The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-11-20
Conhseation- 4 Radical Broadside
Against It.
From the Chicago Tribune (Radical.)

Against 1t.
[From the Chicago Tribune (Radical.)
Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens threatens to
renew his efforts to secure the confis-
cation of the property Of certain classes
in the South; and we hope that, when
he brings forward his motion, it may
be promptly and efectually squelched.
The South is already not only poverty
stricken, but absolutely beggared.-
Let our readers imagine what the con-
dition of the loyal States would be if
all our national securities, now in the
hands of the people, were made sud
denly worthless if the bonds Of the
individual States were reduced invalne
one-half, and made unsuitable at almost
any price; if the bank circulation were
caused to suddenly disappear; if the
greenbacks were wiped out like pencil
marks, by a damp sponge; If nine
teen-twentieths of the manufacturing
machinery were destroyed; If three
fourths of the domestic animals We're
killed off; if half of the household fur
niture, conveniences and utensils were
broken up; if half the young men in
the country were slain; if the labor
system, such as we have enjoyed, were
utterly upturned; if all public and
private credit were so far destroyed
that no State could borrow dollar and
no man could buy for his note a bushel
of corn; if, in word, out Of all our
former wealth nothing but weedy land
and heritage Of disorder remained
imagine the loyal States, we say, so
reduced, and we have a picture of what
the South is to-day
lit were possible to add to the disa-
bilities of q people already SO poor in
all that constitutes wealth if there
were no such thing in the economy of
God or man as the forgiveness of sins,
if it were possible, even, to punish six
millions Of people by the imposition
of the penalties that may be fitted to
an individual-what, we ask, would
Mr.. Stevens accomplish by the incor-
poration of his proposal into law p
Will he increase the average loyalty of
the people to the Government Of the
United States by turning them out of
the homes in which they now barely
subsistq Will the productive industry
of the South be increased by new OBJ
stacles in the way Of tilling her fields I?
Will harmony between the unreconcil-
ed sections be promoted by this new
and potent cause of enlargement and
hate9 No, Mr.. Stevens, no! But sup
pose the public good and the demands
of justice made confiscation even re-
motedly justifable, how would we pro-
coed 7 Who will buy the property that
Mr.. Stevens proposes that the marshal
may take7 The negroes have nothing;
the whites have nothing; there is no
emigration Southwafd-in the condi-
ton of affairs created by this measure
there could be no emigration. Where,
then, is the market for the confscated
estatesq Is there so little land in this
broad country that Northern men will
60 South to buy property that carries
with it an entail OF irreconcilable hate
and possibly of blO0d2 Are Europeans
so lavish of their lives that they coyet
homes that can be at the most but in
securely held by perpetual vigilance
and the repeating rife Are there
any people, anywhere, who long for the
state of society that general or even