The New York herald., 1865-06-23
New Mode OF Defending Asaassination
and Treason.

quer.
New Mode OF Defending Asaassination
and Treason.
The Ne,ns declares that the trial Of the mur-
derers of Mr.. Lincoln by court martial is
usurpation Of power, and it threatens the men,
bers of the court with "the legal consequences
of their illegal action" Its words on this
point are:-"If they take single human life;
if, by their agenQanene Of the human family,
entitled to the pre- afnp a. our laws, perishes
upon the scaffold, must answer for 1t as
criminals in this cor answer for the crime
Of murder" Tha s. Ndistisht But there is
yet one means bywhich the members Of the
court may avoid such fate, and the Ne,os
tells them what it is in these words:-"Thus far
the Military Commission, though in daily
transgression of the law, have not consum-
mated the Interior and more tangible wrong
that is involved in the result of their perse-
verance in unlawful assumption Of authority.
They have as yet done nothing that cannot be
atoned for by the renunciation Of their usurpa-
tion and the surrender of their functions to the
tribunals that have jurisdiction" They have
violated the law. They are in the way to
commit murder and not to punish it; but II
they will only let up-if they will quash all
these proceedings that look 80 dangerous for
Surratt, Payne and Company, then it will be oil
right, and Ben Wood will dismiss them with his
pardon and the kiss Of peace. That is the
point of the whole matter.
Tho proo;dorf ruoo v,nurdarad oud hia unur.
derers were put upon trial at a time when
state of war still existed In the country. His
murder was one Of the facts by which the
rebels proposed to carry on the war; and the
money that paid men to do that murder was ap-
propriated by the rebel Congress, and came
out of the pockets Of the same taxpayers who
contributed to equip the rebel army. It was
an act of the same class with the border raids,
the hotel burning and the draft riots; and q
military commission Is the only proper one to
try 1t, just as military commissions were tho
only proper ones to try Beale and Kennedy.
1. was not the common outrage against society
that civil courts are appointed to try. 1t was
brutal, barbarous, diabolical act; but 1t was
an act Of war consistent with the character Of
the rebellion, and 1t was aimed at Mr.. Lincoln,
not simply as citizen, but as the President Of
the United States and the commander of our
very well; but its assault on the court is merely
its defence of these murderers. To defend
them openly would be to 60 too far even for
the Ne,cs. Extravagant as it has always been
in defence of the acts of the rebel government,
it dare not just now 60 so far as to defend
these murderers openly; but it chooses this
plan, and assails the court in the expectation
that it will in that way spread the notion
that these men are tried unjustly. It
hopes by these means to excite the public
in their favor as prosecuted men; and by-and-
by II will be able to assert that it was not
only unjust to try them in that way, but to try
them at all. It may, it hopes, start current
of sympathy in their favor; and who knows
but that current might even reach JEFF Davis
Such Is the whole plan aud purpose of these
assaults made by the Ne,os on the court martial
II Is not strange that the Ne,es should make
these assaults, and thus endeavor 10 shield the
criminals, because it was retained and paid to
do this very thing by the same men who paid
others to carry out didVtent parts Of this great
plan Of murder. It has had its fingers in the
same purse that Booths fingers were in; and IL
IL to this very hour active in that cause and
keeping it's contract 1t is not strange that the
Naos should thus cover the assassins, and per-
hsps It Is not 90 very strange that the World
should; for, though the World 10 not 80 deep in
the business, Barlow'and Belmont have their
afiliation that way. They may also have blum
dered In this - they have on 20 many other
points. But how is II that the republican pa
pers, those blind leaders Of the blind, pursue
the same coursei There lies mystery. How
b II that some Of the republican papers, 90
loud in their lamentation Of Mr.. Lincoln and
the denunciation Of bis murder, now lend their
assistance to . scheme whose purpose Is TO
shield these murderen from justicei What
does this meant
PRESIDENT JoHNsoN's RECONSTRUCTION Po-
LCY.-President johnson d working most ~
siduously and successfully In the reconstruo-
tion Of the South, and IL bringing back ne
late rebels 10 their constitutional allegiance
He Is working better In the South than IN inc