Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-07-08
End of the Conspiracy Trial-the
Alleged Completely Of Davis.

Now that the evidence is all in and the
arguments all submitted, the deliberations
and finding Of the military commission will
be secret The sentences it pronounces
must be submitted to the President for his
approval. The evidence taken during
the first three or four dayy was sufficient to
Justify the conviction of all the principal
parties on trial as acoomplces in the muir
der of Mr.. Lincoln, Had the same par.
ties been indicted and arraigned before a
civil court, there can be no doubt that
Jury would have brought in a verdict OF
guilty so far as regards these particu'
lar prisoners, the ends Of justice would be
just as surely attained by one mode Of
trial by the other; and if no other trial
could ever take place under circumstances
of deep excitement, it would be matter of
Indifference whether these conspirators are
punished by military or by civil autho rity
With regard to the guilt or Innocence
of these particular parties the question is,
therefore, of no Importance and unless
some end was sought to be attained apart
from their conviction, there was no neces-
sty for military court. The military
commission must seek its justification in
some general principle, and not in the ex-
igencies Of this particular case, where pre-
cisely the same result would have been
reached by civil trial. The important
question involved in the choice Of courts is
whether the precedent now set is likely ic
) prove salutary; which, again, resolves
e itself into the comparative safety of ciVi
and military trials The question, thus
stated, should be eemed 10 answer itsell
e All the reasons for the independence o
judges are equally reasons against trial
< by military commission, in which tn
5 Judges are The immediate dependents an
: appointees of the prosecuting authority
4 All the reasons for trial by jury, who's
d imparlialty is secured by their selecto
o by lot, are equally reasons against trial b
q commission whose members are selecte
V by choice the prosecutor being the choose'
!. The Constitution guarantees a jury Irl'
Y in all criminal prosec utions, except ia ca
,e ses arising in the land and naval service
IN the exception resting on the principle thu
= the dilatory forms of civil procedure al
to inconsistent with military discipline an
is efficiency. 1t would be the height of All
ou surLity to cay, tina, the trial OF these col
spirators by civil court, would obstru
ed discipline in tho army, or in any way in
. part its ofhciency So that there is
ne reason founded on the necessities of tt
n, particular ca SO, for departing from &
no ordinary mode of trial and there are
if the reasons against such departure VIII
er. there are for the independence OF judge
he and trial by impartial juries. This MI
,se tary trial is all the more dangerous a'
of precedent from the fact that, in this pa
wn ticnlar case, it works no specific iniust
in TO the parties on trial
ort We trust that when President Johns
ain comes to review the proceedings OF
by commission, he will set aside its senten
all on the ground thai it had no jurisdictc
yho and order trial OF the same persons
the a civil court. This is the most popu
lin =. act he could do There is not an infu
II ,ial pew,paper ia the United States ,Dt