The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-07-01
From the National hetliigencer.
Permanent Confiscation,

terms Of the confscatipD act, as pissed by
the last Congress aud approved by the
President. 1t is known that the existing
act WAS accompanied BY an explanatory
resolution, adopted AZ thu instance of the
President, and in conformity with his con-
= sttutiouul opinions, dec!ar ny that in pro.
ceedlngs unier the act no con6scatIon Of
real estate should extend beyond the life
of the pers n convicted of treason.
Such was the construction which the
President, supported by the highest au-
thority in the land, gave to the clause of
the Constitution which eujoins that Soon.
sress shall have power to declare the pun
lshment Of treason but no attainder of
treason shall work corruption of blood or
forfeiture eDeept durt"y The life Of The per-
son attdinted.'
1t is safe to say that there were not two
'pinions in this country upon the mean
ing of this clause, so long as its interpre-
tation was left to depend on the unbias-
sed construction and Interpretation of its
language. But when the minds of men
came u consider it under the stress of
certain wishes to do what the plain terms
Of the claus, did not allow, resort was
had to ''constructiuu construed" for the
purpose of exturtiug from it the desired
Specification 1t is nut the first time that
the Constitution has been subjected to
the rack and the thumbscrew, but we
have witnessed an instance in which the
violence done to its terms and spirit as
applied withl,ss discretion or reason.
Disregardiug alike the plain letter of
the Constitution, the known scruples of
the President, the declared weight of au.
thority, the admonitions Of history, the
impulses of natural justice, aud the most
obvious considerations Of public cxpedisn-
cy, the advocates Of this change in the
policy of the conf,caton act seek to i'm
press on the legislation of our country
under this head character for ferocity
which revives the worst traditions of des-
potic Governments in barbarous ages.
Their minds are So filed with thoughts
OF revenge that, in melting out punish.
ment to traitors, they seem TO forget not
onl y what is due to the Constitution, but
to themselves And this innovation on
that instrument and on the spirit of the
age, is pressed upon the attention of Con-
gress and the country, in the hope, we
suppose, that few will be found brave
enough to lift their voices 10 condemna-
ton of suythiug that seems harsh and vi
client, if professedly directed against 'the
enemies of the country"
There is class Of men who habitually
mistake violence, force and passion for
earnestness, or who suppose that the peo-
pie cannot discriminate between the rant
: of "loyalty" and the genuine sentiment.
1t is assumed by this class that they occu-
py "coigne of vantage" if they eau take
any position which places their antagonists
under the ocium of seeming to "ask for
tenderness towards rebels" We should
be sorry to think that the species of
moral cowardice upon which such men de.
pend for their hopes of success was as
prevalent as is supposed
We trust that we may never live to see
the day when we shall lack the courage
to defend our honest opinions, because of
the odum which it may be sought to cast
upon them by those who find it more
witrio the range of their limited capaci
ties to impute to us improper motives
than to answer our arguments. But, in
truth, the present case is not one in which
there is room for any such test of courage
or constancy, as it is they who advocate,
not they who oppose this measure, who
are called to exonerate themselves from
the suspicion of acting in the interest of
the enemy, as they avowedly act in oppo-
sition to the known views and declared
policy of the President.
Does any one doubt that Gen. Jefferson
Davis and his coAdjators desire the pas
sage of sweeping aud unreenting confsca-
ton acts by the Congress of the United
States Does any one doubt that they
wish success to the new movement made
in this direction? Or does any one doubt
that the necessary-we do not say the de-
signed-consequeuces of all such measures
is to overlap their aim and to furnish
fresh fulcrum over which the waning
strength Of the revolt may BENG itself to
new eudeavors in the work of insurging
the Southern masses
While, therefore, we do not impugn the
motives. of any VIII injudiciousIy press
these extreme measures, we do charge
that all such measures are directly auxili
airy to the REASONABLE purposes of the in
surgents, and contribute, according to
their kind and in their way, as directly to
the resources of the enemy for continuing
the war, as the agents who furnish him
with powder and arms; for whatever Sc
verify of Legislation tends to accumulate
and intensity the resistance of the South
ern people, without proportionally strength
ening our hands, is just so much ''aid and
comfort" given to the leaders of the re-
belion.
The Civil Government of Arkansas.
II Il. L.. e Al