Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-11-19
HOW OUR POLITICAL OFFEND
ERS ARE PUNISHED.
A Retort From Canada.

The Toronto Leader, in noticing Sec
retary Stewards letter in behalf of the
Fenians, says:
There is another way, however, in
which Canadians may retort with the
strictest justice upon: the United States
Secretary of State. He pleads the 'po-
liticaT character of the offenses COM
mitted. How has his Government acted
toward political offenders 2 During the
war how many men, by the direct insti-
CATION of the Government, were shot
down in cold blood in Missouri, and
other Western States, for no other offense
than having taken up arms in behalf Of
the Southern Government? There are
scores of such cases as this. But let US
mention few instances which are
known to all our readers. At the very
head of the list stands Mr.. Jefferson Da-
Wis. BY the united voice of all parties
in the United States, not to say of the
opinions of outside nations, Mr.. Davis
continued imprisonmentin in Fortress Mon
roe is disgrace to the country which
keeps him incarcerated. 1t Is not mag
unanimous conduct to keep him in close
and continued confinement; nor have
the judicial authorities the manliness to
try him for fear that the court before
which his case would come should affirm
the right ofthe Southern States to secede.
Does Mr.. Seward think that the way in
which this great man has been treated
by the Government deserves to be called
"eminently humane )" that the hardships,
the palpable cruelties, which were asso-
ciated with his imprisonment until within
very late period, were such as to give
him the right to preach clemency to the
people of another country ?
Mr.. Davis is an American citizen in
whose behalf, perhaps, Mr.. Seward would
not listen to word Of forel ign interces-
sion. But there are others besides
American citizens around whom the iron
hand of American vengeance now presses
hard, ST. Leger Greenfield is an Eng
lisbman. When the war broke. out, in
spired by an unconquerable desire to
serve the weaker party in the contest, he
came to America and Joined General
Morgan's forces as Adjutant He is as
brave a man as ever drew a sword, and
as honorable as brave Charged with
conspiring to rescue Southern prisoners
from the cruelties to which they were
subjected at Chicago, he was sentenced
TO IMPRISONMENT in the Dry Tortugas,
where the chains now clank about his
limbs. n monument to the "clemency y"
of the United States Government. The
mans olfense was clearly political, to
use Mr.. Stewards words. But the United
States Government has refused to view
il in that light. Do they think their
hatred of this Englishman is "eminently
humaneY Or that i gives them the
right to preach tenderness, amlty ana
forgiveness" or the best impulses OF q
benevolent nature" to the people OF Can
ada? Dr. Mu6d was practiclng physl-
clan and surgeon. When Wilkes Booth
broke his leg in the attempt to escape
after having violently taken the life OF
President Lincoln, DIR. Mudd was called
upoa TO set tho fractured member. As
any humane man would have done, and
as any doctor was in honor bound 10 do,
he set the broken limb. For this ofense
he was sentenced to lifelong imprison'
ment in the Dry Tortugas,. another
sample of the eminently humane
conduct Of the Washington Government.
Champ Ferguson was daring cavalry
officer oil the Southern army. If he can
be called guerrilla, he was no more de-
serving the name than Sheridan, Sher-
man. and Dahlgren. His ofense was
that he fought as bsst be could, as any
brave man would do, for his country A
military commission sentenced him to be
exacuted. Did the Washington Admin
;s,ratiou interfere to stay the carrying
on, of the sentence? The eminently
5ss,snsD ss Government did not then
think Of tie mitigating character of
political5 oIenses, apd The best i'm,
pulses of a benevolent nature qesertsd
them. They are now inspired to the
tenderness" on behalf rabble pand
Of msrandera.
We might refar 10 the arueliy pFacpced
towards Captain WirE and many othFr
Southern men by the Government at
Washington. But we submit the cases
we have Just quoted are sufficient TO put
the United States Government down
among the class Of people who preach,
Lat do not think 1t inconsistent with
their good Offices in this way to forget
altogether TO praotiee What they preach.
With such a record ag4lgst his
Gavernment, Mr. Seward is not ip po-
sition 70 n0unt the pulpit and preach 70
benirhted Canadians, Let him pluck the
beam out Of his own eye before be begins
to speak Of the mote which he ihiEks hs
sees IN ours