Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-02-07

weeks afterward. On the 18th of
April, | say, Gen. Lee resigned his
commission, or rather it was accented
on that day, after it had been throuob
the various offices of the department
at Washington, and on the 22d Of
April he was appointed Commander.
in-Chief of the rebel forces in Virgin.
ia. His State had not then seeded
but on the contrary, he, at the point
Of the bayonet, carried her out of the
Union and forced the vote on the
third Tuesday of May following. And
vet there has not been strength enOuob
in this government, so far-a govern.
ment that can put million of men in
the field at once, and that did in the
last campaign put into the field one
million six hundred thousand men,
to bring that man to trial and ascer.
tain whether or not treason is a crime
and ought to be punished.
put it to you, fellow-soldiers. a.
Military men, whether deserving the
flag Of our nation and taking service
within two days afterward in the ranks
Of the enemy is not a military crime
for which a man is amenable to a mil.
itary tribunal | think there can he
no doubt Oh that question. | would
like to see him tried for that military
offense. | do not think that any suE-
sequent parole, got out of too much
creduilty that the time had not come
to surrender the northern army Of
Virginia, would be a good plea. 7
desire to see that man tried SO that #
may be understood hereafter that if
is daeth on the gallows for any man to
desert his flag and take service with
the enemies of his country" (Great
applause.)
OF Jefferson Davis the General said
Turn we to another man, for whom
there are other considerations of ey-
cuse-tC Jefferson Davis. educated in
the like school, unfortunate, perhaps
for the school that it should have two
such pupils, who went into the mill
tary service of his country, where he
behaved honorably and well. | do
not know but that [ might have to
apply to him the saying Of rough
Wing to Arnold, in the DAYS of the
Revolution. Arnold asked him what
would be done to him if he was caught
by the Americans. WHY said the
Wing, i think We should bury the leo
that was wounded st Quebec with all
the honors of war. and hang the rest
of YOU on gibbet. So with Davis.
We might have to bury, with the hon
ors Of war, one arm that was wounded
IN Mexico, and hang the rest of him.
Laughter and applause.) He had
the plea, however, which the soldier
had not-that his State had seeded.
Waiting until Mississippi went our.
Jefferson Davis quits the halls OF Con
gress to take the office of PROVISIONS!
President in the Confederate States
an office created and made ready for
hIm as soon as ne should be ready to
take it. He, aIl-powerfuIl in the Con
iederacy, with a will of iron. with
prayers and prOclamations to the Di-
vine mercy on his fps, stands bv and
sees our comrades starved and mu.-
dered day by day. think it is of no
great consequence whether it can be
proved or not that he directly ordered
1t. Certain it Is that it could not have
been done if he did not wish it. He
sees the horrors of AnGersonviIle and
does nothing to prevent them
" neither or not he had any compile
lty Iii the last great act Of Infamous
guilt, the murder of the President. no
man may yet know. But whether he
had or not, l desire to see him tried
by military commission. as the fri
bunal which arose out of the power
that he evoked for the pupose of serv-
ING the Union. | should like to see
the crime Of the civil magistrate who
deserts his post and levies war against
his country not Onl " made odious but
punished on the gaIlows. 50 that no
senator or Representative snail here
after in these halls plot treason and
execute it outside"