Gen. Howard's Trial

The facts about the trial of Gen. Howare have just come out. Instead of being aoquitted by a unaniinous verdict of the Court, as has been comniooly reported, he escaped censure by a majority of only one vote. The finding of the Court coinpletely exonerated the accused, and closed with the statement that " he did his whole duty, and deserved well of his country." Up to this point in the proceedings all went well with the General, but afterward there carne a review of the case by Advocate Gen. Holt, which placed quite a different face on affairs. The Judge-Advocate cited as peculiarly applicable to Gen. Howard's offenses the well-recognized legal ïnaxims, that " iguorance of law is no excuse for violation," and " every man is presumed to contémplate the natural consequences of his own act." These being placed in view, the Judge-Advocate advanced, more by implication than by direct assertion, to a pretty severe condeainationof Gen. Howard. The salient points made by him were that Howard, either through careIe8sness or incompetence, established an inadequate and blundering systemforthe payinent of nioneys due to colored troops ; that he converted funds in his possession into United Statos interest-bearing bonds, although such action was expressly forbidden by law ; that he made this investment without the (jognizance of his superior officer, the Secretary of War'; that he failed to account for interest received on the bonds so purohased until two years after they had been reconverted into rnoney. The Judge-Advocate advised and it seems to us with good reason, that the conduct of Gen. Howard should not be allowed to pass without the making of a record that would deter army officers who might have similar trusts confided to them trom following in his footsteps. And now we would be pleased to have the public men who have abused the press for " calumniating" Gen. Howard stand up and answer, on their honor, whether they think he has been so much " calumniated after all. The difference between witholding a large amuunt of tnoney from the Public Treasury for two years and a concealed defalcation cannot be deflnitely fixed in our languaee until