The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-05-17
EXECUTIONS.

vengeance. The trial was in
violation of every Constitutional
guaranty for the, protection CT the citi-
zen, and the fair and impartial admin.
istration Of justice. These men were not
in the military service Of the country
the courts Of Indiana were unobstructed
could have had q fair trial before
their peers, and been confronted by their
accusers, and been able to make such a
defense as would have shown that they
had violated no law Of the land. But in
the face Of oil the provisions of the Con-
stitution of the United States in relation
to such cases, they were seized and drag
ged before q military commission had
u ~star-chamber Investigation, without
the ability and legal skill to defend them.
selves, and we're, therefore, doomed to
military and partisan rancor. 1t would
seem that the administration, in the man.
ner in which these men were condemned,
intended, and in fact did, seek an excuse
to fix upon the Democratic party the obi
um Of treason, by attempting to connect
it with an organization of political char
acter, which it had previously denounced
as reasonable and in order to identify
leading men in the country with that Sc.
cret society, and thus commit them to the
most violent language towards the Ad.
ministration and the conduct of the war,
secret agen's, pimps, tools and spies were
induced by the leading Republican au-
thorities in Indiana to join the "so.caued
Sons Of Liberty" aud Immediately take
the lead in said societies, offering resolu.
tions denouncing the Administration, and
by every other means within their power
to decoy leading Democrats to join in
their acts Of incorporate criticism Of the
policy of Mr.. LINCOLN, as was said by
one of their leading men, that "%justice
might be done these damned whelps o.
the Democratic party" Here we find
the Administration agents acting "Petcr
funk" and stool pigeon to iuveigle honest,
but indignant men into these secret or.
CARNATIONS that they might fall into tbeir
power, and that some testimony might be
manufactured that would surely convict
them before a military tribunal /; and
when they had succeeded, they arrested
these men aud dragged them before {
commission that perhaps laid the tolls
for trial and exposure! This pelfidy
alone is enough to fix eternal infamy up
on all engaged in the plot. But if MIL
LIaAN, BowLEs, and HoRsEY we're sup
posed to be guilty of the ofenso will
which they were charged, why not let
the legal tribunal try them? They wet
doomed men, was undeniably the true
reason. If, after a fair trial, according
to the laws and legal forms Of the coun
try, they had been found guilty before
civil tribunal, VIC venture the assertion
that there is not a citizen of the land o.
any party who would have objected tt
the infiction of the proper punishment
for the preparation Of the crime. 1t ap
pears to uS that the whole thing is a con
spiracy to infame the indiscreet of tn,
public at this time, that an excuse 70
bringing soldiers home to quell a state o
public tdrbula7ce, may be found. I'll
we'll known that Gov. BRouaH and bi
party did everything in their power las
year to get up a home instruction
through their spies and secret police, tina
he might wreak MS hate and vepgeanc
upon the leading Democrats Of the Staff
and the party that had once fed and CAV
him all the importance he ever had. ]
ths soldiers are permitted to quietly di'
perse and return home aud mingle wit
the people, the bitterness that has bee
sought to be excited between them an
the Democratic party AL-Lome will b
seen In its true light, and the charge
found to be fallacicus and without h
least foundation in fact. We regret
be compelled to think, that the party
power desire to foment a quarrel with II
: people at homo that the soldiers may |
used. to put it down, and thus forever q
tach them to the fortunes Of the so-cal
led Republican patty, Whether the
surmises are true or not, there is OF
thing we can assert with the utmost &c
: tainty-the Administration will not gu
coed in inHaming the public mind, al
. in getting up an instruction at hom'
neither will it have IN excuse for tur
:. ing the soldiers against their friends
home. All this administration has to
! to bring eternal iufamy upon itself is
continue its arbitrary arrests, trials al
executions before military commissio
! 10 the States not in insurrection, and
Z guaranty IL will recoil from its bloc