Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-03-31

NODie tonGud 81 ne Dcm3cTmic lhe"Ors 81
Congress
WASHINGTON. March 25
The city i filed 70 day with painful rumors of
reverses 20 our arms az W Inchester. near Harpers
Ferry The official bulletin published this morn
ing contains the bare Announcement that, In ad
dtion TO the battles of Saturday and Sunday,
another desperate engagement took place yester-
day Monday, In which we lost ten men killed
and a distinguished officer Of the Typographical
Engineers taken prisoner by the Confeierates:
while their loss is not stated liz i added. how
ever, that gained another glorious victory.
All the facts connected with these three engage
ments, however, have been carefully suppressed
and every avenue Of information is strictly
guarded BY file Of soldiers. IL Is impossible
now not only % communicate facts that have be-
come history, but even TO ascertain those facts.
III any possible good should result from such su-
perabundant caution the newspapers would have
no cause of complaint. But IL has been demon
sirated that the enemy do not get their intelli
gence OF passing events, and intended move
ments, and movements in preparation from the
newspapers. but from other sources far in ad
vance of even the most enterprising journals
The New York Times a day or two ago, in
leading editorial article, said that il was notori-
Gus that the plans OF Gen. Mcclellan, or at least
the movements indicative of his plans, we're
shown 10 the rebel leaders as soon as they were
made. And il is true.
The result of this keeping newspaper CORE
spondents in the dark is that the town is filled
with rumors, and il is impossible to tell how
much of them are true. liz is seen Mt once that
the stories of the "ofiical bulletin" do not hang
well together, and that they are. therefore. unre
liable IL stated in regard to Saturday :
battle that il was mere skirmish, in which the
rebels took 70 flight in agony of terror. Yet
on Sunday they had sufficiently recovered to be
able TO put the mettle OF our soldiers To a pretty
severe test. Sunday battle was represented rs
n mere holiday task on our side. in which the
Scriptural prophecy was literally fulfilled: "A
hundred shall kill THOUSAND and "a thousand
shall put ten thousand to flight" Eight thou
sand of our men, il was said, had engaged and
put to flight fifteen thousand of the enemy
chasing them from Winchester TO Strasburg
whence they fled in precipitation To Mount Jack
son. Yet these fleeing rebels. il seems, doubled
and came back yesterday, having run away"
only that they might 'live to fight another day"
The quidRuncs have il that these flaming Official
bulletins, like those issued after the battle of
Balls Bluff, are only intended to cover up some
serious reverse. How much wiser would it be TO
let the simple truth be known.
The prolec, OF setting free all the slaves in the
District OF Columbia, under the tiimsy pretext OF
compensation TO the owners 900 each for negroes
worth 81 900, who bring To their masters from
$500 TO $500 annually received "A stunning blow
in the Senate yesterday from Mr. Salisbury of
Delaware. All honor to the men who ia this
dark hour OF our national history, when the fab
ric of constitutional liberty is being undermined
by traitors in the garb of Senators, have the
courage 10 protest at least they have the power
to do no more) against the deed. For it Is fact
that one by one the provisions of the Constitution
are being set aside by the dominant party. First.
by the wedge (as Wendell Phillips well calls it)
of emancipation in the border slave States.
Then, by the passage Of the bill making it felony
for any officer in the United States army exc
cute the fugitive slave law, violating one OF the
solemn principles of the compromise of 1850.
And now. by ab"lishng slavery ia the District,
they seek to violate another. All the acts, too,
are ia direct violation of the pledges on which
the Republican party came into power.
OF the four thousand slaves in the District,
fully halt are old and iniirm and young children.
The support of these, when emancpated, will
fall upon Congress. Their condition can be well
imagined.
The tax bill, already partial and unjust in all
it, provisions, is every day becoming more so
under the tinkering il is receiving The obvious
principles OF Justice and expedency have been en-
tirely ignored by the committee, whose efforts
have been devoted to the task of making the bill
as unjust and oppressive possible, white at the
same time, the taxes are laid upon those articles
which will yield the least revenue. The tax upon
newspapers and advertisements is only a speci-
men of the ignorant laundering displayed in tine
concoctOn OF the bill Articles OF luxury are
very lightly taxed, while those vino use them
woald not ieel a heavy tax; while articles with
out which the poor mans family cannot live in
comfort are heavily taxed Think OF taxing UNI
brelas. parasols hoop skirts and petticoats Think
OF taxing the old mans salt; and yet laying 80
light tax on the rich mans wine that he does
not feel it. Think OF reducing the tax on tObac
and billiard tables (the tax on the latter
has been reduced to so year, when they can
well afford to pay $780, and laying it heavy ON
flour. Think of taxing gas, and taxing pleasure
carriages aud fancy horses lightly to be
scarcely any tax at all. For these and other
equally wise measures the present Congress will
go down 10 posterity with scorn and execration.
The country owes debt of gratitude To the
Hon W. A. Richardson of Illinois. who re-
mains at his seat in Congress. preferring "to fight
the battles OF constitutional liberty" here than 10
accept the appointment OF Brigader General ten
dered him 10y the President. "Oid Dick has
served his country faithfully in the field. His
deeds of gallantry and bravery in Mexico are re-
corded in history. But he has harder fight be
tore him here than he had on the plains OF Chu.
rubusco. He and the gallant few who still cling
To the Constitution as the fathers made it are bat
ting almost hopeleSSly against an unprlncipled
and INSCRIPTIONS maJOvty, who hate both, who
rePudiate the former and who are unwilling To
see the latter restored. Indeed, the Union rs the
fathers m lde it never be restored, unless
Richardson, Voorhees, Cox, Salisbury, Garlic
Willey, Harding. PendletOn and the other Demo
cratic members. succeed in stemmng the
tide OF fanaticiSm until the next election tor
members OF Congress. The prediction my be
safely made that when that event takes place the
people will hurl from their seats their servant,
here who have been so unfalthiul, and will I'll
their places with men who have been educated IL
j., no