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and to liberate him. Innumerable petitions were signed headed by the Archbishop of Manila praying for his release as his term of imprisonment had nearly expired. Upon the payment of his fine of $2,500 in gold, he was discharged and soon sailed for Spain. Ruiz still remains in confinement. It is said that he prefers to stay in Manila rather than go back and face a Spanish court martial. The trial of the Spanish newspaper editor, Antonio Hidalgo, for seditious libel in vio lation of the laws of war, was an exceedingly important case. The accused published many articles reflecting upon the American authorities and upon General Otis's manage ment of matters in the Islands. He was defended by Captain Eager of the ist Ne braska, U. S. V., an officer of merit, and a lawyer of marked ability who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he was mustered out of the service. He made a most eloquent defense for the accused, who was found guilty, sentenced to pay a fine of $500 in gold coin of the United States, — "that he be placed and kept outside of the lines of the territory now occupied by and within and under the jurisdiction of the mili tary forces of the United States, and that the press, type, furniture, material, and all appurtenances of the printing office of La Voz Española be confiscated and sold for the use and benefit of the United States." Gen eral Otis upon a petition that was signed by the foreign consuls and leading residents of Manila, mitigated the sentence so much as related to confiscation of property and to the deportation beyond the lines occupied by the military forces of the United States. The fine was reduced to $250. It was subse quently paid and Hidalgo was released. The newspapers stopped their abuse which at the time was coarse and vulgar, and reflected severely on General Otis's course which any impartial person is bound to acknow ledge has been one of ability and wise ad ministration. The trial of the cases was a novel scene

not only to the inhabitants, but to the Span ish lawyers, judges and clergy, most of whom knew little or nothing of the methods of American courts or the administration of justice in accordance with our procedure. The commission was pre-eminently judicial. On doubtful questions they invariably ruled in favor of the accused. On one occasion the commission refused to follow the Com mon Law rule that upon the trial of the hus band, the wife could not be a witness either for or against him. They held that inas much as the rule had been abrogated in most States of the Union, and that as the Philip pines were nearer California which was a Code state and would no doubt form a part of that judicial district, that they would over rule the objection of the Judge Advocate and permit the accused to testify. This decision and a subsequent acquittal of Amerych gave the Spaniards great confidence in the impar tiality and integrity of the commission. Many persons are of the opinion that the exercise of martial law is a species of govern ment little short of tyranny. This is not true. Martial law has its limits. As was well said by Mr. Justice Blackburn in his famous charge in the Jamaica case, " Al though martial law dispenses with the forms and delays which appertain to the ordinary criminal jurisprudence, it does not, therefore, authorize or sanction every deed assumed to be done in its name. It stops far short of that. For if it did not, lawless men, under color of and putting forward the pretence of authority, might commit acts abhorrent to every principle of humanity. They might gratify malice and revenge, hatred and illwill, lust and rapacity. They might peq^etrate deeds from which the sun would hide its face. No greater error exists than to sup pose that the subjecting of a district to the military power authorizes excess on the part of those u'/¿o administer that power." All the records and proceedings in these various cases have been preserved, filed in the office of the Judge Advocate General at