Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-18
For the Daily State Sentinel.
Political History.
NUMBER ONE

FELLOW CiTIzENs:-I 10 day address YOU on
political topics. and de> re TO be permitted TO
saw what believe 10 be the truth, even though
IL should be unwelcome To your ears Shall be
allowed TO do sog Will you refute or correct
what may say by argument aud free discussion.
rather th,n by violence, il YOU think | may be IN
eEForg Then proceed.
II has heretofore been the understanding that
the Federal and State Governments of the Uni
ted States were Governments of THE PEOPLE.
These Governments were severally created upon
that hypothesis. and they provided instrumental.
ties accordingly such freedom of speech and
the press. freed I'm Of the person. the right of
popular assemblage Ia consult upon the general
welfare, the right OF periodical popular free eiec
tions. whereby TIE people. uuawed by force. and
unswnded by fraud. should be able to designate
the periodical agents TO discharge the govern
mental duties. and instruct them as to the gene
raj line OF policy TO be pursued; and. il may be
added. that without the use. IN full freedom of
all these varied instrumentalities. the so-called
right OF tie people 10 govern themselves would
be but "A cheat, mockery.
According. then, To the organic laws of YOUR
Governments. and, under the protection of the
broad shield OF the Constitutions of those Gov
ernments, We TO day consult a. To the action of
our public servants, and as TO the principles by
which they should be governed in serving
Our action. then. is legal and loyal because il is
constitutional. and TO discharge duty. in fact.
imposed by the Constitution.
reow citizens. your country Is in trouble:
worse than that; IL u. in one sense, engaged in
the terrible work of self-destruction Ii is in
actual fact now bleeding at every pore Why is
thisl The Republicans. that is the most of them
say il Is because negro slavery exists in part of
the States of this Union. anu | admit the fact
In this general proposition, | agree with the Re
.rH =.
by brief no,ice of the rise Of our republic, aud
the troubles that threatened IL. Nth The cTorts 10
arerf them.
Before doing this. however. | wish 20 make an
observation upon the mistake of fraction of the
Republicans in assigning the cause OF our inter
nal diSsentions They say the cause j. % be
found in certain doctrines OF John C. Calhoun.
Ia Is n sufficient to this proposition To say
that those doctrines of Mr. Calhoun how ever err
roneous they were related not to causes bat rem
edies. and. We add, preventioEs. John { CAL
houn was Union man. and he desired organiza
tons 10 prevent wrongs that might irritste 20
disuniol and he insisted that If any State in the
Union WAS wronged. oppressed so that the Union
was made TO her injury instead of a blessing.
such State had a right 20 withdraw from the
Union in peace instead OF in war; that her mode
of redress was Ia secede Instead OF % rebel But
he did not pretend that such State had a right to
do either without cause. His doctrines related TO
preveutIol and remedy, not 10 the wrong. he
might and did in his opinion. perhaps. and 80
NAV many OF ~. TO what constitutes a suffi-
cent cause 10 justify secession or revolt ! al
init can scarcely conceive one that would be
sufficient. For the proof of what have said of
Mr. Calhoun. refer 20 the sketch of his life IN
the Nelr inertcan CycioDedis which. though writ
ten with NOrthern bias, sustains me. wish
the young men Of the nation would read that
sketch as an answer 10 Republican ISLANDERS
We now proceed TO very briefly notice
rnE RISE or TIN kEPU BLIc.
When the convention met that formed our
present Constitution, which Constitution is ouf
bond Of Union. African slavery existed in part
Of the State the southern. and had existed in