The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-06-09
The Trial Of General Loo.

The proposition to indict General LEE
for treason and subject him to trial be.
fore the District Court of Virginia, must
excite the indignation of every man who
respects public honesty. 1t is not def.
nitelv known that General LEI is to be
sotried, butt is asserted that he has been
arrested. and various limitations have
been made public, from time to time, to
the effect that he is to be indicted by q
Richmond grand jury and brought to
trial. That sueh a suggestion should be
made and meet the appreciation of any
considerable portion of our people ar
gaes a weakening of the sense of nation
al honor which has heretofore character
lied the American people. and a sad lack
of public and private honesty and good
faith, against which the clergy would do
well to declaim. "Truce-breakers" are
the subject o fthe severest condemnation
in Holy Writ and he who "sweareth to
his own hurt and changeth not" is held
up as the model of a just man.
That the faith Of the Government is
pledged for the protection of General
LEE and his immunity from punishment
for his part in the rebellion is perfectly
obvious in the language of terms OF
surrender. The agreement which was
signed by General GRANT, by the
advice and with the consent OF Pres
ident LINCOLN. expressly declared that
Zach officer and man will be allowed to
return TO their homes. not 10 be disturbed
ig the Emitted STATES authority so long as
they observe their pan oles and obey the
laws in force where they may reside"
We will rest the question with any
man who understands the English Ian
guage aud has a single spark of manly
honor in his breast. Was it not the ill.,
tention AT the time this agreement was
signed that General LEE and the soldiers
Of the army of Northern Virginia should
thereby obtain pardon for their compli-
city in the rebellion2 Did not General
LEE when he accepted these terms I'M
dcrstand that he thereby obtained I'M
muniry from punishment by any court,
civil or military The plain common
sense of the people cannot avoid answer
ing that such was the intention and un-
Outstanding of these terms.
Ii is d~ishonOrable for us as a nation to
b. now peering around to search out
some manner in which we may avoid our
part of the bargain. 1t is disgracetul to
be raising some technical objection or
sjme marrow qnibhle by which these
mau ma he exposed to punishment by
vihdictive courts. We have promised
them pardon. they have complied with
or terms, disbanGed their armies, and
placed themselves, unarmed, in our pow
er. The faith ofthe whole nation isnow
pledged for their protection against any
further disturbance by the United States
authority. The ancient Carthagenians
stand piiloried in eternal shame for
their violations of the most solemn pub
lie engagements, and to this day the
term "Punic faith" is but another name
for treachery and fraud. If those who
a-e now clamoring for the punishment of
General LEE and his associates in the
ar,;., &c cha Iata ral,allinn shnn11 sIr-
coed in the accomplishment of their oh
ject, American faith" will henceforward
be the synonym of all that is base and
dishonorable between nations or men.
1t is said that Judge UNDERWOOD, of
Virginia, has instructed his grand jury
that the ~capitulation of LEES army was
merciy 4 military arrangement, and
forms no bar TO indictments in a civil
court. The truth is that President LIN
COIN, in endorsing the terms of LEES
surrender, pledged his civil authority as
well as the military to the agreement
that these men should not he disturbed
b. the United States authority so long
as they kept their parole and obeyed the
laws" There is no way of getting
around it without loss 0fhonor. If these
former rebels were tenfold more guilty
and worthy of punishment than they are,
still our word is given to them and relied
upon by them, and they are safe. We
will merit aud receive the execration OF
the civilized world if We now violate oul
engagement and subject General LEE. OF
any of those persons who were paroled
upon the same terms with him, to any
punishment whatever,
The Era OF Good Feeling.