The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-06-16

even at the North something warmer
| than mere respect
At length vastly superior numbers
and some grave political mistakes of
Jefferson Davis decided the day against
the eleven sovereign States Of the South.
Their leader fell into our hands, and
we, to our shame and disgrace, have
been treating him like felon and mai
efactor. The treatment Of Napoleon
Bonaparte by the English Government
upon the Island of St. Helena, which
.las been dark stain upon the honor
and fame of Great Britain, was excel
lent and liberal compared to the misera-
BILE persecution and tortue of our great
antagonist We have sought most
ridiculously to belittle q great national
transaction to the dimensions Of M
odious or reasonable conspiracy. We
have practiced upon our ilustrions
prisoner the refined cruelty Of the
Chinese, in condemning bin to death
by the slow torture Of want of sleep. A
man well stricken in years, with con
stitution enfeebled by disease, and of
the most delicate organization, he has
been confined in prison for more than
year, subjected to all the rude brn-
tality that military turnkeys could in
flct, and that too by those who in
times past dare not brook the gaze OF
the eyes of the imprisoned chieltain.
Let SIS suppose that the effort Of the
three millions Of American colonists,
with George Washington at their hesl,
to secede from Great Britain, had fail
ed-that the General had been taken
prisoner by the British Government,
and had been treated by them as we
have treated the leader Of ten millions
of Southerners who have made an effort
to sccede from us, would there be any
doubt of the ncfarious character Of the
transaction in our minds, or cannot we
apply to Others rules that we desired
applied to US?
Whether right or wrong Jefferson
Davis was only the agent Of the viii
Of eleven sovereign States, and ten
millions Of people. They were the
principals, in the strife, and he acted at
their bidding. There is something in
conceivahly unjust and cowardly IN
holding him individually accountable
for what he was directed to do by one
third oithe States, who were acting as
parties to 4 common compact. There
is not a man Of ordinary sense and in
tcl!igcncc who does not know that the
question of the right ora State to Sc
ccdc has always been at least IN open
one in American politics, upon which
since the origin ofour Government, the
wiscst Of our statesmen have differed,
and that 10 law applying to individual
treason ever reached that case. 10
make Jefferson Davis, a victim under
such circumst"nccs--to single h!m
ont for punishment--is the very high
est Of criminal injustice. During the
war we exchanged prisoners with the
Confederate Government, and i'll other
respects recognized it rs an equal bel
ligprpnt with ourselves. Whoever
heard Of exchanging prisoners with
traitors or rioters? TO go behind
these events, after tie war is over, aud
erect the gaIows and the prison for
those we thus treated, is simply COW
arlly and cruel inconsistency.
We should have done to Jefferson
Davis long ago what we did 10 Gen !
eral Lee and his military compecra--
released him upon parole, and consid |
ercl the matter dismissed. Such con
duet would have been worthy Of agreat
and magnanimous people. 1t would
have shown that we, in one respect, at
least, deserved tkc victory we had won,
and that we had the wisdom to apprc- |
ciatc the true character Of the struggle,
and to profit by it. The sooner the
President performs this act Of justice
the better for his own reputation and
that Of the country. None but the
bloodthirsty and the cowardly desire
the further persecution ofJeiierson Da-
Wis. The shrewd among the Radicals
do not want an issue that they consid-
cred decided by the war to 60 again be
fore and TO be subjected to the arbtra-
mcnt of a jury--in other words, toI
sink great national struggle down to
| the dimensions Ola criminal trial, by
whose results they can not possibly
strengthen their position. The Chief
Justice Of the United States, who, be
fore he occupied his present position,
taught the doctrine upon which Mr..
Davis acted, viz: the right Of state
to sccede, has shrked the trial. lie
has invented excuses to prevent it, for
he knows, as we all know, that it would
he worse than a shameful farce. The
country wants not an exciting and irri
tat:ng trial to open old wounds
but it needs general and univel sal
amnesty for all men.