Weekly Trinity journal., 1862-04-12

"An Act to deprive traitors and aidcrs of trea-
son of the rights of citizenship in this State for
The coniscation Of the property Of of snch trait
ors, and the surrender of their persons and prop.
erty to the United States, on reGuisition by the
Federal authorities"
This is another " bunoombe. spread eagle"
"sensation" bit of legislation. The present Fed
eral and State laws already provide fully and
amply for the punishment of treason those laws,
now, upon conviction of the ofenoe confiscates
the property of and hangs the traitor. Can any
act our Legislature may pass do mOrcs Much
better pass an Act punishing the proper officers
and courts for not enforcing the present all sufi-
cient law. Besides, the proposed Act, in our
judgment, is unconstitutional if so, when such
rabid men as Henry Ward Beecher weaken on
the " higher law" dogma, [see extracts from his
lecture, on fourth pagel and publicly recommend
strict compliance to the letter of the Constitu-
ton, pronouncing that document the only safe
guard upon which we may hope TO preserve the
Union. we think a California Legislature, howev-
er crazed and fanatica might well afford to
pause, and pay some respect to the organic act
of the Government which it is so rampant in pre-
serving from destruction.
In Section lst of this Act the following words
occur
I" In addition to the penalty prescribed in said
Act Act passed April 10th, 1851 all property
both real and personal, in the State of Calfor-
MIA, claimed by or held in trust for any person or
persons convicted under the provisions of this
Act, or claimed by or held in trust for the heirs
or assigns of such persons, SHALL upon such con-
viction. be coniiscatcd to this State"
There happens to be these words in Art. 8, Sec.
3, of the Constitution of the United States "No
attander Of treason shall work corruption of
blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the
person attainted." Yet this Act proposes 10 rob
innocent children, aud good Union men, perhaps,
who are so unfortunate as to have money in trust
with traitor. We leave to legal hair-splitters
to define what corruption of blood' and L" for
feiture means in this Constitutional clause but
we have our decided opinion.
| The Constitution especially provides, also, in
Art. 6, Amend. Con, that in all criminal prose
cutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of
the state ami district Wherem tho crime shall hare
been committed, which district shall have been
previously asoortaned by law" This Act pro-
vides that when "upon conviction in any Court
of competent jurisdiction in this State the party
be deemed guilty of the crime of treason against
the State of California, as provided in Sec. II of
an Act entitled can Act concerning crimes and
Punishments, passed April l6, 1885," whether
such acts be committed ,cithin or cithout the lin
its of the Safe" According to the Constitution,
there can be no ''Court of competent jurisdiction
in this Sate' to try this matter of treason if it
be cOmmitcd in another Statc-the accused
" shall enjoy the right" to be tried in " the State
and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed"
If there are traitors in our midst, who are
overtly aiding and abetting the present rebellion,
let them be punished as they deserve and if the
present Federal and State laws be enforced, the
strongest Union man in all California will wish
them no harder fate.
SENsATIoN.-Ye Yesterday afternoon. quite q SEN
saton created or b street, in the vicinity of
the st. Nicholas HOTEL hy baby falling from
the upper vcrandah of the hotel into the street,
Many rushed to the rescue, among whom we
counted five bachelors, and one STOPPING down
with look Of anguish and sci2ing the unfortu-
nate child, discovered. evidently to his disap-
pOintmcnt, that il large sized dol-baby
that little girl had dropped over the railing.
He suddenly dropped his prize, and disappeared
around the corner Immediately ely.-.HarYSvHe En-
press.
CIRcuMNAyIGArED THE SrArE-Calvn B. Mo.
Donald has taken charge of the Sierra Cbunty
Ne,cs, new paper printed on the material of
the old Sierra CHi7a Mcdonald has entirely
circumnavigated the newspaper sea of California;
commencing at pownieville, he made pretty
much the circuit of the State in the capacity of
an cditor-Wcavervill Yreka, Marysville, Sac
ramento, San Francisco and Placcrvlle, have all
been entertained and enlightened, praised and
jayhawked,' by his ready, erratic, facile pen.
lie is an oddity, a WONDER genius; understands,
probably, better than any editor in the State, the
condcnsing much into small space, and making
local paper interesting. After much experience,
and many a breeze of puff and many q blast of
anathema, in the newspaper world, for third
time be finds himself back to his original starting
point, the captain of saucy, rakish little craft
the Sierra County .Nt,es. There is an old
adagc which says 4" the third time is The charm"
We hope, Mo, it may prove so in your case, ana
that you are proGtably and safely moored for
many years, o very rose bud in the bosoug of
Forbes
THE VERY LATEST DIsPATCuEs.-Thc Govern.
mcnt has graciously permitted the following
important late dispatches to lie forwarded to the |
Mountain Messenger
REGEL ATrRoCITIGs.-~All Union men at New.
bern were skinned alive, and their skins made
into shoes for the rebel army.
Is a n0nr PIAoE,-Spccials to the New York
papers state that Jeff Davis has not been able to
evacuatc his boots for the past twelve hours.
News FROM CHARLESTON Com. Dupont has
been sholling the Stone Fleet Off Charleston, for
the last As hours. No damage done yet.
EX-GOvERN0R WISE OVER THE B0DY OF HIS
DEAD SoN.--A letter in the Richmond Dispatch
says:
When the steamer arrived at Currituck,