Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-17

This is regarded rs positive pledge of the pa
cifc Intentions of the Emperor. 1t would bewiser
to remember that Napoleon never expresses his
real meaning till he is ready to act and that his
declarations which preceded his wars in Italy and
the Crimea were as pacific as this one. The
French lawyers can easily make it.appear that
the stone blockade is violative of the rights of
neutras.
1t is well known here that Thomas A. Scott,
Esq, the Assistant Secretary of War, who has
been for mary years one of the chief railroad men
of the country, recently visited Pittsburgh on
business of the Department. 1t would be sup
posed that all loyal papers would be silent TO
the particular object he effected while there. But
the Pittsburgh papers paraded the alleged fact
that he has made a contract for the exclusive use
and occupancy the rolling stock of the railroads
between that place and Cincinnati and Cairo for
the period of six consecutive days, in order to
transport so 900 troops from Washington to Ken
lucky. As this sweeping statement has been re-
published by one of the New FORK papers. il may
as well be stated that it is true in everything ex
cept the number of troops. 1t would require
more than twice as long to transport that number
of troops; and, besides, that many troops with
drawn from here might leave enough to garrison
the forts and deiences of the capital, and to
hold the latter until reinforcements could arrive,
but it would so diminish the strength of the
my here that any offensive operations against the
COnfederates at Centreyille would be an imposs-
bility- The Union and Confederate armies on
the Potomac, since Beauregard took bis % 600
away, are nearly equal The works ON either
side can be held with $4,000 less troops than now
guard them. But that is all that could be done
after such subtraction. If the Union army of
the Potomac, already largely depleted, is expected
TO do anything against the enemy, IL must be in
creased, instead of diminished. 1t is possible,
however, that % 900 men may be sent hence for
service in Kentucky, and in fulfllment of Mr..
SCOTS contract
The correspondents ofysome Of the New York
papers here are trying to make merry over the
arrest OF DIR. Ives, correspondent of the Herald,
and TO convey the impression that this blow from
the Secretary of War, though 1T fell upon the
head of Mr.. Ives, really intended as a
Duke to the paper which he Processes to represent
Such was not the case The Herald of to-day.
in leading editorial article condemns in the
strongest terms the conduct attributed to MIR.
Ives. and says that, if he is guilty of such con-
duct, he has acted in direct violation of the in
structons furnished to the correspondents of that
paper. | ought to add that have never known
| or heard of such outrageous breach of deco
rum as that attributed to Mr.. Ives the part of
any other Washington correspondent OF any
paper.
The attacks of the rabid abolitionists here on
| Gen. Mcclellan continue to be made with una
bated ferocity, and with all the malignity of
! 6ends. Money is made to flow hike water and
the telegraph kept at work night and day, in or
der to convey these brutal insnuations to New
York, that they may be published in the radical
organs there. They speak now of "Gen. Nc
Clellan's changed and changing relations to the
war;" and say that she has no power of fighting
/ in him, any strategic genius" The General
in-Chief is unmoved by these pitiful attacks but
the President owes it to him to stop them instant
| ly. No one here attached the slightest weight to
| them, because we know that not the slightest
change has taken place, will take place. in the
relations of the General in Chief to the army.
But at distance from Washington the effect on
| the army must be ruinous to that confidence which
must subsst between the head of the army and
the army itself.
In the Senate yesterday Mr.. Sumner introduced
a long string of resolutions which, if passed and
carried into effect, will break up the Union fer
more efectually than JEFF. Davis and his follow
ers can do, even if they succeed They provide
for the utter extinguishment of the Southern
States as States BY single stroke of the pen
the Southern Ststes are reduced TO the condition
of Territories, tier State governments abolished
and Territorial governments provided for them
by Congress. Congress is to furnish for them
~Governors, Judges, laws and institutions of all
kinds They are expressly declared to have ''no
constitutional or legal rights whatever" Well,
in these times. such vagaries are to be looked for
from such statesmen (save the mark) as Sumner
and LOvejoy There is no prospect now that
these eminently silly resolutions will pass. II
they should pass both houses of Congress, il
would be impossible to carry them into effect.