Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-03-02

most oft hem old men with grey heads-men hav-
ing the respect and confidence of their fellow
citizens of all parties for their honesty, probty
and love of cOuntry-men without any arms IN
their hands means of elfprOtection, making
known aud prOclamng their peaceful purposes,
and offering the military q copy of the resolutions
they intended TO propose to the Convention, EN-
bodyns sentiments no honest man will deny TO
anv tie right To express. Under these circum
srinces and with these surroundings the military.
at the instisation of some lawleSs persons, bv
force expelled these delegates from the hall they
had hired. and refused them the expression of
their sentiments. aud going even further. telling
them that if they made any nominations it would
be the signal tn arrest such persons. Ii nOm-
mated they would not be permitted to run; or If
elected they would not be permitted to serve
At night guards were placed upon the streets
to prevent any assemblage of people at any point,
and one dwelling was visited by officers and sol
diers, and one Of the rooms of the house entered,
and demands made of the gentlemen there as to
their business and purposes. Finding nothing
contraband, the officers retired.
On the next day one of the Oldest members of
the legal profession of Frankfort made IA short
statement to the Circuit Court to what had
transpired, and moved the court to order special
Grand Jury, (the regular one having been ad-
iOurned late the evening of the lSth,) and that
they be charged specially to inquire as to the OBJ
jects. purposes. designs and acts of the citizens
who came together to hold convention to nOm-
nate State officers and if any or all of them were
found to have violated any laws of the land or to
have intended such violation, to have indictments
or presentments found or made; and if, on the
other hand. it found their purposes were
legal, then to indiet present those who had
caused the military to interfere with such peace
ful assemblage.
This motion was opposed by the Common
wealths Attorney. on the ground that he had
great doubts whether any of The offenses with
which the assemblage could be charged were not
more properly the subject of investigation before
IA Grand Jury of the United States that although
the laws of Kentucky denounced any attempt on
the part of anv one to take Kentucky out of the
Union. (this was charged to be the object of ;he
cOnvention,) us a crime. and provided severe
punishment therefor; still he thought as Congress
had legislated about such acts the delegates
who met here were charged with purDosing, he
doubted the cOnstitutiOnality of the act OF the
Legislature; that he had toll the Grand Jury who
had been adjourned the evening before, not to
make AIRY investigations about political matters,
unless they chose to do so-a most palpabIe vio-
lation OF his duty
The JmIge refused to order the iurv stating
that when he returned To his home after having
been compelled 10 leave by the coming ia of the
COnfedertes some of his party wanted him to
order Il special term TO indct and punish men
who had been acting with the COufederates But
he had refused 20 do so; that he knew personally
there were men here from his county TO attend
the convention whom he had heard express wish
that Kentucky would 20 with the South. and he
thought it well to not order any investigation.
but to let such gentlemen take the consequences
following their conduct. Ii the regular Grand
Jury had chosen 10 have examined into this
matter he would not have prevented t.
The Court and Commonwealth Attorney
were reminded that the avowed object of the con
vention was to nominate candidates for State Off
ces-a subject over which Congress had no power
to legisate. But they persistently refused any
iIvestigation-they were both elected last year
by the military.
Such is plain. unyarnished statement of facts
One or two reflections may not be amss as the
conduct of the civil and military authorities con-
Germs most deeply the cause of constitutional lib-
erty everywhere
We undertake to assert there can nowhere be
found, except in the history of usurpations and
despotiSms, an act more outrageous than was per-
petrated on the delegates TO the Democratic CON
vention at Frankfort on the 18th day of February,
1868. If, as the Military COmmandant stated.
he acted upon the representations of what he
called loyal Democratic newspapers, it makes a
new era in the history of our cOuntry-brings
into operation a new power never before known
in the history Of civilized sOciety-certainly no.
where provided for in our system of government
The slang of newspaper scribblers is to confer
the right aEi give the power to the Commander
of a military department to determine the loyalty
OF any man or set OF men and to prevent their
assembling together?
What Democratic newspapers does the country
suppose were referred to? The Louisville Jour
nal and Frankfort Commonwealth. Oh, Democ-
racy, to what low estate you have come when
YOU have got in charge of two such newspapers
You have come into sad keeping. indeed But
there again was the reputation by the Democratic
House of Representatives. That act of refusing
the use of their hall 10 the convention was an
other evidence that the delegates were not true
Democrats, but rebels in disguise. Very compli-
mentary to Mr.. Speaker Buckner and twenty
other acknowledged Union men who voted for
their having the hall The rule reversed proves
the Representatives of the Kentucky Legislature
AbOlitiOnists when they recently Jet their hall to
Cassious NJ. Clay. and God only knows what
when they allowed Parson Brownlow to hold
forth in IT,
The same rule makes the kentucky Legisla-
ture and Governor AbOltionists, because they
tolerate the interference of Abolitonists with the
rights of citizens and submit to their interference
with and disregard of State laws.
We have in these proceedings an evidence Of
what may be expected from the present Admin
istratiOn and those who sustain them.
Kentucky, proud old Kentucky is in the dust
and her honor and her rights are under the con-
troll of parcel of Abolition soldiers, and she
like the rest of the States. must raise alolt the
banner of the old Democratic party, or we are
gone past all redemption. without anv hope of
restoring the Union or preserving the Constitu-
ton.
Kentucky .loyalkentucky having within her bor-
ders soldiers from other States four thousand here
at the capital-an overwhelming voting popula
ton in favor of the continuance of the war, as
these pure patriots claim afraid of the assembling
of five or six hundred plain men without arms,
and afraid to allow fair vote for the different
offices. The state of the case shows that the so
called Union, but really Abolition party of Ken
tucky, expect TO retain their power, not by the
ballot box, but by brute force
A DELEGATE.
NOTE.-Harney, who edits the Commonwealth. and
Prentice and Wolfe, the latter voting against the use of
the legislative hail. signed the celebrated address at the
beginning Ofthe strife. which declared such -four
ish, that If the United States Government undertook
cOerce the seeded States Kentucky would have no
tentative but draw her sword in favor of the South
Bell who voted against the of the hall and Governor
Robinson two Of the border States delegates who met
Frankfort and published address which reads 30
beautifully about Kentucky being asylum for the op-
pressed. where there of speech and of the
press aud where people were free to express their sen
ments. What mockery.
From the Louisville Democrat1
The Suppression of the Frankfort
Convention.
We cannot but regret the suppression of the
attempted convention at Frank fort Our readers