, 1865-06-16
NUMBER 27.
senator Trumbplr on Military Courts.

Senator Trumb1l1 on Military Courts.
On the 4th of March, just before the adjourn
ment of the last Congress, quite an animated
discussion took place in the Senate, upon the
subject of military courts A civil appropria-
tion bill was up for consideration, and to tho
bill was attached a clause providing for the tri-
al of political prisoners, by the civil courts, in
place of military tribunals, and to effectually do
away with the military bastile system; but rath-
er than see the bottom thus knocked out of the
"drum head courts the radicals combined and
voted against, and defeated the whole bill. John
Conness, the radical Senator of California, took
an active part in the debate, and was Mortified
at the idea of the civil courts supplanting the
military tribunals Of the country, and took oc-
cason to say that he ''cared nothing for the
Constitution, so that he had country /" To
this Country on the brain" speech, Senator
Trumbul, of Illinois, alluded in the following
cutting manner:
"Now, sir, a word or two and only word or
two, as to the Senator from California, Mr..
Conness, who modestly assumes so much patri-
otism and if patriotism consists in noise and
buster, he certainly is possessed of great
.
and he talks of "croaking," " and talks of ''cow-
ards? and says that he cares nothing for the
Constitution so that be has. g country. l care,
sir for the Constitution and for lfberty and |
think country or life itself scarcely worth haV-
ing without liberty-without liberty regulated
by law But he is bold and brave-yes, sir,
bold and brave-an6 would sink the Govern
ment would vote against all appropriations,
sooner than not have the power to try ma n by
court-martial or a military commission That
great patriot would stand here and vote--vote
against appropriations for the army or anything
else if he could not arrest somebody and try
him in loyal State where the courts are open,
by military commission or court-marta He
says substantially, ~ will rot appropriate to
sustain our soldiers; the rebels may come hess
and tear down the Capitol and destroy the Cow
ernment because l. the Senator from California,
cannot be permitted to have somebodyArrested
no, not arrested, but cannot have somebody
tried by court-martal; and that is his patti.
otsm, that is his love of country And he
says no provost marshal arrested him. Why,
sir those who "crook the pregnant hinges OF
the knee where thrift may follow fawning" are
never arrested. -..
He need not expect to be arrested; oh no, siri
But the liberty he talks of Is the liberty Of the
highwayman. Disregard law How is be any
better than the brigand who meets you at night
and calls upon you to stand and deliver2 No
regard for law; he cares nothing for the Consti-
tuition, so that he has country, and he talks Of
towards and croakers Sir, am not brave
enough, thank God | am not bold enough to
walk up to that stand and lay my hand upon the
words of Eternal Life and promise, calling God
to witness, to maintain the Constitution, and
then say care nothing for It'll | am not bold
enough to make such declaration. l hope /
never may be, Sir, if. nothing else should re-
strain us from treating with contempt the Con-
stitution of the country, the oath we have taken
should restrain us, the appeal we have made to
the Supreme Being should withhold us, from
such declaration. | say that | do care for the
Constitution and for law and liberty and that
am for preserving them all, and the country and
the Union also for it is the Constitution and
liberty that make the Union worth preserving.
Without them Union forced by arbitrary pow
er, Union such as is brought about by the heel
of despotism, is not the Union that am strug-
Cling for. 1t is not the Union that the bravo
soldiers Of the Republic are fighting for They
go forth to battle for the purpose of maintaining
the Government their fathers founded, for the
purpose of maintaining the Constitution under
which they have enjoyed freedom, and handing
it down for the protection of their posterity. 1t
is for this we are fighting, and not simply for
power, or to try man by court-martial or
military commission. ,.... ,.....
have no disposition to prolong this debate.
do not desire the bill to be lost, but have felt
it due to myself, after the remarks made by the
Senator from California, to say thus much. In
the remarks | made at the outset made no al
luson to individual Senators. never attack
my associates; | never make personal assaults
upon anybody l have now simply repelled the
assaults of the mighty and brave Senator from
California.