Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-04-02
PROCEEDINGS O. CONGRESS-.

place iu the Senate last week. Corrobor-
ated as the statements are by traitorous
events in both the army and navy, it Is no
longer difficult to solve sundry disasters,
costing the lives Of many brave men, which
have befalleu US since the organization OF
the Southern rebellion, and Is another warn
ing to the union loving people Of the north
to beware OF the eoaasels CT a certain gang
Of BreckinriIgers who nov seek control Of
the 50 called democratic party
alr. Latham sail, | have resolution
thai | shall offer, and beg the indulgence
. OF the Senate while make brief prelim-
inarv statement, as shall ask for Its i'm
mediate consideration. In the Boston
Journal, of Saturday evening, March =,
1862, appeared the following article:
.TREAsoNABLE PLor IN MIoHIGAS.-The
Detroit Tribune publishes a curious docu
ment revealing an attempt IN taat State, last
fall. to organize league for the purpose OF
overthrowias the Federal Government. This
Object is plainly aY0Es5 = secret circular,
which declares the purpose OF the movement
u be 10 Tise Isl siaiis, q necessary, ictt1 TIE
4 Iarmgl Ct TIE s. Ss'ftA), ortTT7ls the
/ " NORTH likeG hi.rricaas, sirespiHg the A
.4fasHist5qttonl into eternity, or at least dri.
wing them into complete and unconditional
submission The dQcuIeht Is dated October
), 1861, aud says the league is doing uSble
work in Maryland, and among the soldiers OF
Fortress Monroe. and that President P,
president Pierce, in his passage, has drawn
md ma al m q
The Tribune SAYS the original Of the dOeu
raent is now in the State Department at Wash
inrton, and that it led to the arrest and
iuprisonmento several persons in Fort Laiay-
ette /. was discovered that secret orgaui-
cations existed in many towns in Michigan,
and in numerous places in Canada West
This morning, ! received the following
letter from ex President Pierce:
Concord, n. H., March "a, 1862.
Ny Dear So: Ienclose a short article from
the Saturday evening edition of the Boston
Journal. March p, the substance of which,
it is quite probable, you may have seen before.
Having originated In Michigan. and been re-
produced in Boston, it can hardly be doubted
that il has already secured a Yida circulation.
The subject is not new TO me. 1t was the
occasion Of a correspondence between the
Secretary Of State and myself as early as
December last | thought it reasonable to
suppose, at the close Of that correspondence,
that the matter would cease 10 attract notice.
This expectation a0t having been realized,
and the offensive charge alleged to be based
upon document, the original Of which is
QJw in the State Department at Washington,
having been revived and extensively publish
ed, will you do me the favor to introduce in
the Senate a resolution calling for the cores
pondence to which | have referred?
1t viii strike you, | am sure, both up N
public and personal grounds, that such impu
tations should not be permitted to circulate
unchallenged, especially when an answer to
them, at least SO far as | am concerned, has
been for months upon the files of the first
department Of the Government.
/ am truly, yoHE friepd, kc:,
FRANKLIN PIERCE.
Hon. MILTON S. LATHAM, U. S. Senate,
Washington, ID. G.
Mr.. President, | shall offer the resolu-
tion in my hand, and | trust the Senate
will permit its consideration now, for |
deem it RQthinS more than proper, not
only to this distinguished individual, but
to the country, that the truth in relation
to this charge should be known, and if a
malignant and base calumny, that it should
be branded as such
Resolcsd-That the Secretary of State be
requested to transmit to this body copies ot
any correspondence which may have taken
place between Hon. Wm. ii. Seward. Secre
tary cf State, and Hon. Franklin Pierce, ex
President of the United States, having refer
ence to supposed conspiracy against tho
Government, and all other papers relating tC
| the same.
| Mr.. Chandler (Rep. } Of Michigan, said
/ he knew there was such a letter. The
writer Of it was DR.. Hopkins. There wa!
such an organization, and it was very wide
spread. At the commencement Of tn,
war, the Knights of the Golden Circle
thought they would be very patriotic, anc
go into the army, and to his certain knowl
edge large number Of the worst traitor
were IN the United States army, and they
are there now.
Mr.. Howard, (Rcp, } Of Michigan, sale
he knew there was such letter in exis
tcnce, as he had seen it. He suggested
that the Senator frame his resolution SO a
to include that letter.
Mr. Latham said he only wanted to fine
out whether any man who had been Pres
idcnt of the United States was engaged il
such conspiracy or not. He amended tht
resolution so as to include all the other pa
pers. The resolution was then adopted.
In the Senate on Friday last, the Nava
Appropriation bill was passed, with th
amendments providing for the compile
ton Of the Stevens floating battery, an
that Mr.. Stevens shall pot be repaid th
money he has expended in the construc
ton Of the vessel unless it be successful
and be satisfactory to the Secretary OF tn
Navy, and appropriating s13,0O0,O0O t