Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1866-01-10

venerable son of Neptune, who preside
over the Navy Department, q" Courl
martial are organized to convict. y BU
has anybody ever heard of the proceed
- ings Of military commission beih
taken in court of law as precedent t
determine disputed point9 p 5iaa4 b
1t may be all7very well to work one
patriotism up to the demanding the bloc
of JEFF. Davis an al atonsmebt for tn
wrongs of the nation, though it is takini
a rather narrow minded view Of the con
test, and an enlarged one Of JEFF. Davis
influence, and paying very bad eumpli
ment to the intelligence and morality o
the American people, to suppose thatth
death of any one man, even of Jefferson
Davis, can, TO the smallest. possible .ez
tent, atone for the wreck and suffering
! for the past four years. If blood i
wanted, a military commission is the very
4 thing to draw it But. it is desirable
| to settle point of law Che vgiest pet
tifogging pelice court in the land IS in.
fnitely superior to the most grandly i'm.
/ posing array of-militaFy talent-that ever
sat upon a court marital, In the first
place no lawyer worthy the name, will
consent to the humiliation Of arguing a
case of treason before a court in the com
I position of which brass buttons take the
place Of brains, and a knowledge Of tao
ties is more important than knowledge
of law. --.- sT '5. 5s si5.,rs F.
Think Of james T. Brady examining
witness, and Lew. Wallace deciding
whether his questions are pertinent OF
not. The General overrules Mr.. Brady,
and Mr.. Brady falls back upon some
quaint and curious volume of forgotten
lore, to show that he is NOT transcend
Iingthe license of aIequnsel for the def
fense Its-all Greek to Lew and lhe
says in effect, I" don't care what Mr..
Erskine, or Mr. Vattel, or Mr.. Kent may
have said. They were very good men,
in their way andsfor their time, but, /
want you to understand that the prisoner
at the bar took up arms against the best
government that the SUI. of heaven ever
shone upon The Onion must be pre-
served, by the Eternal, and the witness
will stand aside"
Then Dir Brady attempts to show that
there have always been conflicting opin.
ions among American statesmen as to
the right Of secession. Here some gen
tleman, surmounted by eagles on either
shaulder, great in the tituIar afhx ofhalf
the alphabet to his name. as. for in
stances. % CaloneI Commanding Seventy
Seventh United States Colored Infantry.
and superintendent Freedmen Bureau
jumps up. and enters a demurrer, rich, in.
patriotism, bnt. poor in law that there
has been an Atlantic of blood spilled
and perfect Himaly Of bones piled up,
TO settle this hated and accursed doctrine
Of State rights, and he turns 70 the pre-
sizing general to know If treason=is TO be
spoken directly in this Court? Ofcourse
not and Mr.. Brady gets a gentle hint
that if he doesn't keep .shy.of the Resq.
lutions of '9S, and other bad things, he'll
be put in the Old Capitol. ..,---.....g --
Pretty soon the defense propose to
show that in 1860 and 81 many who. are
now officiating as High Priests in the
Temple of Loyalty, believed in theright
of secessiouE that Greeley wanted to
tear down the Haunting lie; that Mr.
Banks wanted the Union to take unto
itself skates and slide; that General
Scott desired the wayward sisters to de-
part in peace; and that even the divine
Stanton congratulated Mr. Albert Gala
tin Brown upon the secession OF Missis-
sippi Up jumps certain and A. A.
C.. holding the American eagle by the
tail, metaphorically, in one hand, and
humping the counsel to order with the
other, demands to know if the American
flag doesn't float triumphantly from the.
rock ribbed coasts of Main to the golden.
shores of California, and whether this
great nation is now to be insulted, and
its gallant defenders slandered in this
way in a loyal court Though adu0ta-
tion from Beudle's Dime Speakers he
touches the heartOfthe court, aud Black
stone again gives way to Casey.
Next it Is proposed to show that Mr.
Davis was not the leader but the follower
of the Southern people in the work of
rebellion that instead of having voIun-
teered to be their Moses and lead them
out of abolition bondage, he was Moseid
by them into secession, and finally into
Fortress Monroe. General Wallace OBJ
jects that this is not pertinent. In vulgar
parlanee, he doesn't give d-n whether
JEFF. Davis led or followed the rebellion.
What he deems proper for the Court to
inquire is, whetherthis great and glorious
Union, handed down to US by our fathers
for our children's, chiIdFeB, is to be
broken up-or not IF so, all right if
not then let's know it,in time. ea
Mr.. Brady insists that it is an estab-
lished maxim, that nations can not be
convicted of treason, and he proceeds to
argue that if the States were separate
sovereignties-- eaI e =. .r5- .a.E..- a...a
Wen have none of this treason
talked in this court, f" cries a commissary
Of subsistence. Il azi. -
"Great God, has it come to this,
eiaculates an inspector general.
"IfI have another word about State
sovereignty out of your mouth, " I'll call
the corporal Of the guard and have you
arrested, ," utters the general commanding
the court 1871 FTE 7IE4=g E-E8.5
Finally the trial comes to an and.-ri
The court finds JEFF a most fit man for
the gallows, and he is ordered to be hung
without,delay. 3 fN ttnbs-sAst'-E
But where is the settlement of the
question as to what constitutes the crime
Of treason? "In my minds eye, Hora-
to-" MACK.
$500 1E-Ee- aHG-- sasz -sss1a