The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-03-05

The Refinement OF Justice.

The Refinement OF Justice.
l. 1t is announced that the material part Of
the philosopher II. G." arrived in Chica
go yesterday. The Immaterial part Of hin
arrived at the same time, in a copy of his
newspaper concern, with leader y in.
dicted in the language of double
loaded loyalty, beginning with the pro
nunciamento that the president must be
impeached," eliminating with the demand
that " congress impeach him immediately
and winding up with the injunction, lei
him oe impeached."
1t is merely the repetition of an old
party watchword in new guise. When
the confederate armies surrendered, the
Jacobin shibboleth went forth in the
phrase " Treason must be made odious. %
The party commenced the work Of making
treason odious by Offering to give $780,.
600 of the peoples money for the appre.
hension Of Jefferson Davis, president Of
defunct confederacy. Davis was appre-
hended was indicted for treason was kept
in prison whole year and, all the while
the party kept on bawling that treason
must be made odious by punishing the
head traitor as his crime deserved. Has
the head traitor been punished ? IF not,
why not? Is it because the law officers Ol
the government have not been ready to
proceed with his trial? Those officers
have made known their readiness to pro-
ceed, at three or four different terms OF
court since the offender was taken into
custody. First, the chief justice would
not hold the court; then, the chief justice
found himself unable to attend then, he
was not ready, or was indisposed, or it was
inconvenient, or something. And finally,
when it was supposed that the chief JUS
tice had got ready, Mr.. Horace Greeley
appeared, put his name on the prisoner s
bail-bond, and Jefferson Davis was set at
liberty. No one now has the slightest an
ticipation that treason will ever be made
odious by the infection of punishment up
on Jefferson Davis, president of the confed-
crate states.
Nevertheless, " treason must be made
odious." "Loyalty demands victim.
The intended victim has escaped
the philosopher ' Ii. g." having been
one of the most direct aiders and abettors
of his escape. Loyalty" still resolute in
the demand that treason shall be made
odious, turns it's pursuit of the president
OF Its enemies, to pursue its own president.
Having let President Davis go, it turns to
vent loyal wrath on the head of President
johnson. Refusing to punish the presi-
dent of the confederate states, it resolves
with show of redoubled indignation, to
punish the president of the United States
Somebody must be punished. The victim
must be Of the rank of president. Aud as
the party has decided not to punish the
president elected by the rebels, the obvious
alternative is to punish the presiden. elect
cd by thcmsclees.
1t cannot be said that the party choice
is unworthy of the party. Perhaps it is a
| wise choice. At least it is a choice that
vindicates the poetry of justice President
Davis attempted to take certain states out
of the union. He failed in that attempt.
President johnson, when he repudiated
the convention of General Sherman, open
ed the door by which Jaco5nism entered
| to complete the work of disunion that j ef-
terson Davis began. The present disunited
condii ion of the republic-ten states out of
the union and governed only by the law
that might makes rights due to Andrew
johnson, who refused to accept the sur-
render of their people on the basis of the
constitution, more than it is to Jefferson
Davis, who was powerless to prevent such
q surrender
| For that first great political blunder-a
blunder that was greater than a crime
Andrew johnson is responsible, and de.
serves punishment. True, the fanatics
that are now proceeding to punish him
then stood at his back and encouraged
him in the perpetration of that blunder
This fact did not alter the nature of the
transaction, nor relieve the executive head
OF the government from the responsibility
And. although it is not for that act thai
his political hackers then, demand his pun.
ishment now, it is d demand to which he
would not have been liable, and punish,
ment that he could not have incurred, had
he not committed that egregious blum
der.
The deposal of Andrew johnson, should
it be done, will be partisan act, and will
establish a most dangerous precedent from
which any unscrupulous partisan majority
may take advantage in the future. But
considering it in the light of an alterna-
tive to the punishment of Jefferson Davis
it will be set down in history as refine
ment Of Jacobin justice-of that loyal jus
tice which refusing to make treason odiou:
in the person of the rebel president
proceeds to do SO by inficting the
punishment on president of its own
Chicago Times, FEB, %.