The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-05-18
JEFF. Davis.

The "punish traitors and make treason
odious" farce is played out. jeff Davis, the
head traitor of them all, has been released.
1t is true, he gave bail, but everybody knows
it was mere form, and that Davis is virtually
scot free. On Saturday last writ of habeas
corpus, issued out of the Us. District Court
at Richmond-Judge UnderwOod-was served
on Gen. Burton, in command at Fortress Mon
roe, and on Monday he "took the body of
jeff. Davis to Richmond and delivered him up
to the civil authorities. Judge Underwood
discharged the distinguished prisoner" from
military arrest, whereupon bench warrant
was served on him and he was arrested under
the Norfolk indictment for treason. Then his
counsel Gall in accordance with the previously
| concocted programme Of this delectable farce
asked that the prisoner might be admitted to
bail and the Judge graciously accedes to the
request; and then the question is asked, what
shall be the amount, and the Judge says
100000; and then comes the further question,
who will go his bail, and then Horace Greeley
raises his venerable head in the crowd and
says g I'll be one" and Augustus Schcll, of N.
u, says ''Ill be an other !" and twenty other
gentlemen simultaneously offer their names.
Poor Gerrit Smith arrived too late to have his
name placed on the honorable roll to his in
expressible grief. Then Davis said, isn't it
rather coolish y So the Court obleingly
adjourns, and the distinguished prisoner and
his admiring sureties step into carriages and
proceed to the Spottswood House, where the
best rooms await them.
Thus the curtain dropped upon the last
scene. Is any one SO simple as to imagine that
this farce is to he followed by n tragedy?
But why our unsophisticated readers may
ask, are these bitter radicals-like Judge In
derwood, Greeley, &c, grown all at once so
gracious towards jeff. Davis! That they have
conceived wonderful admiration for him is
indisputabe; have they grown alike gracious
towards the Southern people of all whose
political sins he is the most complete repre-
sentative! Not much. They love Davis,
because they loved his treason but they are
opposed to furnishing HIN for treason, because
they shared his treason with him. Greeley,
Gerrct Smith, the whole radical brood, were
secessoEsts-opcn, avowed, years before
Davis dared to breathe the pestilent doctrine.
And they no more believed him guilty of than
they dared to punish him for treason. They
hold very different doctrine With Thad-
deus Stevens, Sumner, &c, they hold the doc
trine that the States never did rebel, but that
what they attempted was revolution. They
were not subdued as rebels, but conquered as
seeded states Davis having been the head
of another government, which was CONQUERED
by our arms, Of course cannot be tried for
treason. But while they love Davis and his
treason, they have a very different reckoning
for the Southern people. They it is true, are
also not to be punished for treason, but were
they not Shareholders! Did they not always
rail and vote against the radicals Have they
not splendid farms to be conliscated Won't
their negroes make splendid radical voters (!
Were this people subdued rebels Congress
would have no power over them after their
submission, except to punish them by the
| courts; but as conquered states who can
limit the power of the conqucror! So the
traitors are set free, to give unlimited license
for the oppression of the conquered
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