Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-07-24
Treason at the North.

An article on the subject indicated by th
above heading, which appeared in Wedne.
days Gazette caused huttering among th
Secession sympathizers. They pretendc
to deny the statements made by us; an
thought such publications calculated to al
the rebcls. Patriotic souls They desir
to have the loyal presses remain silent
while they concoct aud carry out in secre
their helIish designs. The existence Of
treasonstle Organization ia Indiana anon
the Bright Democrsts, who answer 70 hi
Vallandigham Democrats Of Ohio, wa
made known in letter written BY the Hon
james 4. Hughes, leading Democrat o
that State, to Governor Morton, and reac
by the latter TO the Union Convention re
Gently held in that city. This is the letter
which Vallandighsu ffothed about st Co.
lumbus on the 4th of July, and regarding
the country as in crisis, he made bold tc
utter his threats that bis Democratic part,
would be found armed when the time fol
open Resistance came that is when til,
Government should undertake TO put dowr
secret reasonable organizations at ths
North. We now havo some further eyi
dence as to the existence OF the organiza.
tions referred to in the Louisville journal
OF the 9th, from which we copy the follow
ing:
SECRET TREAsoNABLE ORGANIZATION.
Alta late Union gathering in indianapolis,
Governor Morton, the Chief Executive Of
hcer OF Indiana, stated that he had received
reliable aud certain information US to the
existence of reasonable organization in
that State, its chief purpose, as avowed to
new members, being to resist the collection
OF the war tax, discourage enlistments, &c
The Indianapolis Journal PROCESSES to have
discovered the character OF the order, and
makes this statement in regard to it:
The order in question is the knights of
the Golden Circle" but has changed its
name twice in the last year, To avoid ex-
posure aud public odium, and now styles
itself the Order Of the IS. =. BIS, or the
Self Protecting Brothers" Should the
members Of the order be called as witnesses
IN court of justice, they are required to
deny Us existence, under penalty Of deah.
The oath taken by the members of this
order Is to resist the prosecution of the war
IN every way, to refuse to l,ay war taxes, to
discourage enlistments and prevent drafts
OF soldiers, and to resist and overthrow the
Administration OF Mr.. Lincoln We are
further advised that the members of this
-sssssr-.ro-proOriuy srnuy xndr prepanug 70
carry their purposes by force If need be,
not only in this State, but through the
whole Northwest. They claim to have ten
thousand members in Indiana, as many in
Ohio, and more in Illinois.
We recently had an interview with a
couple OF gentlemen of the highest politi-
cal, social, and moral standing in Indiana,
VINO assured us that respectable men, rep
resentlng them selves as members of the
order, had secretly ana cautiously come be-
fore them aud made the same statement
substantially as that given above in regard
to its principles and designs--stated that the
obligation assumed by members at initia-
ton was to resist in all practicable ways the
collection of war taxes, to discourage enlist
ments, to prevent drafts, and, if called as
witnesses in court of justice, to deny all
knowledge OF the existence of any such or
der or organization on penalty Of death; and
they added that they understood there were
several degrees of the order, though they
knew only what pertained to the first.
The evidence, then, is very strong, If not
absolutely conclusive, that the organization
in question has an existence throughout our
sister State, and extends in all probability to
other States. Its designs, if correctly sta
ted, are treasoa-secsa lurking, sluU.iing
cooardly ot,Dcious treason. The bare fact
that political organization, order, or socie-
ty, in time Of war is secret and oath bound,
is prima .Jacie evidence, and exceedingly
strong evidence, of its thoroughly treason
able character. A secret political society
in a season of war involves with almost ab-
solute certainly conspiracy against the
life of the country. We beg all our Indi-
ana friends, all the good citizens of that
State, who, under whatever political desig- |
nation, have supported and are now cup. !
porting the Union, the Constitutions, and |
the laws, to look carefully and with deepest |
scrutiny around them aud set the seal of
their indignation and wrath upon any effort,
,cvert or open, to paralyze or weaken the
arm of the Government in this terrible strug-
gle for national existence If any man, hieh
Or low, be detected in the effort, let him be
...-.....-..........,.'.
.H.I. O.