Year: 1864

Hon. James A. Gartield's speech on
confiscation, delivered in the u S.
House Of Representatives on the Goth
of January:


] come now to the question more
directly before us. This question, OF
land, Mr.. Speaker, is inseparablv con
nectcd with the peculiar institution
OF the South. 1t is well known that
the power of slavery rests in large
plantations; that the planters capital
drives the poor whites to the noun
tains, where liberty always loves TO
dwell, and to the swamps and by-pla-
ces of the South; but the bulk of all
the landed estates is in the hands of
the the slave owners who have plot
ted this great conspiracy. Let me
give an instance OF this, one of thou
sand that might be given. In the
town of Murfreesboro', Rutherford
county, Tennessee, place made sa-
cred and glorious forever by the val.
or of our Army, there are fourteen
thousand four hundred and ninety
three acres of land owned by sixteen
persons, and three Of the sixteen men
own more than ten thousand of the
acres. One of the three owns more
than half of the whole township of
Murrreesboro And that is only n
specimen OF what these men Of the
South are to the lands of the South.
Only few hundred men own the
bulk OF the land, in any Southern
State, and these men hold the lands
and own the slaves. These men
plotted the rebellion and thrust it up
on us. They have had the political
power in their hands, and if yon per-
nit them to 90 back to their lands
they will have it again. The laws of
nature. the laws Of society, cannot be
overcome by the resolutions OF Con.
gress Grant n general amnesty, let
these men 90 back to their lands, and
the land owners will again control
the South They have so lon" be
lieved themselves born to rule, that
they will rule the poor man rs with n
rod of iron. The landless man Of the
South has learned the lesson Of sub
mission so well that when he is con
fronted by landed proprietor he be
gins to he painfully dcfcrcntial, he is
facilc and dependent. and less man
than if lie stood on Gods acre cover
cd by his own title-deed.


Gentlemen, if we want lasting
peace, if we want TO put down this
rebellion so that it shall stay forever
put down. we must put down its gull
tv cause: we must put down slavery;
We must take away the platform on
which slavery stands-the great Ian
ded estates of the armed rebels of the
South. Strike that platform beneath
their feet, take that land away. and
divide it into homes for the men who
have saved our country. | put that
TO this House as a necessity which
stares us in the face. What, let me
ask YOU, will do with the battlciiclds
of the South? Who owns lhem;--
Who owns the red field of Stone Riv-
cr?-Two or three men own it all
And who are these two or three men?
Rebels every one-one ofthcm man
who once sat in this Chamber, but
who is now leader in the ranks of
the rebel army. Will you let him
come back and reposcss his land:
win you ask his permission, when
you go to visit the grave ofyour dead
son who sleeps in the bosom of that
sacred field? If the principles Of the
gentlemen on the other side he car
ricd out, there is not one ofthe great
battle fields oil the war (savc Gettys-
burg, which lies yonder on this side
of the line) that will not descend to
the sons OF rebels for all time to come
to men whose fathers found a bad
cminenco by fighting against their
country, and who will love their faith
ers Tor affections sake, and love re-
bellion for their fathers sake. God
forbid that we should ever visit those
spots made sacred by the blood ofso
many thousand brave men, and see
our enemies holding the fields and
plowing the graves Of our brethren;
while the sweat of slaves falls on the
sod which ought to be forever sacred
to every American citizen.


The history of opinion and its
changes in the Army is a very inter
estine one. When the war broke ont,
men sprang to arms from all parties
by a common impulse of generous
patriotism, which ! am glad to ack,
nowledge IN the presence Of those in
whose hearts that impulse seems now
to have died.


! remember to have said to friend
when / entered the Army, "You hate
slavery; so do /; but hate disunion
more. Let us drop the slavery Ques.
ton and fight to sustain the Union
When the supremacy of the Govern.
ment has been re established we will
attend to the other question" l said
it in good faith.


said to another, "You love sla
very. Do you love the Union morei
If you do, go with me; we will lei
slavery alone and fight for the Uni
on. When that is saved we will take
up our old quarrel if there is anything
left to quarrel about" " 49,.


started out with that position Ia


ken in good faith, as did thousands
of others of all parties, but the Arm,
soon found, do what it would, tn
y black nhontom met IL ayarvWhere /,