Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-01-29


In the House Of Congress on the l4.h inst
Hon 5. $. Cox. Of Ohio. made the following
forcible ailusion 70 a scrap Of Ifi-h history:
Ny impression i that the coufscation system
has been al utter failure Because /, has failed,
We are 10 have il newly tinkered session after
session. and from day 70 day. with view &C en-
courage rapacity and aggravate grievances. Such
legislation, sir. only stimulates rebellion. tide
stroys what remnant OF Union feeling may be
still remaining in the South. Itgnore- the first
lesson Of history. which has been truly called
"the principal observation or the best historians.
that whole nation, how contemplate s0ever.
should not be so incensed By any prince or State.
how powerful soever - to Toe driven 10 take
desperate courses" Instead Of disarming the
rebel. il arms him. when nearly exhausted, with
the weapons Of revenge and despair.
Mr. Burke once said. speaking Of America:
You eaunot frame an Indictment against a
whole people"
Neither can you, sir. administer a sweeping
penalty against them
History IS also. too full Of examples OF the
ruthless savagerv of cOnfscation In proportion
10 the atrocities have been the resistance Of the
people and desolalion of the lands TO which such
savAgery has been applied. 1t should wish TO
present case where all The horrors Of subjuga
lion. penury, devastation and eonfscation have
been felt, would 20 to Ireland Crushed by the
cruelty OF a system similar TO that now and here
sought 10 be inaugurAted, Ireland points with
skeleton finger continually IN all her sad history
her warning to our rulers. | do not think these
crueltes OF England toward Ireland are attribute
bic solely To the Puritan spirit of the time of
Cromwell, although i find in her history an
appeal from New England, in the person of one
of her pastors. 10 Old Eagiand. to make the
English sword drunk with Irish blood, to make
them heaps upon heaps, their country dwelling
place Tor Dragons, astOnishment TO nations. "
These excuses were not the result of religious
bgotry alone They date from the earliest con
nection of Ireland with England All her rebel
oas were the reaction Of suffering against rapine
With permission, extrae; from Smythe's Ire
land. Historical and Statistical, volume eleven,
page III, the terrible lesson have pOndered on
the general subject OF confscation
After the expulsion OF James from the throne
OF Eng land the slender relics of Irish possessions
became the subject of fresh conf cations From
report made ia 69- ii appeals that nearly 00O
Irish subjects were 0ntawed. and their pos
sessions. amounting to 600. 1872 acres, confis-
Gated The area of Ireland is estimated al
III O42,6o2 acres. The historian says that tie
forfeitnres in the rests of Eiiz ,leth and Mary
were 2,e3o,JI2 acres; in the reign of james |, at
the Restoration. and in loss, the fOrieitures were
| ,69l .629 acres; that the whole island has
been confscated. and some parts twice In one
centufy.ho incOnsiderable portion of the island
was cunfi.cated twice. ~ perhaps thrice: 80 that
at the union the situation OF Ireland is unparai
leled in the history OF the world Such universal
ruin only served then. as it will serve in this ae
voted land, 10 inspire hatred and scorn toward the
conquered people whom the vicIors delighted to
trampe upon. Retaliation AMI murder follow ed
closely upon the heels of confsc, ton
There Is Hot wise man who has pictured this
history but condemned the impolicv not To saw
the ilegality. of the fOrieitures. They operated
always against the conclusion of the war. Had
the Irish been regarded ri ell enemies instead
of domestic rebels they would have had one re
liei-they would have retained Their possession:
under the established law of civilized nations