New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-07-15
MILITARY DEsPOTIr-,.

The n. Y. Times in one column arraiens the
British Tory journals as reluctantly admitting
that the American War is ended, and in the
next pleads, in defense of Secretary Slantons
recent interdict of the rcopening Of Fords
theater, that
1T docs stand on record that TIE TRIBUNE las
resisted nearly every vigorous proceeding which the
Government las deemed essential to the prosecution oil
the war and tue suppression Of the Rebellion
Leaving the truth of this averment to be
Judged by others, We will consider at present is
relevancy. Are the Tory journals aforesaid
wrong i'll reluctantly admitting that the
American War is ended2" In any case, what
relation have such rigorous proceedings" as
the Military seizure and coniiscation OF Il lot of
photographs of our dead President, or an order
from the War Department forbidding Mr.. Ford's
reOpening OF his theatcr, to ''the prosecution OF
the War and the suppression Of the Rebellion ?"
If these and kindred edic,s from the War Office
are indeed Essential to the success OF our
struggle Tor National existencc-if they are
really believed and can be made to appear prob
ably essential to that great end-thcn we
Withdraw our protest and admit that The Times
has made on, some sort Of case for its,client.
But if they he palpably not thus " essential
if they have maniicstly no relation TO or bear
ng on our National resistance to armed and
menacng treason-then we insist that they are
not rigorous" in any proper SENSE, but purely
and markedly dcspotc usurpations, and rs such
/ to be reprobated by every advocate OF republic
can liberty under constitutions and laws And,
until TIE Times shows how and why these and
/ kindred acts of Secretary StantonGre essential
/ to our National preservation, IL only evadcs the
main question and seeks to dclude instead Of en-
tightening lis readers.
Ii the War be really and wholly ended then
the rule of Civil Law should be everywhere re-
stored at once. If it be ended 50 far only as
the loyal States are concerned, then we should
have old-iashioned Civil Government and a
restoration of Habeas Corpus to that extent.
But let these come when they may, we ought
to be very careful that Martial Law and Mill
tary Necessity are not made pretexts for u %
less acts of tyranny which tend 10 deba-c Tie
spirit Of Liberty. to habtuate the public mind
to despotic, unrepublican rule, and to weaken
among TIE loyal their natural, Wholesome
jealousy of the rule of the sword. AL History
shows that il is much easier TO break down this
jealousy than TO revive it-that despotic power,
unresisted tends ever to bolder and still holder
assumptions. As we write, our eye falls on the
following paragraph
ALI TIE FARO BANKS 10 " BROKEN uP-PR0MT
Action OF TIE MILF lK4.-Llst week, lIeut-tTch
Grant issued general order TO the various department
cOinuandcrs authorizing them 90 blcoh up an be Jd0
hanks az he Tnfffd Suite. Niai0r.Gcr. Palmer acting
under this authority appointed Saturday night for
grand raid al tue faro banks IN hentuCky Every
bank in Louisville closed up and their stocks con
fscated Most Of the men engaged "a thrn cor ~ind
Of tie movement and left the city. one at Frankfort ~os
soizel and the kcrpcr and dealer arrested All others
in the State have been shut This descent on the
eamblinghouscs is IN the interest of Che soldiers who
have been sWindd out Of thousands Oi dollars aud eit
penniess by them
of course. we do not believe that Gen.
Grant has issued any such order, since we know
him to be an officer Of eminent common sense
and discretion yet the above appears in the
news columns Of yirulent Opposition journal
The Ne,cs) without a word Of comment and
as though il were an order to muster out certain
itEilltllto VI Npiulllttln Nh"n' N'i't''H N'.' Nv
longer required. But wha, an order that would
be and what state OF Law and Government
it would indicates
"FarO-banks' are doubtless pestilent, and
gamblers a bad lot altogether. We heartily
wish every kind'of gambling were legally sup
pressed, and every backleg sentenced to work
in the deepest mines Of Nevada or Colorado for
terms Of two TO ten years each, according TO
their grades of rascaity-their greenness or
harlihood in their vocation OF fleeing the sim
pie. But gamblers are men ana citizens; they
have till legally convicted, the rights Of men
and citizens; they can be rightiully arraigncd
and punished for their iniquities only in accord
ance with law. In districts where hOstilities
are still prevalent or apprchended-in districts
still necessarily under Military rule and regi-
men--such an order as is above asserted may be
iustifiable but an order from Gen. Grant to
"break up all tic farO-banks "a the United Suites
would be rather too steep. He might as well
order every seducer and libertine arrested and
given their choice to serve five years as pryates in
our Regular Army or be immuredindefnitelyin
a military prison at the Tortugas.
is not all this too plain TO need further
illustration and enforcement And is not
even proyaIieatng, Sogldstieal defense ci Sec