The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-05-21
pailp Argus.
J. B. DANroRrH, JR., EDITOR.
Tuesday Evening, May 81, 1867.
Fop JUDGE, Sixth JUDICIAL C1RcuIr,
Brock Island and Henry Counties)
HON. GEORGE W.PLEAsANTs,
Of Rock Island.
(ELEcr1oN MONDAY, JUNE 3d.
What the Radicals Say
about JEFF and His Case.
"Treason has lost Its Obnoxious
FOrce.o
GIT Is NO MORE DESERVING OF
PUNISHMENT THAN A DIFF
FERENCE in RELI- @
GIVUS BELlEFs"
"JefI. Davis not Kept in Conhne-
ment for Treason
"TwO Years Of Effort to find Evil
dence has Proved 4 Fall
ure."
CONGRESS In AN AWKWARD
FIX"
alt Desires to Drop the Natter"
CIT RESEMBLES THE UNHAPPY
TADPOLE."
CONGRESS in AN AWKWARD
FIX"
alt Desires to Drop the Natter"
GIT RESEMBLES THE UNHAPPY
TADPOLE."
CTS HIG HEST AMBITION ID TO GET
AWAY FROM ITS TAILY

Many people are under the impression
that the penalty for treason is death. This
was so, until the radicals got into power
In 1862 a radical congress, and radical
president, changed the penalty for treason
from death to Imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary, the severest punishment being for life.
The radicals now admit that they have
trumped up all sorts of lies about JEFF Da-
Wis and his completely in the assassination,
in the cruel treatment of prisoners, &C., &C.,
they admit that he has been lied about
long enough, and that congress wants to
b ack down as quietly as possible. The Chi
cago Journals Washington correspondent
under date of May 16, says:
"The truth is that treason has lost its OBJ
nOxious force, and, despite the assertion of
individuals, it is fast becoming considered
not crime punishable with death-but a
political Tense, and no more deserving of
punishment than difference in religious be-
lief. At all events, fine and imprisonment
is considered due retribution, and there
are very many-among the radicals, too,-
who ore opposed even to this penalty but
argue for repatriation, and they cite the
clemency of despotic France as an instance
of the mildness and sufhciency of exile
Jefferson Davis has been confined so
long at Fortress Monroe, not to answer the
charge of treason, but to give the judiciary
committee and the other committees of con-
gress time to procure sufficient evidence
against him to warrant his Indictment and
successful prosecution ON either or both of
,o;&
of Abraham Lincoln, or criminal RESPONSE
bility for the cruel treatment of our soldiers
in rebel prisons. What is the sequel? Two
years have passed away, and the most extra
ordinary efforts have failed to bring suffice
proofs against him to Justify the arraign-
ment, and now congress in reality withdraws
from the task it has so arduously labored in,
and Jefferson Davis is now very quietly sur
rendered into the hands of the civil author.
ties on habeas corpus, and the result is he
is released on bail to await his trial at the
next November term"
Congress has found itself in an awkward
fix. 1t has honestly tried to do it's duty,
subscribing the public good, and it has been
asserted time and again that important testi-
mony had been found that implicated Davis
in these two crimes. Thus the public have
been led to believe great things, whereas the
only foundation for them was the busy brain
of some New York Geographic correspon-
dent. Congress, naturally enough, feels
very much like getting clear of this dilem-
ma. 1t desires to drop the matter. For two
years it has much resembled the unhappy
tadpole who in melancholy mood plaintive-
ly declared
az can do nothing but lie here all day,
Just wriggle and wriggle and wriggle away"
Of course their highest ambition is to get
away from their tails. A tadpole once a
frog becomes in certain sense a free man
Life assumes new responsibilities and new
duties. Congress is extremely anxious to
do that same thing"