The National tribune., 1882-05-13

seemed but to mock their wretchedness and
misery. The fate which has befallen such
brave and true-hearted men is sad one, but
1t carries with it its lessons. Truly the stuff
out of which heroes and martyrs are made has
not yet left the world.
The United States Supreme Court has de-
cided that the court-martial which tried Sergt.
Mason for shooting at Guiteau did not exceed
It's jurisdiction or overstep its authority, and
dismissed his petition for q writ of habeas
corpus. The Chief Justice said that all the
judges were not agreed as to whether the court
had power to issue the writs as prayed for, but
all were of the opinion that if the writ might
be issued Mason could not be discharged under
1t. The offense with which Mason was charged
was clearly one "to the prejudice of good order
and military discipline" The offender was q
soldier in the army and on duty when he COM
mitted this breach of discipline. The grava-
men of the otfense is that while guarding a
prisoner he willfully and maliciously attempt
ed to kill him. Shooting with intent to kill is
civil crime, but shooting by soldier on guard
| with intent to kill prisoner is not only crime
against society, but an atrocious breach of mil
itary discipline Mason was therefore tried not
simply for an assault with intent to kill, but
for an assault committed by soldier with in
tent to kill a prisoner, and therefore the argu-
| ment founded upon the 5Sth and 59th articles
of war has no application to the case. Tho
5Sth article neither takes from nor adds to the
powers which courts-martial have under the
62d article in time of peace. Mason might
81 fl,n
civil otfense; but as no steps were taken to-
wards bringing him to punishment, it was the
clear duty of the military authorities to try
him for the military offense. The Chief JUS
| tice said that it was not necessary to consider
| at present the question as to whether he could
| be tried in civil after being convicted in a
| military court. It is enough that the court
| martial had jurisdiction and what it had done
was in the proper exercise of its powers. The
| petition was therefore dismissed.
STATISTICS published by the Census Office
| showing how the centre of population in the
| United States has moved westward give an
interesting suggestion of the development of
| the country. At the time Of the first census,
in 1890, the centre of population of the United
States was in Maryland, about twenty-five
miles east of Baltimore. In 1900 it had moved
to point about eighteen miles west of Balti-
more but still very near the same latitude. In
1910 it was in Virginia, about sixty miles west
of us, but still nearly on the same line of lati-
tude. In 1920 it was in the Valley Of Virginia,
near Woodstock. Thence in the successive
decades it moved westward, but did not cross
| the Ohio until 1850. But it has always kept
along pretty near the thirty ninth degree of
| latitude, and up to this time has not reached
| the Mississippi, notwithstanding the rapid de-
velopment of the Pacific Slope The line of
| the Baltimore and Ohio Road, and its connec-
tions via Cincinnati, pass very nearly along
the march Of the centres of population.
THE Tariff Commission bill passed the House
| Of Representatives Oh Saturday last by vote
of Isl to 49, The bill provides for a commits
sion of nine persons, to be appointed from civil
| life, who are to receive ter collars per day
and travelling and other necessary expenses.
The commission is to investigate all the ques-
tions affecting the agricultural, mercantile, and
| other interests of the country, so far as may
| be necessary to the establishment Of judicious
tariff or a revision of the existing tariff upon
a scale Of justice to all interests. A similar
bill passed the Senate on March %, but in
| cluded a call for information on which to base
a reform in the internal revenue laws. The
! bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, and ROW
| goes to the President for his signature.
THE Democratic party of Tennessee is rapidly
aligning itself against the proposition of the
| bondholders to settle the State debt on the
basis of 60-45. A large meeting was held at
Memphis Friday evening, composed of promi-
nent Democrats, and which seems to voice the
| sentiment of the party throughout the State,
| at which resolutions were adopted declaring
the proposed settlement to be "unwise, i'm
polite, and unjust" The ground is taken that
| such a settlement is more than ought to be
paid, and "more than the crippled industries
of the State can bear" The opinion is further
expressed in the resolutions that the people of
Tennessee desire no action upon the State debt
by the present Legislature, and that if it should
| take the action proposed or any similar action,
they will reject the same and be swift to undo it,
| PERSECUTION of the Jews Is not confined to
| Russia, for Germany has given a striking in
| stance Of hostility TO the race Professor Vic
tor Meyer, a popular chemist at the University
of Zurich, recently accepted the post of pro-
fessor of chemistry at the University of Hall,
but the German government steps in and de-