Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1867-05-22

political.
TREASON NOT PUNIS HE'D
We concur entirely in the following from the
BOSTON Semi Weekly Adccrtiser:-
Jefferson Davis was brought before a civil court
ON Monday; Mr.. Grocley's extraordinary ambi-
ton was gratiied by the opportunity of signing
the bail bond Of the rebel leader aud now, we
suppose, the beginning Of the end is in plain sight
The bail will never surrender their prisoner, and
will never pay their bond; by some oNpcdeut or
other the business will be suffered to oozo away
the people Of Richmond will be gently let down
from their excitement; and by some decorous
process the case will bee dismissed and the rebel
leader will be freed under circumstances which
for dramatic eject, which lac much consults,
are rather better for bis purposes than an acqut-
tai.
An this brings to mind the often quoted saving,
generally credited TO the late Mr. Douglas that
this government would never be strong until 10
should hang somebody for treason. Ii is a fact
that we are now about TO close up the account with
the most gigantic treason i'm history, without so
much AS putting one man on trial for that offence
Certain persons have been executed for a MURDER
with which one or two OF them are not proved 10
have had anything 10 do, and one miserable tool
in the Andcrsonville atrOcity has met his deserts
But the great crime which lay behind these has
hardly been treated as iustihahle offence, and
will of cousre not bee laid to- the charge Of any in
tcuor criminal when the leader is once set at large
There is plausible ground for arguing that the
law OF treason is now obsolete in this country, and
still more the extreme penalty which Mr.. Douglas
thought so necessary for public example and secu-
rty
We shall not argue any further the now lost
cause which 1t has been our duty TO present so
many times in the last two years. But we may be
permitted TO declare our distrust of The suliucncy
OF that punishment of failure, which it is said is Of
more powerful effect than the law and the gallows.
We apprvheud that Ia eases OF treason the vast
majority Of those engaged are mere dupes, ON
whom the consequences of failure, whether they
bee OF one sort o. of another have yery little inlu-
oucc and as for the few who lead, aud whose
personal stake in the result Is apt TO ne small, a
wholesome fear of ignomjuious death is in our
judgment more likely 20 bee eihcacious with them
than any moral they may draw nom the present
state of jefferson Davis. Indeed, remembering
what morbid love of notorcty and popular posi-
tun is apt 10 possess the more reckless politicians
we can conceive of such q late as bis being regard
ed by a desperate adventurer ms not a bad atcrua-
tive. We shall De agrrcahy disappointed then 1t
the breaking down OF what should have been a
great state pros cution shall finally prove to have
had no worse effect than the temporary hmniia-
ton of the United States, and the ending of a
great historic tragedy by an inconsistent and lame
conclusion
CIVIL RtGurs iN KrNrrcKY. Kentucky. hav-
inc fallen INFO the hands of IT'S rebel citizens has
become the most lawless State in the Union In
proof of this we have the annexed statement bv a
Lexington CORRESPONDENT OF the Cincinnati Ga
zottt
"Ata fair estimate two negroes per dav in Ken
mekv. afe beaten. outraoed MANNED burned or
murdered. Under the Civil Riphts law over 6fty
murders and more than two hundred cases of out
rnre mon black citizens have been reported to
the civil and military authorities. During the
pa.t wear alone five hundred murders and outraees
upon negroes have occurred In Kentucky Thi,
only includes such eases as were officially noticed
tv the United States Commissioners. Civil Courts
or Agents ofthe Freedmen's Bureau. and it is fair
10 presume that one or two hundred more eases
occurred which were never reported at all or not
acted on officially. But a single Judge in the
State--IIon. VIM. c. Goodloe, who has always
been loyal. and was arraicned last winter by the
Lepislature for his lo,alN--bos recoanized the
Statutes passed bv Compress and admitted negro
testimony into Ills courts. An the rest of the
Judges have either ignored the law or nulHfed
its ehccts.n
Even in the United States Courts. where seven
ty-for utlawsand murderer, have been arraiot,ed
not a sinole conviction has been obtained only
one case tried. and All but two released ON bond,
No wonder that the limited STATES officers are shot