Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-06-07
MADE EASY AND re
SPLCTABI4In
Wendell Philips on the Release Of Davis

From The Ani-Slavery Standard last week
Mr.. Jefferson Davis is released; Horace
| Greeley gives bail for his appearance when
called for. Mr.. Davis has started on his
traycls-to return, no doubt whenever the
farce of u trial may still further disgrace the
nation.
Unless We are grossly mistaken, there is a
deep seated, unappeasab.e Indignation in the
heart Of the people at this act The protest
may not he loud mou:hed, hut all loyal hearts
swell in secret with bitter hate which bids its
time.
What more could tic Government have done
TO encourage another reasonable outbreak :?
What more to bring law itself into disgrace
to bring, indeed Republican Government
into disgrace? For If this be all republics
can do to punish treason on how insure ten
urc VIC hold Pc ce. If such be the easy path
Of rators, why should not any disappointed
and baflled party chief thus achieve worlds
wide notosicty Surely, as they say in Eng
land ''Iligh treason is one of the cheapest
amusements one can now indulge in"
Bu. there is another side of the medal
Manned and wounded men will not thus pa
tiently drag out bitter years; childless faith
ers, or, harder STILL those whose sons survived
Libby Prison and Andersonville in q state
more pi,able than mere death, will leave bloody
instructions for those who come after them
If law is thus sham, the recourse will be to
the Mexican method, and let rival chiefs shoot
each othor after drum. head court-martial. II
this be all the law can do to punish treason,
the next jefferson Davis who attempts to es.
cape will be ruthlessly shot before he has
time to lift his disguise or attain the safe shell
ter of a prostituted Court. Mr.. Greeley thinks
the lesson that the people will learn from this
lisgraceful exhibition, viii be one of forgive
ness. The awning spaniel is no emblem or
teacher OF forgiveness. The survivors Of the
Army of the potomac--tLe men who remem-
Der MeCocs, Memphis Fl. Pillow and the MUIR
lcrers OF Belle Isle-will read this act in q
different and rcdder light. They will resolve
~ HSit1t abeii OWH tLC ISAl liHlt, uIu
prevent being cheated by law. When, during
the war, soldiers found that guerrillas and
other ebeis, their hands dripping blood, had
only TO take the oath and get immediate lib.
eriJ, they did not learn the Greeley lesson to
forgive muraerers; they simply brought IN no
prisoners No arrest were reported at head
quarters only rumors reached ii of men shot
in the attempt TO bring them in. We think
our baf1ed boys in blue viii lay up some such
lesson from this occurrence in case they have
another call to arms.
10 beat law does not always mean that you
set up Christianity it sometimes make room
for anarchy. Toward that gulf Mr. Greedy
calls the nation to take the first step and him
self leads the way.
There is such a thing as right and wrong
Honest men and knaScs are not identical. The
Government f on: knavishness, and Mr.. Greedy
from thanking folly-the dupe Of catch-words
ARE confusing the moral senses of this ma
ton. IT'S bad seed sowing. Heaven grant
we may not have fearful harvest The ma
ton which pardons criminals because il has
not virtue to punish them is on the highway
TO ruin; but the nation that opens its prison
doors on the pretense that there is little diff.
ference between traitors and honest men has
accomplished more than half the journey.
The mmaer Of this sal deed is as signifs
cant as tic deed itself Grant, if you will,
that such is our position that we cannot pun
isll Davis, bat must release him, still he is .
traitor; the wretch who sought to crush the
most benificent Government in the world
deliberately did what he could to kill freedom
and perpetrate slavery still, he is the chief
cause why thousands are childless, and hum
drcds of thousands are orphans. lie is the
man who turned the happy land into o field
of blood, and made the name Of America hid
cous with the murders of Andersonville.-
This murderer Of thousands stands covered
with blood
Who then is this that rushes forward 10
snatch the bloody hand and offer congratula-
tions What decent man dare stand up
clasping hands, in the face of the world, with
the bloodiest, most heartless and selfish vii
lain Of the century? On what absurd pre-.
text docs the leader Of the dominant and 10y
al party justify this fraternizing with crime :?
If Booths trial had boon long delayed, and
at last brought face to face with the Jury,
would Mr.. Greeley have been found grasping
his murderons hand and offering congratu>
]ations
All the reasons brought forward to excuse
this national infamy are hollow sham
tiose that offer them do not in their hearts be
lieve Davis criminal This is the saddest
feature Of the hour, nation whose moral
sense slavery has 80 poisoned, that it no lon
ger discriminates between right and wrong.
We have, go far as mere law goes, abolished
slavery but generations must pass away be-
fore we get rid of the poison. Half million
murders committed in its behalf only make
the murderer worthy of an ovation. OF Mr..
Greeley $ part in this melancholy farce We
want words to express our opinion. Sorrow
masters Indignation. lie has done many
things to try the patience Of his friends but
we think nothing has proved SO conclusivcly
his entire lack ofjudgmcnt and common sense.
his utter inability to comprehend the epoch
the struggle through which the nation has