Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-01-25

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,,, e s - 40:
"Rssolred, That the military committee
be and they ars hereby directed to ascertain
and report 70 this house, y soon = possible
The hd1aeok dtbs16ti3j otttoandof In NJ
Old Capitol and Carroll prisons; when such
persons were respectively arrested and con-
fined, and upon what charges HER ir1bts
were made; whether any Of such persons
arc oBqees e. IT, esn1 nnd have been 49,
fined without trial beyond the time in that
respect 2slQcrihsAby ~, Gh9 ~ rsel-
latiofs N military service and whether
any persons 20 in prison are cop6psd With
out any written charges being made against
them and whether there are any, persons
now in said prison who have not had any
.on. n. Il 'y ssSs e ess
the alleged ean1s efaIfsstrsspeetlvsly ard
that the mid committee BE- and arc hereby
authog41g0 - Suu61 pogUUuSgnd paper"
Subsequently ~ Thad. Stevens assea
TO reconalder ~ 1nsolptipn, lad a o long
and shal6 dGbslSl = 1oti>n} kasl olSa down
by 1886 6es 70 8 - Ipkte cdhi6e of he
debate M. Dlvs, q lIaryiskd, slsda int
the Law suspcnding the writ Of habsas corpus
was too much committed to the dissrnfion
of Ss, 'ss p,;;s;s; T. e.; = esPIsI ~
der Of the Raaesnt. vsyefA military cfHce,
may be hi d SOD timV in 6onflpendbt; Int
when arrcslsd40 st61e sa0asIoz IN ssDuttU
were open, and no rebellion existed, the
names Of such persons arrested must be re-
ported by the secretary Of stats, Or secreta-
~ Of war, to the Circuit or District court;
and after grand jury shall have met. or Il.
ter indictment, the persons. detained shall
be discharged. unless prisoners of war. Mr..
Davis observed that not u few persons I'M
Maryland were confined under circumssan.
ces not waeyuutod b. Law sSd under Illegal
commitments. Mr.. Cox said that men
charged with counterfeiting were held in the
Old Capitol prison, month after month, on
the sole order of the solicitor Of the treasu-
~, without giving them right of trial. lie
asked il there was no remedy for the multi.
fication Of our own laws. "a ".
Mr.. kasson said the time had arrived
when it was due to the people Of this cOun-
try that congress should examine into the
extent Of the power exercised by the secre-
tary Of war, especially when, as he knew,
nm order Of the president to the secretary Of
war for certain thing was met with the re-
ply: ~ shan't do it," and when an expla-
nation was asked, nc was met with the re-
ply: IL don't propose to argue the qucs-
ton; am responsible to the president, and
to him Alone"
SexSrh saisus cAsss Of special hardship
were mentioned, and finally the inquiry was
ordered. When the roofs Of these military
bastiles are lifed of, and their doors and
windows removed, 20 that the secrets Of the
prison houses are made public, the people
Of the United States will wonder and be
amazed at the progress that arbitrary meas
urcs aRd thu personal viii Of those in au-
thority have made against the clear princi-
pies Of right and justice that tndcrlie our
institutions. They will be shocked to know
how law has been dvfisd, and how innocent
men, pleading Cor trial. have languished in
prison, forgotten by those in power, con-
tcmnsd by brutal oficials, or held on the
spacious plea Of military necessity plea
before which liberty itself could he crushed
aud the constitution and laws abrogated by
any bold, bad man. ..aa q. ..0fra
We welcome the temper d;splayed by the
house yesterday, and trust it betakens the
dawn Of a better day. Mr.. Lincoln was 50
splcndidly sustained by the people at the
last election, that he can well afford to frown
upon some Of the methods that have come
in vogue during the last few years. The
people are 50 unanimous and firm in their
support of war measures that no possible
danger Of opposition in the northern states
need be apprehended.
The Tribune correspondent at Washing
ton, in hopeful exultation over the pros
poet Of yesterdays business, writes As fol-
lows
''Ihe election has put US sufficiently out
Of the woods to enable US to begin settling
some accounts that need settling badly
said a distinguished republican leader the
other day. The settling Of the open account
Of habitual disregard, BY the head Of one de-
partulent Of the mandates Of congress, to
furnish information and answer inquiries,
began in the house to-day. Mr.. Kasson, Of
Iowa. made . telling speech. Mr.. Garfield
told of cruel and arbitrary imprisonment
that kindled feeling oil over the hall. Win
ter Davis, Coffroth, 0anson. Cox and others
followetiin earnest demand for reform. That
ball il in motion.
"That ba!v' was started in the indcpen-
dent press some months ago, and it 10 full
time that congress sympathized with the
impulse. The vote taken yesterday shows
that itisne longer ''disloyal" to condemn
arbitrary arrests. Public opinion will soon
stiifen aud grow firm, and ''littls bclls' will
cease to tinkle, and department orders cease
to take the place Of judicial warrants.
SAss the Charleston Mercury:
.'Itis usrve that has carried Sherman ia