The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-05-29

Attorney General peed's Decision.
The opinion of Attorney GeneralSpEEr
concerning the limitation of President
LNcoLN's amnesty will occasion ne
small degree of surprise. In the synop
sis furnished by the dispatches, it ap
pears that the proposed amnesty, having
accomplished its purpose, is now null
and void, and the parties who embraced
the benefit of its provisions are subject
to the same pains and disabilities which
would have come upon them had no par
don ever been rendered to or accepted by
the a.
rnis is most extraordinary reasoning,
and we can scarcely believe that the
Attorney General has really been guilty
of so great an absurdity, or counseled so
atrocious an act of public perfdy. 1t
strikes at the very foundation of faith
and trust between the Government and
its subjects. If this be true, we can SOL
emily promise to our enemies anything
that will induce them to lay down their
arms, and then, when, in reliance upon
our promises, they have done as we de-
sire, and placed themselves in our power,
we are authorized to declare that our
promises, having accomplished their in
tention, are now void, and we may infict
upon the helpless whatever indignity
and outrage our evil passions may sug-
gest. Such a principle reduced to prac-
tice in the daily affairs of business would
send men to the States prison, and is ten
fold, yes, ten thousand fold, more repre-
hensible when it influences the action OF
a Government. A scoundrel in business
may cheat only one or a dozen of his fell
low-men, but a Government may deceive
ten thousand by it's false promises. and
involve a whole people in ruin. We can
scarcely believe that the decision of the
Attorney General is correctly reported.
Nothing could be more %peridous and dis
graceful than the doctrine it inculcates.
The amnesty proclamation vas issued
by Mr.. LINCOLN, December 8, 1863. The
promise of pardon it held out, and the
conditions upon which that pardon was
based, are contained in the following ex-
tract:
I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the
United States, do proclaim, declare and
make known to all persons who have, di-
rectly or by implication, participated in
the existing rebellion. except as herein
after excepted, that a full pardon is here
by granted to them and each of them,
with restoration of all rights of property,
except as to slaves, and in property cases
where rights of third parties shall have
INTERVIEWED, and upon the condition that
every such person shall take and sub
scribe an oath, and thenceforward keep
and maintain said oath in%violate; and
which oath shall be registered for perma-
nent preservation, and shall he OF the
tenor and effect following, tO-wit:
II, --, do solemnly swear, in
presence of Almighty God, that 1 will
benceforth faithfully support, protect,
and defend the GapStfUff0 or the States
Hereunder and that l will, in like
manner, abide by and faithfully support
all acts of Congress passed during the
existingrebellion with reference to slaves,
so long and so far as not repealed, modi-
fed or held void by Congress OF by de-
cision of the Supreme Court and that /
will, in like manner, abide by and faith.
fully support all proclamations of the
President made during the existing re-
bellion having reference to slaves, so
long and so far as not modified or declar-
ed void byddcision of the Supreme Court.
So help me God"
1t will be observed that this guarantees
q full pardon" with restoration of all
rights of property" except slaves to those
who take the prescribed oath, so long as
they keep and maintain said oath invio
late" The assumption that it relates only
to the past and thatthe property of per-
sons who have taken and faithfully OBJ
served the oath is now liable to confsca-
ton, is too absurd and too onstrous to be
entertained a single moment. 1t is true
that a present pardon cannot be extend
ID to acts done in the future, but it does
embrace all that may be done up to the
time its conditions are complied with and
guarantees immunity so long as thno-
conditions are faithfully kept. =,
should take the amnest- mon
ward commit an Goth ord after.
.ctofrebellion, he would
lie pardon he had obtained, but
II. at any time while the promise Of par
don was held out, he should comply with
its conditions, he receives full pardon"
f.s all previous acts and complete immu'
r. rom punishment for them so long as
h, ,oes not violate the conditions upon
which that pardon was obtained. That
this was the intention OF the Presiden,
and the understanding Of those who tool
the amnesty oath is plainly apparent
Even Attorney General SPEED cannot
BY any pettifogging or hair-splitting' con
vince the people that wrong is right.
Suppose Mr.. SPEEDS reasoning be ap
rl;ed to the famous emancipation procla
nation, and we can see no good reason