American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-10-04
PROGRAMME OF THE ExTERMIN-
AT0RS.
Thad. stevens on ssEsecOnstrue-
tiOn''-.The Lands of tBae south
to be 6'Onfiscatcd to pay the
Public Debt.

to be COnfiscatcd to pay the
/ Public Debt.
Thaddeus Stevens, member of Congress
from this State, delivered speech in Lam
caster, Pa, September 6, on the policy of
reconstruction. We give the following
extracts from it, to show the depths of
degradation and barbarism into which this
blood-thirsty old wretch has sunk.
-Four years of bloody aud expensive
war, waged against the United States by
eleven States, under government called
| the " Confederate States of America, to
which they acknowledged allegiance, have
overthrown all governments within those
States which could be acknowledged as
legitimate by the Union The armies of
the Confederate States having been con
quered and subdued, and their territory
possessed by the United States, it becomes
necessary to establish governments theres
in, which shall be Republican in form
and principles, and form 'more perfect
union" with the parent government. 1t
is desirable that such course should be
pursued as to exclude from those govern
ments every vestige of human bondage,
and render the same forever impossible
in this nation and to take care that no
principles of self-destruction shall be in.
eorporated therein. in efTectiug this, it
is to be hoped that no provision of the.
constitution will be infringed, and no
principle of the law of nations disregarded
Especially must we take care that in re.
buking this unjust and reasonable war,
the authorities of the Union shall indulge
in no acts of usurpatidn which may tend
to impair the stability and permaneucy of
the nation Within these limitations we
hold it to be the duty of the government
to infict coudign punishment on the re-
bel belligerents, and so weaken their hands
that they eau never again endanger the
Union. and so reform their municipal in-
stitutions as to make them Republican in
spirit as well as in name
We especially Insist that the property
of the chief rebels should be seized and
appropriated to the payment Of the ma
tional debt, caused by the unjust and
wicked war which they instigated. How
can such punishments be inflicted and
such forfoitures produced without doing
violence to established principles P? Two
positions have been suggested =
First-To treat thosS States as never
having been out of the Union, because
the Constitution forbids secession, and
therefore fact forbidden by law could
not exist.
iSecoad-To accept the position in which
they placed themselves as severed from
the Union-au independent government
de f1cto and an alien enemy, to be dealt
with according to the laws OF war.
The crime Of treason can be commit
ted only where the person is actually or
potentially present Jefferson Davis sit
ting in Richmond, counselling, or odyis-
ing, or commanding an inroad into Penn
sylvania, has committed no overt act in
this State, and can be tired, if anywhere,
only in the Richmond district. The doc
trine of constructive pr seuce and con-
structive treason will never, | hope, pol
lutte our statutes or judicial decisions
Select an impartial jury from Virginia,
and it is obvious no cony ictiop could ever
be had. Possibly jury might be packed
to convict but that would not be an i'm
partial jury 1t would be judicial muir
der, aud would rpuk in infamy with the
trial of Lord Russell, except only that the
one was the murder of an innocent man,
the other of traitor. The same dificul-
ties would exist in attempting forfeitures,
which can only follow convictions in States
protected by the Constitution, and thep it
is said only for life of the malefactor.-
Congress can pass no "bill of attainder,"
What right has any one to direct
Convention to be held in sovereign
State of this Union, to amend its Consti-
tuition and prescribe the qualifications Of
voters? The sovereign power of the ma
tion is lodged in Congress, Yet where is
the warrant in the Constitution for such
sovereign power much less the Executive,
to intermeddle With the domestic instituT
tions of State, mould its laws and reg
ulate the elective franchise 7 1t would
be rank, dangerous and deplorable usur-
patton. In reconstruction, therefore, no
reform can be effected, in the southern
States if they have never left the Union,
But reformation must be effected, the
foundation of theirfnstitutions, political,
municipal and social, must be broken up
and relaid, or.all our blood apd treasure