American citizen., 1867-07-20
From he Herald ard Missssippianl
A STRONG VOICE FROM THE YAzCO
VALLEY.
YAZOo COUNTY, MISS, !
July 4, 1867.

+ July 4, 1861.
Mr.. EDITOR:-It is quite chee
ing, amidst the gloomy scenes an
prospects before and around us,
witness your manly devotion to pril
ciple and your gallant defense of til
only salvation of the country.
your banner triumphs, it will be in
mortal in song and verse ; if it fails
it will still be revered by every MAJ
ly honor, virtue and intelligence
and win the noble sentiment tha
"it's better to die in a Just cauS
than live in a base one"
l am surprised to find your oppc
ncnts resorting to tArs4i,Tgg.Sent G
.feaT-trSing to scare the people int
their programme, saying that Other
wise it may be worse for them. HOY
worse, do they say! Our lands ma,
be confiscated They advocate
confiscation of all honor, our blood
and race, or life, or what is the sam
in effect, amalgamation or war o
determinations; but it is too hOrribl,
to cOnfiscate our poor old wasted
exhausted and abandoned fields, nov
fencless and possessed by the vii,
king Of poverty, broomsedge \
simple analysis of this proposition
will show up the poor subtertugc It
which they are driven, and that al
they ask is to be murdered upon thl
soil to which we have nominal title
and value. Let us examine thi,
threat of confiscation, this terrible
clincher of the Radicals, this "turn
ing of the screw once more" 1t is
certain that in no state of case can
anything more than the life-estate OF
the traitor be contiScated; and equal
ly certain that even that cannot be
cOnfiscated until the owner is indict.
ed, tried and convicted of treason
and equally certain that cannot be
done where the traitor has pardon or
amnesty. SO says the Constitution
of the United States, and so say.
unanimously, the present Radical
Supreme Court Of the United States.
Now, sir, how many of our traitors
are left out in the cold on this prOpO-
sition | answer-they are like an
gels visits, "few and far between"
They must first be indicted, then
tried and then convicted, and then
the President may pardon, and then
no confiscation. But suppose them
indicted, tried and convicted, and
the President refuses pardon, and
their life estate in these lands are
confscated--it will not embrace one
acre in one hundred thousand acres,
and to that only the lifetime title Of
some past-meridian rebel, already
tottering toward the grave, and who
is, by the act of confiscation, jOytully
and gloriously relieved from federal,
state, county, special taxes, stamps
and revenues thereon, the balance of
his days, and the title secured to his
children or heirs, unencumbered, at
his death; for no act or default OF
the lite-estate purchaser can preju-
dice or defeat the rights or the title
of the remainder-man or children or
heirs, thus postponed. This is terri
bic punishment, horrible to tell, in
the eye of the Radical, while Mr..
Rebel, laughing in his heart at the
measure Of relief and protection, eX-
claims, "Now amt he green !'t
Now what does the purchaser ofsuch
estate acquire? He gets the right
to pay all the taxes Of every kind
and quantity on the land, repair the
houses, build good fences, root out
the bushes, bliars and brOOmSedge |
md put the place in good repair and
use, at great expense and labor of
years, when Mr.. Rebel dies, and his
or heirs walk into possession
md enjoy the goodly land; and the
purchaser walks out with ten years .
If his life gone, his purse swinnied, /
and homeless, and in short, /
rOke, unless he had Il solvent inSur-
nee on the life of Mr.. Rebel for a
arge amount, and such insurance
would be hard to obtain, since it
Iould be to the interest of Mr.. Rebel
nd his children, for Mr.. Rebel to die
nst about that time, having been at
o expense, saw, d his land, perhaps,
rom his own debts, and surrendered
to his children, substantially i'm
roved and largely enhanced in price
nd value. Turn your screw again
ir. Radical. | have shown that
uch cOnfiscation is almost Il moral
nd political imposSibility, as to any, ,
nj next, that ii can only reach the f,
ewest possible number, and lastly, :
hat such possible number will re-
,icingly declare, "nobody is hurt" +
Where then is the argument of Mr.. a
,adical it is offensive, first, be- /
luse it asks sacrifice of every vital
and honor, interest and 7
uty to cowardly fear of an i'm +
ginary possible evil; and second,
ecauSe it would be a blessing in n
cad of q curse. h
/ have not presented single legal Fl
roposition in any remarks that | n
Ould not risk my life upon to day q
nfore the Radical Supreme Court of n
le United States. They are admitted q
' every legal mind and Court to be q
e ld,r. My position needs no a
Dubtful Or speculative law to sus- j;
lin it, but is. and ever will be, the q
law of this land as long +,
, the echo of a federal Court, pre-
ded over by Mr.. Radical, is heard O
re; and when it ceases to be heard, i
rerolHtion will spontaneously strike
Ice more for law and liberty, the