The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-01-08

''Thc Law had not been Dead.
though it had slept"
Dndcr lhls bead The Albany Arg,,s rcfors
90 the late decision of the Supreme Court
Of The United States eouccrnlug military
c@nmission-, and calls for the lmpoach-
moni and punishment of The living officers
who pcrpctratcd the outrages rccitcd. What
Il says Is Just aud truthful:
10 was in 1891 more than live years
ago, that The President aud his Cabinet
commenced arresting private citizens. Ia
the states whore the laws were In ndl
vigoE and the cOnrts uninterrupted ia
their administration Of justice. aud con-
fined those citizens is distant prisons,
denied them all knowledge OF the charges
on which they were arrested, secluded
them from the visitation OF friends, and
excluded them from all means of relief
/ by Judicial process. The forts were filled
/ with men born free. suddenly torn from
their families, and transported 10 distant
[ prisons like criminals condemned OF the
/ biackcst crimes. and there treated in the
most inhuman manner In some cases
military courts were organized. and these
unhappy men were hauled up and given
the form Of a mock trial before tribunals
unknown to the law, and condemned to
death ioi pretended 0ilenses which they
/ had never committed: Others 20 perpetual
J imprisonment at hard labor. beyond the
process OF the courts.
What number of arrests were made whit
number OF thesc sham trials and convictions
were had. what number is still l9uQuishing
under these cruel sentences the secret
larchiyes Of the goyei ument can alone in
form us but the number was very large.
Every one Knows that these arreats were
not made 'On warrants supported bY oath
or affirmation but on simple orders of the
secretary of state and secretary OF war
lsont by telegraph. The freedom of the
press was destroyed by the arbitrary sup
preston OF newspapers. aud liberty itself
was no longer protected hv the constitu-
pended on the caprice of a secretary
Of state sud the ringing of his lit
tie bell.' Five years have elapsed,
aud now the supreme court of the uited
States has ludicially declared and affirmed
that all these arrests imprisonments, trials
and sentences by military tribunals. were
in violation Ofthe Constitution. Illegal. and
usurpation OF power unwarranted by law.
BY this Judgment IL Il declared that
President Lincoln and all his suhordinates
who acted in making these arrests and
imprisonments. or assisted ia their mocl,
trials, and enforced the unauthorized
Judgments, were themselves Violaters of the
public law, disturbors of the public peace.
false imprisoners and criminals, liable
themselves to Indictment and punishment
by the laws of the land.
The charges thus authoratiyCly and iu-
dicially made against the late President
and his secretaries is of the gravest char
actcr. IL is but little, ii any, inferior to
treason, and comes very nearly, If not
quite to that of rank murder-when death
followed rs the punishment awarded by
an unauthorized and Illegal tribunal. Con-
gress has now an opportunity to exert its
and vindicatc the constitu-
ton and laws, by impeaching those the
court has declared guilty of high crimes
and misdcmeanors in establishing arbi-
trary power and inhicting Illegal punish
ment The members have each and all
solemnly sworn to support the constitu-
tiOn, the court has declared that it has been
repeatedly and constantly violated for five
years by Illegal arrests, false imprison-
ments, mock trials. void judgments and
military murders. \ great act of national
justice is necessary to the vindication of
the constitution and the rights OF citizens,
to deter hereafter all men from exercising
n usurped power. and trampling down com
stitutional liberty when accidentally placed
in authority.