Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-07-18
The Deserters.

A private of the United States army
has recently been shaved, branded and
drummed out of the service. His offence
was desrtion. He ran away. very likely
when drunk; and is probaly some poor,
miserable, ignorant ounty7jumper, with
none to respect or love him. Military
discipline insisted upon his punishment;
and military discipline was right in so do
ing. There is nothing to be said in ex-
tenuation of his baseness and no fault to
befound with penalties visited upon him.
Soldiers must be kept true to their duty,
else the army would not be worth straw
for efficiency. ---
At Fortress Monroe is an individual
whom every loyal mar, woman and child,
every official from the highest to the
lowest of the Federal Government, knows
to have been deserter, a traitor, vio-
later of solemn oaths, the head Of an
armed conspiracy to destroy the Union,
the voluntary chief of rebellious organi-
zation that has cost the lives of hundreds
of thousands of freemen, and perpe-
trated atrocities in prison pens and else
where that would have disgraced savage
cannibals. These facts are not to be de-
MED. To pretend to question their truth
would be to Justify insurrection, and to
avow that the national armies were sent
into the field without warrant or excuse.
Though charged with the highest Of
crimes, this individual has not yet been
tried, or treated with the prompt justice
and punishment meted out with ght-
ming swiftness to low member OF the
rank and file in regiment. More than
this, he has been visited by member OF
the Cabinet, whose sympathy for Jet Da-
Wis is so plain that book, describing the
prison life of that traitorous leader, IS
dedicated to him, for that avowed reason.
All this takes place, whilst every day in
creases the indications that at Washing
ton there is no firm and decided purpose
to infict upon this representative male
factor of the greatest and bloodiest OF
ofenses any'seveIe judgment that shall
make him an example and warning.
Why is this ? Not because the great
body of the people have changed in their
principles or feelings, but because patri-
otism has been put in abeyance by poll
tics and politicians. That treason should
be made odious, not from any vindictiVe
or Dlood-thirsty motives, but to secure
the safety of the republic, is and has
been the clearest of necessities since the
vi AOOs AA0 yON1 O<NNOR -
powerless words, this necessity has not
been confessed by the authorities OF
this negligence-this recreancy to duty,
there is but one explanation. Somebody
wishes to conciliate the South, to obtain
the help of the South in President max
ing. Policy, management, diplomacy re-
fuses to meet the duty of thehour which
is first of all, and more than all, to make
treason odious, so that treason shall not
again threaten the safety of the nation,
and to vindicate the right action of those
who gave life and treasure to crush re-
bellion. If the obligation resting upon
the Government to punish insurgents
seeking its overthrow is not met and full
filed, more will be done to weaken the
nation and expose it to future troubles
than was accomplished by all the efforts
Of the Richmond Confederacy. Beat
ing that Confederacy in the field will be
Of little worth unless it is pronounced for
all time, by the punishment of its lead
srs, to have been a crime of the darkest
md deepest dye.-BostOn Transcript.