Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-02
Proceedings of the Starke County
Democratic Convention.

Pursuant to a call of the Democratic Central
Committee, the largest ard most enthusiastic
Conv emtioD which ever assembled in Starke
county convened at the Court House. in Knox,
ON Saturday the Oath inst
The Convention WAS organized by the election
OF II. T. Howard, Esq, as President; Elijah
Wood, Vice President; Eli Brown, Principal
Secretary; and John Collins, Assistant Secre-
tarv.
Mr.. Howard, OH taking the chair, made few
appropriate remarks, explanatory of the object of
the meeting, when
On motion of J A Berry. IA committee, con-
sisting of one from each township. was appointed
to prepare IA series of resolutions expressive of
the sense Of the Convention The following
gentlemen were appointed as such committee:
Center-J. a. Berry
North Bend-D. q. Castleman.
Washington-Jacob Dean
0regun-Phillip Gr,,shans.
Caliiornia-C. Short.
Wayne-J NJ. Tucker.
JAG kson-J. Elston.
Railroad-Robert Grey.
DIvis-Samuel Lelevcr.
During the absence of the committee the Con-
venron was addressed by H. T Howard. S A.
McCacken. w. G. Casleman and A. W. Por-
ter, in spirit of elOquence and devotion, de-
fnng the position of the Democracy, and hurting
party guilty of treason in refusing to sustain
the Administration in It's unwarranted usurpation
of power. and showing coucluSvely that the
Democratic party was the only true Union party !;
that we were for the Union as it was and the
Constitution as il is -
Mr.. S. Beatty, Provost Marshal for Starke
county. being present, was called upon, and the
Convention is gratified to report that he declared
himself for the Union and opposed to Abolition
ism.
The Committee on Resolutions having re
turned, through its Chairman made the follow
ing report:
WHEREAS. The departure of the President of
the United States from his often repeated declar-
atoms that the present bloody war was not for
the purpose OF interfering with States Rights, or
for the purpose of abolishing slavery, but solely
for the restoration of the Government aud en-
forcement OF the laws. demands an expression of
condemnation from the people; and.
WHEREAS, We believe that war is disunion;
therefore, be il
ResOioed by the people of Starke county in Con-
reRtioa assembled:
1. That we are now, as we have ever been,
firmly and unchangeably devoted to the Union of
the States and lee institutions, and we hold
it to be the duty of all true patriots to maintain
them in every proper and constitutional mode;
that the whole theory of the Government is based
dressed, as far as possible, by peaceable means
2 That the Administration, in suspending the
writ of habeas corpus, arresting private citizens
not subject to military Law, and incarcerating
them in political bastiles, issuing its proclamation
declaring the slaves held in certain States free,
and in numerous instances usHrping power, vio-
lating the Constitution, infringing upon State
sovereignty, and dsregarding the popular wish,
and especially in diverting the war from the OBJ
ject OF restoring the Government, which the
President originally declared should be his sole
purpose in its prosecution, deserves our unquali-
fled reprobation, and justly entities it the con-
demnation Of all true lovers OF constitutional lib
erty and State rights
3. That the law of Congress erecting certain
counties OF Virginia into a State, called the State
of Western Virginia" is. in the language of
Edward Bates, Attorney General of the United
States, in letter Gated Attorney Generals
Office, August IL, 1861. can original, independ-
ent act of revolution, and involves a plain breach