The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-03-08

d but sverted assassination and culmi.
i. mated In fts execution. It's progress
has been marked with savage barbara
t'es which sot at defiance the laws Of
: nations, and the usages Of civilized
. warfare. It's history is replete with
the evidence Of this. The deliberate
| plot to ssssssinate Mr.. Lincoln, the
, President elect, in February, 1861 /;
the massacre Of the soldiers Of the
Massachusetts, sixth, In Baltimore, on
tho 10Th of April" Of the same year;
/ the inhuman "buichery aud wanton
slaughter at Fort Pillow" the revolt
ing murder and deliberate stsrva.
ton Of Union prisoners Of war in the
prison pens of.tho rebel States" at
Libby and Belle Isle, Salisbury and
Columbia, Charleston and Anderson
vile, In all Of which "moro than fifty
thousand were tortured to death BY
exposure aud starvation or consigned
to lingering aud hopeless disease :"
the burning Of the city of Lawrence
and the slaughter Of It's inhabitants !;
the murderous st. Adams raid and
robbery; the plot TO burn northern
cities and spread pestilcnce through
the land, with emissarios plotting con
spiracy In the North--tbeso are some
Of the crimes Of tho rebellion.
Finally, the browning infamy Of all
this stupendous treason, planned by
the rebels in Canada, and approved in
Richmond, eliminated in that last
great stab at the nations life, the
assassination Of the late but now mar
tyred President Lincoln at a time
when his own sublime utterauce had
scarcely died away upon his lips,
With malice toward none, with char.
ity for all. " These have passed to
'hc darkest aud bloodicst page Of his.
tory.
The monuments of this treason arc
everywhere apparcnt--in three thous.
and millions of debt to tax the ener.
gics Of n generation in half mil
lion of graves with the wall OF the
widow aud the orphan all over the
land.
FRATERNITY, WITH LOYALTY AND FU.
'..N TrRE SECURITY.
But, for one, will be content that
all this shall slumbcr undisturbed in
in the quiet rcposc of history, and /
will open no bleeding wound Of the
melancholy past, if with guarantees
for peace and restored loyalty we can
furnish an admonition TO all future
conspirators against the nations life
that infhmy aud death await them, SO
that when the ancient concord of our
fathers shall be resumed it shall re.
main mbroken for our children and
their postcrity forever.
Sir Matthew Hale. who was Justly
styled that solid philosopher" that
pillar and basis of justice, who would
not have done an unjust act for any
worldly price or motive; that practi
cal Christian, the highest faculty of
the soul of Westminster Hall, declar-
cd that
" In criminals Of blood, if the fact
be evident, severity is justice" " "that
in business capital, though my nature
prompt me to pity, yet to consider
that there is also a pity due to the
country. ST..
This nation does not demand sever.
ity, but justice on smaller scale.
Booth and Mary Il. Surratt and
Wirz, mere subordinatcs of Davis,
have paid the penalty, If the great
leader Of the rebellion himself, "the
colossal traitor Of the age" if he,
Jefferson Davis, can escape all pun
ishment, then is this age and nation
and humanity itself loaded with inia.
my, dishonor, injustice, and disgrace
forever. "
General Grant, in his report Of De-
ccmber Is, to the President, declares
that the people of the South are not
in condition .......
" To yield ready obedience to civil
authority. s.,
" This would render the presence Of
small garrisops throughout the State
necessary,
The patriot soldier, General Schurz,
in his report more than confirms this
by declaring "their, loyalty consists in
submission TO necessity, and SO does
the President by holding military pos
session of those States.
The rebel population have construed
clemency into cowardicc. The pun.
ishment OF treason will aid in sccur-
ing obedience TO law and hasten re-
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
Many intoMgon, aud philanthrop;c
men are opposed to all capital punish
mcnt.
One among the most eminent of
this class has forcibly said
For more than thirty years have
been an advocate of the abolition of
the death penalty, and yet ] am free
to say that, measuring tho Government
not by my standard but by its own
[itsl duty to the country, requires that
Jefferson Davis should be hung by
the neck till ho is dead. IL he is not
to be hanged, then in the name of hu.
mauity and of God, let us abolish tho
gallows forever, for no other man eau
be criminal enough to deserve hang.
ing" ,a'1h'l .~ "a
Let the nation, then, be generous
yet Just. Let us inscribe on the Con.
stitution justice for all men, Let us
|" bind up the nations wounds aud do
all whiCh may achieve and cherish a
Just and lasting peace among ourselves
and with all nations.