Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-05-31

s:D FROM HoS. THADDEUs SrEvESs-4
J.. reL
LANCASTER May ., 1867.
T Cbqjfmea Of the County Commjtteesaad
..e assessors Of the Topns5psof the Conn
assqf adams, franklin, Fulton, Bedford,
somerset, Perry Cumberland aad York
-7HsmsH
As ] am about TO prosecute the claims
for c0nGscation at the next session OF Con
grcss, if I should be permitted to appear
there, I desire to ascertain certain facts.
VIII you aid me in procuring them in a small
part Of our own state? Invite returns from
all the people in each township of the amount
Of property which the rebel raiders or the
armies Of the so called Confederate States
destroyed or appropriated to their own use
during their several incursions into Penn
sylvania, and hand the same to the Assessors
of the different townships who are requested
20 return the aggregate for each township TO
the ChaiFmen of the respective parties of the
different counties. May here ask that tae
various newspapers of the counties above
named, publish this notice for few weeks in
aid of the object specified as I intend to press
ihe payment Of the damages done to loyal
men. out Of the coufscated property Of the
conquered belligerent. desire each and
every person who resided in the above named
counties to make ont list Of the amount Of
al property Of which he was despoiled by the
rebel raiders or the rebel Government, and
return the same to the assessors of his town
ship, who, hope will forward the same to
to the Chairmen Of the County Committees OF
each party, who hope viii take the trouble
TO aggregate the same and return it to me. /
desire fair valuation to be placed on all the
property, whether personal property ab-
stracted, or real property destroyed, except
Caledonia Iron works in the County Of
Franklin, which viii not be appraised as no
enumeration is claimed for it. This may
seem to be asking our friends to take con
siderable trouble, but as a small part Of the
labor only falls to each person it viii be found
light hope 1t may finally prove profitable
to the injured people.
Yours,
THADDEUS STEVENS.
p. 5. Were II not presumptuous in me.
] would invite all the loyal men Of all the
states who have been plundered by rebel
raiders OF conGscated by the Confederate
States OF either Of them, to form associations
and furnish statistics, such as are above so.
Gcited. Claims so imperatiyey just, must
be finally allowed and paid, but the funds to
pay the same viii certainly be raised nowhere
except out Of the fines and conhscations Of tht
richer and more atrocious malefactors
Feeble as my powers are, if l had FIVE year;
more added to my life, should not doubt but
that this would become an accomplished fact.
Such justice urged by a determined will,
though feeble intellect, cannot tail
IF I should be denied that extension Of
life, Providence Will raise mp to the work,
some younger and ADLER man 10 whom these
facts would be Of great assistance. / trust it
will not be supposed that I have abandoned
the determination to procure small home
steads for the freedmen, to be furnished by
the rebel masters whom they conquered at our
request. Homesteads earned by the late
slaves aud annexed 70 their masters es-
tates- Let them now be severed by partition,
Ali the Newspapers in the several counties
named are respectfully requested to publish
this article. 8t
'WuEy viii the Western part Of thetown be
made the object Of some street improvements -