The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-05-25
Can't Give him Up.


of copperhead Democracy in this State enters
plea against the punishment of jeff. Da-
Wis, in which it goes into quite panegyr-
ic on the petticoat leader of the rebellion
The Meas says; s
t'The number of men born with greater
natural abilities than Jefferson Davis is few.
Whether as an officer in the field, or as a
member OF the Senate, in the cabinet coun
ellis of the nation or as the leader of the
most formidable rebellion of modern times
his talents have made him widely and con-
stantly conspicuous Z
The rebel leader may have been born
with great natural abilities, but those abili
ties have been most sadly perverted. We
cannot find in any history of has life, that
he ever devoted them to one single great,
generous honorable or good act. The Ne,os
continues s-a g. ea1
sWhen he became the enemy of the
Unien, he was an open handed enemy, and
no double,faced vulgar knave, like too
many with whom the government have had
to deal since the commencement Of the war.
He assumed bis position as the official head
of the dsunion movement without DISCUSSES
boldly welcoming the consequences; know
ing that if he succeeded history would
praise him; that if he failed, he would be
branded as traitor and an outlaw"
If there is any truth in the reveI atoms
that are being made every day, duplicating
jeff. Davis i'll the plot to assassinate the
President (and the Government believes the
evidence is strong enough to convict him as
accompliee iii that erime.) it strikes US that
he was just one of the, worst of those double
faced vulgar knaves," that the government
has had to deal with. But says the Meas,
he assumed his position welcoming the
consequences, knowing that 1.-THE succeeded
history 1ooutd praise him" The consequent
ces OF treason, conspiracy to assassinate. and
such crimes as Davis has been guilty Of are
ignominous death on the scaffold, 'conse-
quenees" that he did not particularly swell
come" when he was trying to escape them
in his wife's petticoats. ''Knowing that if
he succeeded history would praise him."
Succeeded 4" in what ? In destroying this
Republic and its free government and es
tablishing confederacy or an empire with
chattel slavery as its chief corner stone !?
orin numbering great and good man, be-
cause his countrymen, believing in his pat
riotism! his loyalty, his goodness of heart.
his devotion to the interests of the people
and to human progress and human freedom
had elected him to the first office in their
gift-2 In this latter design, he was only too
successful, because he had tools, that were
holder, but lot wickeder than himself, but
we don't believe history will praise him.
much for that, And yet that was the least
part of the crime he contemplated a
means to the final consumation of the great
crime of destroying the Government of
which President Lincoln was only the tenn
porary representative
But that is, undoubtedly, the true copper
head idea of the rebellion and its leaders
1t was all right, and praiseworthy object
whose only crime was its failure-whose
only fault was its want of success That 10
the idea that the editor of. the Meas has in
culcated throughout this struggle. He has
constantly sustained and sympathized with
the rebel cause, and we now are inform
ed why he did SO. 1t was because he believes
that all that was wanting to make the re-
beIlion right and praiseworthy, was success,
Thus believing, why should he not with JEFF.
Davis, labor for that success. He says Jeff.
Davis knew that if he succeeded history
would praise him. There have been sue
cessful great criminals in the world, that
history has not praised yet We believe
JEFF. Davis if he had succeeded would have
been one of that class Success does not
make wrong right-nor make crime a
virtue in the eyes of history. ~
The sympathetic editor of the News con-
tinues, still harpi ng on jeff. Davis -
= Gle failed and We liza We him. His gov
eminent is amoug the rubbish of the past.
His army is scattered to the winds. The
man who anon ruled states and commanded
armies is a detenceless prisoner. What
shall we do with him The popular instinct
will be to kill hun, There are precedents
enough for killing him, and Stanton whose
will seems to be law-will doubtless deli ght
to kill him. Other governments, hundreds
of years ago, killed all the illustrious rebels
of the time who didn't themselves become
kings and kill others in the same way. Our
government has not progressed much
in this particular since that time
Z We don't believe that plea for the 'de-
fenceless prisoner will avail much. The fact
that ''other governments hundreds of years
ago, killed all the illustrious rebels of the
time, - according to legal usage, should be
an argument in favor of the execution Of
jeff. Davis, whom the News styles by i'm
plication an "illustrious REBEL" rather than
what is intended, a plea for his acquittal,
under covert sneer at our government
The NeUs has Just become an advocate
against capital punishment, though We can
well remember when the editor of that sheet
was one of the strongest advocates in the
State for capital punishment. 1t continues
Eve question the expedency of hanging
murderers. We question the expediency of
hanging popular leaders of rebellion still
more. jeff. Davis is powerless for mischief
He is disgraced. His cause is dead. His
tongue. is silent. His arms are bound be.
hind him. As leader, as a citizen and as
a rebel he is stone dead, Neither he nor
his cause is any longer respectable"
The above argument is not sound. The
Meas and every kindred copperhead sheet
in the North is hard at work no ", to make
jeff. Davis respectable" and powerful .
They can Rnd no better or more supple use
for their pens than to eulogize his great