The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-06-12
FORGIVENESS.
A Speech by Gerritt Smith
Disposal of Rebel Leaders.
Large A.seinbIage in the Cooper In-
stitute. New York.
From the New York Times of the 9th.

From the New York Times of the 9th
The announcement that Gerritt Smitl
would lecture sn the following subject
That the Government has neither tht
legal or moral right 6" trs The rebels, aud
that the way 10 a sure and enduring
peace lies not through perfidy and ven
geance, bnt through justice and law,
attracted large audience to Cooper In
stitute last evening All of the seats
were occupied by an intelligent and or
derly asseinhlage
Mr. Smith was loudly applauded on
| coming forward. He said that III pun
| ishing the rebels, the government vouid
commit the meanest crime of the age. -
| In opposing the punishment of rebels,
| however, he had no reference to those
concerned in the assassination ct the
President Let them suffer for their in
| famous and heinOus crime. He meant
| that the Southern people should not be
punished for the crime of rebellion. Not,
however. becanse they have not suffered
y
North requires that they should not be
punished He did not say that the South
has not been guilty of treason, for she
has been guilty of il. He would not
punish her, because we had agreed not 70
punish her. We had agreed t"-conduct
the war according 10 the laws of war,
therefore we should not punish them rs
traitors. We had followed the lead Of
the nations. and treated them ~ helljg
erents. Instead Of furnishing them As
traitors during the progress of the war,
we had treated them as prisoners From
time to time we had exchanged prisoners,
and there had been flags of truce for the
burial of the dead and other purposes =
There had also been formal and informal
negotiation for the restoration Of peace
At one time we had acknowledged the
South as a dc facto government, having
selected onr President and Secretary OF
State as commissioners. (Applause -
We had even honOrel the South by going
more than half way to meet them Re
newed applause ] Onr blockading South
ern ports shows that we agreed with the
enemy to conduct the war according 70
the rules of war. We also virtually
agreed to treat prisoners as prisoners OF
war. The lecturer then read passages
from Vattel, Hallam, and other authori-
ties, to support his position. Mr.. Smith
said that the South broke from the ma
ton, and became de factO government
as much as ours Neither acknowledged
the power of the other. Odr government
was governed by the same laws az il
would have been in war with Mexico
tis. IS r we cannUI rise superior 10 the
writings of that day We ought to take
the high grounds of IIallam, who con
demned the execution of Charles l. Ma
caulay also denounced the execution OF
that monarch The speaker continued
and said that ours was war between
two nations When a nation breaks into
two parts, the belligerents on each side
hecome TOO numerous to be treated as
rebels. With Edmund Burke, he would
not know how to frame an indictment
against whole people. The rebels We're
too numerous to treat as anything put
as prisoners of war Onr position would
not be relieved by saying that the victor
need not punish all, but punish the few
and pardon the MANY. The next worst
thing to being punished for treason IS
being forgiven for piracy and treason =
GApplause. Such thing would he
= blot on all mankind, and he, the
sneaker, was entirely unwilling that
it should 90 down to all future ages
that millions of his ceuntrymen
we're forgiven for treason. Another
reason why the war should be carried
on according to the laws OF war was
that where large masses OF men take a
conscientious belief in the righteousness
of such steps. [Applause.l A third r'A-
SON why the war should be carried IN
according to the laws of war, was that
there was thousands of our best citizens
who refused to go into war oi savage
strife, but were willing to entet into the
| struggle, ifunder the humaue provisions
| of the laws of war If the government
| had refused to let the war he carried on
according to the laws Of war, we wonid
| have lost our government and our nag
| The people of the North were too civil
| ized TO 90 into war under black dag
| while the South would more Willingly
| have entered into such contest auu
| emerged from the ordeal triumphantly
Another reason why we should not pun
| ish our enemies was that there has been
enough of suffering by the defeated par.
ty. without additional punishment
| IApplauss and Kisses. Al the close "l
| such a war, the voice of compassion
should prevail God speaks to the de
stroying sangel, as be spoke IN behalf
of the Jews: Stay vour hand-it is
enough" II is held i'll some quarters
that In the intermediate stages ot the
| civil war we might be governed hy the
laws of war, and at the incipient and
closing stages we onght not to he gov
erned by those laws. This is ground
less distinction The argument to ex
change prisoners should ac rytrospee
tively as we'll as prospectively. IL should
include all captured before and auose
ouently. The speaker than referred to
| Order No. 100, issued ia .l563. and said
that it was unworthy Of an honorable
government to make exceptions :" the
rules of war, because NJ provisions con
tanned in the proclamation of amnesty
| 4 proclamation of amnesty Is proper II
a revolt, but has right to place ~
| civil or international war Although 1t
might appear to be an nnw"rrente'
| and arrogant assumption on his part g.
be alone, be must speak his mind Aut
vet he thanked God he was not alone -
he continued and said that Prpclama
ton of amnesty is al er part dneu
ment, and can have no effect 70 modify
an agreement entered into b. tw" par