Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-05-15
Wednesday Morning May IS, 1851,
Treason and Misprison { Treason.


lhc Western District Of nennylyonio, n
littsburgh last week, tock occasion TO di
.cct the attention Of that body TO th'
,r,mcs of Treason and Misprison Of Trca
san. 2nOting the Constitution, he dciin
ol Treason against the United States t
Le "leyyiug war against them, or ojher'
ing to their enemies, girhg them did az.
rymfort" And quoting Judge Belts Of th'
southern District Of New York, he de
lines giving aid and comfort, ITO consis
in furnishing military supplies food, cloth
ing, horbor or coucenlment, or co0smlllita
lg Information 10 hem.
The reader will observe from th
that if our neighbor, the editor Of the
Journal, was arraigned before either o.
,hese judges en- the charge o. TrensoA tr
he Government, and copy Of his paper
sf the first inst, WAS produced, III which
nc announced that there were traitors t.
$ecessionists, in Clearheld-among his
neighbors-his conviction would be almost
certain. We last week said that the pro-
luction of proof that the assertion was
,llse, might save him. That was our i'm
preston. But according to the above
opinions, il would not.
Judge McCandless did not stop here,
'at proceeded to define Misprison OF
treason saying "Misprison Of Treason
B the .concealment OF something that
nught to be revealed Misprison Of TreO-
ron consists in the bare knowledge and
..OnOealnert Of treason, pitLout aSS7aing 10
a." This Interpretation OF the act of
congress of 1890 is very clear the words
.Jf which arc as follows :--"lf any person
.gr persons, having knowledge Of thee
dnission OF any Of the offences aforosail,
hall conceal, and not rs soon as may be.
,isclose, and make known the same TO
he President of the United States, or
,.ome one Of the judges thereof, or to the
President or Governor OF u particular
State, or some one Of the judges or justic,
,.cs the-sof, such person, on conviction,
hail be adjudged guilty of mispriSon of
season, and shall be imprisan sd no. eX-
seding seven years, and fined, not e1Cee>
ling one thousand dollars"
The meaning OF this language admit OF
80 dispute. TO be anenable 20 this Jaw
u is not Necessary that the victim shallbe
himself n traitor. 1t is no matter how
loyal and faithful TO the Government a
man may be, if he is aware Of the traitor.
ous conduct Of others, and "does not, as
BOON as may be, make known the same"
Aeis declared guilty of fMisprison of ofTrerson
How stands our neighbor with regard to
lhis tlawf ToiLelieve his paper, our town
is full of TRAITORS" No place between
this and "a the east has so many "sym-
pathiseIs with secessionists." In his pas
per Of the lst instant he outraged the
community by publishing the following
slander:
SrRAws snow WHICH WAY TIE WINDS BLOT.-
d - Ib Nuul Iulle II suOuS sym
pathisers with the Southern traitors are still in
our midst. II this be so, they should be careful
how they express their sentiments, or be prepar-
ed to takel their abode With their friends, ,ss
the Pennsylvania Legislature at its last session
passed an uc defining treason in this State.
The words at is reported" &c, are
very conveniently used to shift: the res
possibility rom the editors shoulders. =,
Butit will not avail him and until he
furnishes the name of llis reporter" lie
,nust be held responsible as the SANDER
or of his neighbors and subject to prose,
,oution for misprison of treason.
in his last issue, however, lie grows
Snore bold, and makes seof the following
Ian guage:
"'Traitors there arc in our land and wheney.
crwe'hear Of such, whether they are in the North
OF the South, we shall let our readers know who
they are
"0ur land" being rather extensive,
this expression might be deemed indefi-
mite. Bot as this sentence is taken from
a small paragraph in which the editor is
making little personal explanation 20 his
readers, of course it can only have local
application. "Our land includes all the
States, South as we'll as North, and as all
men in the seeded States are secession
lists, of course they are all lraitors-hence
the editor must certainly be speaking
only of his own Immediate nelghborhood.
If he does-apd we are unable to put
any other construction upon his language
we ask, in all candor is net the editor
oOniessediy guilty Of misprison Of treason?
" Traitors" says he, "herc arc IN our land"
This is a positive declaration. and, iftrue,
and the editor declines to disclose and
make itnown the same TO the President {"
&C., he is liable TO prosecution at any time.
He promises TO let his readers know who
they are" 1t is due to this community
that he should do so without delay. He
has no right to cast such imputations up
on any of his fellow citizens. But it is