Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-10
Have We a Government and a Policy,

1t looks very much as if we have both.
For few weeks past, some of our radical friends
have been in a state of glorifcatiOn over a con-
versation, alleged to have been had with the
President, by Gen. Lane, IN which the former APP
proved of the latter's proposals TO make gener
al guerilla expedition into Arkansas, arm the
slaves as he went along, and substitute for the
Government of the United States reign of ter
ror and slave instructions. No denial on the
part of the friends OF the President convinced
them of the folly of the story. They telegraph
ed, wrote and published daily from Washington,
that General Lanes expedition had the hearty
approval of the President, and of course they
took it for granted that all his plans had equally
the sanction of the Government.
We have not spoken without authority in
surfing our readers that Mr.. Lincoln is determined
to adhere to his conservative plan of administer
ing the Whenever stories that he has
sented to or approved any plan, looking to pro-
CARNATIONS of ireedom-to slaves, or putting arms
in their hands, are related, they may be at
rejected false. 1t becomes newspapers and all
public men to hold up to admiration before the
world the consistent course of MIR. Lincoln on
this subject instead of weakening confidence in
him by these groundleSs statements OF his adopt
ing different policy in the West from that which
he avows in the East.
1t is absurd to imagine that Mr.. Lincoln, the
President of the United States. or General Nc
Clellan, the Commander in Chief of the armies,
intend, or would consent to let any General or
other inferior officer 90 into Arkansas or any
other part of the South, with an independent ar
my, TO carry on war of his own, on principles
Numerically opposed to their views. The radi-
cal gentlemen who have encouraged Lanes Ex-
petition" have talked of it all along as if Gen.
Mcclellan had nothing to do with it, 1t was
sort of patent right issued TO Lane, which he
could carry out on the radical plan, President or
no President. Commander in Chief or no Com
mander-in- Chief This idea has in fact been all
along prominent in some mems plans of the war.
They would have it fought according to the
whms of each and every General, provided only
those whims we're anti-slavery.
1t now appears that Gen Lane, in the regular
order of things, is the interior officer of several
distinguished and trustworthy Generals and that
Lanes Expedition" is myth OF the newspa-
pers Whether General Mcclellan, always cool
and calm, and knowing what he is about, has di-
rected Hunter to take charge of the Kansas ad-
vance. or whether this has all along been the pro-
gramme, does not clearly appear But it is suf
| iciently evident that we have a Government
which understands its own business, and that the
Government has policy which is not regulated
either in Kansas or Washington, by any radical
| or anti constitutional advisers.
/ A contemporary says that cit has been reported
on good authority that Secretary Stanton author
/ zed Lane to arm the slaves in certain contin-
gency. These reports on good authority are the
daily manufacture of sensation correspondents in
/ Washington. Secretary Stanton never did any
thing OF the sort. More than this, he has not
now arms for the soldiers in Washington, much
less for the slaves at the South. More still, Gen.
Lane will get his authorizations" of every kind,
through his regular superior officers, via General
Mcclellan. 1t is not the policy of the Govern
ment authorize Brigadier Generals to pursue
other orders than those of the COmman0er-in-
Chief. More than all, Secretary Stanton. Gener-
Mcclellan and the President in perfect con-
cord of their views in this matter, and no one of
them has approved of the published plan of the
Lame Expedition" or of the slave-arming prin-
ciples which it was attempted to confer on it by
Act OF Congress few days ago; failing which
they invented the story about the President,
which Gen. Hunters order now sets at rest. We
certainly have a Commander in Chief and a
President. The radical gentlemen who doubted
whether we had pulley, ought, by this time, to
rest satisfied that We have policy, and it is not
of the General Lane sort.-New York Journal
of Commerce.