The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1865-06-23
eERRlT SMITH ON PEACE.
Plea for the Preservation of the
Nations Faith.
IMPORTANCE OF THE ISSUE.
The Way to Peace Not Through Per-
fdy and Vengeance.
From the N. Y. Times. 9th

A~J anu venSe3nces
From the N. Y. Times, 9th. M
The announcement that Gerrit Smith would
lecture on the following subject: "That the
government has neither the legal nor moral
right to try the rebels, and that the way to q
sure and enduring peace lies not through per.
fdy and vengeance, but through justice and
law, attracted large audience to Cooper In
sttute last evening. All of the seats were oc-
cupled by an intelligent and orderly assem-
blage.
Mr.. Smith was loudly applauded on coming
forward. He said that in Furnishing the reDels
the Government would commit the meanest
crime OF the age. In opposing the punisnmen1
of rebels. however, he had no reference ~
those concerned in the assassination Ol tne
President. Let them suffer for their infamous
and heinous crime. He meant that the oouIn-
ern people should not be punished ior tne
crime of rebellion. Not, however, because
they have not suffered enough; not because liis
safety of the North requires that they snouiu
not be punished He did not say that the
South had not been guilty OF treason, ior sne
had been guilty of it. he Would not punisn
her, because we had agreed no. ~ pnrSnm pnSh -
Wehad agreed to conduct the war accorolng 10
the lava Of war therefore we should not punish
them nc traitors. We had followed the lead
of the nations and treated them as belligerents.
Instead of Furnishing them as traitors during
the progress of the war, we mad treated them
as prisoners From time 10 ume we had exc
truce for the burial Of dead and other purposes.
Thera had also been formal and informal nego-
t;oton for the restoration of peace. At one
time we had acknowledged the South as de
facto government, having selected our Presi.
dent and Secretary of State as commissioners.
TAnnlause.7 We had even honored the South
hv Going more than half way to meet them.
TRenewed applause. By blockading Southern
ports we agreed with the enemy to conduc.
The war according to the rules of war. We
also virtually agreed to treat prisoners as pris-
oners of war. The lecturer then read passages
from Va'isA Hallam, and other authorities to
support a.sPosition. Mr: smith said that the
facto government as much as ours. Neither
acknowledged the power of the other. Our
government was governed by the same laws as
it would have been under with war with
Mexico. TApplause.1 Some say that Vattel is
q hundred years old. The more shame to us,
if we cannot rise superior to the writings of
that day. We ought to take the high grounds
Charles !. Macaulay also denounced the exc.
cution of that monarch. The speaker contin.
ued and said that ours was war between two
nations. When nation breaks into two parts
the belligerents on each side become too nu-
merous to be treated as rebels. With Edmund
Burke, he would not know how to frame an
indictment against whole people. The rebels
were too numerous to treat as anything but
prisoners of war. Our position would not be
relieved by saying that the victor need not pun
iSh all, but punish the few and pardon the
many. The next worst thing to being pun
ished for piracy and treason is being forgiven
for piracy and treason. Applause. Such
thing would be blot on all mankind, and he,
the speaker, was entirely unwilling that il
should 60 down to all future ages that millions
of his countrymen were forgiven for treason.
Another reason why the war should be carried
on according to the laws war was, that where
large masses of men take momentous steps, 1t
is just to conclude that they had conscieu-
tious belief in the righteousness of such steps.
lApplause. A third reason why the war should
be carried on according to the laws of war, was
that there were thousands OF our best citizens
who refused to 60 into war of savage strife,
but were willing to enter into the struggle, if
under the the humane provisions of the laws
of war. If the government had refused to let
the war be carried on according to the laws OF
war, we would have lost our government and
our flag. The people of the North were too
civilized to go into o war under black flag,
while the South would more willingly have
entered into such a contest, and emerged from
the ordeal triumphantly. Another reason why
we should not punish our enemies was that
there has been enough of suffering by the de-
r.
TApplause and Kisses At the close of such a
war, the voice of compassion should prevail
God speaks of the destroying angel, as he
spoke in behalf of the Jews: Stay your hand
1T is enough" 1t is held in some quarters
that in the intermediate stages of civil war, and
at the incipient and closing stages we out not
to be governed by those laws. This is ground
less distinction. The agreement to exchange
prisoners should act retrOspectively as well as
prospectively. 1t should include all captured
before and subsequently,
The speaker then referred to Order No. 100,
issued in 1868, and said that it was unworthy
of an honorable government to make eXcep.
tions to the rules OF war. because of provisions
contained in the proclamation of amnesty. A
proclamation of amnesty is proper in revolt,
but has no right to take place in a civil or in
ternational war. Although it might appear to
be an unwarranted and arrogant assumption on
his part to be alone, he must speak his mind.
And vet he thanked God he was not alone.
He continued and said that proclamation of
amnesty is an ec payte document, and can have
no effect to modify an agreement entered into
by two parties. Least Of all can it have effect
as long as the parties enacting under an agree
ment and one or the other does not give no.
tice that the agreement has. ceased. It takes
two TO break as we'll as to make bargain.
The current belief that the war has now ended,
leaving the victor to punish the vanquished, Is
an error The war is not at an end so long as
there are prisoners to try. Peace implies al
entire surrender Of prisoners on both sides,
and whatever power persists in holding pris-
oners. persists in keeping the war open. The
speaker said that in the case of the rebellion in
ireland, while not raching the dimensions of
civil war, the British Government had the legal
right to punish the insurgents; still it punish
ed only seven, and not one of those with death
1t does not become freed0m-loving Americans
that the vanquished in . civil war should be
held as prisoners. He inquired how his au-
dience would have liked to have had Washing
ton and franklin punished If they had been
vanquished in the revolution. II is likely tha :
all future rebellions, nineteen in twenty will
be un the side of freedom. Was 1t proper for
America to set an example of having punished
men for treason? Cries of Yes, yes" No,
no. Crowned heads will everywhere point to
the example set by us as precedent, when
{ ever they succeed in crushing rebellion. Is
itfor America toput it in their power to try
men for treason?
!. One of the audience asked the speaker if he
intended to compare Washington and franklin
to Jefferson Davis3 Loud Applause.l
Mr.. smith said he had just such objections