Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-20
"a word OF Caution,

,,.. Notary Public.
-
ga word of Caution"
The above is the heading of article which
appeared as editorial in the Journal on Saturday,
not written perhaps by the editor, but probably by
his master, which requires to be exposed. both
because OF its reckless disregard of truth, and its
revolutionary spirit and villainous purpose. The
object of the article is to deter men from The ex
posure of the monstrous frauds perpetrated by
the favorites Of the party now in power, by which
they are made rich, and the country, the Govern
ment and the people, are made poor-to deter
men from the expression of their adherence of
wickedness in high places, by threatening them
with mobs. This threat comes from the party in
power, and through the organ Of the State adj
ministration-it comes from, the men who have
upon them the highest obligations OF homer,
upon whom rests the awful soIemnity and sane
maintain the public peace and good order.
Why the necessity of this threat? Wherefore
call up the terrible spirit of the mob, of riot
and anarchy to muzzle the press, and put gag
in the mouth of every citzenl If your indi-
vidual conduct be upright. and your adminstra
ton Of public affairs be honest. why fear the
light Of free, public discussionf If private viz
tue and public honor be your panopy, you need
fear no shafts thrown by the malignant--they
will fall harmless at your feet. Virtue, truth and
honesty do not conceal themselves in the dark
they walk boldly in the sun highland all good
men do them reverence. But vice, and fraud
and theft Of the peoples money skulk, and hide
and seek all concealment. 1.-The wicked fee, -
but 1.-The righteous are bold" Free discussion IS
no terror to the upright and honest--but to the
man in public Office, who seeks thrift and gain by
devious ways; who would make himself great and
rich by the oppression of the people, and despoil-
ing the public treasury of their hard earned mon
ey it is the spirit Ct trouble and the genius of his
undoing that allows him no quiet by day nor rest
by night. 1t is very true that the late Democrat
ments, arraign the Republican party before the
tribunal of public opinion for its rejection of "al
propositions likely to result in satisfactory adj
justment of the matter in dispute between the
North and the South, whereby our present ca
lamities might have been ayoided-''for its ina
bility to conduct the Government through its
present difficulties and for the enormous frauds
that have staIked into the Army and Navy Depart
ments, duplicating the heads of those depart
ments in a connivance at, If not actual par
ticipation in system of corruption, and in which
our brave soldiers have been defrauded of their
proper supplies, and our Government threatened
with bankruptcy, demanding thorough investi-
CATION into all our expenditures. both State and
national, and that a speedy and marked example
be made of all such "birds of prey" who, taking
fed and fattened upon public plumber.
And does not the history of the times justify
such arraignment Who does not know that
country was made subordinate to party, when
all terms ofadjustment, which DOUGLAS said would
save the Union. were rejected. and the Chicago
Platform declared the law of party action Who
claims for the party in power, that wisdom and
patriotism demanded by the exigencies Of the
times And when, in the history of any people,
was such corruption known, as has characterized
this Administration? In the history of no nation
is found so dark page of fraud and corruption,
as that furnished by the investigating committee
at the present session of Congress. Mr., DAWES,
a Republican member of Congress from Massa-
chnsetts and.a member of the committee, speak
ing Of the corruption of the War and Navy De-
partments. uses the following strong language
When the history of these times shall be writ
ten, it will be question upon whom the guilt
viii rest most heavily-upon him who has con-
spired to destroy, upon him who has proved
incompetent to preserve the institutions bequeath-
ed 20 us by our fathers 4 s.-s
1t is no wonder that the public treasury trem-
bles and staggers like strong man with too great
a burden upon him A strong man in an ar-ex-
hausted receiver is not more helpless to day than
is the Treasury of this Government beneath the
exhausting process to which il is subjected.
Already the sufler--that curse of the camp
is following the paymaster as the shark follows
the ship, buying up for four dollars every five
dollars of the wages of the soldiers, paid to them
in Treasury notes. cs Z.
1t is impossible that the Treasury of the United
States can meet, and continue to meet, this state
of things sixty days longer; and AN ignominious
peace must be submitted unless we see to 1t
that the credit of the country is sustained and
sustained too by the conviction going forth from
this hall to the people ofthe country that we will
treat as traitors not only those who are bold and
manly enough to meet face to face on. the field
of strife, but all those, also, who clandestinely
ami steaIthiIy suck the lifeblood from us in this
mighty struggle. 49, 49,, ~
These things are now known and believed by
the people, and If there is that remnant of public
virtue necessary for the support of free nstitu-
tons, they will demand that they be freely dis
cussed, and remedies be applied, aud that the an
thors be driven from place and power. "Let US
talk plainly il is our interest to do so, and Il is
yours TO hear" Tie Republican party has lost
the confidence of the North. II dare not again
ask the support of the people. Its leaders know