The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-04-26
Che Senoaa4 Telegraph.
OtGls PaDs' Of the CITY. County and Post Office

his impious hand against the authority OF
the nation-I would say that death IS too
easy punishment My notion is that trea
son must be made odious, and traitors must
be punished and impoverished, their social
power broken, and they made to feel the
penalty of their crime. Hence, | say this
THE HALTER TO INTELLIGENT, INFLUENTIAL
TRAITORS -Andrea0 Johnson, Aprdt 3, 1865
We take the above just words of Presi-
dent johnson, as text, to show how far
we have come from the high mark set but
little more than a year ago, and point out
how we have been drifting upon dangerous
shoals and quicksands in the moral chart
''Treason is the highest crime known in
the catalogue of crimes" This is uDdoubt-
edy true. But what is treason ? Words
are used to denote ideas and hitherto the
words treason and traitors, have been used
to designate a crime and criminal Of most
infamous character. But under the expert
ence of the past five or six years, have we
not gradually come to look upon traitors as
not SO very bad people after all, and treason
as mere peccadiIo? Or rather have we not
lost almost entirely the real meaning of the
term. or become so befogged that we have
forgotten what it is that constitutes treason.
Throughout the war for the Union, there
was large party in our midst, here i'll the
loyal States, who constantly fought the idea
that the leaders of the rebellion were trail
tors, or that treason against the United
States could be committed There is no
doubt but that by persistently adhering to
! this view of the subject, even loyal Union
men, came to think and reason more or less
10 the same way, and finally to give ex-
preston to the belief that those persons
hitherto designated as traitors had only
been carrying out the doctrine of State
rights
The President evidently started out with
the idea that we were growing too lax 10
definition of terms. Then he said, ''trea
son must be made odious." But has it been
made odious On the contrary, is it not be-
has set the example of calling men traitors,
who throughout the war of the rebellion,
were most noted for their loyalty to the
Union, and the constitution And many Of
the most prominent democratic politicians
are advising the President to have such
men as Schuyler Colfax, Thad. Stevens,
Charles Sumner, T. o. Howe, and Ben
Wade indicted and tried for treason. Dem.
ocratic politicians and editors who were sc
thoroughly identified with the rebels and
the rebellion, in their sympathies and feel
ings that they never heard of Union vic
tory without pang now talk glibiy OF
traitors at the north, meaning thereby the
great majority of voters i'll every loyal
State, and at least ninety cut of every hun,
dIed of all the soldiers, rank and file, who
fought the battles of the Union. The Pres
ident in his last speech which we publish in
another portion of this paper, says he stands
to-day opposing treason and traitors north
or south. We are included, of course in this
condemnation, together with large ma
jority of the people of every one of the 10y
al people of every one of the loyal States,
for we confess to a participation of the trea
son of those representatives and senators
who passed the Civil Rights Bill over the
Presidents veto, and rejoiced at its passage
But we are comforted with the reflection
that we may expect to receive the Execu
tive clemency, since we doubt not the Pres
dent will extend pardons to traitors 'nortl
or south" as they are always included in the
same category.
The fact is we are very much in danger
OF 80 confounding terms, by this loose man
ner of writing and talking that we lose all
idea Of distinction between right and wrong,
| loyalty and treason or freedom and slavery.
We cannot utter a word of condemnation
of jeff Davis, Booth, or the very worst
traitors, parricides or assassips even but that
we are at once reminded that they are no
worse than TRAITORS at the north" mean
ing thereby the great majority of the peo-
pie, who believe that all citizens of the Re-
public should be equal before the law, with
out regard to color, creed or nationality,
and who believe that ''aL men are created
free and endowed by their Creator with
certain inalenable rights among which
are life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness, and more especially those who are
active in making these great and immortal
truths practical living realities
To show that we speak not "a whit too
strongly it is only necessary to revert to
few facts that are open and known to all.
During all the rebellion and since it has
been put down, there has never been a trial
nor punishment of any person for the
crime OF treason. A Ii. Stephens the Vice
President OF the rebel confederacy comes to
Washington and testifes before Congress
slonal Committee in manner that shows
that he and the southern people generally
havea very imperfect idea of the meaning
OF the English language. We quote from his
testimony:
q What are the peoples (of Georgia.
present views concerning the nstice of the
rebellion ? Do they at present believe that
1t was reasonable or proper undertaking,
or otherwise?
A. My opinion of the sentiment of III.
people OF Georgia upon that subject is thai
the exercise of the right of secession was
resorted to by them from a desire to render
their liberties more secure, and a b. lief ON
their part that this was absolutely necessary !
for their object They were divided upon
the question of the policy of the measure =
there was however, but very little division
among them upon the question of the right |
OF 1t 1t is now thei- belief, in my opinion.
that the surest, if not the only, hope Of
their liberties ia the rectoro+;o, &c a. ~,