Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-05-12

traditions OF military license belonging 10 any hhuoh
or any age. We Of course assume, when such for
NAL aud precise accusations are lodged by such
sponsible authority against officer in the army
Of the United States, that that officer unless he is
lost to all of shame, will be swift to ask for
court Of inquiry to sit in Judgment on these grave
and particular allegations. II, contrary to this
just expectation, Gen. Butler shall rest passive
under these accusations, it viii then become the
imperative duty of the President, unless he too
would seem willingly insensible to the most ordi-
nary considerations of political and military morals,
to order court martial to make inquisition
into the matters alleged by Governor Peirpoint
decent respect for the honor Of the mill
tary service can admit of no other course,
unless immunity from official responsibility for
their acts is awarded to al military officers who
propitiate the favor Of the Administration by
supposed subserviency to the dominant political
sentiment Of the hour. No one supposes that such
allegations could be brought by a. friend Of the
Administration against political opponent of the
Administration, engaged in its military service,
without nsuring his instant suspension from COM,
mand and his arrsignment before court of mill
tary justice, if not what would be more probable)
his instant dismissal from the service. The re-
cent commendable proceedings of the War Depart
ment in ordering the trial of Col Todd, late Pro-
vost Marshal in this city, and in ordering the trial
of Colonel Fish, late Provost Marshal under
General Schenck in Baltimore, for crimes and
abuses which are venial as compared with those
4 d.;
point, afford the assurance that the Admins
tration will be prompt to give the former op-
portunity to vindicate his character from the
odium under which it must rest in the absence of
q judicial exculpation.
And in the mean time Gen. Buffers Provost
Marshal's Court at Norfolk, which, by its illegal
proceedings, is harassing the people of that city
and eating out their substance, should be summa-
rily suppressed, not only for its abuses of power,
a, alleged by Gov Peirpoint but for its nulity in
point of constitutional authority. When similar
tribunal, assuming, under similar circumstances,
to exercise a like stretch of power in the neigh
boring town of Alexandra, was established in that
city during the earlier months of the war, it was
suppressed by order of the President for want of
its Legitimacy as an incident of the military power
in districts where there we're loyal municipal courts
established under the civil authority. And this
act of the President had, we know, the sanction
of the Attorney General of the United States, if
indeed it did not proceed from his instance and
We hope, in a matter Of constitutional and legal
authority the President may still be permitted to
respect the opinions Of the highest law officer of
the Government without being held to impnge
on the Legitimate prerogatives of the War Depart
ment. f# t"aa
If any would know the considerations in virtue
of which we urge the correction of such manifest
abuses, we need only cite the language of Gov.
has made his exposition of Gen. Buffers conduct
in the Department of Virginia and North Carroll
ma. We quote from his letter as follows
The Union papers have been regretng that the Union
for time past has been the decline in North
Carolina 1t s true. The wall Of the oppressed there
under Gen Buffers rule has gone out through the old
North State and hushed the clsmor Of her beryovng
people for the blessings of freedom they expected to enjoy
under the old stars and stripes And these expressions
form the principal staple for the rebel Gov Vance in
his for reelection to perusde the people to be
Ieconcied to JEFF Davis's despotsri.".u .t
=" = Before Ten. Butter Went tnere the Union
buoyant with the hope of seeing their section
settled aud repopaated by the people from the North.
They welcomed Northern men among them. But now
detection dependency, and bitterness where hope
then existed and deep sectional hostility beginning
manifest tself OH it s bitter bitter contemplation,
glorious the Union thus stricken
and wounded In the house Of ts friends My heart sick
sick at the contemplation But there s consolation in
knowing that the abuses only exist in this city and the
district Of Virginia and North Carolina and that you gem
tIemen, form tribunal to whom appeal which is
too high and too pure to refuse adequate relief"
We are quite sure that it can be hardly less
sickening for topubsh for our readers to know
the existence Of such accusations against an officer
holding high military command under Govern
ment than for Gov. Peirpoint to make them on his
official and personal responsibility. But when
they are thus publicly made by political adhe-
rent of the Administration, who, we ask, is the
true friend, we will not say of the Union, but of
the Administration itself-the man that would
have the truth of the charges inquired into the
man that would have them ignored by favor of the
Exeoutive2 To our minds this is not question
of men or Of political favoritism. 1t is question
whether the American people, expending their
blood and treasure with prodigality unexampled
in the history Of the world, shall be allowed to
ccive due return for their gigantic sacrifices.
/ Al - 49, roopIa will ho IN ra