The independent. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Kan.) 1860-1874, 1865-05-27
The Rebel Leaders.

The Rebel Leaders.
There is a sickly, mawkish sensibili-
ty in the country concerning the rebel
leaders with which we have no sy mpa-
thy. This thing of making great ado
and shedding tears over criminal just
because justice has overtaken him, and
he is likely to receive the merited pun
ishment for his crimes. lies AT the foun-
dation Of much OF the murder and out
lawry Of the country. If JEFF. Davis,
Lee and the other leaders Of the rebel
lion rere worthy Of death while pufsu-
/, ing their devilish work OF murder, OF
starving prisoners of war, Of planning
arson, assassinations and the like, they
are no less worthy Of punishment
now. .g
! As the President has truly said
"Mercy TO individuals is not mercy to
States" Spare the leaders Of the re-
bellion. and for every one OF their for
fsited lives thus spared, thousands oI
good citizens may hereafter suffer death
by q second rebellion. Which shall be
done. make an example of the leading
traitors now? or. by spariug them. ex
pose thousands of cur children 70 the
bloody graves Of a second Sc. OF trait.
ors? We think but one answer will
come up from the American people:-
lie, the leaders perish for the good o!
the country.
There is and has been for years. q
sickly sen,ime'a'i.y abroad in the land
which embraces The criminal when il
the hands Of justice. and would shield
him from punishment. On pleas Of in
sanity and what-not, murderers hav,
escaped-few of them have even beer
sentenced 10 prison. Hence murder.
go on and increase. So Of o.he
crimes aa .'ea go
Now it is principle Of Law that ,h,
innocent should be shielded and pro
tected. But the sparing Of one murder
er may cause the death. directly or in
directly. Of dozen good men. How
much more The sparing Of the leaders
the rebellion.
In all these cases. our sympathy
enlisted for those virtuous ones, VIII
may suffer from sparing the wicked, ra
ther than for the latter. We pity tn
criminal; bu, he must suffer the conse
quences Of his crimes when to spar,
him better mems lives will be endang
cred.
The crimes Of tho rebel leaders ar,
without parreIlel. In the blaze of tn
light Of the nineteenth century the,
have. perpetrated deeds that woul,
Slacken the dark ages. and stain tn
records Of barbarians. Shall such mel
live TO disseminate their treason again
Heaven forbid that such false mere,
should be shown them. We would no
punish in malice. but asa principle O
self-defense and safeguard against fu
,ure evils of tie kind, which have de
prived these men Of the right to live
All the talk about gentlemen of re
6nement.' 'chivalry.' nobility and ih
like.is rank folly and falsehood. Ever,
declaration Of the kind as applied to th
rebel leaders is answered by the groan
that come up from the pens Of the South
wherc our prisoners we're starved I,
death and murdered; by the er,aciate,
skeletons that returned 10 die st home
, BY the graves of the thousands who Ii
buried in the potter's fields Of the dea,
killed by murderous cruelty. Thes
q crimes are inevitably fastened upon tn
leaders; because they could have pre-
vented them and did not. But wors
4 than this, proof is in existence. tba
these 6endish deeds were delibersiel,
{ planned by The rebel leaders, and be
came part ofhteir programme in con
Quoting the war! Shall such men es
. caps? God pity the lapd if they do!
i ln a letter recently found. write
. "conGden,ially" TO ths notorious rebt
& Gen. Wineer; the rebel Commissions
for the exchange Of prisoners. Robel