Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1865-03-22

nal the Jacobm organ of this county
contains the following article, verbatim 1t
iieratim
From the Raftsman's journal, March l5.l
Military Courts.
We are glad to learn that q strong effort has
been made at Washington, to have all Citizens
now under arrest, and being hold BY the mill ta-
ry authorities, turned TO tho civil cour Is for
trial. 1t is our firm conviction, that the III iitnry
courts have no jurisdiction over citizens. While
persons who violate the provisions of the En-
rolment Act, are liable TO summary arrest by
Provost Marshals, yet it is expressly provided
that they shall bo banded over to the custody of
tho United States Marshal, for trial before the
civil courts. Ahd this provision is right. Tho
American people have ever been taught to be-
heve, that when accused of crime, they have
right to be tried by jury of their countrymen,
nnd they can never be brought to look upon any
other mode of trial, however fair or impartial it
may be, with favor We trust the Government
will see the propriety in making the order asked
for. We believe it would bs ..strongthenad by 20
doing, and that the guilty would be as certainly
punished us they are now. There is surely no
necessity for trying citizens before military
courts in States whore no actual hostilies exist.
We rejoice at this. The fact is, zee claim
The credit of i,-and you may call it egot-
ism, or an, thing else you please. We
have been hammering away at our neigh
Dor for moro than four years, earnestly la
boring to instill into him the necessity Of
forsaking his evil habits in showing up
and exposing the objectionable crimes of
TIE men whom he has so blindly follow
ed in pointing out and warning him of
his danger, constantly assuring him that.
without reformation, he was rretrievnhly
lost. We have given him "lre upon line,
and prccept upon preeGpL" Hardened at
heart filed with selfconceit Lind as n
mole with prejudice and meanly subser-
Went to the bidding of his masters, he
was indeed a knotty subject, and turned
deaf ear TO all our admonitions. But, a
constant drop will wear stone" and so,
by dint OF perseverance, the roots of all
the evil influences tha, have 80 long en-
shaved his mind seem to have been sud.
denly reached-and right manfully does
he come out with q full confession a
death bed, or an eleventh-hour confession
it may be; still let us rejoice at his con-
version, for "there is more joy in Heaven
over one sinner bro't to repentance than
there is over ninety -and-nine just persons
made perfect"
But, seriously, and in reality, our neigh.
Dor deserves no credit for taking this po
sition noW. 1t is too late. The mischief
is done. ~he citadel Of our liberties hn'
been sack ed - and he aided in The vaa9aI ,gork
While the vile preparations were going OF
he stood at his post Kissing on the dogs o
war and as often as we would appeal tc
the law, and demand that LAW should no
be disregarded, just as often he would de
nounce US rs "sympathizer with treas
on" as "aiding the enemy" &c. Bu
now, when ii is found that these mon
strous wrongs will not be tolerated, anC
cannot be consummated when they dis
cover that these high crimes have beer
committed by the incompetent agents o
o corrupt administration, without author
ity; when they suddenly discover thai
The heads Of the Government themselves elIm
: 10 be totally gnoraat@ the fact that CITIZEN
,eerc being tried before Military Courts wher
, they see that Governor Curtin has takef
the matter in hand, and is about TO yindi
, cate the rights Of the people, whose per
: sonal liberty he is sworn to protect-it viii
afford them but little credit TO denounc
their own progeny. Democrats have beer
a Systematically treated as if they had NJ
rights which the party now n power wer
: bound 10 respect and even the PLANES
0 provisions of ldloS enacted By themselves hav
y been vantonly disregarded and honest
}, faithful, quiet citizens aroused from thei
= peaceful slumbers at midnight and draG
0 ged before some pimp OF tyranny, theme
o ordered TO some filthy bastile, there cor
l. fined for months, and then perhaps coolly
but with q deviliSh malignity, told tina
there ,oaS no charge against them, and tbs
they were at liberty 10 60 10 their homes
n hundreds Of miles away, at their own e'
: pcnse. Such instances are without nun
;, her, We have had dozens of them in ou
o own county. And after all this it is sal
/ that both President Lincoln and Secrets
ry Stanton were utterly astounded
!, when informed that ''citizens were bein
1t tried before their military courts p
But more than all this: When Dem,
> crat. are assailed in the dead hour of th
d night by drunken mob-their hous,
h fired into and stoned-their lives threa
10 cned, and their families assaulted, and
Court and Jury find the miscreants guilt
VI q prerious pardon is produced when the
a are called up for sentence! The men WI
I'd do these things have much TO answer Tor
0i and right weH they kHot0 il. Hence this pr
tended change of sentiment. Hence til