Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-09-12
SHALL THEY BE pUNIsHEpi


SHALL THEY BE PUNIsHEDi
The leaders and instgators of crime, are
justly considered more guilty and deserving
of punishment than the simple minded and
unthinking masses who are drawn into their
meshes and made to participate in their guilt
And so it should be, for one educated and
specially artful and gifted man, will exert
more influence, and, if bad man, stir up
more mischief andinstigate greater amount
of crime, than fifty ordinary men.
In fact it is difficult to estimate the extent
of the influence such men possess, in sowing
the seeds of evil and in setting on foot those
causes that sooner or later eliminate in crime,
and sometimes produce the most wide-spre
and disastrous results
The scripture rule is "To whom much is
given, of him shall be much required, " and
everywhere throughout the Word of God,
men are held responsible according to their
talents and influence, and not only this, but
for the influence they might exert-the evil
they could prevent and the good they should
do. Such ought to be the rule, and in theory
is the rule, in secularaifairs, among christian
nations. But in practice, how few regard it
how seldom is it enforced
| In fact as has been well said-"Men shove
by Justice" That is, they not only shove
past Justice, but shove by the aid of Justice,
so-called. Thus not only eyading trial for
their crimes at the bar before which they
ought to be arraigned, but seizing and max
ing use of the machinery of government and
the courts, to further their base, and selfsf
pSGid not the Great Dranlatist understand
human nature in all its windings and wick
edness And did he not describe as
with prophetic certainty, the men with
which our nation is now dealing? He could
not have drawn better likeness, had these
very traitors sat for the picture Is not this
perverson of justice, the very danger that
most threatens us at the present momentY
Are not the rebels everywhere, either se
cretly or openly, laboring to seize the reint
OF government, that they may use its power
TO further those schemes and principles which
they have failed to establish by force of arms
Are they not cherishing the secret hope thai
when the rebellious States shall be fully re-
~ fSHNi1 tiN AtduGIs VI tut present
conspiracy placed in office, and the resources
OF the South again replenshed, while the
United States are burdened with heavy
debt, and heartily sick of war, at some
favored moment, they may rise in arms, and
succeed in establishing their independence,
That they cherish the former intention.
namely gaining power to further their dan.
h.. .s,I..
means, there can be no doubt We know il
from personal observation. We have heard
their purposes avowed frequently, but conf
dentially, both before and since the death Of
Dir Lincoln, and The Inauguration of Pres
dent johnson.
They may not attempt revolution
oy iorce OF arms for the present. Blu
that they cherish the secret desire of S,
doing, and not only hope that the fit oppor
tunity may occur, but would instantly seiz,
it, if there were reasonable prospect O
success there can be no doubt.
They need TO be watched, and for III,
, present governed by the strong arm of III,
, military power, and most of all, they need /,
be punished according to their guilt. Thi
being the case, the penalty for the leader
must be severe one indeed
But how shall we estimate the criminalit,
and adequately punish such men as Toombs
who said they must engineer Georgia out o
the Union, because she would not 90 with
out, and who has been one of the worst an,
foremost of the Rebel leaders throughout TN
war? Of Slidell and Benjamin, who ais,
/ apo o,in
tried to engineer the Confederacy as well
they knew how, especially in its most iniuui
tous schemes? OF John A. Gilmer. VIII,
professed to oppose secession till it was likel,
TO succeed, and then turned to, and belpe,
: it with all his might, outstripping the mos
rabid secessionist in his zeal for the prea
conspiracy OF George d. Prentiss who ha
alternately fought and sustained the Unior
, and the Confederacy, and thus substantial,
aided the rebels with his brilliant pen an,
influential Journal Of Robert E. Lee VIII,
staid with the Union and General Scott unit
he had gained all our civil and military-se
crets, and was offered Major General
commission by Virginia, in place of Col
onelcy in the Union army, and who has eve
since persisted in fighting the Union in IN,
field, and slandering it with his pen-wb,
has been the right arm of the rebel militar,
strength, and the 'power behind the throne'
in civil affairs,-without whom, we doub
if the war could have been maintained
single year? Of JEFF. Davis the arch traitor
and leader of traitors-the ''headand front q
the offending" andthe life and soul of the con
spiracy? The man who didhis utmost to ge
up the rebellion and crush the Cnion-wh,
staid in the o S. Senate till he could do NOR,
mischief by leaving it, and stepping from
Washington into the office of President o
the sham Confederacy at Montgomery-th,
man who with General Lee, could hay,
stopped the war at any time had he sait
the w0rdS Either Of them, by sE0k,