The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-26

tenced 10y the court tcUuTt niiiI ti5iiii Il
dismissal from the army. Imprisonment in
some penuentiary for period Of between
ten and twenty years, TO forfeit all nay
and besides ell these penalties an addi-
ttonal and unusual one, which provides
that the Tooth article of war shall be ap-
piled to his case. and, if it Is carried out
the facts In Carriers case will be pun-
liShed broadcast through the country. and
al his own home the local papers will be
required to print advertisements calling
attention 10 the disgrace he has brought
on himself. Further, any officer speaking
to or addressing Carter will be accused
and tried for scandalous conduct"
This is said 60 be the severeet punish
ment ever imposed on any delinquent by
a court martial in the United states tut
IL has yet to be revised by the Secretary
of War and the President'' before 1t can
go into effect The President, as COM
mander-in-ch,ef of the army has the au-
thority to say whether il shall be enforced
as it stands or shall be modified. We agree
with the New Orleans Times-Democrat
that il Is unnecessarily harsh and should
he modified. for reasons which are
very clearly stated by that paper. Ger
tain features Of the sentence, It says are
"barbarous" and ought not to be carried
into effect even II Capt. Carter, Instead
of purlolning 100000 had carried off
e. whole United States treasury, inclrd-
ing the gold reserve and the other contents
OF the vaults"
The Times-D Democrat has no undue sym
patty for Capt. Carter, Il Is careful TO say
and thinks 1t right enough to dismiss him
i'm disgrace from the army, to coniiscate
all his pay, and to imprison him for ten or
twenty years at hard labor in a penlten-
tiary: but this, Il claims, was punishment
enough" and the sentence should nave
stopped short az that point In support OF
this view the Times Democrat says;
The bitterness of death is past at any
rate for a convicted officer when he has
been drummed out in disgrace and sent
10 penitenuary to work for weary years
among common felons. What terror can
any further punishment have for himY
None. The advertising, therefore, all over
the country, and especially at his own
home of the facts of his crime II mere
useless Vagary of a tyrannouS power ~
GOES nobody any good, nor the convicted
officer, who viii probably not even Knew
of it,. any harm. II Is merely cruel and
unusual punishment such as the army
authorities are addicted to, but against
which the civil power and rejecting REQ
pie firmly set their faces"
We need add but little to these forclble
ana Just remarks. The Times-Demoerat
is right, and it Is certainly 10 be hoped
lhat the President will adopt and act IN
the view of his duty, which It makes so
plain. The court discharged it's proper
function when it convicted the unhappy
man and provided a fun and due penalty
for his crime. IL went too far when 1t un-
dertook to provide for the advertisement
of his disgrace at his home or elsewhere,
and to impose any restrictions on the con-
duct of other men towards him. me
President should correct its error The
officer at Fort Sheridan who had private
dragged about by the heels, and prodded
him with his sword point was let Off win
a formal "reprmand." There should he
room. therefore. for the exercise of some
mercy, even In the case Of an officer VINO
has gone so far as to steal money.