The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-11-13
Conlscntfon.


Conhscation.
The following excellent rebuke to
the leaders of its party, is from the
Chicago Tribune, leading Republi-
can journal:
, 1.-THE South is already not only
poverty-stricken, but absolutely beg
CARED. Let our readers imagine
what the condition of the loyal States
would be if all our national securi-
ties, now in the hands Of the people,
we're made suddenly worthless; if
the, bonds of the individual States
were reduced in value one-half, and
made unstable at almost any price;
if the bank circulation were caused
to suddenly disappear; if the green
backs were wiped out like pencil
marks, by q damp sponge; if nine
. teen -twentieths of the manufacturing
machinery were destroyed; if three
fourths of the domestic ANIMALS were
killed off; If half of the household
furniture. conveniences and utensils
were broken up; if half the young
men in the country were slain; if the
labor system, such as we have enjoy
ed, were utterly upturned; if all pub
lie and private credit were so far de-
stroyed that no State could borrow n
dollar and no man could buy for his
note bushe] of corn; if, in n word,
out of all our former wealth nothing
but weedy land and heritage of dis
order remained-imagine the loyal
States, we say, so reduced, and we
have @ picture of what the South is
to-day!
eff it were possible to add to the
disabilities of q people already so
poor in all that constitutes wealth; if
there We're no such thing in the eco
nomy Of God or man as the forgive
ness of sins, if itwere 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 incorporation of his proposal
into law? Will he increase the aver
age loyalty of the people to the Go
vernment of the United States by
turning them out of the homes in
which they now barely subsist? Will
the productive industry of the South
be increased by new obstacles in the
way of tilling her fields? Will har-
mony between the unreconciled sec
tions be promoted by this new and
potent cause of estrangement and
hate? No, Mr.. Stevens, mol But
suppose the public good and the de-
mands of justice made confiscation
even remotely justifable, how would
we proceed? Who will buy the pro-
perty that MIR. Stevens proposes that
the marshal may take? The negroes
have nothing; the whites have no.
thing; there is no emigration South
ward-in the condition of affairs
created by this measure there could
be no emigration. Where, then, is
the market for the confscated estates? :?
Is there so little land in this broad
country that Northern men will go
South to buy property that carries
with it an entail Of irreconcilable
hate and possibly blood? Are Eu-
ropeans SO lavish of their lives that
they covet homes that can be at the
most but insecurely held by perpetu-
al vigilance and the repeating rife?
Are there any people, anywhere, who
long for the state of society that
genera! or even partial confiscation in
the South would create--for the way
side assassinations of iutruding land
lords, for retaliatory measures di-
rected against elected owners. for the
bitter feuds and animosities that
would end only in the death or ba-
nishment of those who are parties
thereto. Or does the Government,
stepping ont Of its legitimate fnnc-
tions, desire to be the great landlord
and lessor of half the real estate in a
domain on which an empire might
be founded, having always an army
of dependents ready to DO its will!
''These are only interrogative sug-