Year: 1862

| VII, uctcateu LII tle HOUSE Vi iscpioochs4'S'


on Tuesday by a majority of four, was fixed


for Wednesday, and it was expected that, with


the AID OF two radicals, before absent and one


convert gained over, there would be tie vote,


and that the Speaker would then give his cast


ing vote for the BILL Owing to some disar


rangement in the programme the bill was
| postponed for week. We wish it had


been postponed till the Greek kalends. Such


bill is unworthy Of any civilized nation, and
Is without . parallel in ancient or modern
times. Even Congress of barbarians would
enact something more in accordance with COM


mon sense, to say nothing Of humanity. 1t
strikes at the property in slaves Of the whole
people of the South at one fell swoop, making
no distinction between leaders and followers,
those taking an active part in the rebellion,


and those giving aid in the most indirect man


made even between rebels and loyal men, for


the latter, if claiming the service Of slave,


must first prove his loyalty, which it would


be impossible for him to do.


The first section provides that whoever
shall wilfully engage in armed rebellion
against the government Of the United States,
or shall wilfully aid or abet such rebellion, or
adhere to those engaged in such rebellion,
giving them aid or comfort, every such person


shall thereby forfeit all claim to the service or
labor Of any persons, commonly known as


slaves" In some of tho Southern States this


section would include ninety-nine out of every


hundred of the owners of slaves, for the troops


in the field are aided by nearly the whole of


the remaining population. But if there should


be any Union man who rendered no aid or


comfort, and did not adhere to the rebels, he is


caught by the following section, inasmuch as


he is compelled to prove negative. 1t
runs


sro q And be il further enacted That il any person


claiming to be entitled tho service labor OF any


other person shall seek to enforce such claim he SHALL


in the first instance, and before any order shall be made


for tho surrender OF the whose service labor


claimed, establish only his claim such service


labor but also that such claimant has not way


aided, assisted countenanced the existing rebellion
| against the government Of the United States
| A man might be as innocent as the child un-


born, and yet he could not prove that he "has


not in any way aided, assisted or counte-


nanced the existing rebellion" By every
| principle of American law the citizen is to be


regarded as innocent till he is proved guilty:


and the onus lies upon his accusers to
| prove their case, and not upon him to
| first prove negative. There is not q


man in the whole of the Southern States who


would be able to establish his innocence by


this rule; and if justice is not to be circumscrib


ed by geographical boundaries, would it not be


incumbent on Congress to pass an act permit
ting every man in the Northern States to be


robbed Of his property with impunity if he


cannot prove that he never gave aid or comfort
to the Southern rebels? Where is the man who


can prove this unless by his own testimony,
which, of course, would not avail him? BY a
side wind this bill aims at the overthrow Of the
constitution and the destruction of the entire


openly and above board by a bill simply eman-
cipating all slaves, instead of thus whipping
the devil around the stump? The title of the


bill ought to be "a bill to aid and extend the re-
bellion and to protract the war to an indefinite
period" If it should be adopted by the House,
and also by the Senate, and come before the
President for his approval, we trust he will


give it his veto, and that he will do the same in


the case of the absurd Confscation bill.


The whole course of Congress since the civil
war began, and indeed before the commence


ment of our national troubles, has tend
ed to widen the breach and make it ire
parable Before the breaking out Of hos


tilities everything was done to exaspsrate
and to ALLEVIATE the South All compromises
calculated to reconcile existing differences and
to carry out the spirit of the constitution were


al Ixxy:fh r,,1 War 10
signed from the beginning by an INSCRIPTIONS


faction, who saw in it q boundless source of
public plunder, and the means, as carried on


under their auspices, of extinguishing the


Union and securing for a long series of years


the reins Of power in the Northern section Of


toe republic. Their programme was either to


reduce the rebellious States of the South to


Territories, without representation in Congress,
in order thai they might abolish negro slavery


and retain possession Of the spoils, or to effect


q complete and permanent separation between


the North and the South. Nothing they so


much dreaded as the simple restoration of the
revoited States to the Union, under the autho-


rity of the constitution, with the same relations


to the federal government and the other States
as existed before the rupture.


Upon no other theory can their conduct be


explained. II the war should be diverted from
its original purpose-the purpose proclaimed
in the proclamation Of the President-then
they wish it God speed: but ii not, not.


Governor Andrew. in his recent letter TO the
War Department, put the matter in nutshell.
lie said chat % fight for the mere restoration
of the Union the men of Massachusetts, would
feel to be "a heavy draft upon their patriotism


but that to fight for the abolition of slavery
would be glorious and call forth their utmost en-


thusiasm. In The one case he had mo materials
for an intelligent reply" In the other he un-