Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-12-07

jeff. Davfs-Why IL He Not Tried?
i During the late politicaF campaigu the.
,:reat afgpment of the friends of General
s3EANT and against the pemocratic party,
Was that the rebels must be punished and
treason be made odious. This the newspa-
per press of that party held could not be
me case II the Deaiocratic party succeeded
to power.
These charges were made in the face of
| the fact that not a single man engaged in
the gigantic rebellion has yet been brought
to trial OF iudicially punished. JEFFERsoN
| DAVIS, the great bead and 'front.' Of the re !
bellion, whose mind, towering ab6se the
others around him, gave form and substance
Co the rebellion, was caught and Gagged, but
lnever tried, aud now asmotion' is pending
tin the United States Court at Richmond,
Chief Justice CHASE presiding, which will
be so decided as to- send him forth, un-
tainted by verdict Of the jury against
him. If rebellion is to be punished
I # treason is to- be made; odious, why not
give him trial and punish him for, bis
h crimes? The Nev Y9rs, ,S.m, edited
BY Mr.. STANToN's late Assistant Secretary
3Of War, says that;,,o.,. .ei,r 6..,,,,.
at Is well known that the master spirit
fpf the present Administration, Mr.. Secre-
tary Seward, has not intended, from the
beginning, that Mr.Davis should be tried
and punished. "nesp- vyes.fi5r.ro9 bn,
! Judge CHAsE'it has been charged, time
land time again, would never allow DAVIS
ito be convicted, and his refusal to have him
i brought to trial gives much plausibility to
the charges.s9a19bn HcHsT9 f5w 3 bIf
II The Sun adds 81 iu .ssw sI9smsd3 10
There is another reason more :impera-
4 tive, and which ought to be conclusive,
tagainst the continued procrastination oi
1.-THE prosecution of Jefferson Davis; and
+ that is, ,Iitflat it is done in fragrant
violation of the: Constitution of the United
Estates. The crime of Jefferson Davis was
THAT he violate that Constitution. The
imen1n authority violate the Constitution
in denying to jefferson Davis a speedy tri-
lal; for the Constitution provides that. in
Idu criminal prosecutions, the accused shall
enjoy the right to q speedy and public
trial. The prosecution of Jefferson Davis
lie ascriminal7 prosecutions and is included
lin, the term all criminal prosecutions
fand Jefferson Davis has not enjoyed the
fright to speedy trial, and, the 'Cohstitu-
jtion has been violated in his case. 1.-The
Twas TO be tried, he should have been tried
Hong ago; and ii hewas to be hanged at all
he should have been, hanged long before
lthis time.s s''i'a ''i9ii 'es74 :, f'7''2 - q
Thereis much of good use In the above.
The confinement Of DAVIS Tor years in
Fortress Monroe, and his liberation as a
prisoner at large, under. heavy bai,,, with
out giving him the rightsto speedy trial,
! is simply infamous, and If liberated on that
ground, would have good show OF reason
init, but to keep him a prisoner for years,
and refuse him his, constitutional right to
atrial on his alleged offenses, lis but to make
| . mockery Of justice. ,i.' l,r -
The crime charged, as the Syn says,
against DAVIS, was that he Violated the
Constitution of the United States. The
court, whose duty it is to try him, is guilty
of the same offense. -. -.
The people have right to demand his
trial, to the end that it may be judicially
settl ed, whether he was guilty of Treason
against the United States or not. -