Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-08-23
To The Public.

Since the exposure Of the secret, oath
bound, aud reasonable associations,
known at former periods of their exist
sncs rs "The knights of the Golden
Circle" and "The American Knights"
aud now as "The Sons Of Liberty" at
tempts have been made to Justify them
upon the pretense that they were orgai
'zed for the purpose Of eoanteracting
me influence Of "The Union Leagues,
which we're charged TO be also secret.
oath bound societies, with mere psrtix4n
aims and objee,a With the view Of re
futisg this false pretense and charge
and, at the same time, Of appealing to
Union men, who may have been deferred
BY them IRON enrolling themselves 10 its
ranks, TO come forward in this extreme
crisis Of their eountry's destiny and give
it their aid in its great purpose Of main
tanning the integrity Of the State and
National Governments, the Union
League of Pigeon Township, Wander
burgh county, at its meeting on the 18th
Inst, appointed the undersigned com
mittee to procure the publication OF the
Constitution and Ritual of the League,
at it's expense II Necessary, in the city
papers
In proceeding to the duty assigned as,
we challenge for the subioined Cons.ilu
ton, Ritual and amended form of Ini-
.iatiou, the closestser satisfied that
no candid man can, after such scrutiny,
regard The Union League as either a Sc
cret, oath-bound, or partizan association.
The Constitution aud original formula
OF Initiation, under which, substantially,
the League has acted since its first or,
ganizaton, In accordance With their re
quirements (See Con, Art IA, &c. And
the order of the District League, vers
! in June, 1868, published in pamphlet
form, and hundreds of copies have sinc'
been distributed. That this has been 8,
freely done that both Union aud opposi
sion editors have long since been place.
! in the possession Of copies, the publi
knows from the fact that they have both
in various parts OF the State, given liter
al extracts from it in their eolumna
they have not published the entire docu
ment il is not the fault of the Leagu,
They have frequently been authorize
and challenged to do so.
II will be seen that the League is no
ard has never been, an oath-bound 81
ciety; and that as originally organized
so far from being partizan in its purpos
or membership, politics were expressl
excluded from its deliberations At ii
commencement Of the present PresideI
tial canvass, when it became apparer
that the highest duty of patriotism, ne,
!. to swelling the ranks of our armies, VI
Ito labor to place in Office those Oh
;, whose hearts beat in sympathy with Il
:. great Union cause" and "to oppose 4
individuals and parties whose eondui
81 encourages the rebels to persis. IN the
rebellion" it was found neeeasa
TO modify this feature, and for that,
we'll as for the purpose of shortening Il
ceremony, the amended Form of Init
tiOn was adopted and has since be
used
So far from there being any foundati'
- in fact for the psetenss that tbs pri
to to organisation of Union Leagues iusti6
{, or caused the reasonable associatio
D., referred to, it viii be found that the
ire verse is the tru,h-thst the League or
~ its existence TO what was believed to
m the widespread conspiracy Of the *
IN, c." TO separate the Western or Nor
e'' Western States from the Union, with
ultimate design of attaching them to
to Southern Confederacy. How wsllfoul
at, ed Was that belief no one who RENE
-, bers the perils of 1852. the speeches
las the opposition orators, and the 6ndir
'sr- of the Grand Jury of the Q, s. Distr
'.s =. Court, need be told.
ms. We lsy before the public the Ccnsti
y sion, and both the original and amenG