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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1902)
, * M * , rtT 4 'Cbc Conservatiw , All uion admire a STABILITY , stable character , but are not convinced that a man possesses one , simply be cause lie occupies a stall next to a high-priced heifer , and eats his meals off a peck measure. The State His SOME RELICS. torical society is to be congratu lated if the story reported in the city papers is so , about its hav ing acquired the Hempel collec tion of relics , formerly stored in the basement of the courthouse at Plattsmouth. Comrade Ben Hempel busied himself in his old age with collecting curiosities of all kinds. Many of them had reference to the soldier's life , particularly to the Civil War ; some were connected with the more peaceful occupation of the hangman ; ho had a number of in teresting ropes that had seen service , both in executions and in lynchings ; and lie had several Indian and other relics which the writer would gladly have stolen at any time. Some of these the old gentleman had bought , some he had begged , some he had bor rowed ; we shall be glad to learn just what the society has acquired. There is one little three-pointed spear of wrought iron , of exquisite workmanship , which was dug up in making the cut for the Missouri Pacific line to the Platte river bridge about ten years ago. How such an implement as this came to be buried in the bluffs of Nebraska , who made it , and what it was for , are questions that nobody has thrown any light on yet , so far as we know. Decisions of courts WITH DUE should be criticised RESPECT. with caution ; not so much on account of the danger of being cited for con tempt , as through fear of making one's self ridiculous , by attempting to teach a judge the law. Neither punishment is sufficient to deter us from asking for more light upon the decision of a federal judge who held that a minor may be punished for desertion from an army which he never was qualified to join , consequently quently never had legally joined. The San Antonio youth whose case called forth this extraordinary de cision chances to be sixteen years of ago ; according to the findings of the court , it would have made no differ ence had ho been but ten. Among civilians it has boon supposed that a contract calling for the performance of an impossible or illegal act , is of no effect , and binds neither party , and it takes the superior perspicacity of a federal jurist to discover that au infant can bo forced to fulfill a promise ho had no right to make , given to persons who had no right to receive it. Without attempting to question the soundness of this judge's logic , and with no intention of ridi culing either the court or the deci sion , wo suggest that if said decision is allowed to stand , mothers will do well to keep a close grip upon their infants when the smiling countenance of the industrious recruiting officer is seen in the neighborhood. W. V. Allen , the POT AND indigestible popu- KETTLE. list who edits the nn s w a 11 o w a b 1 e Madison Mail , and warns democracy not to undertake to "dissolve and absorb" himself and his followers , refers to the recently organized Al lied Party , as "Jo Parker's political traitors and renegades , " which BO nearly tallies with what most men consider a proper description of the populist party , as to give color to the report that the editor of the Mail contemplates joining the Parker ag gregation. How beautifully consist ent of the man who applauded every sore-head and jobless heeler who left the democratic and republican parties to form the nucleus of the army of political castaways who call themselves populists , to now refer sarcastically to men who leave the populist party for one that can be no worse as "political renegades and traitors ! " After all what matters it to the indissoluble guardian of an xiuabsorbable clientele what name is given to his wards ? They could be dubbed ' ' ' ' appropriately agitators , ' ' " " associated whimpering patriots , job-seekers , " " perpetual candidates , ' ' " ferninsters , " or any other title which adequately describes the conglomerate mixture of fanatics and scheming adventurers which masses under the dodocralic banner , and attacks the dominating party , what ever it may chance to be. There is nothing in the name , as the public can smell it whenever it is uncorked , no matter what brand be upon the bottle. As to "renegades and trai tors , ' ' that reminds one forcibly of the traditional pot which called the kettle black. In order to ao- FIX THE REquit Major Wal- SPONSIBILITY. ler , the court mar tial must have ac cepted the only defense that was offered ; a defense which did not deny the facts alleged by the prosecution , but maintained that Major Waller could not bo hold responsible , as he was acting under the orders of a superior , General Smith. By ito ao- quittal of Major Waller upon such grounds , the court throws a certain responsibility upon General Smith. It follows that inasmuch as the matter was thought of sufficient im portance to justify the arrest and trial of a major , it is of even more serious importance when the name of a general officer becomes in volved , and it is imperative that the propriety of General Smith's order bo established , if possible. Military rank ought not and cannot license murder , nor should a difference in rank cause any variation in the treatment of officers charged with heinous crimes. This trial has in no manner dis proved the contention that the mili tary machine has been converted into an instrument of torture ; it merely raises a question as to who operated the machine. General Smith should bo called upon to explain the circumstances and conditions which prompted him to draw such an extreme order as the court seems to have believed he is sued to his subordinate. If he is able to prove that the course adopted was necessary and justifiable , those who hold dear the good name and reputa tion for generosity and humanity of the army , will rejoice to hear the explanation of these seeming atroci ties ; if ho has no such explanation to offer , the position he holds will not vindicate him in' the eyes of those who venerate the laws of Christian ity , which ho has outraged , neither should the armor of his rank shield him from prosecution by those whose duty it is to uphold the military laws which he is alleged to have flagrantlv violated , in a struggle which is a sequel to ' ' the war for humanity. ' ' At this particular time , when England has not hesitated to convict and punish her officers who have been guilty of committing atrocities , it is important that the United States should be no less conscientious in its treatment of similar offenders , but more important that , if General Smith is innocent , the world bo so informed and a black stain be re moved from the otherwise clean record of the American army. In America , it is impossible to believe a countryman guilty of the wanton murder of half a hundred human be ings , but abroad a cloud of suspicion will appear over this general and his countrymen , unless that cloud is dis pelled by a thorough and searching investigation. If , on the other hand , his guilt should be established , the country could only acquit itself of the charge of being an accessory after the fact , by insisting that he be pnTi- ished to the fullest extent of the law.
