, 1862-06-21
Cbt Gributtr.
SATURDAY, JUNE 81, 1869.
coKFlscArloN CONSTITUTIONAL.
i Clear Statement Of the Whole
Question.

Question.
LETTER FROM H. WINTER DAVIS
| OF MARYLAND.
BALr1HoRE, HID, June 6, 1862.
| Mr. DEAR s1R: I have followed, with great
| interest and some surprise, the course Of argu-
ment IN opposition to the con3scation bills.
t Their opponents seem inclined to trifle with
| the people, or else they have forgotten the
| simplest elements Of law.
| observe that some respectable lawyers con
found the confiscation bills with bills Of
attainder OF Of powers and penalties.
Congress is rightly forbidden to pass bill
| Of atta1nder; and would forever main tain
that Inhibition But what is a bill of attain
der?
It is law performing the Office Of iudg.
ment. I. is legislature doing the work OF q
| Judge. It's an act Of Congress or Of Parlia.
ment, declaring particular person guilty OF
| 4 specified act, and ordering lis punts1ment
| The passage Of the Law places the person inst
| Where a conviction and Judgment OF court
PLACES him-nothlng remaius but execution.
It Is ridiculous to call the bills before Con
the p nalties Of bill Of attainder, and the
! word eau be applied to them in no sense ever
| recognized in hw-book. They who do so
| apply the word are either i1l-in1ormed or in
sohe YIeJuutce ~ 90 tne Work OF argument
IT,! 14s pn,s oenre EongIsss nathe no p1rhco-
TLey declare that certain acts, committed after
their passage, shall be punished By conf1sca.
ton; but, Till the act is committed, no one
ean be declared guilty Of it; they do not,
ia, 1niEre1ote, allalnt any one. Dill at attainder
.a'. ~ ine past Gnu notnlng Dnt punish
| fore Congress relate to the fu1ure-declaset the
hntt +1a -rsa VS. ~ ~ 1Gtufe at es anu Ieave
49, th pe1soa ahu ene - ~ ~ ~ ascerlanea
htcst aaE ,ne tan' oeciaf1ns tne punishment sha
| TTh.4 o..s-,r, t, tta~. b. .
law With III, - ~ NJ snsa
inGo,,,a-t ma a -,oet ~ ith ielsIaIlYe
~ paas at se' MILL leelsla1lfe pen
~ Tba ~ sa1,,a ,-aa+1.. ;ao,-, . 4z,
bi1s Tho n1anst ~ ~ oona,;,.,,ta l,; tLe
clares that stTonerses sbs11 bo1o Sn ,olE. us ta
dre1ro 4ha ,,rnjsiIna,+ - +1aeeP na'1 Ponet ~
atyo;9,G7tr NJ t1easa,, shsii 4ea, Wv ng ~
hnod or forftrra aToa,'+ ~ "
fhe nersm ats.,;n1a !, Rut uh5+ '4e bae ~ ~ ~
c3a,,st. ~ A. 1u;ti, 10 nc .;eh o,tnnaG n .u'
vide for cont;scs1;nn .oj;so,', couu;e5o. ~,
,erson fnr treason T1s 1,ost Iians;b1a l.. ab. ~
lection 10 the confscatinn laws * that tfev @
In ~ uate 4he forfastn-e d.naa5an+ 'na. 20
rous cnnVir1;on It - +haref,ra o1nas In set H1e
The clausr which defines the cnneaoTannae ~
a couaictiou of the 7,c7sou can nave m hear;nu
| on q law which nrescTGhes other mndoe ~ az
! ccrtainins and enforcing forfeiture # nav W
be that those methods are forbidden: and i
| 60. Tie law must fail of eyecntinn. bnt II is
| Irrelevant 10 quote a r,,Ie Of iudpment a..
finiDg and limilin,y the consco1,ences of q con.
| yicti6n for frrasGn apainst = I,w u,;c1 con
tymplatcs neither cu5yicfion nor indome1,
for treason -'04 'o'e"'on
Whereby person nee Convicted Of T freason n m ran he
sentenced te forfeit his nropcrtv, bevond nd h1S i,
life. ns a consennence At rh: 'co9Sictia, ~
| Such a law wouId he Toid Such ;ndS,no1,t
wonIi vest M tit1e 10 thc GnrnrnSnenf on9
the heirs Of tfe ovner co1,1d a;.nt an9 an an
cIai1;n1, his nr,1erlv nner th 171;ted I Si,tas n'
! Rnt he nroyision dos not eoT I7n1Tras.
sha1i not mike forf,,itnra th'. np3,,tv nF anS
| act. nor even that Conoress nay nnt m,E3
fnr}sitnre a nena3tv of 1rteson itseif & mara ns
II .ays that forfeiture beyoud the lfs shall IL % no
hr o11e NJ the cnnscnnenccs of = conrict;on ~ "
thc 4.erSo,, FAR treana, - -~S4on
@nS pv'Sta H. ~ en5;nsr Kill a> mt
fecat;nn and co1,riet;nn ~ tbe nersnn a. ~
cTirne st;9 1ese ~ treason ~ Liz eeiSon tot ai'
This claim. Ill therefore. err q I Whatever It mean AMI
e1c as +bosa s anor,sd ~ 10 ~ H. Fa 'o ~
claim does % not nGaVe Nr EHo.'s iii % IT, he nn na
Unconstitutional. 49,
Is ti,er,. anr other o7,nee of +ba oon =+;+,,+;o,
which forhis @ sncI, ,et;.s,;nn +, toe
It seems to me he i1wyers are csncc5a11v nj
fanlt when thcr r.f;.r r. the ror;isons r,,a
1au1t "ueA enC5 letg1 ~ Liz PROVISIONS Iela
~ ~ ~ pe6son eIn pe cohsiGtea ':'; ol any eI1m
n1ate snv .l',ict;,, ~ NV or az W. Gunse r
cae1;nn Sa;nst ta "a tnt plo
eeSuiDs ~ aalns1 as tns geason "nateIer-
s1 ~ LES tf+1 can any argunaen11 De deapcet
nersan sh,1 hr he1d - ansra- a. s,n ca,,;ta
a. nthar ;nfamone or;,ea ~, r1is.s ~Is -,
| orosrnt1nont ~ oronJ inv y So
t.nor h. denr;vad nf r. i;hSrtts' ts' mr. 49,, 49,
;thont dna 4-onecs ~ y, = ~ 10y
on 10 b,1d - w!r,s urdor tes 1a1.s ~
/ =" w ~7Ae"~A -ANe. e0~o- -Ae'e -
of dvpriyiug thcn of property IS not n dn
proccss Of law for that purpese.
There arc yarious nrocesscs of law fir de
priving persons of lite, liberty and pronerty
and one method does not exclude anothe
method, but each is good in its particnIa
are Unconstitutional in all cases 4 BIZ, of " -
tsinder. and an ex post tacto law arc forbit
den. No person car be held to .. .,swer far an
crime, unless on the present ent "f lo eram an
jury nor tried otherwise. than BY jur
OF the State and district. IT. thcrcior
fcrson Dayis, or should enact that ! court I
admiralty shous1 try and convict for murde
without jury, or Indictment nv
grand Jury, that law would be unconstit,
uonai, Tor it is forbidden. It is 4 {rsI and
co".7etton without due process Of law, au
@"- :" ~ '11nrrol uiotati1n ~ tna ~
unu.4 IL u.4 -. s>-- ,.----- '.'',..s,. -.s; .
the citizen. But it would be a gross error
to say that no one can be deprived of Ubert
or life otherwise than under criminal prnsecI
ton, fur then the President has murderc
many men in the field, and enslaVed man
Men in the military prisons, For mca in arn1
bullet iH due process OF law: seizure br mi
itary power is due process of law they are nc
conviction, nor trial, nor punishment of tl
ptrsons they as assuredly deprive them Of III
, Or ...f liberty as q conviction and sheriff. an
thty are insi as legal as oonr;ct;oo a,
hanping, ~o"'11NAo0 OIL
So there are methods of dcnr;vinn 1,erson
Of property which arr nnt cnnna93ted 81.
cr;n,inai n1ncre,1;nus aro;,,s+ H. a,,ss -. =.
1rnr;s;o,f b;ch define fha ,nada F ,.aa e
mos again.+ ~ narsnr s,,a 1.r;t ~ ~ sns.
nnences of snch praced;nes iaun ~ 80 r.iot;o
Iaonesa e " euea aPtpceeulngs, IE4ve no relatlo
,,f1 w S " -" uot asalues enG psISo'
49, eN Wv w uop WV Ps1oon " Ae piol
Ha+,.. ,.
,,art1 ~ utp!lses @ LIZ petson ~ @ " nis Pl' Pr
: RGiss' ~ y any Jna1ctA PIocsss, pl
~ an sa1lnlnist1atlve 1lM process-tet IL Is PIT
- eesa ~ .a", eese4t1H ~ Tue exls1chse " -
Eo'e9nment. II Is lnsl as RATIONAL to 2uo1
Lne Ptoniullion against taxing private pls
4cft5 1ot pup1c use, "llhont compensation
W prove LUG unconsII1Llonallty OF taxation
as 70 ln!oke the prohibitions against maxim
eunhscas1on consequence Of conviction, t
J prove that there could be no con6scatio
without conviction.
Htaxes be not paid, the failure is fo1lowe
By seizure aud sale, without judici il process
for a small amount Of taxes large estate ms
be sold and that Is a consequence annexed
the Illegal act Of failing to pay the amount Al
, sessed. Nor unfrequently per centage
{ added ior delay, aud levied with the princip.
OF the ta1 ITSELF When the sheriff, or th
niafsbal, OF The collector, sells the propert
| 1or taxes, that Is due process of Law, and til
change OF property is In the nature Of q pei