The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1867-03-27
THE CONFISCATlON BILL.
.Thad Stevens Scheme TO Rob a
People Now Under Military
Rule. 80. -. - ~ ..-L -


" On Saturday of last week, Thad. Sto-
vens introduced his threatened Confsca.
ton Bill. The.foacviDg is an abstract:
Section one declares all public lands
belonging to the ten rebel States, are
forfeited to the United States.
Sec. two directs the President to forth.
with cause the seizure Of such property
belonging to the belligorent enemy as is
deemed forfeited by the act Of July II,
1862, and appropriate the same as the
enemy's property, and further directs him
to proceed to condemnation with that al
ready seized 4,
Section three prescribes how property
shall be condcmned-by commission of
three persons for each rebel State, to be
appointed by the President, to consist of
one army officer and two nonresident
civilians, who shall adjucate and condemn
the property aforesaid, under such forms
and proceedings as shall be prescribed by
the Attorney General of the United States,
whereupon title of said property shall be-
come vested in the United States.
Section four provides that Of the lands
thus confscated there shall be distributed
to the liberated slaves as follows To each
adult male, whether the head Of family
or not, forty acres; to each widow or male
person who is the head of a family, forty
acres, to be held in fee simple, but to be
inalienablo for the next ten years after
they become seized. The title to these
homesteads shall be vested in trustees ap-
pointed by the Secretary Of War, and
held for the use of the liberated persons
aforesaid, but at the end of ten years the
absolute title to said homesteads shall be
conveyed to said owners or to the heirs
of such as are dead. This land is to be
distributed and allotted by commissioners
appointed by the Secretary of War.
Section fve provides that out Of the bal
ance Of the property thus seized, and
confscated there shall bo raised in man
ner hereafter provided, a sum equal tos50
for each homestead, to be applied by the
trustees hereinafter mentioned, toward
the erection Of buildings on said home
steads for the use of said slaves and a
farther sum of $500 100000, which shall
be appropriated as follows:
Two hundred millions shall be invested
in United States six per centum securi
ties, the interest thereof shall bc semi-an.
nually added to pensions allowed by law
to pensioners who have become SO by rea-
son of the late war, $500, 1000, 900, or SO
much thereof as the damage done to 10y
al citizens by. civil or military persons Of
the government lately called the Coded.
ate States of America. 100
Section sixth enacts exemption for all
persons whose property on tho 4th Of
March, 1865, was worth less than So, 900
except such as voluntarily became officers
in tho civil or military service Of the reb.
el government, and it declares that in en-.
forcing the confscation $1,000 worth Of
property shall be left to each delinquent.
Section seventh makes it the duty Of
the Commissioners named in section third
to make fair valuation of all property
seized and forfeited, and when such val
uation is completed in the several States,
all said Commissioners shall meet in the
City Of Washington, and assess the $500
000, 600 aforesaid, as we'll as allowances
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