Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-02-12

his country. But the sorest stroke 70 his feelings
is, that this calamity has been brought upon him
by his brethren OF the Navy ia bis absence
behind bis back, without giving him notice or
any chance OF Enthusiastically sir, ain the house
of bis friends" and by those who ought to have
been his friends and that, too, 10 government of
laws Boosting Of its liberty! Why, sir the Vilest
of our citizens cannot be reached IN his person or
property but by regular trial. in which he is infOr
ed of the precise charges against him, the time and
place. when aud where he confront his accusers
and their Witnesses and make his defence. The
slave sir, has his jury of his own choosing -eoun
sci to defend him-process 10 compel the attend
anee of Witnesses and all the privileges of the
greatest nabob in the Land; and if convicted, he
can appeal 20 the Supreme Court and invoke the
highest Judicial power known to our institutions
All this he do and no power prevent il. II
is sacred to US in the person OF poor slave,
the ark of the covenant. And yet sir your nagal
| officers the guardians Of your commerce all over
the oceanAk.e protectors of your coast--yOur SEN
tnels of he sea, be stricken down by the ipse
DIRT of a secret conclave-in the dnk, without a
trial-without a hearing without the right of APP
! pea-in their absence, and left without redress
| And what renders this whole proceeding enormous
and iutoerable is that the hapless victim is not all
lowed the poor consolation OF knowing the ground
upon which, he has been thought unworthy, and de
/ clared incompetent Was il for dIuukVnness, or
for which one of the nameless vices that aflct hu.
manity? Was it for idleness or want Of skill,
| for insuboriination or for physical in6rmity? Or
what is worse than death to man Of honor, was it
! for cOwardice? He cannot ascertain. He is left
| to his Imagination, and the world to its usual
charitabeness. The worst in the absence OF all
! light, is presumed, and the poor officer Is ruined
| aud damned forever in bis reputation. lie goes
down to his grave, but his disgrace is not buried
with him IL survives, and is the only Inheritance
of his children. II is thrown up to them that their
father was cdSLjeredi- that is the popular in
/ all such cases-a term OF disgrace not TO be ex-
| planned away, for there no charge preferred,
and no trial had, and nothing to show why it was
/ done. | envy not the man whose sensibites are
! not shocked at such a proceedng-whO does not
/ feel ashamed and indignant at such an outrage on
the spirit of our Institutions and upon all ideas
OF judicial action. Why, sir no court martial that
ever was held amid the wilds of the West, with all
the rude ideas of border law and military power,
was characterized by such spirit of arbitrary ty-
/ ranny. How like a stroke Of paralysis must the
news have fallen upon the ears of their victims, in
/ the midst of their avOcations, or in their family
/ circles We are reminded of what has been
said and written of the practice in certain Eas-
tern nations where secret espionage is main
timed. A is sized in the bosom Of his
family, and dragged away at midnight, he knows
not whittier wherefore and finds himself at last,
/ Wutu Jne morning udNue, ltblhultu III the waits VI
some damp prison, the route to a distant pc
nal colony, there to languish aud die without know
ing why
This NAV do in despotic cOuntries-but | ask to
/ be shown an instance ia any civilized government,
however despotic, where officers Of the Army or
Navy have been dealt with in this summary, ex>
parte manner. Policy, if not regard for the
rights of others-the interest and efficiency of the
Army and Navy would forbid such procedure.
hos hiYb.t nod
youth to enter service beset with snares like
| this? where unseen eyes are upon him, and secret
/ conclaves to indict his ruin? This is promoting
the e,iciency Of the Navy" with vengeance
The title of this act is wrong, sir. 1t ought to
have been entitled act 80 Cypress aud degrade
the Navy, aud drive every honorable man from its
service" BY such policy, you will either make
the officers slaves or rouse their indignation, and
cause the u to abandon a field in which there is no
honor.
am at some loss to determine from what prece-
dent this new modern court was taken; or whether
L was one OF the numbeTless inventions OF the age
"A child OF progress The sar chamber Op
pressive enough, and has acquired Odious inl-
mortality. But even there, the accused was brought
face to face with his accusers, and allowed 10
defend himself upon known charges. He was al
most sure to be convicted for he was usually pre-
judged; but he had the consolation, as he awaited
his punishment or stood upon the scaffold, that be
had heard the charge, looked the infamous court in
the face, and denied his guilt. That tribunal may
not have been more merciful, but it was certainly
much more courtly aud polite than its successor
And before II the accused bad some ch9nce-heTt
he has none. Even the Roman Catholic Inquisi
ton had its victims before it, and honored him first
with interrogatOres-and if he denied his guilt
or confessed it and refused to renOunce, he sub
jected to the tender mercies OF the thumb screw
irOn-boot other instrument OF torture all for the
benefit of his soul. Aud when his obstinacy re
manned proof against all these devices, the ceremO
MES OF the trial were closed by fire. Here was di.
abolical cruelty, but it practced according to
known system, and not done exparte. Ii is per
haps only in the Republic of Venice, that the rea
prototype OF this new nprovemSnt upon trials i:
to be found. There as here, they act with closed
doors. There as here, no charges were preferred
the accused was not present-totally unaware o
his apsFOaChing fate. His first notice was his seiZ
ure, and the next step was his execution. Nothing
remained to show his guilt or his accusation. AuC
all that the community knew was, that one of IL
members had disappeared. Perhaps some one ha,
seen a mysterious disappearance OF persons throus
the darkness OF the night and heard their stihe
groaus, and that WAS all that wife could know o
the loss of her husband the people OF their cher
ished patron. This tribunal OF ours is not a nativ
production. The soil and climate are not adapte,
t. it Il is an exotic This is the first attempt L
rear it in our midst, and | sure it will be tn
last Ii is perft city welcome to all the honors O
its genealogy, and am glad it has to go back T.
the middle ages to find the head of the family, an
that not among the records OF the Anglo SaxOI
race but amid the dark mysteries OF Italian crue
" and oppression, where seemed TO forget tha
his fellow had any rights at all.
This board has disposed, in different Nays, Of on
hundred and eighty officers, Of various grades
Some were old, some in the prime of life, and som
Young. | will not undertake to say that among thl
large plumber, there were none incompetent. b
possibility they were all incompetent though Il
t not believe il. That is not the question Did thi
i, board know they were incompetent? How cOul
it, by mere one-sded investigation And if
! had known it, vhat right had it TO assume it. viii
out notice and regular trial in open day. It
impossible, sir for the wit OF man to justify such
D proceeding in any aspect OF il. II the board wa
D compelled 20 organize as il did, and TO proceed d
it did by superior authority, then it is not to bllu
, but that superior authority itself But wherev,
the responsibility rests, whether upon the law, upo
the President or bis Secretary, or upon the boar,
- a great outrage has been commit d. that deserve
] tue reproba ion Of this and Of every other fire.
boiy in this country. | have been inclined strk
the Las ITSELF rather than ct the administrators
& it, lest pefchauce Injustice might be done thOs
f who we're only dischaFging an unavoidable dur
IL the law must necessarily be administered in th
Venitsn style, then it ought TO be repealed. Ii tb
e board has constituted itself into an lnqusiuon an
a has acted arbitrarily, leave every honest man
: say what ought 10 he done with il.
= There has been mourning amid all this long pi
= Of displaced and degraded oficers-eomplain hav
4 been heard, bat we have yet heard OF no disal
{ proval Of the action o. the board in she Navy d,
: partment, or at the White House. Silence the mo-
4 profound has en-ued in those quarters. Perhaps
5 is the dumb founded giie Of spectators OF BATH
: field, amid the freshness Of the carnage, after Il
e roar Of the conflict has subsidized We w'il Sc
II Aud am much mistaken IN the pluck OF the repr
l. seutalves OF the people, If Ne do not hear gre
,; deal about this matter yet before il is done.
o But pass from this general view OF the Law an
Il the action Of the Board 10 consider other oijac