The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1867-09-11
TERMS---FOR HERALD.
ConlisCatioll.


South may have great cause to fear
Onc may be rcSortcd to 10y Congress
aud the ether by State Legislatures.
In either case, VIC contend that if
carried out, the lnhorcrs Of tho South
(thc blacks would be sufferers.
Suppose Congress would undertake
conliscation, what would be tho OBJ
jcct and end to be accomplished ?
The extreme radical republicans Of
tho North only insist on conIiscating
portion, say one half Of The lands or
property of the present owners for the
purpose Of rcimbursing Union men for
spoi'at'o"s committed by Confederate
soldiers during tho war, but such
thing rs q division of lands amongst
The poorer classes has never been con-
tcmpIatcd by any respectable con-
grc$sman or politician, without they
buy when these lands may be offered
FOR sale. The proceeds of the sale of
conliscatcd lands would necessarily be
placed in the Treasury Of tho United
States to satisfy The claims of these
Union men for their losses, and MI
sales would be made for cash upon
somewhat The same principle that tho
present prc-cmption law is carried
out. Now for The sake of argument,
suppose tho act for conliscating lands
had been passed by Congress and such
lands were declared open to prc-cmp-
tors, how would il bcpossiblc for ono
IN II thousand Of tho colorcd laborcrs
OF The South to buy and pay for lands,
at The cash prices ? And we'll even
suppose they had money to bny the
lands, where would they get stock and
provisions from to cultivate them sue
ccSSlully =? Our experience is, that
Tor the past two years, there has not
been one in fifty successful planters in
South Carolina, and they certainly
have had advantages Of credit and re-
sources which the colorcd people can
not expect to have.
SO, TO admit that Congress docs
conliscatc i'll future, il cannot possibly
benefit the colorcd laborcr of tho
South.
Again, direct act Of confscation
cannot be rcsortcd to by State
Legislature, for it would be in
violation Of tho Constitution of
the United States, and whilst we
believe the Congress might resort
to it for some purposes, yet it would
regard an act Of this character on the
part OF State as the greatest pre-
Sumption, and the Courts would sus-
tl'n Congress in both positions, nor
would We be considered any wiser by
arguing the question rs ono of honor
or right as it would effect tho Courts or
Judges ut this timc. The act of Con-
llscation, then, on tho part of Legis-
laturo would have to DO dono indi-
rcctly, and by way Of taxation, but
not for tkc purposes which tho Con
GrcSs would express. If at all, tho
Legislature would pass quasi conGs.
cation bill in The shape of tax law,
which would impose upon large land
owners such u burden as wou]d foroo
them to sell their lands to be relieved
from it. Now let us sec the effect Of
such TAX.
we contend that whatever burdens
and impositions arc put upon tho land
owners arc and will be paid by tho Ia
boror; and if some arc forced to n
salo OF thcir lands tho colorcd poon,,
VINO arc tho Southern laborcrs
be the sufferers.
Suppose that all lands of tho State
"r" taxed 50 much per acre or adya-
loren and at avery high rate, whilst
1t might force some to soil at a sacri-
lice, yet there isnot one of q thousand
black people who could buy for cash
but suppose some paid the tax and
held their lands of course somo ono
would have to cultivate or thcy would
be worse than worthless. Then a la-
borcr could not get near so much for
his work as hc could if tho lands wore
only moderately taxed. The land
owner and laborcr arc mutually de-
pendant upon each other, what effects
one effects tho othor, and if tho lands
are taxed high, it must come out Of tho
laborcr, for no man can afford to pav
as good wages to work on taxed rs ho
can on untaxod land.
suppose again, that the tax forced n
majority to sell, and thus immigration
and foreign labor was invited to the