Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-12-04

| introduced Dill into the Senate FOL
the repeal of the back salary bill. Sen.
ator Pratt, of Indiana, introduced 0
similar bill, but 1t further includes the
return, or deduction from future pay
of the extra pay under the saary bill,
1t is hardly probable that this feature
can be passed, or If passed that IL
would be legal. Senator Summer in
troduced bill to provide constitu-
tional amendment abolishing the office
| of Vice President and for the election
the President by popular vote OF
tho people for six years. He also in
troduced supplementary civil rights
bill. Senator Buckingham introduced
bill to give 500 bounty TO soldiers
volunteering under proclamation OF
May Sd, 1861, and who were mustered
prior to August 9th following. Lo-
gan introduced a bill for the repeal OF
the bankrupt law and Morton for the
repeal of the involuntary clause of the
bankrupt act. Window has intro
duced bill for the election of Sena-
tors by the people.
Complaints made, and justly too
that criminals who have the funds to
pay eminent counsel and provide 9TH
er material for warfare, go unwhipped
of justice often. There are many rea-
sons for this; we propose, however, to
notice one now, viz: the want of pluck,
dignity and honesty in the judges. A
notable instance has occurred in the
conduct of Judge Davis at the trial of
Boss Tweed, showing what Judge of
pluck and integrity can do towards
bringing wealthy and great criminals
to justice. One great difficulty In
meteing out justice to violators Of the
law is that eminent attorneys often
wheedle courts, and more or less have
them under their thumbs; that courts
fear the influence and rebuke of at
torneys, and permit them to continue
their cases, take changes of venue,
and in a thousand ways delay the trial
of cases without any good reason
therefor. Again, oftentimes these at
torneys attack the court itself, charg-
ing upon it prejudgment of the case,
a prejudice against the defendant, and
this they do with the most impertur-
able brassiness. Courts want more
backbone to distinguish between q
reasonable and proper defense of
criminals and one that employs rascal
ity and crime itself to screen Grimm
als. Courts want to assume the erect,
firm, independent course of Judge
Davis, and permit of no cheating OF
the administration of justice by able
and unprincipled attorneys. The pro.
fession must be taught that the defense
of criminals must be honorable.
Alexander II. Stephens, the Elk
vice-President of tho late Southern
Confederacy, appears again on the
floor of the Lower House of Congress.
He is one Of tho smallest and scrawn-
lest men, physically, in the country.
He has been afflicted for long time
with rheumatism and his person is
said to be wofully drawn out of shape.
He is considerably on the Cuban war
path, but will not have room for much
display in this direction under the
present status.
There never was in the history of
the world an exhibition Of more lenity
than is shown in permitting Mr.. Ste
phens to take again the position of a
member in our National Congress. The
Republican party has pushed this mat
ter of fully restoring rebels to their
of<a sturus TO the very extreme, ana
yet reformers and Democracy are not
satisfied.
We scout the idea of taking ven
geance; we 60 SO far as to scout the
idea that punishment should be infict-
ed because, as the common phrase
goes, "Justice demands it." Tho fact
is nothing demands punishment, but
the reformation of the criminal, the
protection of the public and as an ex.
ample to deter others from crime,
While we clearly think we
are right in our view of pun
ishment yet we believe that the ex-
treme lenity that places such men as
Stephens upon the floor of Congress
is not calculated to reform the once
traitor, protect the public, or deter fu-
ture would be traitors. The principle
10 wrong as the future historian of this
country will one day record.
The Liberal Democratic journals OF
the country are afraid that Spain will
not carry out the stipulations made in
the settlement of our difficulty with
her. That may be, but simple justice
demands that she shoald have an op.
portunity to comply with them, and
that if she cannot or will not, this ma.
ton can see to it that it is done.
The flibustering Democracy who
seemed determined to find fault with
the administration have been hand.
somely entrapped. Those fellows who
could not see any cause for war when
our flag went down before rebel can.