The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-06-08
ra,- The editor Of the Milwaukee, News IS

E43- lie editor OF Tie milwaukee NeW5 II
likely to achieve very unenviable popu'
Iarity in his efforts to defend jeff. Davis
The argument he uses to prove that the
arch rebel and traitor should not be punish.
ed, dsgusts and shames even its own party
friends. We take the following from the
Green Bay Adgocate of last week
THE QUALITY OF TREASON AS AFFECTED By
ITS QUANTITY -rhe Milwaukee NeaoS is ad.
verse to the hanging of jeff. Davis, anc
takes new, and altogether more cheerful
view of the pleasant little pecadillo called
treason. 1t contends that it on y needs mag
nitude to purge it from the odium OF crime
which more properly attaches TO those mis-
cradle devils who only kill two or three
men or so. To avoid any nlisapprehensiou
we copy just what the Meas says:
"While the law against treason is uniform
throughout the world, the world comedies
different character to the crime OF him Who
leads popular revolution from the crime of
private murderer or assassin"
In other words, the contemplate thief
who robs hen roost or clothes line ought
not to be associated for moment with the
high spirited individual who robs a bank.
The Meas goes on to give the reasons for
its position, laying down these great moral
principles"
1.-The Que is crime in behalf Of or in re-
sistance to certain principle of the Govern
ment. The other is a crime originating il
purely depraved, selfish and brutal passions
While the ultimate consequences Of the
former crime are greater, its Inherent per
sonal wiclIedness is esteemed by all past
history to be less"
Or, for instance-Webster killed Park
man on account of trivial annoyance
about a note He ought to have been, and
was, hung. But Booth killed President
Lincoln, not from any personal quarrel, but
according to the Neps ''iu behalf of, or III
resistance to, certain principles of govern
ment" Following this line of argument
Booths name should be nagnifed forever
and his praises sung beside those of Wash
ington, Garibaldi, Kossuth, kosciusko
This is an exceedingly cheerful and airy
view Of the subject, and were it to popularity
prevail would at once elevate the American
name, by doing away with the necessity O
galIows aud prisons. If one wants to en-
Joy the exhilarating pastime Of putting
some cold lead under the vest of ones
neighbor, he has only to assert that his
neighbours politics were obnoxious to him
and can then call upon the world to admire
him for having rid it Of bad man. Thai
would transform from a murderer to pat
riot and were he to follow it up, and shoe
right and left, numbering his victims by
hundreds or thousands lie would rise to the
pinnacle of glory. Really this new reveIa
ton would eliminate crime from the land
and bring us to the very doors of th'
Millennium.
Our own view of jeff Davis crime is very
we'll expressed by that great traitor hinsel
in his speech in the Senate in regard t,
John Browns raid. In demanding til,
hanging of Brown he said
''Who would seek to dull the sword o
! justice in favor OF him whose crime connects
with all that is most abhorrent to humant,
the violation Of every obligation to the SO
cial compact, the laws, the constitu
ton the requirements of public vir
tue aud personal houor ?"