The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-07-14

A Secret TreasOmab Organization.
At a late Union gathering in Indianapo-
lis, Gov. Morton, the Chief Executive off,
Ger of Indiana, stated that he had received
reliable information as to the existence of a
reasonable order in that State, its chief pur-
pose, as avowed to new members, being to
resist the collection of the war tax, dis
courage enlistments, &c. The Indianapolis
journal processes to have discovered the
character of the order, aud makes this state
ment in regard to it,
"a The order in question is the Knights OF
the Golden Circle, but has changed its
name twice in the last year to avoid expo
sure and public odiUm, and now styles itself
the order of the as. P. B.'s," or the Self
Protecting Brothers," Should the members
of the order be called as witnesses IN a
court of justice, they are required to deny
its existence, aader penalty Of death.
'' The oath taken by the members of this
order is 10 resist the prosecution of the war
in every way, to refuse to pay war taxes,
to discourage enlistments and prevent
drafts of soldiers, aud to resist and over
throw the administration of Mr.. Lincoln.
We are further advised that the members OF
this order ATE procuring arms and prepar-
ing to carry their purposes by force if need
be, not only in this State, but throughout
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,
who assured as that respectable men, repre-
senting themselves as members of the order,
had secretly and cautiously come before
them, and made the same statement sub
stantially as that given above in regard to
It's principles and designs-stating that the
obligation assumed by members at initia-
tion was to resist in all practicable ways
the collection of war taxes, to discourage
enlistments, to prevent drafts. and, if called
as witnesses in a court of justice, to deny
all knowledge Of the existence of any such
order 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 10 the first
The evidence. then, is very strong, ii not
absolutely conclusive, that the Organiza-
tion in question has an existence through
out our sister State, and in all probability
extends to other States. Its designs, if cor
rectly stated, are treason-secret, lurking,
skulking, coWardly, atrocious treason. The
bare fact that political organization, or
der, or society, in time of war, is secret
and oath-bound, is pTanlG facie evidence,
and exceedingly strong evidence, of its
thoroughly reasonable character. A se-
cret political society in a season of war in
wolves with almost absolute certainty a
conspiracy against the life of the country.
We beg all our Indiana friends, all the
good citizens of that State, who, under
whatever political designation, have sup
ported and are now supporting the Union,
L. nd ho lav looL
fully and with the deepest scrutiny around
them, and set the seal of their indignation
and wrath upon any effort, covert or open,
to pa!alyzs or weaken the arm of the Gov
ernment in this terrible struggle for ma
tional existence. If any man, high or low,
be detected in the effort, let him be ac-
cursed. c.-LouiSUilLc Journal
The Journals surmise that this secret or
ganizAtiOn extends to other States than
ours, is finding most dissgreeable conhr-
nation in the guerrilla movements in Ken