The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1867-03-21
CONFIsCATION,

longer till he can carry out fully his
revenge against the South. 1t is an
nounced in the latest dates from Wash
ington that he is quite sick, but hopes
to be well enough i'll q few days to in
troduce q Bill for the eoniiscation of
Rebel property in the South 1t is
thought he cannot carry such measure
through. But as mOnstrous as such a
measure is, we think i not at all inn
probable that he may sHeceed in carry
inc il out, il not at present, after little
while. Some few of the Radicals kick
a little in the traces 81 first, but he geye-
rally reins them down, and like poor
Raymond and Others, they come and
lick the rod that Whips them, and go ii
blind. From the caWardly course pur-
sued by Congress towards our unlortu-
nate brethren OF the South, we shall
not be astonished at anything. We
confess we see no solution of these diff
culties, short of az appeal to the sword.
We have no doubt the majority of the
people of the North are opposed to this
insane, devilish persecution of a brave
and unfortunate people, this outrageous
assault upon law, liberty, and justice,
and il is for them to put stop to it, at
all hazards. The infamous eonspirators
and denlagogues who are making such
hypeeritical lamentations ever the cree
ton Of a monarchy ia Canada, and an
Empire in Mexico, had better bow their
mouths in the dust, when they look at
their own Ubiquitous course towards the
South. The Richmond Times, whose
clear-seeing head looks deeply into every
great question: agitating the public mind,
thus discourses upon the subject Of con-
fscation:
"Whenever financial panic and conn
mereial ruin shall fall upon the North
ern people; whenever the deep vail
ings Of popular distress and suffering
shalt be heard through the land, as the
natural result Of that fierce storm of
passion which has swept councils with
vindictiVe measures and drenched fields
with blood; whenever these scourges
which heaven sends upon nations to
punish their iniquities, shall fall upon
those now making us feel the weight of
brutal powef-it is thought by many
that suffering at home will cause charity
in that quarter, and that kinder and
more sympathetic feeling will animate
the bosom OF the North towards the
Southern people. We doubt it. Intense
domestic and social suffering will but
eXasperate the fury of the men who
have had no pity for the untold calami-
ties Of our people. 1t was not enough
to overthrow our armies it was not
enough to fill our land with widows
and orphans; te deny us representation
to raise the negro to civil, social and
political equality with their late masters;
to subject a free people to the harsh OPP
preston of military power. All this
merely gratifed the thirst for vengeance.
But who ever yet knew the Puritan
element of this country to be satisfied
with vengeance unless pecuniary profit
followed or accom- panied it. The war
has yet paid its projectors in nothing
except in blood and revenge. This does
not suffice. The cosnpensdtice feature of
the acaa hos yet to come. Mark what we
say--the authors of our calamities will
never be content until they have en-
forced the doctrine that ''to the victor
belongs the spoils." We have nothing
now left but our lande, and all the signs
lLulCdtS tHdt THESE dTCsdDSOFDlIS luo IN
terest and attention of that race of pre-
cious saints who, by the junction of force
and fraud, would acquire our estates
very much in the same style that they
dispossessed the poor Indians.
"Let us not be over-cenfident in the
safety Of our estates. It has been ener-
getically impressed upon the Northern
masses that .'rebels have no rights"
There is no virtue in that qearter which
can refuse tempting prize when the
power exists to take it. Will the spirit
which felled our liberties stop short of
our property: Here is the new danger
which menaces us-the ravenous eyes of
Stevens and his cohorts are fixed on our
lands. The idea is no new one with |
them, but they are becoming terribly in |
earnest in it. And just in proportion
as the need of money increases fr ON the
prodigalities of Congress, will the scheme /
of Southern confscation become popu-
lar. How do we know but what the
military bill is but the entering wedge
of confiscation? Would not the pres
ence of troops be the first step towards
the enforcement of confiscation 2. OF
course such a measure would be popular