Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-31
From the View York Trbuns
An Expensive Luxury.

We Alst our fetosrs WI roau very Particularly
this paragraph from a Philadelphia paper:
TIN DOUBLEDAY CoTRr MARITAL The Cour,
resssembled yesterday. and heard evidence as to
the character 81 William Neal, who has been Oh
trial before that tribunal foe some time. DR..
Wilson Jewell. Henry Bumm, W B. N. Cozzens
and others, testified as 10 The very excellent
character OF tho defendant
The latter gentleman also testified that hr
Neal had been very exact with him In measuring
the tents be furnished. rejecting great many OF
them. and contemporary denied that he ever
rewarded him pecuniArily A large number OF
highly respectable citizens who have for years
known Mr.. Neal as an honorable citizen, were IN
attendance. ready 10 testify 20 bis excellent char
acter. They expressed themselves IS being
conscious Of his honorable scquittal
The Doubleday Court Martial Is one OF
those orna mental relics OF the war, with which
We sre very familiar, aud seems 20 do duty in Phil
adel phia as the unvarying item for fororn local
reporter pen For the last six months, II has
been busy trying two civilians -one Cozzens,
contractor, for the alleged cheating of the Gov
eminent in the quality Of certain tents, and one
Neal, an Inspector at the Philadelphia Arsenal.
for permitting it is said, the contractor TO cheat
the Government CoIzens received about i've
months attention from the Court" he had
two lawyers to defend him, witnesses without
number examined, argument after argument re.
cited until finally the members agreed The de.
| csion was sent TO Washington. and Cozzeps was
arrested BY "order OF the Secretary OF War" So
soon as this was done the two lawyers who bad
been speaking for months before Court
martial quietly went before Judge Thompson OF
the Supreme Court OF Pennsy lvana, and sued
out writ OF hebeas corpus. The Provost Mar
shall refused TO obey the writ, by order OF the
Secretary of War" but as the people OF Penn
sylyania seemed to be OF the same thought as
Judge Thompson and there WAS general feel
| ing that in Pennsy lyania the habeas corpus. IN
civil cases, should not be violated with IMMUNITY
Cozzens was released and sct free by the Judge.
The ak months pslAyer OF lawyers and officers
aud Judge Advocates went for nothing, and Coz
zens is a free man.
In ordinary cases we should think that les.
son OF this kind would be lost The "Dou
bleday Court Martial became a. helpless either
To condemn or praise. protect or punish as any
boys debating society which spends hours in dis
cussing the fate of Jefferson Davis Common
sense would have suggested the assignment OF
the eminent soldier who presdes and hs gallant
colleagues TO some more important duty, and
the abandonment of military courts so far as the
bailiwick OF Mr.. Justice Thompson Is concerned
On the contrary. We fad the same Court" now
busy crying" a man named Neal formerly
holding a small place in the Arsenal What the
Court" will do with Neal We do not know
According to the reporter. number of the wit
nesses expressed themselves conscious of al
honorable acquittsl." But what difference does
it maksf The lawyers may talk for months; the
whole poll list of Philadelphia may swear, and
the court" may hear and determine. but every
sensible person knows that il the Court dare
; put a finger upon the said Neal with intent
TO impgison or punish, these lawyers will have q
writ of habeas corpus from Judge Thompson in
two hours, and Neal will be set at liberty. A.
if to deepen the rare humor of this proceeding
we fud the same Cozzeus who was "uied' fol
five months. nd released not many weeks since
in spite of the order of the Secretary Of War
swearing as a witness and ''eontemptuously' de
Gying all sorts OF charges.
We should like to know just how much il
costs the Government TO keep up this expensiy,
luxury of Court Marshal in the peaceful, law
; governed city of Philadelphia. What do we pa,
for salaries for Communication Of quarters for wit
ness fees, for transportation, for the hundred
other little bills that Government officials know
so well how to charge The republic has bette
work for men so brave as General Doubleda,
than to sit and hear lawyers talking and weav
ers swearing about the shrinking qualities o
duck canvass or the amount Of money pilfereC
e by some needy subordinate in arsenal. VIVA
are Judge Grier aud Judge Cadwalader, ant
: Marshal Milward. and District Attorney Gilpii
) for, with Grand Jury, and deputies, and lraii
OF civil subordlnates, all paid by the nation, i
not tuls very Work Is tue maCnlnery OF Onte'
States justice so untrustworthy in Philadelphia
;, that it canno. punish petty fraudsf Are Judg,
i Cadwallader and jury incompetent TO decide
d the shrinking qualities of duck canvas and th
8 character Of William Neal If this is the csse
o lie. Cadwallador be removed and Doubleday pu
in his place But, as it is otherwise, let the gal
. liant Major General be sent TO Texas along Wit
I Sheridan. and his colleagues allowed to joii
. their regiments or be mustered out of service
4 that they may go on q farm and earn a living b.
; some servceable labor. Just now, we submit
when the Secretary of the Treasury is so shor
n Of money that he issues certificates of indebted
ness to pay claims upon the Governmess, tn
sooner We abolish these expensive Injuries th
hiatt