLUDED.)

CONCLUDED
am tired of hearing the leaders, those
Who have brought on this war, called our
brethren. They do not deserve any favors
at our hands. They have shocked the civ
ilization of the age and have committed
blrbarities almost unparalleled in story.
Shall we call these our Brethren who have
brought sorrow and suffering TO almost
every hearthstone in our country Shall
We call tho=e our brethren who have armed
the .avages and commissioned them for the
preparation of all manner of fendisb at
trocities2 Will cooling or soft words change
the heart of those assassins, who in the
midnight watches steaIthily creep unon the
pckets of our armies and murder them in
cold blood Do our brethren insult the
Ilteless bodies of our patriotic soldiers p
Do they bury them with their face down
wards, or pilfer their graves aud dishouor
their bones, ana do other vile acts which
we would only expect from vampires and
cannibals No, Mr. President these are
not our brethren. They are our mortal
toes, and we must deprive them of all DOW
CT to do mischief
need not, for the purpose | have in
view, more than casually refer to the sub
lime spectacle of the rising of the Ameri-
can people to maintain the existence of
their imperiIed Government. Il has aston
ished the world, and extorted admiration
even from the antagonist of republican in
situations. The greatest of modern armies
has been gathered, equipped, disciplined
and put into the field without in any in
stance resorting tee consumption. They have
not only implOred that the Administration
should tax them and their property, in or
der that il NAV bava an1pia man, II
vigorous prosecution of this war, bvt. with
divine enthusiasm, they stand ready TO
seal their devotion TO the Union with their
hearts blood. They have never vet faIter-
ed 10 the good work. Notwithstanding all
that Indiana has done SO far in this contest.
yet am informed, from the best authori-
ties IN that State, so eager are the people in
the suppression of this rebellion that they
would tomorrow uncomplainingly, If the
necessities OF the hour demanded il, feed
AID cothe the sixty thousand troops which
she has sent into the field. Contributions
of every description pour in from all quar-
ters, to be used for the purpose of securing
every comfort to her brave sons. who. unon
almost every recent battlefield. have won
imperishable renOwn. When the citizens of
the country have done and are doing so
Well shall we neglect the high trust which
they have cOn6eed in US? They look To
this Congress to pass some measure for the
conhscation of the property of rebels, and
l, Tor one, am not willing to disappoint
their just expectations. They do not ask it
from any sOrdid motive, or because of malir-
nant hatred TO the South, but TOR the reason
that it is necessary 10 subserve the ends of
Justice Do not let us palter with them in
a double sense, but let US at once come m
n No 0iCrharOra Of Onr
and to the Government.
| regard this as one of a series of acts 90.
sential to put down this rebellion. AS our
armies advance into the regions where trea-
son is rampant, they must be suhsisled up
on the enemy, and it is incumbent npon us
to make provision for that purpose Its
fact not 10 be disguised that there are very
many men who have waxed fat and grown
rich from the supplies which they have
furnished TO our troops at enormous prices
men who at best only abstain from CO.
operation in the the insurrection because OF
the overwhelming forces of the Union
which bappeu to- surround them They
would like TO see this war protracted until
The Treasury was at its last gasp. What
care they for the misery that befalls others
so long as their Golfers are filled with Fed
eral gold | would not have, Mr.. Presi-
dent, our soldiers, as they have done in
Virgins, go starving through the rich re-
grons of their enemies. As our flag press
es forward to the Gulf States, let auy of
the landed proprietors having granaries
bursting with grain and pastures full Of
cattle be questioned, and they will tell you,
while refusing food 70 our soldiers. exceDt
at starvation rates. that their sons and their
ighbors are in open hostility to the Fed
eral Government These men, who no.
long before gave up their produce with the
freedom. of a speudthrift to support the
rebel cause, must not be permitted to adopt
dog-in-the manger policy to the Union
troops that bave fought their way into their
midst
What has been the result of the DECLARE
lions OF our commanding generals. that the
property even of the most venomous seces-
sionist shall be guarded, and that 10 touch
IL will be followed by the penalty of death E?
Only renewed and more astounding extor-
tons upon our troops and upon our Govern
ment. Those whose sex may protect them
from personal injury may, in their insane
fury, insult our wounded and dying as they
are carried TO the hospitals, and vet as
these things are now, the estates where
they reside, and which have been abandon
ed by husband and son, TO Join the Con-
federate army, are fruitful only for the enc
mics of the Republic, and as Gnproductive
as the desert for the soldiers of the Union.
We must change all this, and those, who
have broken the public peace ought to be
made to subsist those who have come to re-
store order. 1t will have magnetic effect
In terminating this civil strife, when the
Southern people know that they will be
compelled to subsist our armies so long as
1eaSOn snail require their presence among
them. If we pay exhorbitaptly for the
subsistence of our troops. the desire then
VIII De that the war shall be pro,racted
RAJ Ea'ner 'han brooghtt ito speedy termination.
cucn measure as have indicated il n.xt
IN Importance to the one for the con6scation
oil rebel property, and feel assured 10 ad-
vance, that in casting my vote for them
both, shall have the hearty applause of