The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-21
The Crisis at Last.

ES0fIl the Herald.
The cowardly conduct of the President, Con-
press, and Chief Justice Chase in the case of
the chief traitor in the Rebellion, jeff. Davis,
has resulted in virtual declaration to the
world that there is no such crime as treason in
fhis country. After denouncing treason as
odious. as heinous crime that must be pun
fshed, and after holding JEFF Davis two years
a prisoner, under the charge not only of trea-
son, but as an accomplice also in the assassi-
nation of President Lincoln, he is released on
straw bail without trial We are not even
Informed of the reasons for abandoning either
Ihe charge of assassination or the prosecution
for treason. Every department of the Gov
ernment, the President, Congress, and the
judiciary, denounced in the severest manner
the crime of treason, and led the people to
believe it would be punished; but that has
burned out to be all noise and pretense The
aaw is dead letter. The blood of half mil
lion of brave men has been split in vain. We
are groaning under the weight of three or four
+, Thousand millions of debt, tor nothing. After
having suppressed the Rebellion at so much
cost we virtually justify the Rebels We pro-
claim to the world that the war was nothing
more than sort of gigantic duel for the trial
of courage and skill, bloody gladiatorial con-
kest with no other result than to burden us
with an enormous debt, and to make an ex-
citing chapter in history, What weakness
What humiliation to this proud and powerful
Fepubliol --.r I..-
Ah, but there may be another result to this
weakness and cowardice of the Government in
failing to punish treason, which our de-
linduent officials may not have dreamed of,
There is an underswell of indignation rising
mp among the people. They begin to ask what
Ihe war was for. They think of the myriads
nf slain heroes; they see numbers Of the mutt
Hated brave without arms and legs every
lThere; they feel the weight Of an enormous
debt, and then reflect that all this was in vain
and without result if treason be not crime
or cannot be punished. What will be the
consequence of such disappointment and in
dignation Is it not reasonable to expect
they will begin to think of repudiating a
debt created for no purpose and resulting in
Sms way Is not the imbeeility OF the Gov
erhment-and we mean by the Government
1he hNecutive, Congress, and the Judiciary
Seadlng us to this We can expect no other
AlleIna'lYe' Nor could we object to it if the
MaI 30 hultless, and the Government is
1iiaoe 70 rest ON no better foundation. II
1here pe no treason, why paw so dearly for
5he pretense OF suppressing ftY
~ WhneW We nolu the President and our radical
Congress TO their share of responsibility in moi
seeing that treason was made odious and on,
violated laws vindicated, we consider CHE
Justice Chase more directly Responsible an
guilty of neglect OF duty. He lS,pIe nonid @ Sn(
brought Davis to trial at any time during tb'
awo years that this chief of the Rebellion Was
prisoner. II was his duty to do so. But h
refused under the fimsiest pretexts. He woul
not hold a court or permit one to be held, fo1
Booth, because he pretended the civil pOwe
was not restored in the South. Yet the wa
was ended and the South was not under MAJ