Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-03-29
NUMBER l3.


antee to all the States in the Union ?
Should these swindles, these impos-
lures, bred in the midst of martial law,
without authority from Congress, be
acknowledged here? ~
But the gentleman from New York
says that these proceedings We're had
under DEGREES from the President.
When asked for the Presidents au-
, thority he showed distressing per-
plexity Knowing that the Executive
had no Legislative powers, he derived
the authority to him as Commander-in-
Chief OF the armies, and these acts as
flowing from the right of conquest.
But the gentleman forgets that these
were no conquered people, but were
merely States in the Union,n under
the parental care of their benevolent
father But taking them as a conquer
ed people, (their true condition, ad-
init, and the President at the head of
the conqnering force, what right did
that give him to create civil State gov
ernments or interfere with the duties of
the lawmaking power Of the nation ?
|
He then justifes the imposition of these
governments as the terms of their sur
render. Who before ever heard that
such terms were proposed or accepted?
| Gen. Sherman undertook to incorporate
into the surrender of Johnston's army
certain terms for the future govern
ment of the rebels but he was quick
/ hn II l.J
The gentleman says: r@
My impression is that these acquisitions are
made part of the terms of surrender. and il
belongs to the Commander-in Chief of the ar
my and navy to fix the limits as to what they
viii embrace.
| This viii be news to Grant and Sber-
man. Terms of surrender" are fixed
before the enemy lays down his arms,
not after.
! The gentleman says that they have
been punished as no community was
ever punished before for the crime Of
treason which they have committed"
OF course he would require no further
punishment. How were they punish
edI Not by anything which the law
calls punishment. Being defeated in
war is not punishment, except in the
language Of the pngilist, whose an
tagonist is said To be punished"
when he is Knocked down. do not
agree with the gentlemen who sympa-
thlze 80 deeply with the rebels, /" that
they have been punished as comma
nifty was never before punished for
treason Search tue whole records Of
crime, from the rebellion Of the angels
and the hrst transgrcssion of man tu
the present day, and you can find no.
where 50 great crime SO inadequate
~ punished. A rebellion only less
guilty than that of the deylish angels
was wagcd with fiendish cruelty
against the best Government on earth
until 1t cost that Government AT least
four billion dollars, aud almost half u
million of brave men, while they suf-
Tered but little more than half as much
IN either and then when their arms
i were torn from them, they claim To DO
our loving BRETHREN" and always
T" III the Union !" And the claim is
allowed! What punishment has fol-
lowed! All the masses were released
by one sweeping decree and almost
! ever since the President has been en-
, ploycd. il is said, with several clerks
and a machine, in preparing pardons
, for rich rebels. All who made special
application must have been worth
more than twenty thousand dollars.
: While our loyal men have had their
! property stolen, robbed, and burned
| 10y order OF these very men, they have
| had their property restored to them,
: even after confiscation and the 10y
al tenants, who were placed on it by
Government. have been turned out 10
starve. Did any respectable govern
meut ever before allow such high
| criminals to escape with such shame
ful impunity? Who has been punish
} ed for this wholesale murder and plum
, der? One poor, insignificant, wretch
: ed foreigner (WirzJ has been tried
and executed for acts for which his
: superiors, not be, ought 10 have been
: held responsible unless, indeed, this
2 was war of individuals and not Of
: belligereuts, as learned gen,lemen
: contend. Then every Confederate SOL
: dier was murderer aud the high Of
: lcials were innocent, as they dealt I'D
blows, and theirs was not govern
, ment
If this Congress has any respect for
it's own perosatives, and for the rights
: OF the people, the punishment which
I so distresses the gentleman from New
o York Mr.. Raymond will not stop
}, here. | have never desired bio0dy
/ punishments to any great extent. even
L for the sake of example. But there
I are punisbments quite rs appalling
q and longer remembered, than death.
b They are more advisable, beranse they
p woH!d reach 3 greater nnmter. Strip
6 a proud nobility os their bloated es.
J. tates reduce them to level with
% plain republicans send them forth IL
labor, and teach their children to eltel
d the workshops or handle the plough
and you will thus humble the prout
D traitors. Teach bis posteri,y to re
It'll spect labor and eschew treason Con
d spiracies are bred among the rich and
Is the vain, ambitious aristocrats.
r. trust yet to see our coBfscasion laws
et fully executed aud then The mseiac
tors will learn that Congress has
r. seized as enemg's property aud invest
ID ed in the United States cannot he di
r vested and returned to the cenqne,c,
r, belligerent by the mere voice of th.
ID Executive. | hope to see the prnperty J
Of Of the subdued enemy pay the dam
r. ges done to loyal men. North an
In South, and help to support the helpless
c. armless, mutilated soldiers who hav
ID been made wretched by this snhol
of war. | do not believe the action {
I'd The President is worth farthisg i
n releasing the property conquered frol
n the enemy from the apprapriatio
of made Of 1t by Congress-. No, sir
is they have not been uuisAed as Ia.