Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-05-16

the abstract. the greater share OF the people. OF
al parties, We are convinced. believe that the
beat policy, with q view TO our future well being,
IL pacidcation aud mutual orgetfuluess-rel.ase
from force and return to Law.
By some Of our republican contemporaries the
example has been presented to the new admins
trRtion. of Roman emperors and consuls, who
signalized their accession TO Office by acts Of
clemency-granting pardons 10 convicted crimi.
mails. IL would be better for q new American
administration 10 do this, than 20 render itself
notorious by increased severity. But the parties
Of whom We speak are not in the eve Of the law,
convicted criminals. and their claims are differ
eht, and stand upon higher ground than that OF
Roman lawyers or peculators. They do not
at least We do not in their behalf-ask for them
pardon. but simply trial. trial by constitutional
tribunals, according TO legal forms. 1t is not
asking much, 10 plead that q man who stands in
danger Of his life should be tried before he ia
executed. II viii be difficult for one to state
wherein law, or government, or society will be
Imperfect by permitting jury TO pass upon the
question OF his guilt before the man is sent to
the gallows Ii is not mercv Of which we are
the advocates, but justice: that justice which
none deny without doing themselves greater
injury than they can infiet upon their victims.
We have said. in other articles, all We intend
10 say upon the legality of the tribunal which
passed sentence upon the parties in question.
There IS this further consideration to which we
beg leave TO refer. These msn were not only
not found guilty of any crime known TO the law.
but they were not charged with any. The charge
was of a design to commit crime; design which,
even X entertained, was never carried into exc
cution. There Was not only no proof Of prepar-
alton to commit any crime, but no distinct proof
as to what particular crime was contemplated.
In plain terms. that for which they are now in
peril. is suspicion of some scheme against the
government: some one of several schemes, which
were indicated by loose expressions of their own.
or nstigated by those set as SPIES upon their con-
duct.
We see the dilemma in which the party in pow
er has placed itself, and which almost compels it
70 consnmmate one crime by committing
another The most aborious efforts had been
made to cast the country into a proxysm OF ter
ror, BY the intelligence that vast conspiraces had
been discovered to overthrow the administration
and forcibly revolutionize the government.
After enjoying the benefit Of this terror, at the
presidential election, il becomes incumbent upon
the party. for its own sake, to prove somebody
| guilty of something that resembled conspiracy
Of a plot which, according to tales industriously
spread. numbered its thousands, after months OF
| nvestig CATION, and hundreds of witnesses the re-
suit is four; of plot which, according TO the
same veracious testimony. numbered its hun
dreds of thousands the result is three.
Military commissions, aided by a multitude
of spies, instigators and detectives, with a host
| of putative criminals. and whole people for
witnesses, governed by no rules to exclude scan
dal, and with abundant means to encourage ex
aggeration, sitting month after month, with their
processes running all over the land, and with no
limits to their power to arrest. and imprison and
terrify, were not able to find excuse for convict
ing more than seven prisoners. To let these
men go now would seem like confession that
the conspiracy thing of pure fabrication
that the plot was on the other side But will
this be escaped by taking the lives of these? The
| whole world will see that the number of victims
is too small. II there was conspiracy, and
such a conspiracy. the convicts should be mum
bered, not by units or tens, but by hundreds aud
thousands.
The number is greatly too few, or greatly toe
many. 1t was not riots that were charged but
| Dspiracies-conspracles to that which multi.
tudes of confederates needed to execute
conspiracies said to have been discovered on the
very eve of the ignition of the train which was to
carry sudden ruin to the civil institutions oil
eighteen millions of people. Can this mountain
afford to commemorate, in this dreadful way the
fact that after protracted period of labor, il
brought forth a mouse; or will mere act oil
party vengeance serves TO give dignity to that
which by every right standard is so Insignificant
| Cincinnati Inquirer.