The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-12-13
Babcoclx in Court.

notable as man OF few words. Yet |
even his enemies will not deny that
when he speaks at all, he speaks to the |
point. Among all the brief utterances |
OF this man of silence, none came forth |
with more of point, of pith and moment,
than his Injunction to the Attorney Gen. |
eral concerning the prosecution of the
prominent men of the whisky ring
NLet no guilty man escape" A most en-
phatic utterance was that, and worthy
OF the Chief Magistrate of the nation.
And again. when last summer at st.
Louis, the now notorious Gen. McDon-
aid sent his card requesting an inter-
view, Gen. Grants reply was-"Tell
Gen. Mcdonald that can hold no con.
ference with a man who is under a
charge Of defrauding his country"
These, too, were words to the point, and
worthy of the speakers exalted station.
Under the sanction OF these explicit in
functions from the President, to let no
guilty man escape, the appropriate law
officers OF the Government have worked
with degree of zeal and energy worthy
Of all praise to the breaking up OF one
OF the foulest nests of iniquity that the
country ever beheld. The men whom
it became their duty to arraign ana
bring to justice were among the wealthy
and the influential of the land, men who
had held offices OF honor and oftrust, and
who had stained their honor and abused
their trust. But with all their wealth
and influence they were not allowed to
escape. And to-day they are looking
out upon the world through the barred
windows of common felons' prison.
In the course of their Investigations
circumstances were developed that di-
rected suspicion toward man of even
more prominent position; a man who
had long enjoyed the personal conf
= dence of the President himself. and who
was acting as his private Secretary.
But the fiat had gone forth-"Let no
guilty man escape" The officers of the
law, pursuing this solemn injunction,
presented an Indictment against Gen.
Babcock, and demanded his arrest as Il
co-conspirator to delraud the public
revenues; and he is accordingly ar
raigned before the appropriate tribunal
to stand his trial for this offense.
On the charge being made, though in un-
official form, Gen. Babcock, as an ofit er
of the army, requested the order for mill
tary court of inquiry, to be composed of
army officers, to investigate his conduct
in relation to that charge, as "for con-
duct unbecoming an officer and gentle
man." The court was ordered by the
President, as requested; and the proper
officers detailed for that duty, to meet in
Chicago. Thither Gen. Babcock went 10
meet the accusation. But, while ar
ranging the preliminaries of that mill
tary trial, the indictment from United
States Grand Jury at st. Louis was pre-
sented to the civil court; and at once
the proceedings before the court martial
were suspended, and the accused is
placed under arrest to appear before the
civil tribunal where the indictment is
pending.
Thus stands the Babcock case now.
And that the case will be prosecuted
with all due diligence and zeal against
him, there can be no manner OF doubt.
Of his probable guilt or innocence we are
not justifable in uttering any opinion.
But we feel satisfied that no officer OF the
Government will stay his hand in the
prosecution, by reason OF Gen. Babcock's
public position or official relations to the
President himself. Under the injunction
TO "Let no guilty man escape" justice
Will take its unimpsded coulse, in his
case, as it has in the preceding cases o.
like kind.
Supposing that Babcock should b
Nance, by great many, where the
friends and confidential serviturs o
men in DISTINGUISHED positions have
abused that confidence and mlsuset
their trust for the furtherance Of thei
Dwn motives of avarice or ambition
And should this event ensue. no mai
will regret the failure of his friend more
than will Gen. Grant himself; vet W,
believe that he would be the last of al
men to write libel upon his own in
junction, and permit any measures to b'
taken to let the guilty man escape.
One result of all this is certain, ,-tha
lhe military court now becomes need
less for the investigation Of this charge
For, after trial before the civil tribu
nal to which General Babcock Is amena
Bile, verdict in either direction coult
not be re-examined nor oyerruled by tht
court martial. II verdict of "guilty'
should be pronounced against him by
the jury, the military court woult
have no jurisdiction to pronounce hin
innocent; nor could that court find hin
guilty if pronounced "not. guilty" in TIN
civil tribunal. And this is just as !
should be. The offenses against tn
criminal laws OF the land must be deter
mined according to the law OF the land
and no exemption from that course Q
procedure can be permitted because tn