Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-09-22

| from the law of nature and ancient practice,
| Vattel says: "When, therefore, he has sub.
dued hostile nation, he undoubtedly may,
in the first place, do himself justire respec.
ting the object which has given rise to the
war, and indemnity lttnasesf for the ecpeRses
and damages whick he has sustained BY it. =
And at page 1863. A eonqueror who has
taken up arms not only against thesoyereign
but against the nation herself, and whose in
tention it was to subdue fierce and savage
people, and once for all to reduce an obsti-
nate enemy, such conqueror may, with
justice, lay burdens on the conquered ma
ton, both as compensation for the expen-
ses of the war, and as punishment
am happy to believe hat the Govern
ment has come to the coEclusIon. I cannot
otherwise see how Capt. Werz can be tried
by Court Martial at Washington by acts
done by him at Andersonville. He was in
no way connected with our military organi-
zation, nor did he as citizen connect him
self with our army so as to bring his case
within any of the acts of Congress. If he
committed murder in Georgia, and Georgia
was State in the Union, tnen he should be
tried according to her laws The General
Government has no jurisdiction over such
crime, and the trial and execution of this
wretch by United States Military Court
would be illegal. But if he was an officer
of beligerant enemy, making war as an in
dependent people. now being conquered, it
is competent, holding them as a conquered
foe, to try him for doing acts contrary to the
laws of war, and if found guilty to execute
or otherwise punish him As am sure the
loyal man at the head of the Government
will not involve the nation in illegal acts and
thus set precedent injurious to our nation
al character, am glad to believe that here
after as conquered, and remit their condition
and reconstruction to the sovereign power
of the nation.
In short, all writer's agree that the victor
may infict punishment upon the vanquished
enemy even to the taking of his life, liberty,
or the confscation of all his property but
that this extreme right is never exercisedex-
cept upon cruel, barbarous, obstinate, or
dangerous foe who has waged an unjust
war.
Upon the character of the belliggerent,
and the justice of the war, and the manner
Of conducting it, depends our right to take
the lives, liberty and property of the bellig-
erent. This war had its origin in treason
without one spark of justice. 1t was prose
cuted before notice of it, by robbing our
forts and armories, and our navy-yards by
stealing our money from the mints and de-
positories, and by surrendering our forts and
navles by peTjurers who had sworn to sup
port the Constitution. In its progress our
prisoners, by the authority of their govern
ment, were slaughtered in cold blood. Ask
Fort Pillow and Fort Wagner. Sixty thou
sand OF our prisoners have been deliberate
ly starved to death because they would not
enlist in the rebel armies. The graves at
Andersonville have each an accusing tongue.
The purpose and avewed object of the ene-
my to found an empire whose cornerstone
should be slavery" renders its perpetpity
or revival dangerous to human liberty.
Surely, these things are sufficient to justi-
fly the exercise of the extreme rights of war
to execute, to imprison, to confscate.
How many captive enemies itTould be pro-
per to execute, as an example to nations, |
leave others TO judge. [ am not fond of san
culinary punishments, but surely some VIC
tins must propitiate the names of our starY-
ed, murdered, slaughtered martyrs A court
martial could do justice according to law,
But we propose to conhscate ali the estate
of every rebel beligerent whose estate was
worth $4,000, or whose land exceeded two
hundred acres in quantity. Policy if not
justice would require that the poor, the ig-
norant and the coerced should be forgiven.
They followed the example and teachings Of
their wealthy and intelligent neighbors. The
rebellion would never have originated with
them Fortunately those who would thus
escape, from large majority of the people,
though possessing but small portion ofthe
wealth. The proportion of those exempt
compared with the punished would be be
ieye about nine tenths
There are about six millions of freedmen
in the South. The number of acres of land
is 465, ,000,0 0G3 Of this those who own
above two hundred acres each, number about
10000 persons, holding in the aggregate Ito
gether with the States) about 394, 900, 900
acres, leaving for all the others below 200
each, about II 100000 Of acres. By thus
forfeiting the estate of the leading rebels,
the Government would have 394, 900, 900 of
acres, beside their own property, and yet
nine-tenths OF the people would remain un-
touched. Divide this land into convenient
farms. Give, if you please, forty acres to
each adult male freedmen. Suppose there
are one million of them. That would re-
quire 40, 100000 of acres, which deducted
from 394, 200, 900 leaves 354, 600, 600 of acres
for sale. Divide it into suitable farms and
sell it to the highest bidders. | think it, in
Guiding town property, would average, at
least ten dollars per acre. That would pro-
duce SO, $40, ,000, ,000-three billions five
hundred and forty millions of dollars
Let that be applied as follows, to wit:
l. Invest $300,000,000 in six per cent.
Government bonds, and add the interest
semi-annually to the pensions of those who
have become entitled by this villainous war.
2. Appropriate 100000, 900 to pay the
damages done to loyal men, North and
South, by the rebellion.
8. Pay the residue, being 3,040, 200, 600,
towards the payment of the National debt.
What loyal man can object to this? Look
around you, and everywhere behold your
neighbors, some with an arm, some with 9
leg, some with an eye, carried away by rebe
bullets. Others horribly mutillated in every
form. And yet numerous others wearing
the weeds which mark the death ofthose on
whom they leaned for support. Contem.
plate these monuments of rebel perfdy, anC
of patriotic suffering and then say if too
much is asked for our valiant soldiers.
Look again, and see loyal men reduced tc
poverty by the confscations by the Confed
crate States, and by the Rebel States-seG
Union men robbed of their property, and
their dwellings laid in ashes by rebel raiders
and say if too much is asked for them. But
above all, let US inquire whether imperative
| duty to the present generation and to poster
| ity does not command us to compel the wick
ed enemy to pay the expenses of this unjust
war. In ordinary transaction he who raises
false clamor and prosecutes an unfoundec
suit, is adjudged to pay the costs on his de
feat. We have seen, that, by the law of ma
tiOns. the yanouiehed in an unjust war mus