Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-06-11
Confscation.
another letter from 1haddeus Stevens

Another letter from 7haddeus Steuens
B LANCASTER, Thursday, May 49, 1867.
To the Chairman Of the County Committee and
the Assessors of the Townships of the Coun-
ties of Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford,
Somerset, Perry, Cumberland, and York:
GENTLEMEN AS am about to prosecute
the claims for confscation at the next session
of Congress, if should be permitted to appear
there, L desire to ascertain certain facts. Will
you aid me in procuring them in small part
of our own State? Invite returns from all the
perty which the rebel raiders, or the armies of
the SO called Confederate States,' destroyed
or appropriated to their own use during their
several incursions into Pennsylvania, and hand
the same to the assessors of the different town
ships, who are requested to return the aggregate
for each township to the chairmen of the re-
spective parties of the different counties. May
l here ask that the various newspapers of the
counties above named publish this notice for a
few weeks in aid of the object specified, as
intend to press the payment Of the damages
done to loyal men out of the confscated property
of the conquered belligerents, l desire each and
every person who resided in the aboye-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,
| hope, will forward the same to the chairnfen
of the county committees of each party who, [
hope, will take the trouble to aggregate the same
and return it to me. [ desire fair valuation
to be placed on all the property, whether per-
sonal property distracted, or real property de-
stroyed, 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 considera-
BILE trouble, but as small part of the labor only
| falls to each person, it will be found light I
hope it may finally prove profitable to the injured
| people. Yours, THAD. STEVENS.
z. S.-Were it not presumptuous in me, /
| 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 associations and furnish sta
tistics, such as are above solicited Claims.so
imperatively just must be finally allowed and
paid, but the funds to pay the same will certain
| " be raised nowhere except out of the fines and
confscation of the richer and more atrocious
malefactors. Feeble as my powers are if [ had
five years more added to my life [ should not
doubt but that this would become an accomplish
ed fact. Such justice urged by determined
WILL though feeble intellect, cannot fail. If
should be denied that extension of life, Provi
dence will raise up to the work some younger,
ADLER man, to whom these facts would be Of
great assistance. [ trust it will not be supposed
/ that | have abandoned the determination to
procure small homesteads for the freedmen, te
be furnished by the masters whom they CON
quered at our request-homesteads earned By
| the late slaves and annexed to their masters
estate. Let them now be severe by partition