Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1865-08-16
The Cost of Military Courts.

CFrOm the Cincinnati Commercial, Republican,
A MILITARY commission, with Major
General Abner Doubleday for President,
has been engaged one hundred and forty
days in trying one Cozzens, citizen of
Pennsylvania, on the charge of not hav-
ing put good duck canvass in tents
furnished by contract. The cost of the
trial to the country was over $4,000,
and Cozzens, being found guilty, was re-
leased on habeas corpus. The Tribune
says:
"The two great feats of the Doubleday
Court-martial since the beginning of the
year have been the trial of Mr.. Cozzens,
who was released by the ha6eas corpus of
Judge Thompson trial that lasted
from February l to June 10, a period
amounting to about 140 days-and the
further trial of a man named Neal, an
Arsenal Inspector, which began May %,
and is not ended As Neal will certain
ly be released by thesame Judge Thomp-
son, on a similar bn6eas corpus, it makes
little difference in the interest of mill
tary Justice whether the trial ever ends
or not
Why the costly stupidity of military
courts all over the country should be
continued it is impossible to say, unless
it is thought that we have great many
Generals and other officers whose pay
must be continued at all hazards, whether
they have any thing to do or not.
The authorities at Washington ought
to know that the whole country is sick
of the proAigacy and inefHoiency of the
military courts. 1t is high time they
we're wiped out.
A dull affair has been dragging its
weary length for weeks at Cambridge,
Ohio, and we have correspondent up
there who has been trying to tell us what
it is all about; but we have not been
able to ascertain further than that the
officers engaged in it should be mustered
out of service, and the matter turned
over to a justice of the peace.
In Kentucky there are several tedious
trials pending, at great expense, and no
profit to the country.
Speaking of the Doubleday Court
martial, which is neither better nor worse
than at least one hundred others, except
as it may differ from most in having a
Major General presiding, the Tribune
says:
"The Government allows t) these
officers twenty servants, whose wages it
pays, and whose persons it clothes, as
we'll as thirty -four horses, each horse re-
ceiving fourteen pounds of hay aHd
twelve pounds of oats per day, and 100
pounds of straw per month. As if the
officers, servants, phOnographer and
horses, did not get enough money, the
Government generously allows 81 ,25 per
day to each officer additional, with an
extra 81 ,25 to the Judge Advocate. In
addition to this further allowance, the
officers are given quarters and " fuel. -
A Major General has six rooms, and a
Major four, so that this Court eats, sleeps,
smokes and otherwise lives in forty
rooms-S12,50 a month being allowed
for the rent of each room. Our readers
must not suppose that the horses of the
Court get their oats, hay and straw, and
the Generals nothing to eat. No, indeed.
In a military point of view, Major
General receives nineteen ratious per
day, a Colonel eight, a Lieutenant
Colonel seven, and Major six. Whether
Major General on Court duty eats three
times as much as Major, We do not
know, but the Government pays thirty
cents a day for each ration, in good, law
full money.
This makes one branch of expenses
These " courts" pay each witness So per
diem while in attendance-that is to
saw. from the day he is summoned to the
day he is dismissed-as well as the actual
cost of transportation. 1t pays officers,
usbers. detectives and a train Of small
subordinates, as we'll as the rent of the
rooms where the meetings are held. The
reader may think that, this being good
nav. the Government must get vast
deal of work out of the nine officers,
twenty servants, one phonographer, thirty
four horses and trainof subOrdinates
called "court'' they work so hard
from morning till night that the officers
and horses can only keep life in them by