The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-05-27

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raE CoNsT1rUrsON or rHRj,
UNITED srATRs RLAYED OUT. |,
It vas to b expected that lawyers IN I,
he pursuit Of their vocation, and Literally I
paid for their services, should resort y
svery possible technicality Of Law. every
'ubtsrfuge Of ingenuity and every an Of
10 shield assassins and traitors
from the just penalty Of their crimes
And it is probably not to be wondered At
that editors Who have been engaged for
four years past in villifying the Admins
TRITON and opposing its measures to put
down the rebellion, should now, since the
rebellion has been crushed, prompted By |
their sympathy with the defeated slave.
holders. seek to shield them from tie
punishuent prescribed BY the Cosstitu-
ton aud laws for their treason. Bat We
confess that while We expected resort
to every possible trick of legal ingenuity
by the paid advocates of traitors and as
sassins, and the most earsest appeals Of
policy for mercy to the aocpeed sympa-
thisers, We were not prspafed for the
assertion that the rebels hsd committed
no crime and we're not amsnable to any
punishment. Still, had this position been
confined to Marylanders. who trace their
nativity to Baltimore or to the home of
the assassins and their friends in St.
George and neighboring counties, We
might have accounted fer it on natural
principles OF affection and proclivity.
But BY whomsoever held and by what
soevsr motives prompted the position is
subversive alike of the Government, the
Constitution. the plainest deductions Of
reason and the clearest dictates of mo-
rality.
The position, in brief, is simply this
II citizens of the United States make war
upon the Government in such force rs
constants the Government to make an
open acknowledgment of the fact, then
such citizens are no longer punishable as
traitors. Now, treason is expressly de-
lined ss the act of levying and making
war upon the Government and giving aid
and comfort 10 its enemies; and common
sense teaches that the larger the army
levied and the greater the force with
which the war is waged the more fragrant
and enormous the treason and the more
severe the punishment. Not at all, say
these advocates of traitors, whose sympa-
thetic proclivities override the slight sem.
blance Of common sense with which they
may have hitherto been credited, for il
traitors levy great war against the Gov
eminent which endsngers its existence,
overwhelms the country with debt and
drenches the land in blood and tears, then
they are no longer traitors nor liable to
the penalty Of treason.
The New York World, however hostile
1t may be to the Administration, has NOT
abnegated all chow of reason, as somr
other journals have in their hostiIi,- =
the Government and their CONGO 80,
fate OF traitors. And We ,.o..s :.
sort to It's editorial eolr
inlmical to the ADJ aioistra,;on in .n.ve,
n' Po' Ion of the friends of the rebeI
.-.,tors.
That paper. in response to CORES
pondent who took the position upon which
We have been commenting, says:
The Constitution of the United States
limits the crime of treason TO acts having
some relation to war. "Treason agains
the United States" this is its language
"shall consist only in lsvying war sgains
them, or adhering to their enemies. Civ
ing them aid and comfort" Whethe
Jefferson Davis has levied war against til
United States is q question that does no
admit of argument. Had he been arreste'
within FIVE days after the firing upon For
Sumter, and put on tsial for treason, Their
can be no doubt that he would have bee
legally convicted. Has any thing that hs
since transpired absolved him from th
guilt he had then incurred, aud exempte
him from his liability to punishment ?
On the broad principles of com mon sens
and natural justice, one would say that
il is q crime for citizen to levy VI
against his country, the greatness Of ID
offsnse and extent Of the mischief woul
simply add 10 its enormity. There VI
period when Davis would have been Ii,
BILE for treason, or else there is no poss
bility Of that crime being committed. l,
head and front, according to the Const
tuition, consists in levyiog war again.
the United States; aud it would be curious
indeed, if those who define the crime il
tended that the liability should lapse
the war became so real as to constitu,
what Is technically called Q state Of be-
ligerency.
If Davis has ceased to be liable for Il
treason which he most undoubtedly con
mitted, At what particular point in Il
prcgress OF the var, end BY what partic,
lar enf v~s hn ehn<,iv>d W.. - 1