Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-01-30
Secretary Sfanlon.

"MAcK," the Washington correspondent
of The Cincinnati Commercial, few days
ago, gave the following to the public in re-
lation to the Secretary of War, Mr.. STAN
TON. If ''testimony on the subject of arbi-
trary arrests and imprisonments in the Old
Capitol shall disclose the astounding fact
that @hundreds of men haye been put into
the vilest dungeons on earth for no other
offense than that of incurring the royal
displeasure of man who has neither legis-
lative nor executive authority to arrest
anybody" how appalling would the exer-
else of this arbitrary power appear, if
thorough examination were made ION the
subject of arbitrary arrests and imprison-
ments" at the other military prisons that
exist throughout the country. But we sub
nit the communication to the considera-
ton of the reader without further COM
ment:
.The debate in the House the other day
was but comparatively feeble index of the
feeling among Congressman against the die
tatorial gentleman who bullies and brow
beats the country through the War Office.
Men will think great deal, and say great
deal, in private against Cabinet Minister
before they will rise in their seats in Con-
gress and denounce him in their official ca
pacities. And this is especially true in the
case of Mr.. Stanton. When such men as
Kasson, Garfield and Schenck, accuse an
officer of the Government of misdeeds, they
are more ant to leave unsaid great deal
that might be said to his detriment than to
saw any thing of the full truth of which
they are not perfectly cognizant. 1t will
not do to say that this was all Copperhead
bowling, for there was only one Copper
head who took part in the discussion, and
he drew iteven more mildly than the Union
men who spoke on the occasion. The Mill
tarv committee is now busily engaged in
taking testimony on the subject of arbitra-
ry arrests and imprisonments in the Old
Capitol, and when they finish this task, it is
to be hoped they will make the record pub
lie. II they de, ii toiH be stoion that hun-
dreds Of men hare been put into the vttest dun
oeons on earth for no other otenSe than that Of
incmring the royal displeasure Of man toiso
has neither Legislative nor executive authority 10
arrest anybody. The deposition OF lady 10
the effect that her husband had been chain
ed to the floor in the Old Capitol Tor eight
months, and that neither he.nor she knew
why he was arrested, was taken the other
day.
i.Stanton labors under the wrong impress
sion as to the amount Of power and author
ity he is at liberty to exercise. He thinks
that. instead of mere semi-Official em-
nloyee of the President, he is several de-
grees above the Chief Magistrate, response
Bile to no one, and at liberty to do as he
pleases with the American people, who
were all born to do his bidding, OF, go to
iail in default thereof. He says to one
come, and he comes, and to another go, and
he goes. Before the termination OF the
present Congress, he will be taught a diff
ferent lesson. ,o
at is reported here, and the name OF
Union Congressman Is used In connection
with the report, that when, not long since,
a committee waited upon the Gar of the
War Office to request him to use his best
efforts to secure an exchange OF prisoners,
he replied in the staggering tone peculiar
ly his, an be d-d If am going TO ex-
change healthy men for skeletons" Mark
the nersonal pronoun "I'-how significant
Iy IL IL inserted, as IL it was for him to say
whether the brave men whe have fallen
info the hands of the rebels should die OF
starvation or be released from the slow, but
certain death that awaits them--as II the
only tenure by which the patriotic sons OF
the North held their lives was his dtct,trn.
If he said this, and am confident from the
source got it that he did, he ought simply
to be tried by court-martial and shot NO
man is fit to live in the North, much less TO
be an officer of the Government, who wants
To see our soldiers pine away and die In
Southern prisons because they are skele-
tons. However, a move has been made In
the right direction. The vail is about to be
iifted. and IL the people will only wait q
abort time they will have allthe facts Of this
petty tyrant before themin an official form.
Perhaps it's disloyal to say All this, but
little faint of fdisloyalty Is lustinaDie IN con-
templating such man as stanton. .otll