The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1865-04-29
The Demands of Justice.

Is treason q crime in this our day and ma
ton, or does it belong to past age an,
monarchical governments Has the Law
any longer majesty to be vindicateds O
| has justice lost her stern and noble nature
and in place of unsheathing the sword tc
smite crime, does she shrink away and cove
before it? These are questions that in
| trude upon the thoughts of every rejecting
man in this hour when conspirators have
been unarmed and lie bound in chains a
the feet Of an insulted and outraged people
The doctrine of former ages that kings rulet
by Divine right has been exploded in tn,
dawn of republican liberty, and by the teach
lngs OF Christianity, and that other theor,
of government, which predominates on thi.
continent, that the people possess the sover.
elgn power to rule, has been firmly estab
liahed by the sword, in one of the mos
bloody and stupendous wars known to his.
tory
AS between monarchy and republcanism
this theory had been established by the
founding of the government of the United
States; but the great truth that man was
capable OF self government WIS destined
further to be tried by internal foess The
conspiracy against the life Of the great
American Republic sprung from the same
seed that Satan sowcd in the human heart
when he effected the fall of man--prde and
lust of power. These passions were nurtur.
ed by slavery till they had, as they believed,
acquired strength aud greatness sufficient to
attack free government on her throne, and
by Wrestling the sceptre from her hand es.
tablish again government Of classes.
This late shareholders conspiracy was un.
like all Others known to history, for it was
done in the light Of the nineteenth century,
when the ambition of the human race ap.
peared bent on the advancement of ciyiliza.
ton. 1t was planned and managed by men
who had been taught the lessons of republi
can government in the temple of liberty
These men aimed at nothing less than the
humiliation of Popular government, for the
qualification Of the most base and selfish
purpose. They secretly concoctcd the con.
spiraCy, and drawing the sword declared
that they did so with the clear understand
ing that their crime merited death if Their
conspiracy failed, and that the final over.
throw of American liberty, to be superseded
by human bondage as the basis of govern.
ment was their object. Failing to pcrfec,
their dlabolical crime, but succeeding in
sowing the land with misery and woe, arc
these felons to escape the penalty attached
to such monstrous crimes? The heart Of
the nation yet bleeds from the immense
deep wounds which were delivered by thei,
assassin hands. Are the concoctors, the
managers and leading men of this great
bloody crime to escape the penalty which
the violated law DEGREES they shall suffer-
If they are, all law is farce, and treason
word without meaning
The nation mourns for its murdered chief
who has fallen by one of the minions o.
treason. But tho"e who believe that to
hand OF Providence directs the affairs Of
this people, are not dumbfounded by his VIC
lent and sudden assassination. Men in
whose hands are placed the destnies of ma
tons are the instruments of an all.wise
Creator, and when their mission is ended
and they have performed their task-so arc
they removed or rewarded. Abraham Lin
coin, in remembering that he was a man
forgot he was appointed ruler. He failed
unfortunately, to realize that justice had {
higher claim on him than humanity. The
plying tones of the latter drowned the sterr
demands of the former, whose chosen in
strnment he was, and who had claims abov,
all else upon him as the protector and vindi
Gator of justice and law. His more thar
female tenderness of heart gave full ven
and untrammeled will to the conspirators tc
magnify their crimes. The loyal States were
filled with spies and sympathizers who gave
information, encouragement and aid to the
enemies of mankind. And yet they were
permitted to carry on their Eallish work
which directly and indirectly filled with theil
victims thousands of loyal graves. Forty
thousand Union soldiers were penned in the
open air and murdered by the slow torture
OF starvation; and of such is the catalogue
of mis- named mercies on the Union side OF
this four years civil war, made up, in con-
trast to the most savage brutalities on the
side of JEFF Davis and his leaders, who were
encouraged in their enormous crimes by q
mistaken, miscalled and misjudged len
iency.
And when the great power of the Amer.
can people had triumphed with dulled weap-
ons, blunted by false mercy, and justice
demanded that the violated law should be
indicated, and not be left as an empty
boast, word without meaning Abraham,
Lincoln had made up his mind to substitute
the tender humanities of man for the high
and sacred duties of the ruler. AS there is
truth in heaven, so shall there be Justice
done upon earth. The weak and humane
Moses was only permitted to look upon the
Promised Land. The sceptre and sword
we're delivered to Joshua that vengeance
might be executed upon the heathen-not
the vengence of man but that of God. The
Promised Land was laid in blood and ashes,
nor were the princes and rulers of that land
spared when TSanquished. Were they more
wicked than the conspirers against the lib
critics Of the American people?