The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-05-04
What Shall be Done with the Traitors!


throughout the southern portion of our
country is about over. Jeff. Davis with
portion of his bogus government is a fugi-
tive from retributive justice trying to make
his way out of the country, in which by the
way, we hope he will most signally fail.
His capital is in our hands, and is fast be-
ing transformed into busy. busting, loyal
mart of trade. His armies are, one after
another another, falling into our hands,
laying down their arms disbanding and
seeking their long neglected, and in many,
many cases, blighted and destroyed homes.
1t is said that the only rebel army left this
side of the Mississippi is a small remnant
commanded by Dick Taylor. In Texas it
is said quite large army still boasts an
but its leaders are already
treating for terms of surrender The Sec
rotary of War, in view of the fact that the
military power Of the rebellion is effectually
crushed, has already issued an order which
will be found in another place in this paper,
reducing the military establishment of the
Union, to an extent, is said, of 400, 900 men.
The question now arises, what shall we
do with the traitors ? This question is ex-
citing much discussion among speakers
writers and editors. At the first glance it
would seem that there was little chance for
argument-that traitors who have drench-
ed the land in fraternal blood-conspirator
who have plotted the downfall of the Repub-
lie, and carried their plots into execution
so far as in their power lay, and who have
been taken in the act-that due punishment
should be melted out to such crimes and
criminals, would seem at first sight beyond
question or cavil., But these first views of
things--these prima facie cases, must be
taken with extreme caution. Long and la
bored arguments in favor of lenity-of uni
yersal amnesty--of magnanimity and all
that sort of thing are being made; many
of them by undoubted Union me and loyal
men-and able men-whose opinions are
entitled to consideration.
The principal argument in favor Of uni
versal amnesty, and against any punish
ment of the traitors, is based on two antag-
on istic principles-magnanimity and fear.
We are told that we are strong and can af-
ford to be magnanimous-that we ought to
set an example of magnanimity for all the
nations In this latter half of the 10Th centu-
ry-and we are told in the same paragraph
that unless we do show this virtue of mag
nanimity, we will make martyrs of execu-
ted traitors, and SOW the seeds of a new re-
volt in the hearts of the southern people.
Thus our fears are appealed to, to make US
magnanimous. These pIeaders for lenien-
cy seem to forget that fear and magnanimity
cannot by any possibility go together-that
one is virtue while the other; to say the
least, is not-that one is strength while the
other is weakness. 1t is an easy matter
for magnaninmty to degenerate into pusil-
lanimity-and we believe that the latter is
very often taken for the former and that
these mistaken philanthropists who are
pleading for leniency to traitors and parri-
cides, have made that mistake.
All the arguments that we have yet read
have failed to convince us that the leaders
and instigators of this great rebellion ought
not to be punished-the worst of them, at
least, capitally, Although we have tried
hard to find excuse and palliation for their
crimes, sufficient to exempt them, we can
not yet see Why jeff. Davis, Breckenridge,
Wigfall, Toombs, Lee, Johnston, Hardee,
and Bragg, and others perhaps not quite so
prominent, should not expiate their guilt on
the gallows. We believe in magnanimity,
but we believe in having it well mixed
with justice. All this four years of war,
with its terrible sacrifice of life and proper
ty cannot have been brought upon the land
innocently. Either treason is crime and
traitors are criminals deserving of capital
punishment, or else we are criminals, blood
thirsty tyrants and deserve all the other
epithets that have been heaped upon US
by northern sympathizers with rebels
throughout the war. No, we fail to see the
force of the maguanimous arguments We
have tried the magnanimous course for the
last twenty five years but it has brought us
more curses than coppers We have allow
ed the slave power over and over again to
spit in our faces, and then our magnanimity
has as often been appealed to, to let them
rub it in, and we have let them. The slave
power, and the world generally, attributed
it to weakness, and pusillanimity instead of
magnanimity. The consequence was, the
slave power thought it could put hook in
the nose of the free North and lead it any,
where; and the old world thought so too
and hence the alacrity with which belliger-
ent rights were publicly accorded to the
rebels, while the right hand of fellowship
and all material aid possible were more Sc
cretly but not less etfectually furnished. 1t
was not that we were deficient in physical
courage or material power, as we have
abundantly proved, but we did lack the
moral courage. force or energy to exact a
salutary respect for our physical power. 1t
is time to change our tactics We have
proved that the present generation of slave
holders cannot appreciate an exalted de-
gree OF magnanirnity. 1t is virtue that
does not survive the contact with slavery,
and where the, virtue does not exist it is
vain to- look for any appreciation or even
comprehension Of it. five do not punish
Ine leading offenders as they deserve, they
VIII make the great mass of. the southern
people oeheT e it is because we dare not.
IL