New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-05-13

Government will certainly receive them wIn increuuh
and derisiOn and there II question that under Ill
the circumstances II wOnld be dlficult 10 imagine
position more humiating and embarraeng than thai
IN which the Government will stand ~ shouiu apPei
that those charges were lightly or fIvolously made
Nothing nil prevent hopsrer the spread 81 such pre-
sumption ,Jcept the productions IN Htn court o. me CO.
denoe phich hey based and as slomsson 20 Me
scrutiny Of the prisoners counsel ana o. me phone az
large Those who atter themselves that public opinion
either at home or abroad, will be much Influenced Dy
version Of il which has been edited and expurgated p
the Judge must hi. eamnrs NAV
be- 10 attach any value TO revelations made under con
ditions in which every rule OF evidence Ia set a nausn.
and even the experience OF everyday lie trea'cd wiz"
What makes the matter all the is. that on tc
very dav on Which this tribunal begins s proceeoihgs
the state Of things which alone could JUSTIFY H. =, an
thing could Justify it, had been formally declared al an
end by proclamation under the Presidents hand anu
seal Foreign powers were warned that the war was
the very moment that tribunal was ha,
bling for whose constitution and procedure nothing Dut
overwhelming and imminent danger 10 ne na'iohhI ~.
stence would be sufficient warrant. VIII they reai!
heeve that peace has been restored when most afro
ons crime has To be tried ana punished by military
court sitting IA secret in the national capital ana IN
country in which all secret things and above ALL secret
trials have always been held In abhorrencef
Now contrast with the above the following
from The Times's very next issue-that OF yester-
day-and see if our dexterous contemporary
and turning its own positions:
1--WE have not gone through the war Of the last four
wears without learning fully that extraordinary dangers
demand extraordinary remedies The Government mas
over and again bcon compelled 10 resort 70 snch
remedies often IN the face OF whlrwmd oi pubic ~,
dgnation and sometimes when even its political irchds
were afraid or unwilling 10 ndorse its action But the
Nation Endorsed il and the result yndicates H. Inc
Government has noby and abundantly proved its ute
to the confidence of the People II mas carried inc
Tho mn
ever saw and amid Ierils which the most ier'ih
Imagination could not foIeSee IL mas saved tno ipcl
ties of the nation from the open war waged upon them
by acts and measures which the nation mas saNconcu
as demanded by The emergency. A.,
/ 1--WE deem 1t only Just that this confidence, which
lhey have thus far largely enjoyed and 50 fully vindi
ated should be extended TO them III the new ana more
lawful emergency so suddenly thrust upon them we
believe that the motives of their acts are AS pure anu
patriotic now as they then And the idea that the
course they have taken proceeds from any diseHu VI
the ereat PRINCIPLES cf evil liberty. from any pur-
pose TO subyert those principles is one which no parrot
has n right to indulge. -,
1t must be borne in mind that the public Is not pos
sessed Of the facts essential 10 just opinion on TINS
subject. The Government believes that President
Lincoln was murdered in pursuance OF widespread
conspiracy In the interest Of the Rebellion III asserts
brogh lis authorized and recognized channels that II
has eridenoe 10 sustain this opinion. and that due
regard for justice requires that this evidence sha nor
vel be made public IL certainly Is 10 excessive srhn
Inpou public ufdence that we should be asked ana OK
pected to accept this assurance os prompted solely ny
regard for the public good and Us based On iacs WHICH
the future VIII disclose. 49,,
{" The pnbie anxiety 10 read the evidence In these
cases perfectly natural; but il should not lead US int
hasty distrust aud denunciaon OF tie public Officers
who have hitherto Doby proved their ciaiui 10 the con
I1donce and gratitude OF the nation
Whether the Government has carried the
Nation or the Nation has carried the Govern
ment through our late trials is question to be
Ipondered: let us assume that each has acted
well its part, and that neither should hence
Iforth distrust the other. Which, then, is i
that eyinces unworthy and uatimely lack o
faith, in the matter of these .star-chamber trials
Let The Tunes OF Thursday supply the answer
The Times in one breath asserts above tina
the ToyerDInent has carried the countr!
Through the most gigantic rebellion the worl'
= ever saw" and has "saved the liberties OF th
,INation;" while in the next We are told Of TIL
II new and moro awful emergency" create,
7 by President Lincoln's assassination. But VI
Iappeal from this flight OF imagination to Presi
Fl dent Johnsons proclamatons with regard 4
the restoration of trade with the lately revolte'
districts, to the treatment Of our National yes
selS and of Confederate corsairs in foreign ports
to the abolition of passports, &c, &c. If th'
Rebellion is not virtually suppressed, thes'
Iproclamations are mprudent and unjustifiable
Hit is practically crushed then there can be NJ
further need-consequently, nojustiication-o
IStar.chamber trials. Aud it emncn,g behooye
the Government and its friends TO reiute thu
ICopperhead charges that each act OF excep
ItidNal Executive yigor throughout the last fou
years was wanton and unjustifable-a needless
Iusurpation, intended TO accustom and to recon
! Gle he People to regime of dcspotism init
ated in War to be pepetuated in Pea,.H' I'M
is not true; and We deplore as National lniS
fortune every act or utteranee calculated 70
render it plausible.
l Let US merely add that there is no undue
eagerness to "read the evidence in these cases.
The public can well afford to wait for this, and
,ciH wait uncomplainingly. It's not half so i'm
pOrtant that the Government should be prompt
as that it should be right. And if there is evil
| dence to be aflduced that ought not now to be
made public, the time-honored institution OF "a
Grand Jury affords the fittest and safest instru-
mentality for eliciting it.