The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-22
INDIANA STATE JoURNAL-AN ExPLANA.
TON

| The Free Democrat of Indiana has been
merged in the Indiana State Journal, of which
Mr.. Vale, the editor of the former, is part pro-
prietor. We notice in its last number a long
editorial, correcting some statements in a COM
munication from the Hon. G. w. JULIAN,
printed in the Era two weeks ago.
Mr.. Vale, abiding to the charges brought
against him by Mr.. Julian, says:
His first charge, as stated in the Era, is
| this:
." Mr.. Vale, the late editor of the Free Dem
Ocrat, began to show signs of wavering early last
summer. He readily adapted himself to the
Anti-Nebraska movement here, making no sort
of effort to control it, to make it tell beyond
the simple question of restoring the Missouri
Compromise
| If it be sign of wavering to make promi-
nent the question of the inhibition of Slavery in
Kansas and Nebraska, and the non-extension
of Slavery, then, verify, we are guilty, and so
| are the Free Democrats, generally, of the State"
be proceeds to notice various acts of Mr..
Julian, and says: "Mr. Julian was the origna-
tor of the Anti-N ebraska movement in Indiana,
and under his lead the Free Democracy, in
Convention, rendered an invitation to ali the
, opponents of that measure to meet them on
that ground The invitation was accepted
Under these circumstances, we confess we did
readily fall into the Anti Nebraska movement,
and advocated the repeal of the Nebraska act
| Mr. Julian further says:
"' He Mr.. VALLEY is well understood to have
! joined the Know Nothings, and his columns,
during the campaign, were plentifully supplied
with articles indirectly favoring the Order, and
thus displacing and subordinating the Slavery
issue
"The utter falsity of this charge is apparent
to every one who read the Free Democrat dur
ing the campaign. We have never advocated
the Order, unless to give the results of the cleo
lions, and to give the Order credit for its repu.
ted agency in producing these results, is to be
deemed an advocacy of it. And on the other
hand, we have never deemed it our duty to en-
gage IN crusade against it, and until we APP
prehend greater danger from it than we now do,
we shall not do so. When we see such men
elected to the United States Senate by the aid
of the Order, as Wilson Of Massachusetts, Dur
kee of Wisconsin, and Seward of New York,
tor he too is indebted to Know Nothings for his
election and large number of equally Anti
Slavery men to the House of Representatives,
we cannot deem Know Nothings necessarily
very dangerous beings. So far, in the North,
the action of the Order has generally been IA
vorable to the Anti, Slavery cause When they
take ground against Freedom, we shall not hes
itate to denounce them as we would any other
party or sect"
"The next charge of Mr.. Julian is this:
- Finally, as the browning act Of his course
as an Anti-Slavery editor--havng secured his
subscribers for year to come, by their advance
payments for the Free Democrat, in the faith
that that paper would be continued-he has, all
at once, without any previous intimation, trans
ferred his subscri ption list to the INDIANAPOLIS
Journal, which is not now and never has been,
an Anti-Slavery paper, in any just sense of the
term
"When Mr. ]. penned the above, he could
not have been ignorant of the fact that the pur-
chase of the Journal by ourselves and others
was well known through the State, it having
been published and commented upon by nearly
every paper in the State. And in regard to our
subscribers he asserts that whereof he had
no knowledge. Not fifty of those whose sub.
scriptons expired about the first of January had
renewed their subscriptions at the time it was
announced when the papers would be united"
We believe we give Mr.. Wales entire reply
to the charges made against him. His edito-
rial goes beyond this and arraigns Mr.. Julian
on several points; but we cannot suffer the
Era to be drawn into the controversy.
In this connection, it is due to ourselves to
make an explanation. In the closing part of
the communication referred to, occurs the fol-
lowing passage:
" In the mean time, / would inquire whether
we, in this State, cannot better secure the in
terests of Freedom than by submitting to the
attempted transfer of ourselves to the Journal?
Should we not at once repudiate all completely
with this act all connvance at it, BY discontinu-
ing the Journal, and sending our names to the
Era, so deserving of help, for its fearless and
self-sacriicing spirit. its Incorporating integ.
rity in standing by the Right, and its unequal
led ability in defending it?"
The communication was q short one Glanc-
ing over it hastily, it seemed to concern the
affairs of the Anti-Savery cause in Indiana,
and Mr. Julian being the writer, we did not
examine it so carefully as we should have done
in ordinary cases. The passage we have just
printed, entirely escaped our notice, or we
should have erased it, for reasons which Mr..
Julian himself, on moments reflection, must
understand. The Era can never ask or seek
patronage at the expense of any other paper.