The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-06-14
LEGAL Condition Of Paroled Rebels.

huo" ~" Puio's
been acknowledged BY the Government
as belligcreuts, can be tried in the civil
courts for the crime of treason. Some
contending that in such cases all that
can be done with them is to regard and
trea. them as aliens and foreigners, pos.
scssing no rights Of citizenship in this
country. -.
We end very able, and to our mind
very conclusive, argument, on this
subject, in the Cincinnati Gazette. The
editor after very lucid discussion of.all
the preliminary questions to this sub.
jcct, sums up his argument as follows:
The question before US is-if VIC had
legal notice of pea:s, what is the legal
status of the rebels? In considering
this question, VIC may premise that, from
the first hour Of the war to the present
day, there has been large body Of
men, (uot all Of one party,) whose lead
ing idea was to restore the rebels to their
status before the war, without punish.
ment, either in political position, pro-
per,y or person. This the! called a
constitutional compromise - couserva.
characterization. If slavery was half
destroyed, keep the other half; if the
rebels would make peace, say nothing
about seccssion-leavc it in ibcyance il
John Morgan, Mosby, Forrest & Co. lay
down their arms, leave them in posses
sion Of their estatcs-rcceivc them into
polite society, and by no means reduce
them to the level Of poor "mudsills. -
a '" mudsill" is 4 man whom these belt.
ed and kniShtcd sons Of clivalry have a
natural right to run over md kick about
as they please. So, too, in regard to
those accomplished sons Of chivalry
whom Johnston has surrcndercd-Beau.
regard, uardcc, llokc 4 Co. Why
should they be deprived Of citizenship,
and their property confscatel, when
they have done nothing worse than rob
and murder their fellow citizens? These
gentlemen thought, when they contrivcd
the Convention with Sherman, that they
would accomplish this result. We ex.
,t hsIo ,,I,. % %os.'"s ""eu W. ,"' ,"a ".an 49,
vnt;sn' y "c1o " oono;,;a,inn S; ' ,na s;";Iar
.tng ,,oon o.a',,I'' ",;%"' ~" a., "'" un ah"ii
not h"ro ao,';Jas '' ,hn .;'S', | ~ III,
;dn, hrt - ] ,,,r,' =. " VI, ~ ~ h.I,'" :, ,,a,.
ho snn,,, a| -, ~ W, w. .,." "". " " ~" "" ~
~ '""'
l. "hen inc luriSdie'!on OF inc Ia"
mar'.a' u q, IL ccaseS' Inc clSil Ia" returns 10
'"'' 'ofee ana inc law martiai cannot
GAe"'c u"y "'ao from perSohai Crimes
IT, excuses S man IRON K!i!!pS , 0iMers 10
V"'',.' ~', iy wv NV ''o", P'N",o ~, c,,i,,
"'' F'o" u'"s's'"UN '"'> IVY
""en hc ran u"ay 'rom '"c su'ne"ut''
because he was 10 be arrested Tor the
murder OF a Union soldier. :. ,
=. NO military convention OF any KIND
can excuse personal crimes, or refer back
to any thing previous to the actual war,
or continue one day beyond the cessn.
ton Of the war. The rebel soldiers have
been paro!cd to return to their homes,
and be. unmolcstcd while the war or ez'
change continues. IT. IS not necessary
to inquire whether the paro!o ''Sc't IS
legal. 1t Is enough TO say 1t cnd' tue
day the war ends. Each man IS. men,
exactly in the condition Of any c'vlI'an'
who has committed acts of treason. NO
General whatever has any power beyond
the eoud'tlon OF war the state o' MS own
army ana lis relation 10 the opposing
army, NO matter what convention may
nave T%'" T mauc, '"tre 1t cous.
c,' 49, nc oons''u,ion o, inc oh''eu
,L"' e. .sS rN'r""S o,Vr 'n"'F'"""S; ~nerc'e'
erumsn,s , ""; "n''";i 'pItse"ee 10 "'a!v SoH
i,ary conventions and all laws in Dur.
suancc of the Constitution extend over
individuals, and arc valid till repealed
by the power which made them.
4. 1t follows that on tho return Of
peace, BeauregarHi1Co. are precisely
in the condition o& " ". Of TENNESSEE,
(for whom rev; r., oiiercd.) j. p
Benjamin, or a"y other civil traitor. II
they actually have committed treason
against the United States their leyal stu
tbs is that Of traitors, liable to convic.
tion and punishment.
S. Whether they will be hung as