The Shasta courier., 1867-03-30
To be set at Liberty.

By telegraph we are informed that the
President has been urged by prominent Re-
publicans and others to release JEFF. Davis on
his own recegnizance, because there is no
prospect Of the Chief Justice holding Court
in Virginia so long as that State is under the
control of the military authorities. The fol
lowing, from the Sacramento Bee. expresses
our sentiments, exactly:
After all the trouble we have had in fight
ing that arch traitor, Jefferson Dayis-atter
all the expenditure of blood and treasure
required to dispel his armies-after paying
$1,000 for his capture in petticoats-and
after going to the cost Of feeding and guard
ing him in Fortress Monroe-he is at last to
be set at liberty upon his own reeognizance
Why was he captured in Georgia? Why was
he not permitted to pursue his way into vol
untary exile, and thus leave his country for
his country's good? If he were not traitor
why lay hands upon him and if he is a
traitor why not try and punish him? We
are not in the habit Of swearing, but if we
were we would not attempt it on this occa-
sion, for we profoundly feel our utter inabil-
ity to do the subject justice.
How will history view this conduct? The
greatest crime recorded in the worlds annals
has been committed within the Republic,
and neither the chief conspirator, who is in our
possession, nor any one of his subordinates,
thousands Of whom we can any day lay hands
upon, has as yet been punished by the law
whose majesty they offended, and whose
power they SO haughtily set at defiance
What will the future generations of this and
other lands think Of US, who, having the
opportunity and the power to set an example
that might deter others from attempting so
enormous crime, failed to do our duty to
posterity? The exiling Of Jefferson Davis,
or imprisoning him for life, or hanging him
would be no recompense to this nation Or to
humanity anywhere for the great wrongs he
has done-ten thousand lives like his would
be but poor atonement-but the-law does not
punish to avenge but to preyent'crime. Nor
is it the extent Of the punishment but the
certainty thereof that deters others from the
commission of the wrongs against individuals
or society. The murderer of one person, Or
of family, or neighborhood, would be
pursued to the very foot of the gallows, and if
the law by technicality, or through the fault
of its officers released him, an outraged COM
munity would take the matter in hand and
mete out justice but in the case before us
the man who murdered hundreds of thou
sands in his attempt to murder nation is
not even brought to trial If he had sue
ceeded in his ambition he would have been
called a hero, and when he failed, there is no
punishment to be meted out to him Is this
the example we are to bequeath our children?
Are we thus to encourage rebellion hereafter?
Is the future peace of America and the exist
ence of these United States as one nation of
so little value that the written law should not
now be enforced against this one man p
What is Davis that he should be spared while
the Republic suffers? And we ask this not
in spirit of revenge but for justice, that
the hereafter of this Government may be more
secure. BY this course we say to all, rebel
when you will, swear falsely, tear down the
Government erected for freedom if you can.
and raise upon its ruins huge despotisms to
stife manhood and crush the people-the
policy of this Government is to prevent you if
it have the power, but if you fail, the law
shall not be enforced against you This is
fatal example, and may in the future strew
the land with our noblest slain, and people it
with widows and orphans.
What billions of debt has not this man and
his associates in crime piled upon the shoul-
ders of this people! What misery and death
follow in his train Thousands of our fellows
are dying even now in that Southern land,
of starvation, because. and only because, of
his misdeedsl And this debt and these
deaths are only the secondary evils, and are
almost as nothing compared with the suffer
ings and deaths that have gone before. And
yet the prime immediate mover of the causes
which produced all this wrong, is not even to
be tried Surely there must be fault some
where, or this thing could not be-