, 1863-03-21
iQbifaoo Uribn'rt,
SATURDAY, MARCH Il, 1903

~s}s~SsJ~
SATURDAY, MARCH q, 1903
HAHEAs cORprs AND TRAITORS.
Thieves, felons and culprits Of a}l kinds
always praisc and fight bravely for thcp pro-
visions Of law or constitution behind
which they hope to run and hide when
their crimes arc found out. No man has
such profound sense Of the value Of that
provision, which saysno mai shall be tried
twice for the same offence, MS the guilty
wretch WHO by good luck, or skilIful coun-
sci has just been acquitted. The right to
new trial is glorious boon Of priceless
worth 10 the blood-staincd felon just DOOM
ed to the ga1lows, That no man can be
deprived Of liberty or life but by the yer-
dict Of jury Of lis peers, is brimful Of
consolation and hope to the scared culprit,
who trusts that somehow the twelve men
who try him, OF majority Of them, may
1roveto he as great rascals as himself and
every way his peers. The sacred writ Of
na1eas corpus Is Of untold value to the rebel
and traitor, because it gives him hope Of
escaping just punishment. by delay, by
change Of tribunsl, By mistakes in process,
by numbcrless lodgings and turnings, that
may at last throw pursuing justice off his
track.
It is IN infr1nity in the working Of our
Judicial proceedings, that these and many
other provisions and privileges, which
have been wisely prepared and established
for the protection and security Of weak
ness and innocence against the subtle
craft Of trcachery, or the high handed out
RACES OF force, may be prevented, and sue
ccsstully used to shield crime against pun
ishment, and battle justice that would visit
on treason its terrible doom. And it is to
be remarked, and every day is crowded
with proofs Of the fact, that the men who
fill the air with clamor and outcries Of the
sacredness Of the Constitution, and the in
yiolable right Of the writ Of habsas corpus,
are the men whose hands arc foul uith
reasonable practices, aud whose hearts arc
sinking within them for fear tue laws
may bc enforced, and thor guilt meet its
deserts. Tic men who are heart in hand
in fayor Of pushing on the war and crush
ing thc rebellion, have no fear that the srs-
pension Of the writ Of AaJe4s corpus will
work them any harm. But the men who
sympathize in secret with the rebellion,
who skulk about to give all tho ai,l and
comfort they can to the traitors, and who
SIC working always in the dark to uphold
secession and destroy the Union-:hese
men, filed with fear and the sense Of guilt,
make day and night hideous with their
outcries that the ha1ess corpus may not be
touched, and that no other privilege or right
may be removed, behind which they can
entrench themselves when outraged justice
at last demands her dues.
The Chicago 7im<s, that comes every
= morning like a dog and lcks the sores Of
this fostering rebellion; that bowls pite.
ously over every blow that is given to its
master, this slaveholding treason, is filled
viii, alarm lest tho great palladium Of our
liberties, the ha1eas corpus should be sus-
pended; or lest some other constitutional
immunity be taken away, SO that when
arraigncd it will he unable to find hiding
place, or no means to cheat justice ofits due
All the other aiders and abcttors Of trea-
son, the Woods, Vallandighams, Bier.
ricks, the whole pack, mongrels, ours
and whe1ps Of low degrae, snar1, growl
and bark nj any one who seeks to get all
distractions and Mndranccs out Of the
way, so that justice can strike with unfet,
tered hand, and rebellion cannot escape its
blows.
So long as any measure the Government
adopts in its earnest efforts to crush treason
and save the country, finds its chief oppo
sition either among the Southern rebels, OF
their friends and defenders in the North
we haveth beet possible proof that such
measure is dong its work with rare efflcien.
cy and success. When the Chicngo Time,
groans, loyal men know that the rcbellio,
has met with some disaster; and when
shouts they know that there is danger to TIL
Union. When Copperhcads are alarn,c.
because the ha5xds eorpns is suspended,
is clearly because they feel their OWL neck
arc in danger, and patriotic men may vel
rejoice and be glad. The ss1e object Of til
Aabeas corpus Is not to protect treason; Il,
ellief design Of the Constitution is not t
furnish a safelurking place for Coppcrhcad
or any other rebel yipcrs. When the IL
1eas corpus is thus used it ought to t
suspended; and when the Constitution
thus abused, strong loyal hands will clea
cut the nest Of reptiles, and restore NIL j
original purity and freedom.
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