American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-22

! tor and confronting the very genlous oi
our institutions. We except the destruc-
ton of slavery as one Of the logical, ,inev
table results of the war; but how and
upon what terms is il abolished? eorgia
demands compensation for slaves; so does
Louisiana, and so would all if they sacrifi
sed discretion to truth 1t will be for
Congress to determine whether slavery
shall fall as legitimate fruit of treason's
war, or whether it shall be compensated
and the Nation give still millions more to
compromise with its crowning crime.
! Who should determine this grave ques-
ton? The North whose valor fairly won
the result? or the South who made the
war for slavery and lost it?
The South comes protesting no surreu-
dor of principle. 1t justified the war
on the plea OF State rights and yields
not its favorite falicy in demanding ad-
mission. Shall this question remain, as
heretofore, stumbling block for honest
men, and "A stepping stone for future trait
ors to inaugurate fresh discord and prob
ably future war? II not, who should,
and who must, adjust the question for the
safety of the Nation? Should the friends
or the foes of the government devise the
measure necessary to avert war and pre-
serve the Nations ife by peaceful means?
1t is confessedly wisdom to leave no i'm
pcrtant questions open 10 latitude of
construction for present or future traitors
and who should judge the remedy p
Those who in their richest blood and
with boundlcss treasure maintained the
right? or those who deluged a continent
in gore tc overthrow its authority? Our
debt is crushing;it weighs heavily, upon
millions who cheerfully incurred it for gov.
ernment and law but it is an accepted
law of war that its author may be
made to bear its. fullest burden. Such
was the policy OF this Government in
the revolution as applied TO traitors, and
in the last war with England such was
the policy of treasons government, which
relontlessly coniiscatel the property of
every loyal man North and South that
it could reach, and such was the delib.
crate enactment of our own Congress-
In the South every claim due the
North, and the property Of every loyal
man was confscated. Real estate may
now be restored, but whoi is to restore the
millions of dollars pluudered from loyal
citizens in the South which perished 10
its use Shall restitution to such be
made from the property of those who in
augerated the war? Shall it be done
from our common treasure, or shall it not
be done at all? These inquiries are yet
to be answered by the highest legisla-
power, and who shall decide them? Shah
the men who made the war and the debt
and who were instrumental in the spoil
alton of loyal citizens in the South, be-
come Judges in Congress in the adiudica-
tion of these momcntus qucsti MS? Our
Congress has solennly enacted, as a pan
ishmeut for treason, that no traitor shall
sit in our National legislature-that none
but such as can affirm that they have not
aided or abetted the ebellion can be quail
fled as members The strict enforcement
of this law woald excudc every South
ern member elect. Should they be adj
mitted IN violation Of .he law and aid in
the determination of the issue whether
this penalty for treason should be revok-
cd? If treason is thus to set in judg-
ment upon treason, where will be the pen
atty for crime ?-where the reward for
virtue? Our organic law may prove to
be defectiye--unequa to the preserva-
ton of our great National compact; and
to whom should be entrusted the respon-
sible duty Of adjusting it to heal a--e0un
try's woes? SurellYs-arrroott-to not 70 those who
have eEer~ struggled to weaken and sub
vert our great charter and ended their
perfdity in revolution There are bill-
ions of rebel debt. Shall it be paid Ia
part or in whole? There are thousands
upon thousands of rebel manned aud
Scared, won with herosm worthy
of better cause, and there are other
thousands of bercaved mothers, who
would have irresistible claims upon
the generosity Of government to
which they had been faithful? Shall
they be pensioners upon our common
treasury These are issues which
treason does not faunt up+n its ban
ners as it thunders at the doors of
Congress; but they must be met, and
who shall meet them? If met by
united delegations Of rebels from the
Southern States, with their concen-
trated power to appeal to ambition,
well may the patriot despair of the
Republic.
Let nn Union man from Penn
sylvania presume so much upon a
faithful constituency as to hazard ey-
cry issue of the war by the admission
of the rebel delegations into Congress.
They come pursuance of no law the
offspring of a provisional organization
that is but a petition to Congress for
acceptance and We owe it to the
faithful people who have maintained
the government; TO the hundreds of
thousands of our martyred heroes
who were sacrifices upon the altars of
our liberties to the hopeful living
who are stricken in their holiest aff-
ections by the madness of treason !;
and above all do we owe it to the flu
ture peace and harmony of mighty
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