East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-03-18

operation, who will buy yonr confscated
estates? What kind Of neighborbood
will exist between the former owners and
your purchasers? The tradition Of wrong
win sit at the hearthstone for ages like
hideous spectre, ever melting to revenge
aud rebellion. You might as well try to
attract purchasers by promising them
good title to an Irish fend, or a Corsican
vendetta. Such titles have never been
good You might as well expect capital
to seek tho margin Of volcano, where
the lava had not ceased to flow. That
which is taken by war must be held by
war
PROMISE NOT TO NEEDLE WITH SLAVERY
IN THE STATES.
We have said we Ina | no right, ahd
Claimed none, to mellle with slavery in
the slave States. ! protest against the
second sectioa Of this bill,.as being a
total and entire departure from the priu-
ciplcs of the Constitution, aud most mis-
chievous at this time, because il usclessly
distracts the people Of this country. 1t
would make US do what would crafty oar
enemies everywhere, aud be worth more
than 100000 votes to the traitors at the
North, to aid them in getting possession
of the government.
THE LAWS or WAR
know il Is claimed that we are now
engaged in war, by virtue of which We
can pass any law to suppress the rebel
ION, aud under which we can pass such n
law as this. / think this will he found to
be delusion aud snare. Our power
to-day is no greater than it was at the
commencement OF tho constitution, and
any law which would he unconstitutional
then would be unconstitutional now. No
one pretends, for instance, that JEFF.
Davis had been a traitor last year and
escaped the jurisdiction of the courts, we
could have attainted him as traitor, and
have freed his slaves. Nor can the case
be altered il one thousand persons were
traitors with him. Mr.. Cowan then con.
tended that confScstion of private prop
erty was against the laws Of nations, and
quoted from Wheaton, vol. vi, page Alb
He said that negroes could not be en-
ployed in the army under the laws OF
nations. If they were educated so as 10
be controlled by the laws Of war, then
they might be admitted. II, on the other
hand, they are savage and ignorant, they
ought not TO be employed in our ranks
and it would bring down upon us th'
odium OF all Christendom, and the con
demnation of all good men.
But the question is Tor the President
aud his military advisers. and I am will
ing to confde it to them. But il is sale
that, under tie constitution, Congress
has the right to make laws concerning
captures on land aud water. But THU
bill does not apply to the right Of cap
tnre at all. This bill provides forfeitar'
oi property of rebels without any cap
ture at ALL 1t is attempted to put thu
propriety of this bill upon the case %
Brown against the United States, where
it was decided that the property was no
confiscated by the declaration OF war, an'
ali act of Congress was necessary. Bu
in that case the property taken was within
the domain of law The property wh'cl
this bill undertakes to contiscate is within
the territory of belligerents. The LegiS
lature, therefore, has nothing to do will
it until tho President captures 1t. Thl
kind of vicious reasoning in a circle per
vades the whole character of this bill
1t gives the power claimed TO the PreSi
dent, because these people are withou
the pale of the constitution, aud It claim
to confscate their property brcause the.
are within the constitution. We might
under this rule, forfeit their property a
belhgerents, and afterward hang them
traitors.