Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-02-13
THE SENTTNEL
ROCKVILLE, I'D.
To Our Patrons.

VIII 10 VI tuIs paper.
The pleasure which the return of this gen
tleman to the editorial chair affords us, will,
we feel certain, be shared by oil Of you, who
remember his past services in this department;
and the remembrance of these will give sufi-
Gent assurance that his future efforts will be
directed to the enhancement of the general in
terest Of our paper, and to build you up in
yodr " most holy faith"
AS intimated above, the Sentinel will, from
this date, be published under the name, style,
and firm, of FIELDS & BaADDocK. As it has
done in the past, so will it, in the future, pur-
sue candid and conservative course-depend-
ing alone upon its merits for support--court-
ing no unearned favors, and stunning no Just
notwithstanding to enforce right and
TO condemn wrong, in every relation that falls
properly within the province of a public journal
Especially will it seek to vindicate the authori-
ty of the Federal and State Constitutions, and
the rights guaranteed to the people by these
sacred charters, against the insidious devices
and monstrous agencies invoked for their alb
sorption by an irresponsible military oligar-
chy. In short, the Sentinel will endeavor to
keep the people Of this county advised of the
extraordinary events transpiring in these dis
jointed times, 10 order that they may form au
intelligent Judgment upon the same, and be
prepared to meet the issues involved therein
with deliberation, cql mness, and firm resolve.
To do this, it is important, as it eeSaply is
desirable to us, that our paper shofld its
way to every family in the county and, we
know of no better method TO accomplish this,
than by calling upon every man who feels
himself able-and Rybo does not?--to sub
scribe therefor at once, just us it is setting o1
under its new auspices. We, therefore, ear
nestly urge all zwlloae interested ia The sue
cess Of our enterprise, and who wish 70 be
well-informed upon the momentous issues of
the day, to come forward, without delay, and
have their names enrolled upon our subscrip-
tion book. We hope to hear of no exemptions,
as we would like to make draft upon you
all Do not try to excuse yourselves by call
ing on your neighbors to become your su5sti-
tntes, for, in this little engagement of ours, we
have need of the services of every one of you-
at least Of your " change
1t may not be improper, in conclusion, sim
ply 10 hint to those Of our patrons, whose ac-
counts stand open on our old books, that, as
our new arrangement will require new books,
it may save us some trouble hereafter, if they
receipt in full to date, just opposite to their
names.
THE RECEIvER AS BAD AS THE THIEF. -
We confess our surprise has been very much
excited by learning that some citizens of our
county have been purchasing rails and other
timber, cut, under authority of the Govern
ment Of the United States, upon lands lying
across the Potomac river, aad which have been
declared confscated by the same power. TAX
ing for granted the proposition that every citi-
zen of the State of Virginia is equally citi-
zen Of the United States, and denying, as we
have ever done, the right of the Government
to confscate the property Of its own citizens,
we most emphatically denounce, in the pre-
sent instance. any such fagitious act much
less can we reconcile it 10 any principle OF
justice, for citizens Of our own State to pur-
chase property acquired under such circum-
stances, and belonging TO citizens Of a sister
State.
We have ever held the receiver Of stolen
goods in as contemptuous estimation as the
thief himself. The property of citizen Of
Virginia, we consider quite as much his pro-
pcr.y after it is stolen as the property of a
eitizen of Maryland is his, under like circum-
stances, we care not whether stolen By au-
thority or otherwise and we warn such Of
our own citizens as have participated in such
az iuiqnitous enterprise, of the probable uIi-
mate consequences Of their own act.
EMPLOYING CoyTRABAsps.-Equally abhor-
rent as the above, 10 our sense Of justice, is
the propriety, advocated by some, OF employ
ing contrabands in all cnses where their ser
vices can be turned 10 profitable account. A
contraband is nothing more nor less than a
runaway slave; and we can see no difference
between melting a slave to run away, and hir-
ing one who has already run away. So holds
the law, which, in our State, subjects the hirer
TO penal consequences and wisely, too for
; what other effect would the hiring Of contra
bands have, than to hold out inducements to
every seryiceable slave to run away, If he
knows that, by so doing, he could hire him
self out2 Can practical abolition go further?
SUBSTITUTES ACCEPTED .-The following is a
list of substitutes, accepted during the present
week, for persons drafted in this county -
Chas Lee, of Rhode Island, for Richard N.
Bean James Davis Of New York, for An
drew J. Moran; Thomas Rine, Of Pennsylya-
MIA, for John !. Cuttings John Lind, Of
Germany, for VIM. II. Gittings; George Al
len, Of Allegheny county, for Christopher
Wrenn.
VALENrIsE's DAY.-To-morrow will usher
in this day, the annual return Of which is ever
so welcome to lads and lasses thousands Of
whom, no doubt, forgetting, for the day, the
troubles and sorrows Of the times will ex-
change missives esfun and fancy, making them