Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-22
wherein we are Guilty OF Affordfng
said and Comfort to the Enemy

"Aid and Comfort To the Enemy"
The New York Tribune of Thursday. the llth
of this present month of June, says:
"The Springfield Journal (IIlinois,) has the
following:
ga RuxoR is rumored that the editors of
Chicago Times will probably be called on to an
swer through the courts for their notorious dis
loyal course Such action is called for by loyal
men of all parties, as shall eectually protect the
people from the consequences of seditious and
reasonable utterances, giving :" aid and comfort
to the enemies Of the country
"Withoutat all presuming to anticipate the YER
dict in case such prosecution were attempted,
we do not see why this matter should be left to
'rumor.' 1t is widely charged and believed that
the SHAREHOLDERS rebellon-that it constantly af-
fords aid and comfort to that most atrocious
conspiracy against the life of our country and the
rights of human nature-and that il is doing more
to insure the success of that gigantic crime than
any regiment in jeff Davis armies. If such be
the truth why should not the sheet be indicted
and convicted? If such offenses il is charged
with are not punishable, what is the use of hav-
ing courts and paying taxes?
eff any Journal commits OF abets treason. we
urge that its conductors be indicted. tried and
punished according to law. Military edcts are
for cases that the laws do not reach. and are an
other sort of thing altogether.
We confess TO some trepidation in this matter
We confess there are some grounds of proceeding
against us in the courts. We confess that we
have, ON several occasions, printed in these col-
umns that which calculated TO "afford laid
and comfort TO the shareholders rebellion
"that most atrocious conspiracy against the life
Of our country and the rights of human nature. /"
We confess this. We plead guilty. And all that
we can say in extenuation of this conduct, is,
that did not ourselves design to "afford laid
and comfort to the slsveholders' rebellion" but
to show that oihers-the authors of the Obj ection
able matter which ere printing-were afford
| ing aid and eomiort' to the shareholders rebel
lion +" This only can we say in extenuation, aud
whether il will leave Us harmless or not, remains
/ to he seen.
What il il that we have printed ain the inter
! est of the slavshoders' rebellion?" For what
shalt we be convicted if convicted at all7 lie,
US see. We have. ON several occasions during
the war. reproduced the following from the New
| York Tribune of November Q. 1850:
"If the cotton States shall become satisfied
that they can do better out Of the Union than ia
tive Insist on letting them 20 in peace. The
right TO secede may be revolutionary one. but
| it exists nevertheless. - We must ever
resist the right of any State to remain in the
| Union and nullifv or defy the laws thereof To
withdraw from the Onion is quite another matter
and whenever considerable section of our Union
shall deliberately resolve 10 GO out, we shall re
sst all coercive measures designed 10 keep it in
We hope never to live in republic whereof
one section is pinned to another by bayonets."
/ And also the following from the n. Y. Tribune
of December IL, 1860:
.'If il (the Declaration of Independence) jus
tilted the secession from the British Empire o
three millions Of Colonists in l776, we do not sec
why il would not justify the secession of five
| millions of Southrons from the Union in 1861
If we are mistaken on this point, WHY does not
some one attempt to show wherein and why? For
our own part, while We deny the right of slave
holders to hold slaves against the will of the lat
ter, we cannot see how twenty millions of people
can rightfully hold ten, or even FIVE, in detested
Union with them by military force.
If seven or eight contiguous States shall pre-
sent themselves authenticity at Washington,
saving, We hate the Federal Union; we have
withdrawn from it; we give you the choice be
tween acquiescing in our accession and arranging
amicably all incidental questions the one
hand and attempting to subdue us on the other
| we could not stand up for coercion for suiuga
tion. for we do moi think it would be just. We
hold the right of self-government sacred, even
wher invoked in behalf of those who deny it to
others.
"If ever seven or eight States sead agents to
| Washington to say, we want to get out of the
Union we shall feel constrained, by our devo-
ton to human liberty. to say, let them 60! And
we do not see how we could take any other side
without coming in direct conflict with those rights
Of man which we hold paramount to all political
arrangements, however convenient and advan
tageous."
Aud likewise the following from the New
| York Tribune of earlier date: