The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-03-27
The Progress Of Military
Ideas--The Indifference of
the People.

| In recent case, where citizens
/ Of Texas called upon General
| Schofield, Secretary of War, to
| induce him to order certain
citizens of Jefferson, Texas, un-
der military confinement for some
time on suspicion Of having assis-
ted in hanging noted desperate
4 named Smith, to be tried without
unnecessary delay by jury, he
replied:
| "Military courts were the best
courts III the world--that they
| convicted nine out Of ten, while
civil courts only convicted one
| out of that number. This Che
said) resulted from the fact, that
IN trials by jury one man could
| prevent a conviction, while in mil
itary trials a majority could con
Wet; and from the other fact that
men were rarely ever put on trial
! before military courts unless they
were guilty"
! And further: When his.atten-
tion was called to the provisions
Of the Constitution securing to
every man a speedy and impartial
trial by Jury, that these prisoners
| had been confined for three months
without even an investigation, and
that the military officers in whose
charge they were refused to obey
q writ Of habeas corpus, General
1 Schotield replied, with the great
| est 1eoRcbGldRce, that
"Ie once knew a man confined
in a New York .jairfor whole year
while an officer was hunting up
evidence to convict him, and that
he would favor the retention Of
these men in prison for five years,
if necessary, to procure evidence
against them.D t
Gen. Washington, himself an
i old military man, understood well
the despotic notious acquired by
those IN the service. He, there
!, fore, warned his countrymen in
his Farewell Address to keep the
military in subjection to the civil
power. During the late war, in a
| casual conversation with a mill
tary officer, then a member Of q
military commission 1ortrying Ger
tain civilians for. some alleged of
fense, committed outside Of the
! lines of d military camp, we ex-
pressed our ast0nishment that, as
Il member Of a Court, he could
have consented to rule SO and SO,
in the face Of all law and Fece-
dent. "My Dear Sir" he reMied,
''that is the way we military men
, are educated. We are taught to
obey the orders Of our superior of
ficers without questioning its jus
tice or propriety, III, as mem
Der Of a Military Court, | should
receive orders from the command
ing officer, or President Of the
United States, to convict a pris
, oner and order him to be shot,
; should unhesitatingly comply, tes-
} timony or no testimony, law or nc
law We thereafter understood
what was meant by Hale, il the
Senate Of the United States, when
he said that a military commission
$ was q Court organized to convict
and realized the danger to the
liberty Of the citizens wherever
the military was above the civi
! authority.
! The New York Spirit of thu
Times, for the purpose OF illustrat
ing military authority, relates Al
instance that occurred during thu
late war. A Sergeant with ;
squad Of men was ordered to eros!
a river and burn a certain house
$ On arriving at the house to drive
/ the inmates out, he discovered OF
bed one of our own wounded
s men-a scout--wh0m the womeI
/ Of the house had found in til,
} woods and carried into theirhOuse
} The Sergeant, under the circum
: stances. marshaled his men ant
9 returned to camp without apply
/ ing the torch. On reporting q
d headquarters, the General asked
g "Well, Sergeant, did You burn th
c. house RI mo, General "No
What do you mean, sir, by dis
# obeying orders?" 'Let me on
e plain, General. / found that th
4 sole occupants were two wome-
e and a dying soldier, and | though
]. Thought! the. devil, sir! VIVA
il Ebusiness have YOU to think, sir
t, | am paid to do your thinking
n you have no right to think, sir
n