The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-10


We shall know as We are known,
Severmore to walk alone,
When the Day of Light is dawning,
And the mists have cleared away.
GEN. BabcOclz's AcquIGtaI.
The promp, unhesitating acquit-
tai of Gen. Babcock will be emil
nently gratifying to the country.
The great body of the people
everywhere will be glad that, after
q searching trial and full examin-
alton of all the evidence, the jury
were able without dissent or re-
serve to pronounce him not guilty.
The charge was, indeed, one which
involved himself alone. Had he
been convicted, the condemnation
could not, in the mind of any can
did man have struck beyond his
own skirt. Not even the worst en-
envy of the President has had the
hardihood to impugn him, though
INSCRIPTIONS opponents would
have been delighted to create the
impression that he was in some
sense on trial. If Gen. Babcock
had been guilty it would only have
revealed as great a wrong to the
President as to the country. But
it is a matter for qualification that
he stands fully exonerated and the
verdict will be heartily accepted.
1t cannot be said that the trial
has not been severe and thorough.
1t followed a long and unbroken
series of convictions. 1t came in
an epidemic of condemnation. 1t
found an atmosphere unfriendly to
any man arraigned. 1t was prose-
cuted with zeal, vigor and ability.
No techniealities fettered it or re-
stricted its reach. The counsel
for the Government were the same
who have succeeded in every other
case, and who threw special feeling
and energy into this. The Court
was the same under which all the
other indictments have ended in
conviction. 1t is not pretended
that the jury was different in char
acter from those before it or that
1t was predisposed towards Gen.
Babcock. Under all these cir
circumstances, the entire agree
ment of the jury ON the very first
ballot in pronouncing him not
guilty must be accepted as a con-
elusive judgement and a full exon
Grafton.
There are, indeed, very few ra-
tiOnal men who will claim that I'M
der the evidence any different YER
dict should have been rendered.
No clear testimony appeared upon
which a conviction could have been
founded with confidence of justice.
1t is true that Gen. Babcock had
communications with some of the
conspirators which, had their
character and operations been
known then as they are now, would
have suggested questionable trans
actions. It is true that his COM
munications were undoubtedly used
by these consirators to promote
their own schemes and to persuade
the distillers of their power at
Washington. Even if they had
been the best Of men, it may be
granted that it was not prudent or
well-judged in Gen. Babcock to
receive or send such messages as
he did. But it is one thing to be-
lieve a proceeding unwise and
quite another to identify it with
guilty purpose. Joyce and Nc
Donald were not known then as
they are now-neither to the Gov
eminent nor to the country. They
were trusted officers of the
service and q correspondence with
them, written when they had an
entirely different standing, cannot
be judged as if written under such
q knowledge as the country now
possesses.
Unwise and unjustifiable as some
of the communications were, there
was nothing to show that Gen.
Babcock had corruptly aided the
conspiracy. The jury, after long,
full, impartial trial, has SO pro-
nounced, and its judgment will be
received as decisive. The admin
istration is waging the most Wig
orous, brilliant and successful was
against corrupt Ring that has
ever been undertakes in this
country. Its keynote was sound
ed by the President in his charac-
teristic utterance, sslet no guilty
man escape" And applauding
this purpose and determination of
the Government, the country will
rejoice in the assurance that there
was no faithlessness in its own
household, and will cordially sus-
tain the continuation of the good
| work.