The celebrated case of Franklin W. Smith and brother, was one of those which most largely helped to bring military tribunals into public contempt. Those two gentlemen were arrested and kept in confinement, their papers seized, their business destroyed, their reputation damaged, and a naval court-martial, “organized to convict,” pursued them unrelentingly till a wiser and juster hand arrested the malice of their persecutors. It is known that President Lincoln, after full investigation of the case, annulled the whole proceedings, but it is remarkable that the actual record of his decision could never be obtained from the Navy Department. An exact copy being withheld, the following was presented to the Boston Board of Trade as being very nearly the words of the late President:-- “_Whereas_, Franklin W. Smith had transactions with the Navy Department to the amount of one million and a quarter of a million of dollars; and _whereas_, he had the chance to steal a quarter of a million, and was only charged with stealing twenty-two hundred dollars--and the question now is about his stealing a hundred--I don’t believe he stole anything at all. Therefore, the record and findings are disapproved--declared null and void, and the defendants are fully discharged.” “It would be difficult,” says the New York “Tribune,” “to sum up the rights and wrongs of the business more briefly than that, or to find a paragraph more characteristically and unmistakably Mr. Lincoln’s.” A gentleman was pressing very strenuously the promotion of an officer to a “Brigadiership.” “But we have already more generals than we know what to do with,” replied the President. “But,” persisted the visitor, “my friend is very strongly recommended.” “Now, look here,” said Mr. Lincoln, throwing one leg over the arm of his chair, “you are a farmer, I believe; if not, you will understand me. Suppose you had a large cattle-yard full of all sorts of cattle,--cows, oxen, bulls,--and you kept killing and selling and disposing of your cows and oxen, in one way and another,--taking good care of your bulls. By-and-by you would find that you had nothing but a yard full of old bulls, good for nothing under heaven. Now, it will be just so with the army, if I don’t stop making brigadier-generals.”