Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-09
me eos. Of NTIlltary Justice.

NOSb VI - uSthSOs
Some days since, we took occasion to COM
ment upon the delicious luxury the coun-
try now enjoys in the shape Of Military
Commissions. We took for example the
Doubleday Court-Martial In Philadelphia,
although that body OF gentlemen is neither
better nor worse than the other commits
sions that appear to be in session all over
the country. The two great feats OF the
Doubleday Court Martial since the begin
ming of the year have been the trial OF a
Mr.. CoZzens, who was released by the hd-
beas coTp,is of Judge Thompson-a trial that
lasted from February to June 10, period
amounting to about 140 days-and the fur.
tber trial Of man named Neal, an Arsenal
Inspector, which began May %, and is not
vet ended. AS Neal will certainly be re-
leased by the same Judge Thompson on a
similar hd6eds corpus, 1t makes little differ
ence in the interest of military justice"
whether the trial ever eltls or notsg The
only question that can possibly arise in any
Pennsylvania trial Is one of economy. That
State is not under military law. The rebels
have never been nearer Philadelphia than
Gettysburg, whence, for reasons that we
need not explain, they returned to Yir-
ginia. The civil Courts are there. The
Government pays two Judges, a District
Attorney, a. Marshal, a train of deputies
and Grand Jurors. The Government, never
theless, deems it proper to set aside this ma
chiiiery, and keep a Military Commission.
Let us look at this Commission closely, and
see how much it costs. The names Of its
members are as follows: Abner Double
day, Major Generals President; G. G.. Cres-
son, Lieut. Colonel, 73d Pennsylvania Vol
unteers; G.B. Murray, Lieut. Colonel, l9Sth
Pennsylvania Volunteers; Z. b. Stillson,
r
teers; +. S. Reese, Lieut. Colonel, l2Sth
New York Volunteers; Garrick Maliery,
Jr., Lieut. Colonel, Veteran Reserve Corps;
j. ii. Piatt, Major, AID. c.; Jho. A. Foster,
Colonel, l75th New York Volunteers, Judge
Advocate. -,rs,, .-.s... ,.-,,s,,r., ~
In addition to this, Col. Olcott Is an Off
Ger in charge of War Department detective
business, and j. j. McElhone, an officer of
the House OF Representatives, Is reporter at
$40 per day. This, however, is only por-
tion of the Court. The Government allows
to these officers twenty servants, whose
wages it pays, and whose persons it clothes,
as well as thirty-four horses, each horse re-
ceiving II lbs. hay and II lbs. oats per day,
and 100 lbs. straw per month. Asif the of
ticers, servants, photographer and horses,
did not get enough money, the Government
generously allows 81 25 per day to each Of
fcer additional, with an extra 81 % to the
Judge Advocate. In addition TO this furth-
er allowance, the officers are given quarters
and ."r.A Major General has six rooms
and Major four, so that this Court eats,
sleeps, smokes and otherwise lives in forty
so a month being allowed for
the rent OF each room. Our readers must
not suppose that the horses of the Court get |
their oats, hay and straw, and the Generals |
nothing to eat. No, indeed! Ina military
point of view, Major General receives
nineteen rations perday, Colonel eight,
Lieut.. Colonel seven, and a Major six
Whether Major General on court duty
eats three times as much as Major we do
not know, but the Government pays thirty
cents day for each ration, in good, lawful
money.
This makes one branch of expenses. These
"courts" pay each witness So per diem while
in attendance-that is to say, from the day
he is summoned to the day he is dismissed
-as we'll as the actual cost of transporta-
tiOn. 1t pays officers, usbers, detectives
and train of small subordinates, as well
as the rent Of the rooms where the meet |
ings are held. The reader may think that,
this being good pay, the Government must
get vast deal of work out of the nine Off
GERS, twenty servants, one photographer, |
thirty-fou horses and train of subor- |
dinates called ''court'-that they work so |
hard from morning to night that the officers |
and horses can only keep life in them by |
duly eating their rations, hay, oats and |
straw. This is mistake. No beings in |
the world have easier times than the men |
and horses composing this "court." "The
hours of meeting,"o says our Philadelphia |
correspondent, ARE very irregular. The |
general hours are from IL in the morning
to Q in the afternoon. Many days. however,
they are in session but a telo minutes-but |
rarely if ever after 2 O'clock SO that,
taking it at the best, our !" court" sits but
three hours day. And thus it is all the |
country over. For easy work and good |
pay, commend us to the courts of military |
Justice 3D. ..a ragt...p fs..-l
In order that our readers may see in fig |
ures how much the Government pays these |
officers, servants, photographer and horses,
to ''try' man, we will take this case of |
Cozzens-who was "tried" so patiently
and sentenced so effectually by the Depart
ment of War, and released so simmarily by |
a Pennsylvania Judge. The following ia
BILE will show each officers pay and allow !
dnces'F f.tHI 10 IrF. .ls lssG.f I9H ."1u8 |
o.. ..... pa.I,! ."a ..l..I-tI lY,Gl on Major y