Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-09-21
low 200 each, about n ,O0O, ,OOOof acres.-

Il =
by thus forfeiting the estates, of the leading
rebels, the Government would have 394;
| 000, 900 of acres besides their town proper
| ty, and yet nine.tenths of the people would
remain untouched, Divide this land into
convenient farms. Give, if you please,
forty acres to each adult freedman. Sup.
pose there are one million of them. THAI
would require 10000, 900 of acres, which
deducted from 394,O0O,0OO, leaves 1884,.
100000 Of aares for sale. Divide it into
suitable farms and sell it to the highest bid.
ders. I think it, including town property,
would average at least ten dollars per acre.
That would produce s., $40, ,000, ,0O0-three
billions five hundred and forty millions Of
| dollars. ...a-.
Let that be applied as follows, to wit
l. Invest $500, ,0OO,O 900 in six per cent.
Government bonds, and add the interest
semi-annually to the pension of those who
have become entitled to them by this vii
famous war.
2. Appropriate $500, 100000 to pay the
damages done to loyal men, both North and
South, by the rebellion. ~.
8. Pay the residue. being S3, ,040, ,000,-
600, toward the payment of the National
debt. 2a
What loyal man can object to this
Mr.. Stevens proceeds to show. how very
GENEROUSLY the public debt will press upon
the National industry unless this plan. for
its "easy payment" is adopted, and to in
sist that, unless We adopt the theory by
which this policy is held to be justified, we
must concede the right to re.establish
slavery in every Southern State. Mr.. Lin
coins proclamation, he says, has never lib
Grated single slave, and if the rebel States
are still members of the Union, then their
slave laws are still in full force.
Mr.. Stevens insists that We must reyolu-
tionize by the vigorous exercise of the ab-
solute powers we have acquired by conquest
of the South, the whole structure of South
ern society: owe have conquered them, !"
he says, stand as conquered enemy we can
give them laws-can abolish all their mu-
nicipal institutions and give them new
ones" he claims for Congress the right
Of thus "giving law to the vanquished," :"
and thus sets forth his view of the duty of
that body and his definition of the parties
of the political future:
eff majority of Congress canbe found
wise and firm enough to declare the Con-
federate States conquered enemy, recon-
struotion will be- easy and legitimate, and
the friends of freedom will long rule in
the councils of the nation. If restoration
prevails, the prospect is gloomy, and the
new slords will make new laws The Union
party will be overwhelmed. The Copper.
head party has become extinct with seces-
sion. But with secession it will revive
Under restoration every rebel State will
send rebels to Congress, and they, with
their allies in the North, will control Con.
gress and occupy the White House. Then
restoration of laws and ancient constitutions
will be sure to follow, our public debt will
be repudiated, or the rebel National debt
viii be added to ours, and the people will
ha crnshed heneath heavy hnrd -
"Let us forget all parties and baild on
the broad platform of 'reconstructing' the
Government out of the conquered territory
converted into new and free States and ad.
mitted into the Union by the sovereign
power of Congress, with another plank
sTHE PROPERTY OF THE REBELS SHALL
PAY OUR NATIONAL DEBT and Indemnity
freedmen and loyal suferers-and that IN.
der no circumstances will we suffer the ma
tion's debt to be repudiated, or the interest
scaled below the contract rates nor permit
any part of the rebel debt to be assumed
by the nation ,-
"Let all soho approve of these principles
rally aoith us. Let all others go aoiM Cop.
perhedds and Rebels. Those aOiU be the
opposing parties. Young men, this duty
devolves on you: Would to God, if only
for that, were still in the prime of life,
that I might aid you to fight through this
last and greatest battle of freedom"
We do not now propose to enter upon
any special criticism of the platform thus
laid down by Mr.. Stevens. But we beg
leave to doubt his right thus to prescribe
new principles and new policy for the
Union party and to brand as "Copperheads
and rebels" all who refuse their adhesion
to them Andrew johnson, for example,
would scarcely be considered either "Cop-
perhead or REBEL" and yet his position is
very distinctly and very decidedly adverse
to the theory and the policy herein laid
down by Mr.. Stevens We do not believe
that the people have fought this war for the
purpose of establishing at Washington the
most relentless despotism the civilized world
has ever seen Nor are they at all likely,
to regard the determination of the South
ern people as the most likely means of res
toring tranquility, promoting order, apd
forming ssmore perfect Union" If that
is their temper and their purpose, Congress
may pass such enactments as Mr.. Stevens
demands. Otherwise, We think they will
hesitate about it, to say the least.
IMPORTANT NEWS.
a