Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-09-20
9ailty empire, II lli:r i,
THE REBELLIOUs RADICALS

dents Theories Declared PerNicious ana
| absurd fc asaEIfHt saH 81
Fellow CITIZENS In compliance with o
request come before you to give my views
OF the condition Of the rebel States, OF the
proper mode Of treating them, aud OF the pol
icy TO bepursued by the government During
the long and bloody war through which we
have just passed, never had any doubt bat
that the loyal North wond triumph bat
since the surrender ofthe armies of the South
my heart has been saddened by passing
events. fear the the theory OF reconstruct--
ion, and dread the resuh Of such an expert
ment BY four long years Of war we have
overthrown the government established in the
Southern States. Having subdusd the ar.
mics which they arrayed against us, we have
the right of conquerors. 1t is ours to establish
government over those States; ii il our duty
TO see that those governments be, in every
sense of the word, republican in form and
spirit that slavery be forever excluded, and
that no elements OF future weakness or dis
| cord be felt To accomplish this the Consti-
tuition need not be iniringedi is our right
as couquerors TO inflct condign punishment
uponaihese our yanquished enemies They
must Sc weakened, their property must be
seized, con6scated, and applied to relieving
the nation from the burthens imposed upon il
| by the war. There are two theories prevail
| ing The one, looking at the revolted States
as never having been out Of the Union, pro-
poses that they be regarded as restored there
| to 80 soon as their people shall reconstruct
their State government the other proposes
to regard them as subngated aliens, and their
territory as foreign territory conquered by
| force of arms ] consider that the reyoltod
States are estopped by their own public acts
| from denying the truth Of this latter theory.
1 The ordinance of secession adopted by each
State that seceted declared their separation
to be fnal They raised vast armies, and set
up a claim TO recognition by foreign gov
Iernmerts. We recognized them as beliiger>
ents, blockaded their ports, and only claimed
the right of excluding neutral vessels 30 far
as our blockade was effective We treated
their armed cruisers as privateers. and not as
pirates we received their soldiers as prison.
ers Of war, and we treated them as such. For
four years the government set up by them
was what il claimed to be, o de focto govern
ment, recognized as such by us and by all the
nations Of the world. To say that during all
this time these states we're in the Union is to
lutter an absurdty If they we're in the Union
no individual within their limits can be tried
for treason exceptby the United Suites courts
within the districts where the crime was com.
mitted, and by a jury of the vicinage jeff
Davis could only be tried at Richmond for
sending armies to lay Pennsylvania in waste.
! IL is there that he did al! he did in the prem.
ises, Eor could he ever be convicted before
an impartial Jury chosen from that vicinity
A Jury might be packed to convict him, but
that would be as foul a judicial murder as
vas that Of Lord Russell in England This
pernicious theory takes away from Congress
all powers 70 regulate or reconstruct. What
right under such theory, has any one to di.
rect convention TO be held for remodeling
the constitution Of any one Of the States The
attempt OF the executive to do this would be
rank usurpation The only safe plan is to
hold these revolted states as conquered terri
tory. Congress may then approve of their
constitutions and admit them, or il may re-
fuse to receive them into the Union until
!. they make their constitutions squarelwith the
Declaration OF Independence 7n3 i lo ylu
Mr. Stevens declined TO touch the quest
ION Of negro sufrago That subject he left
in the same ambiguous position in which il
has been placed by the Abolition Stats Con
venhon. He proceeded to argue more fully
the doctrine that We have a right to treat
the Southern States as conquered foreign ter
lrtory He next proceeded TO argue, at con
siderable length, the proposition advanced by
him in the State Conventiouj to couiscate the
property of all rebels worth over $4,000
The wealthy we're the leaders The poorer
classes number nine-tenths OF the population
4 Those in tho revolted states who own oveI
two hundred acres OF land are about sixty OF
seventy thousand. By confiscatiDg the prop
erty of these the government would have on
hand three hundred ana 'pinetySfour millioni
Of acres Of land, beside the town property o
} wealthy rebels. This, he estimated, woulC
, produce q sum over three billions Of dollars
which he proposed TO apply 10 compensatine
those loyal men who Lost property 10 the war
to providing homes for the negroes, To in
creasiDg the pensions Of soldiers, and to th'
payment Of part OF the national debt ID
estimated that three,fonrths Of the debt might
be thus liquidated. ..-ir.
In regard to our debt he said IL is gsuer
ally estimated at four billions ia my opin
ioh it will GO far beyond that figure. Their,
is no use in belitthug it II can only dc
ceive the ignorant, and those only for time
1t cannot deceive Gnancers. One half OF j
now bears interest, ana the interest amount
to one hundred and twenty millions per year
The ordinary expenses of carrying on the gov
ernment and the sums required for the armJ
and navy will swell our annual expenditures
to Eve hundred millions Of dollars, The
amount derived from internal revenue viii
diminish--taxation mast be double what u
now is to meet expenses Can our people
bear this 1t will be a curse from generation
10 generation. We pity the playground Eng
lishmAn. In reality we are worse on tina
Il a . a