The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-23
MIR. STEVENS, CONVERSATIONS BILL.

| The following is the Bill for confiscahng South
ern property, which THAD. STEVENS has introduced
in Congress- and which has been postponed until
next December:
| Whereas, It is due to justice and as an example
! to future time, that some prompt punishment
should be inflicted on the people who constituted
the Confederate States Of America both because
they declared an unjust war against the United
States, for the purpose Of destroying republican
liberty and permanently establishing slavery, as
well as for the cruel AMI barbarous manner in
which they conducted said war, in violation OF all
laws Of civilized warfare; and also to compc1
| them to make some compensation for the damage
and expenditures caused by the said war. There
| fore,
Be it enacted, &c., That all public lands belong
ing to the ten States that formed the government
Of the so-called Confederate States Of America
| forthwith vested in the United States.
SEC. 2. And be IL further enacted, That the
President shall forthwith cause tho seizure Of such
property belonging to the bclgerent enemy, as is
deemed forfeited by the oct of Ju1y17, 1862, and
hold and appropriate the same as enemy's proper
ty, and proceed to condemnation with that already
seized.
SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That in lieu
seized as provided by the Act Of July IL 1852, two
Commissioners or more, as may be by him deemed
necessary, may be appointed by the President for
each Of the said Confederate States, to consist Of
three persons eacn, one OF Nnom snail be an ofhcor
of the army and two shall be civilians neither of
whom shall be citizen OF the State tor which he
shall be appointed and the said Commission shall
adjudicate and condemn tho property aforesaid
under such forms and proceedings as shall be pre-
scribed by the Attorney General, wheroupon the
title to said property shall become vested in the
| United States.
SEC. f. And be it further enacted, That out of
the lands thus seized and contiscatcd, the slaves
who have been liberated by, tho operations Of the
fn fhor :A.,ts
otherwise, who resided in tho said Confederate
States on the 4tk Of March, 1861, or sinca, shall
have distributed to them forty acres for each adult
male and to each person who is head OF family
forty acres to be held in fec simple but to be na
lienablo for the next ten years after they become
and allotting the said land, the Secretary of War
shall appoint as many Commissions in each State
as he shall doom necessary, to con ist Of three
members each, two Of whom, at least. shall not be
citizens Of the State for which they ore appointed
Each of said Commissioners shan receive salary
of $4,000 annually, and oil necessary expenses
Each Commission shall be allowed one clerk whose
salary shall be $1,000 per annunl. The title to the
homestead aforesaid shall be vested for the use OF
the liberated persons aforesaid, in trustees, who
shall be appointed by the Secretary Of War, and
shall receive such salary as he shall direct, not ox
ceeding $4,000 per aunum. at the end of ton years
the absolute title to the said homestead shall be
conveyed to the said owners, or to the hers OF
such as are then dead.
SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That out Of
tho balance Of the property thus seized and con-
fiscated there shall be raised, in the manner here
matter provided, sum equal to $50 for each home
stead to be applied BY the trustees hsrsubefEre
said homesteads Tor tho use of the said slaves and
further sum of $500 900 600 which shall bo appro
prated as follows, viz 5000 OOO 600 shall be invest
ed in United States six per centrm securities, tho
interest Of which shall be semi-annually added 10
the pensions allowed by law to pensioners who
have become 80 by reason OF the late war; $780,
! GOO,0 900 or so much ther&ef as may be needed,
shall bo appropriated to pay damages done to loyal
citizens by the civil or military operations Of the
| Government OF the lately so-called COnfederate
States Of America.
SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the pro-
perty Of no one shall be seized whose whole estate
on the 4th Of March, 1866, was not worth more
than s5ooo to be valued BY the 9aid Commission
or employee in the military or civil service of the
Confederate States Of America" or in the civil or
military service Of some ono Of the said States,
and in enforcing oil the confscations the sum or
value Of $4,000 in real or personal property shall be
left or assigned to the delinquent
Sec 7. And he it further enacted, That the
Commission shall put just and impartial yalua-
ton on oil the property thus seized and forfeited,
and when such valuation shall be completed III the
several Stalos, all the said Commissioners shall
meet in Washington and assess the $500, ,oOO, 0oO
aforesaid, as well as the allowances for tho home
stead buildings pro rata on each Of tho properties
Or estates thus seized, and shall give notice OF
such assessment and apportonment by the publ
cation, for sixty days, in two daily newspapers in
Washington, unl ii The two daily nows PAPERS IN
the capitals Of each Of tho said Confederate States
SEC 8. And be it further enacted, That If the
owners Of the said seized an1 forfeited estates
shall within ninety days after the first of the said
provisions, pay into the Treasury Of the United
States the sum assessed on thor estates respec-
lively, all Of their estates and lands not actually
appropriated to the liberated slaves shall be re-
leased and restored to thoir owners.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted That all land,
estates and property Of whatever kind, which shall
not be redeemed, as aforesaid, in the ninety days.
shall be sald and converted into money in such
time and manner as may be deemed by the said
Commissioners most advantageous to tho United
in larger tracts than five hundred acres and pro-
vided further that no longer credit shall be given
than three years.