The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-13
CONFISCATION.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM THADDEUs STEVENS.

ANOTHER IETTER FROM STEVENS.
LANCASTER May %.
To the Chairman Of the County Committee
and the assessors of the Townships Of the
Counties Of adams, Franklin, Fulton. Bed
ford, Somerset, Perry Cumberland and York !:
GENTLEMEN AS l am about to prose
cute the claims for confscation-at the next
session of Congress, if l should be permitted
to appear there, 1 desire to ascertain certain
facts. Will you aid me in procuring them
in Il 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 Con-
federate States" destroyed or appropriated
to their own use during their several incur
sions into Pennsylvania, and hand the same
to the assessors of the different townships,
who are requested to return the aggregate
for each township to the chairman of the
respective parties of the different counties.
May here ask that the various newspapers
of the counties above named publish this
notice for week in aid of the object speci
fed, as intend to press the payment of the
damages done to loyal men out of the con-
fiscated property of the conquered beliger-
ent; desire each and every person who re-
sided in the aDOve-named counties to make
out list of the amount of all property of
which he was despoiled by the rebel raiders
or the rebel government and return the same
to the assessors of his township, who, l
hope, will toward the same to the chairman
of the county committees of each party,
who, hope, will take the trouble to aggre-
gate the same and return it to me. desire
IL fair valuation to be placed on all the prop
erty, whether personal property abstracted
or real property destroyed, except Caledonia
Iron Works in the county of Franklin, which
will not be appraised, as no remuneration is
claimed for it. This may seem to be asking
our friends to take considerable trouble, but
as a small part of the labor only falls to each
person it will be found light. hope it may
finally prove profitable to the injured peo-
pie. Yours, THADDEUS STEVENS.
P. S.-Were it not presumptuous in me I
would invite all the loyal men of all the
States who have been plundered by rebel
raiders or confscated by the Confederate
States, or either of them, to form associa-
tions and furnish statistics such are above
solicited. Claims so imperatively just must
be finally allowed and paid, but the funds
to pay the same will certainly be raised no
where except out of the fines and confsca-
tion of the richer and more atrocious male
factors. Feeble as my powers are, if l had
five years more added to my life 1 should
not doubt but that this would become an
ldCG OuCu .JuSGlCc, uTSeu ny
determined will, though feeble intellect,
cannot fail. If should be denied that ex-
tension of life, Providence will raise up to
the work some younger and ahler man to
whom these facts would be of great assis-
tance. trust it will aot be supposed that
I have abandoned the determination to pro-
cure small homesteads for the freedmen, to
be furnished by the rebel masters whom
they conquered at our request homesteads
earned by the late slaves and annexed to
their masters estates. Let them now be Sc
vered by partition.
All the newspapers in the several counties
named are respectfully requested to publish
this article.
Mr.. Greeley compares the Rebels of the
South, to the Rebels" of the Revolutionary
war; That is rather "piling on the agony"
The patriots of '76 rose against foreign
Government which was towards them an in
strument of tyranny and oppression. The
Rebels of 81 assailed Government of which
they formed part, and that existed only to
preserve the rights and protect the happi-
ness of the people. The revolt of '76 was
struggle for liberty. The revolt of '61 was
a blow for slavery. The "Rebels" OF '76
protested with dignity and moderation
against the wrongs to which they were sub
iected, and then openly took up arms. The
Rebels of 81 having no wrongs to complain
of, secretly plotted the overthrow of the
Government, and arranged their combina-
tions while they were holding its highest
offices The Rebels of '76 did not conduct
warfare by poisoning. wells, bayonetting
wounded soldiers, burning hospitals, massa-
creing garrisons, starving prisoners, destroy
ing railroad trains, or any of the like appli-
ances of a brutal barbarism. George Wash
ington never sanctioned deeds like those at
Belle Island and Andersonyille, which will
make the memory of Jefferson Davis forever
infamous. Mr.. Greeley will soon be looked
upon as candidate for straight jacket
.Al6any Ece Journal.