Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-09-11
ssLetfer from George Ashmun ON the
SentineI,s Misstatements.-

We published some days since an EDITORIAL dis
cussing the propriety of reviewing, and, if needs
be, condemning the policy and action of the Ad-
ministration in the language of the Hon. GEORGE
AsHMUN, President of the Chicago National
Republican Convention. The sentiments were
his-the words were his. A busybody here, anx-
ious for newspaper notoriety, wrote to Mr.. ASH
NUN, enclosing the article in question, and re-
quested him to state whether "the Sentinel cor
rectly represents your (his) views of the subject
treated Of The distinguished gentleman thus
responds to the inquiry:
thank you for bringing to my notice the frau
dulent publication in connection with my name in
tie Indianapolis Sentinel of the 10Th; and reply
at once to your inquiry that, so far from enter
tanning any such views, using any such IAN
guage with reference to the present unprovoked
rebellion of the Southern aristocracy as are at
tributed to me in that paper have never failed
to denounce it, and to urge our Government to
use all its powers to put it down at once and for
ever.
| Now for the facts This Mr. AsHMUS in 1876
was Representative in Congress from MassachI-
sets. At the commencement of the Mexican
war he made a speech bitterly denouDcing the
| Administration for its conduct of that war. Then
he was whig-the Administration was Demo
cratic and the war was upon foreign soil. At that
time he thought it PATRIOTIC solemn duty-"to
hold to a strict accountability those who are tenn
porlrily in power, administering the Executive
Departments of the Government" To use his
own words-"those men are not the Govern
ment: they are not the country" If the senti-
/ hat in in
1876 were true at that time, they are none the
less so now. The circumstances may be differ
ent but that fact does not affect the correctness
of the views he advocated and their present appli
cability. Instead of Democratic Administration
and foreign war, we have Republican Admin
istration and civil war We did not charge that
Mr. AsHMuN entertained the views used the
language which we copied from his speech, with
reference to the present unprovoked rebel
lion of the Southern aristoracy;" but we
quoted his views and language to show
that a very prominent Republican, one
who had used his influence to place the pres
cnt Administration in power when in opposition
thought it patriotic to hold those who were tenn
porarily in power to strict accountability, and
that the citizen who failed to do so, would be
false to his trust, Gas much traitor to his coun
try as the man who deserts to the enemy upon
the field of battle" But it appears that crcum-
stances warps the judgment of Mr.. AsHMuS.
What, in his opinion, was right in 1916, he con
siders treason now. Then he thought that "eter-
nal vigilance tireless and sleepless is necessary
TO watch and guard against the insidious en-
croachments of power; and he who drugs his con
science with the reflection that men in power are
presumed to do right, adopts the doctrine of a
despotism,n but the man who now dares question
the immaculacy of those in power, this same Mr..
/ AsHxUN denOunces as traitors Patriotic and
virtuous AsnMUsl To show that we have done
the distinguished gentleman no injustice-that
we have not "frauduenty" used his sentiments
and language. we reproduce the following ex-
tract from his speech which we have referred and
\ to which we direct the attention of our Republ-
can friends worthy of consideration at the pres
ent time IL is as follows:
If this war continues as it has thus far been
continued, and upon the scale which the expe6i-
tons Indicate, we have no idea that the Admins
tration has told us the truth, by one half, as to
! its cost. . We have "A war by which all
/ our foreign relations are disturbed, and at the
same moment the authors of it are making war
upon all the domestic relations of business and
4 industry of our country.
The occasion demands an inquiry into the true
cause of this extraordinary state of things. What
has led to this enormous increase of expenditure
1 of money? Why is il that we are thus plunging
into debt of uncounted millions Why is
| il that we are thus gathering armies, invading
the heart of the Mexican Republic, and seek
ing to make partition Of her territory by military
conquest? What inevitable cause has led to all
this2
answer TO this inquiry Their representative not
only have the right, but it is their duty to demand
answer The world--alI mankind-wil sterny
insist upon the inquiry. and as sternly judge Of
the answer