The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-28

the President feared would arise from
kind treatment and the restoration of their
rights. / doubtsnot that hundreds of thou-
sands would annually be deposited in secret,
unknown graves. Suchis already the course
of their Rebel murderers :.andi is done with
impunity. The clcarest evidence of that fact
has already been shown By the testimony
taken by the Central Directory" Make
them independent of the their old masters,
so that they may not be compelled to work
for them upon unfair terms, which can only
be done by giving them small tract of land
to cultivate for themselves, and you remove
all this danger. You also elevate the charac-
ter of the freedman. Nothing is so likely
to make man a good citizen as to make him
a freeholder Nothing will so multiply the
productions of the South as to divide it into
small FARMS Nothing will make men so in
dustrous and moral as to let them feel that
they are above want, and are the owners of
the soil which they till. 1t will also be of
service to the white Inhabitants. They will
have constantly among them industrious la
borers, anxious to work for fair wages. How
is it possible for them to cultivate their lands
if these people were expelled? If Moses
should lead or drive them into exile, or carry
out the absurd idea of colonizing them, the
South would become a barren waste. When
that wisest of monarchs, the Car of Russia,
compelled the liberation of $4,000, 900 serfs
he did not for moment entertain the fool
ish idea of depriving his empire of their la
Dor, or of robbing them of their rights. He
ordered their former owners to make Some
compensation for their unrequited toll by
conveying to them the very houses i'll which
they lived, and portion of the land which
they had titled as serfs. The experiment has
been perfect success. 1t has brought the
prosperity which God gives to wisdom and
justice Have they not right to it7 do
not speak of their fidelity and services in this
bloody war. put it on the mere score of
lawful earnings. They and their ancestors
have toied, not for years, but for ages, with
out one farthing of recompense. They have
earned for their masters this very land and
much more. Will not he who denies them
compensation now be accursed, for he is an
unjust man? Have we not upon this SUBJ
ject the recorded decision of a Judge who
never erred? Four millions of Jews were
held in bondage in Egypt. Their slavery
was mild compared with the slavery inflic-
ted by Christians. For Of all recorded
slavery-Pagan, Heather, or NIohammedan
Christian slavery has been the most cruel
and heartless; and all Christian slavery,
American slavery has been the worst. God,
through no pretended, but a true Moses, led
them out of bondage, as in our case, through
a red sea-at the COST as in our case, of the
first born of every household of the Cypress
or. Did He advise them to take no remu-
neration for their years of LAHORE No He
understood too well what was due to justice.
He commanded the men and the women to
borrow from theis confding neighbors
"jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and
raiment." They obeyed Him amply, and
spoiled the Egyptians, and went forth full
handed. There was no blasphemer then to
question Gods DEGREES of confscation. This
doctrine then was not satanic" He who
questions it now will be blasphemer, whom
God will bring to judgment. If We refuse
to this down-trodden and oppressed race the
rights which Heaven decreed them, and the
which they have earned
through long years of hopeless oppression,
how can we hope to escape still further pun
ishmcnt if God is just and omnipotent I? 1t
may come in the shape of plaques, or of in
testine wars, race aginst race, the oppressed
against the oppressor. But once it will
Seek not to divert our attention from justice
By puerile cry about fatted calves! The
fifth section provides that $50O,00O,000 shall
be raised out of the contiscated property for
of our soldiers, and the payment to- loyal
despoiled citizens. Is there any justice in
this We have seen that by the law of ma
tions they were liable to pay all the expenses
and damages of the war. Those expenses
cannot be less than SIS 900 OOO, 900, including
our debt and what was paid with taXcs-the
damages were probably 100000, 900 more.
TO exact but one-tenth part is mercy unex
ampled in national magnanimity. In the
great mutiny in India in which so many mil
lions of the original owners of the soil were
and who held proprietary rights
under well defined titles, the Government
declared that their engagements had been
Cancelled by the Rebellion, and that the pro-
prietary right in the soil was confscated to
the Government, which would dispose of
that right as to it might seem fitting" No
one ever complained that this exceeded the
power of the victors. Why so tender when
a small punishment is to be inflicted on our
enemy Three hundred million dollars put
at interest at six per cent would just about
double present pensions. Eight dollars a
month to men unable to work is wholly in
adequate to their necessities. That rate was
fixed when the pay of soldiers was but IS
per month"; is now SIG. The increased
price of all the necessaries of life renders
that necessary. Inc pensions SnouiQ De In
creased in the same proportion. Their pres
ent allowance is a mere mockcry; it must be
doubled out of some fund Shall it be ut
the cost of loyal men, or of those who man.
gled and slew our noble soldiers You talk
of pity. Pity for whom Your tears flow
COR pompous traitors ours for manned, halt
ng, crippled patriots. know there is cry
IL the perfect impunity of the enemy. 1t
dangerous and unwholesome doctrine
,flict salutary punishment to prevent future
vii wars and to punish the criminals;
their brothers blood cries to us from the
, nth, which has opened its mouth to receive
] cir brothers blood from their hands :" all
4 is blood cannot sink into the ground una
Ell aged; the ghosts of these murdered mar
u will not down, but will haunt their MUIR
ei :ers to the bar of eternal judgment. Is
1t re anything in the practice of nations to
d ldemn this confiscation Nothing; but
V rything tojustify it. When city or peo-
lie in alliance with Rome conspired to levy
ar against her, on being conquered she was
1t unfrequently deprived of half her popu-
tic m, and their lands taken and given to
ON ian colonists. Where all is justly for
lite d, including their lives, to leave them
lrt is great mercy. Ineed not cite the ex-
npl Is of Greece and Macedonia. They were
vor ~ than Rome Now 7 wOu1d not exact