The national Republican., 1862-07-18


isusd by him, accompanied Nth The trsft d
be nesssgs vsto,sg u, ss II originally psss"d
10th branches os Congress. Ii
fhs aaendmssss 70 the bill, which w-rs|
'fSsrwArds adopted, removed Its most objec
ionsh,s features, % that he signed Il, instead
II veioiog u, as intended. The bill Ia therefore
now law. a7zaa7 ..-'a's-a'-s' 1921
The following is the message:
Euou citizen, of he Senats
and HNss Of Reprsss~tsiires: '-..-
Considering The bill Tor "Au act TO suppress
iAsarrecuon, TO punish treason and rebellion,
70 seize and connscats ths properly of rebels,
and for other purposes" and The joint resolution
sIplanatory Of said sck - being Substantially
-. have approved aud slgue1 boah. Ji,g0,
Before I was Informed Of " resolution,
had prepared The Srah Of . message. stating
,bjsctlons 70 tAs bill becoming lsw, oopy
Of which draft b herewith submitted. 80
.....,rs..L r.I.. AsaAuAn LINoolS.
July l7,h, 1862. ra ,--,-It.s u.
[Copy.l w ...
Rdloso- -ciiisens of he HH-'. '.
E.I. Hase Of Representatives: .....
herewith return TO your honorable body, 10
which Il originated, the bill fer an act entitled
" An act 70 suppress eason and rebellion, 10
seiss and confscate The property OF rebels, and
for other purposes, !" together win my ohjec
do0s to its becoming q law. l'
There Ia much In the bill 10 which perceiv-
no objection. II IA wholly prospective; and I,
touches neither person nor property Of any
loyal citizen, 10 which particular II 10 just and
proper.
The Hrst and second sections provide for The
nts - ~ nE -kx,h
be guilty Of treason, und persons who shall
.inoi,e, sst on foot assi.t, or engage In any re-
bellion or insurrectlou against the authority oi
the United States, or the laws thereof, or shall
give aid Or comfort thereto, or shall engage In
or give aid or comfort 70 any such existing r..
bellion or insurrection." By fair construction.
persons within those sections are not published
without regular trials 10 duly constituted courts
under the forms and all the substantial provis
ions Of law and Of Constitution applicable To
their several cases. To this psrcive no objec
ton; especially as such persons would be with
in the general paraonins power, aod also the
special provision Tor pardon and amnesty con
tained In this act.
II 10 also provided that the slaves Of persons
convicted under thess sections shall be Tree.
think there 10 an unfortunate form Of expres
sion, rather than substantial objection 10 this.
slave within State, aud yet II Il were said the
ownership Of the slave had first been transferred
to the nation, and Congress had lheo liberated
him, the difficulty would at once vanish. And
this 10 the real case. The traitor against the
General Government forieits his elave at leas
as justly As he does any other properly; and be-
torfeits both to the Government against which
be ofiends. The Government, 20 far US ther,
can be Ownership thus owns the forfeit ID slaves;
and the question for Congress iu regard to them
10, "shall they be made free or be sold to new
msstsrsT perceive no objection 70 Congrerr
deciding in advance that they shall be frec.
TO the high honor Of Kentucky, ~ am In
formed, she Is the owner Of come slaves by
esshsdt and has sold none, but liberated all. /
hope the same is true Of some other Sta.es
Indeed, l do not believe Il will be physically
possible for The General Government To return
psrsous 80 circumsianced TO actual slavery. j
believe there would be physical resistance to
1t, which could neither be turned aide BY or
gument nor driven away by force In thk
view l have no objection 70 this feature Of ths
bill. Another matter involved iu these two
sections, and runbing through other parts Of
the act, will be noticed hereafter.
l perceive no objections 10 the third and
fourth sections
SO lar a. wish 10 notice. The 9th and sixth
sections. they may be considered together. That
toe enforcement Of these sections would do No
injustice 10 the persons embraced within them
10 clear. That thOse who make useless war
should he mpell-d to pay the Gust Of II, Il tOO
obvioutly Just To he called 10 question. To give
governmental protection 10 the property Of per
sons who have ubsudoued Il. and gone on Q cru
sade tn overthrow that same Cover msut, h sb
.urd, II considered in the mere light Of jusijos.
The s-versst justice may not always be the bss,
policy The principle Of eizing and appropri
ating the property Of the persons embraced
within thss. sections Ia certainly not very oh.
jectionsbls, but q justiy discriminating sppli.
cation Of 1t would be very different, and 10
u great extent, impossible. A,d would II not
b. wise u plaza u power Uf remission some
where, - that theso persons may know they
have something to lose by persstipg. aud some
thing " gain by desisiiIgy am not sure
whether such power Of remission Ia or 10 not
within section thirteen. Without any special
act Of Congress, think our military command
ers, when, In military phrase, " they are within
thu enemys country should, 10 an orderly
manner, seize and use whatever Of real or per.
sOnal property may be necessary or convenient
for their commando ct the same time press,y
log, in some way, the evidence of what they d..
What have said 10 regard 10 slaves while
on the first and seeond section. II
applicable TO the ninth, with tho difference thai
no provision is made In the whole act for d.
terminiug whether particular ndividual slays
does or DOES not fall within the Glasses defined
In that section. He 10 to be free upoa certain
conditions; but whether those conditions do
or do not pertain 10 him, no mode Of ascertsin,
ing is provid,d. This could BE- easily SUP
Piled
To The tenth section make no objection
The oath therein required seems 70 be proper:
and the remainder Of the section b subs sptisi.
ly identical with luw already existing
The eleventh section simply assumes to con
fer discretionary power upon the Executive
Without the law, have no hesitation to 20 a.
fer 10 the direction indicated IA may at any
time dee m expedient. Aud ! am ready 70 nav
now, think Il 10 proper for our military CON
manders TO employ, az laborers, ss many per-
sons Of African descent AZ can be used 10 I'D
vantage.
The twelfth ard thirteenth sections are some.
thing better than unobjsctionsbls; and the
10 entirely proper, II oil other parts
Of the cot shall stand.
That 10 which chiefly oLject, pervades most
part Of the act, but more distinctly appears In
the first, second. seventh, and eighth sections
II In thx ann nj thnaa nrnvtsinn. ,vhJoh