Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-03-30
Stevens on Confscation.

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 the Confederate 6{ates of America, both because they, declaripg an unjust war against the United States for the purpose of destroying republican liberty, and per manently establishing slavery, as well as for the cruel and barbarous manner in which they conducted said war, in violation of the laws,ofIciyilized warfare, and also to compel them to make some compensation for the damages and expenditures caused bylsaids war, MJJ
 BILL.
 Be t enacted 5y 1he Seadis and House ef Reprean,otires bf the JFaitcd tStqses,ef' America ia Congress assembled, That all the public lands belonging to the ten states that formed the government of theso-called 'Confcderate States of America shall be forfeited by said States and become forth. withivested in the United States. lii sn
 SEC 2. And Dc it further cnoeted, That the president shall forthwith proceed to cause the seizure of the property be- longing to- the beigerent enemy as, is deemed forfeited by tue act of the 17th of July, Anno Domini, eighteen hundred and sixty two, and hold and appropriate the same as enelny's property and to proceed to condemnation with that already seized
 SEC. B And Dc it f,rtie, endeta, Thatin lieu of tho proceeding to condemn the property thus seized, as Jenemy's prop erty, as is provided by tic act of July sew enteen, Anno Dominb eighteen hundred and sixty-two, two commissions or more, | as by him may be deemed necessary, shall be appointed by the president for each of the said Confederate States, to consist of three persons each, one of whom shall be an officer of the late or present army, and two shall be civilians, neither of whom shall De citizens of the state for which le shalt be appointed !; and that the said con- missions shall proceed to- adjudicatea and condemn the property aforesaid, under such forms and proceedings as shall be pre- serbed by, the attorney general of the United States ,whcreupon the title to said property shall become vested in the United | States, ''' SEC. f. An9 Dc tt fitrtAer enutted, That out of the lands thus seized and con fscatcd, the slaves who have been libera- ted by the operations of the war and the amendment to the constitution, lor other wise, who resided in said 'sConfederatc States" on the fourth day of March, Anno Domini, eighteen hundred and sixtyrono or since, shall have distributed to them as follows, namely: To each male person who is tie head of a family, forty acres :; to each widow who is the head of family. I forty acres; to be held by them in fee simple, but to be inalienable for the next ten years after they become seized thereof. For the purpose of distributing and allot- ting said land, the secretary of war shall ! appoint as many commissions in each state as he shall deem necessary. to consist of three members each, two of when at least shall not be citizens of the state for which they are appointed. Each of said coninis- sioners shall receive a salary of three thousand dollars annually, and all neecssa- t ry expenses Each commission shall be allowed one clerk, whose salary shall be two thousand dollars per annnm. The ti- l tie to the homestead aforesaid shall be Egested in trustees for the use of the liber- ated persons aforesaid trustees shall, be appointed by the secretary of War, and shall receive such salary as he shall direct not exceeding three thousand dollars her annum, At the end of ten years the ab solute title to said homesteads shall be con- veyed to said owners, or to the heirs of such as are then dead. ia 3Ai
 Sec. 5. And Dc tt ful1her ea octed, That out of the balance of the property thus seized and confscated, c there shall be raised, in the manner hereinafter provided a sum equal to fifty dollars for each home stead, to be applied by the trustees, here {, matter mentioned, toward the erection of I buildings on said honiestesds fer the use 1 of said slaves; and the further sum of five hundred millions of dollars, which shall be appropriated as follows, to-wit Two hundred millions shall be invested in United States six per oentum securities, and the interest thereof shall be semi an 1nually added to the pensions allowed by law to pensioners who have become So by reason of. the late war three hundred millions, or so much thcieof as may be needed, Shall be appropriated to pay dam ages done to loyal citizens hy the civil or military operations of the. government l lately called the Confederate States of America tl,
 Sec. 6. 4nalc {. .frther os,actea, That Fin order that just discrimination may be made, the property of no one shall be seized whose whole estate on the fourth. day of March, Anpo Domim eighteen hundred and sixty five, was not worth more than five hundred dollars, to be val
 ued by the said coinmission, unless he shall lhavelvoluntarily become an officer or em- ] ployee in the military or civil service of I the Confederate States of Ame,ica,"p or in the civil or military service of some one of said states, and in enforcing all confs
 cations the sum or value of five thousand dollars in real orporsonal property shall be left.or assigned to the delinquent.
 Sec. :. And be afrther enacted, That the commission shall put just ana i'm J partial valuation on all the property thus seized and forfeited, and when such yalu- ation shall be completed in the several states, all the said commissions shall meet in the city of Washington, and assess the five hundred millions aforesaid, as well as the allowances for homestead buildings, \ pro rata, on each of the properties or estates thus seized, and shall give notice Iof such assessment and appointment by publication for sixty days in two daily newspapers in the city of Washington, and in two daily newspapers in the capi- tals of each of the said "Confederate States" i"s tsa
 Sec. s. AndJe it fa,thcreaacted, That [ if the owners of'said seized and forfeited 'testaies shall, within ninety days after the first of said publications, pay into the t treasury of the United States the sum as-