Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-05-21
Greeley md GeFrit Smitb.

PieSsus cFlsiS- we append the EH0uirsr',
report of their speeches.
On the subject of confiscatioa. Sir. GrSsI.,,
sald-"He had been told that the necroS. y,
the city and State refused to buy farms ~
cause they were told that they would soon h.,
provided for BY confscation. He trns,c3
that this information was untrue, for waiting
Tor dead mems shoes seemed to him rand
process compared with waiting to obtain a
farm by cOnhscation. On this point he begged
his audience TO hear him attentiyelv. a.
what Congress might or might NOT do in tho
Intore, he was no authority and had little TO
say. He could imagine a state of thine
winch would lead to a general con6scatio5
though Ecne that would THdEce him to m.
prove OF IT. But as to what had been done
ne .''!sht speak as confidently as another. and
again requested the earnest attention of tAo
audience. - '"0
The Oldest and ablcSt member of the pres.
ent Congress was Thaddeus Stevens. of penn,
syIvanla, statesman who had for forty vc,r.
been kono!ably known as al advocate of free
dom for all. Mr. Stevens had held for vssr.,
the most important position and WELDED The
sreateSt iHHuenee OF any man in tho House
ye!, WINE ne mas made several speeches and
written recent letter in favor Of couAsca-
ton, he has never yet obtained the suDport I,r
either House no bill has been rcporte,l en-
bodying his views no vote has Indicated lit
ten members in both Houses favor his nro.
Ject. lie was confident that not twenty NJ
the three thousand political Journals in ,be
United States favor confscation. So mprl,
all might see he did not profess to foresoo
Mr. Stevens talked of putting $500 600
600 into the treasury by mild measures. IS
con6scation bat the speaker had read lie
tory, and was confident that all tho conjfsco.
tiOns of lands and houses made since ~.
was first inauSurated had not nested S5OO :
COO, 600 to the treasures Of the Gonfsea,ip,
governments, and was equally Confident int
If the entire property OF the South were to,t.
hscated tomorrow, and sold to whoever wopld
buy it, it would not put $500 600 900 in tho
Federal treasury, for confiscation stiles. STAG
mates ard Paralyses. At It's approach indus.
try stops the plough in the furrow, the sbnt-
tie IN the web, and begins to conceal aB,l
shuttle and grevaricate. All property is slid
into the hands of alleged loyalty, while. mean
time. labor stands idle and poverty s,arvcs
individuals are enriched-cspeciaIly those
who run the machine of onfscation-bptt tho.
masses suffer, aud finnish aud die. He firm.
~ believed that consscation would send more
of the blacks to their graves than to home
steads
Hut, should not the poor have homesteadsg
Certainly they should and the public land,
were open to every poor man, white or black !.
Millions OF acres of choice land were omen TO
any loyal citizen, and many blacks as we'll az
whites were fastening to secure them. lIo
expected every one to buy or make himself n,
home but entreated the poor man not to wait
expecting to obtain one by confscatioD
Thomas Carlyle saws that ssthe areat min.
take of Rob Roy was that he did not know
that he could buy his beef cheaper than he
could obtain It by marrying the Lowlands."
let none OF us repeat the error Deadly
teuds exist between those dispossessed by
couiscatiOn and their successors rs We SEQ -
the case in Ireland to day No rsan ever felt
that land taken from him by confscatiop was
Eightfally another's. Let us, then, beware OF
planting in this fair land the seeds of eternal
war.
1t was sometimes asserted at the South that
1--WE must all vote the Republican ticket. or
we cannot get back to selEgoyernmcnt." No,
slrs. nothing like that For my part am,
and have been and must be Republican
because l hold no other party so nearly right
as that. but do not wish any man, white or
black, to vote with me when he prefers TO,
vote otherwise. But do urge the whites of
the South to be first, fully and absolutely lust
to the freedmen, and heartily allow them equal
rights before the law; secondly to resIect
aud obey the military authority temporarily
set over them; thirdly, to register and vote
for such candidates as they judge to be (Itest,
such principles as they deem soubdest
fourthty, to award fally to every one, the full
est liberty to vote ms TO him shall seem GOOD:
and filthy, to form free, just and republicans
constitutions, and elect to Congress only such
men as can take the prescribed oath, and t1is
appear at Washington next winter, prepared
and conditioned TO be admitted into Congress
and TO ali the immunities OF selEcoverunIcut
H urged this because he desired and long
ed for an early, complete aud durable recon-.
citation. between the late warning sections OF
oar so nearly discovered, but now reunited
and magnificent couBtry. Mea of Virginia,
hope and trust that the day will soon come
wherein the latter prosperity aud greatness
OF your State shall eclipse all past conceptions
OF her glory and grandeur; when hey une-H
qualled resources, her advantages Of timber.
soil, minerals and water power, shall be fully
utilized, and when this city, greater than any
present Lowell or Manchester, shall echo to-
the roar of a thousand wafer wheels, the cli6E
of ten thousand furnaces and wien her re~
pie shall realize ia the hum of Industry afc,l
the delights Of peace, grateful e1cha1ips FIR
the harsh thuDders Of iron-throated war.
hon. GERRIT SMITH, HEMARKs
Mr.. Greeley speech was greeted with LEAD
applause, and Sir. Gerrit Smith Of n. Tort
being loudly called for, he (SIr. s. l.5pologizsJ
for adding anything to Mr.. Grecley's 70.
marks; expressed his willingness. however
to do anything to promote better under,
standing among his countrymen. and urped
the necessity OF mutual love between the two.
sections of the Union, love which couId bo-
attained only BY an honest and faithful dis
charge Of DUTY by both parties, for the late III