Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-08
FROM WARRINGTON.
How the xadicais Propose to ssISe-
construct' the Uniou-rhe Real
Facts About the Southern Desire for
ReconstructiOn-W Kind of a
ssKestOration" il POssibIe-IIiustra-
tons of official Corruption.
Especial Correspondence Ofth Chicago Times. /

Especial Correspondence of the Chicago Times
WASHINGTON, January 20.
1t is understood that the Committee on Recon
structlon, q mean the committee so called, will
soon m Ike report. recommending certain ac
ton the part of Congress. The members of
the committee are foolish enough Ia believe or
else they pretend to believe, that the Southern
people are longing for an opportunity of throwing
off the yoke oil their oppressors, of laying down
the weapons of their rebellion. and of accepting
] the terms of the Presidents procla nation. In
other words, that they wish to revolt from the
Government which they have formel-that they
anxious to liberate all their slaves, and
change the whole social fabric Of thesouth-and
that they are impatient TO surrender uD all their
possess. ons to a horde of New England Yam
KEGS, and humbly accept whatever species of
government. and whatever social and political
status it may please Abraham Lincoln and
Charles Sumner to bestow upon them. This is
what this committee either believes. or pretends
to believe and its action will be based upon this
pretended belief.
need not say that any such belief is delu-
sion and snare. know that the public senti-
ment OF the South does not run in that direction.
| The unwise action OF the administration towards
the South, in relation to slavery and the conduct
of the war. has united the Southern people
one man against the North The Confederate
government is far from being perfect: but, such
as it is, it established by the people of the
Southern States, and is their work JEFF Davis
is their President. elected by their votes. Their
government does for them what the adminstra-
ton OF Mr. Lincoln refused TO do 1t guarantees
to etch State the rights of that State Whea
the United States Government does that as it
will do as soon a Democratic administration
comes into power, then the Southern people will
he ready to return to'the Union
/ am informed that the committee above
alluded to will even go the length of asserting
in its report that the Southern people are so anx
ious for the restoration Of the Federal author
tv that they will gladly abolish slavery and de
liver up ther leaders in chains. if they can be
once more received into the Union; and one
pedantic member of the committee has written
a paragraph for the report, in which such
restoration" is compared to the restoration of
the monarchy in England after the death of Crom
well Such a restoration" would be no resto-
ration at all for il would restore" to the South
ern people what they never had, namely: a
form of State government and s.stem OF
social polity which they abhor and deie>t The
people of the South. in common with the people
OF the North, do indeed look forward to resto
ration that would restore TO every citizen aud 10
every State the rights which were enjoyed from
the day the Republican party came into power.
Such a restoration is what every COOL citizen,
North and South, prays for every day, and sin
indeel find its parallel in the restoration of
Charles /. and in the JOY of the people of Eng
land at that event For that not much the
restoration of monarchy; its was the restoration
of the constitutional government of the country.
| For that reason it that the people of England
gave way 10 those manifestations of JOY which
Macnlay has described.
The form of our government has been changed
into military despotism The best of our ciri-
zens are arrested without warrant, and impris.
oned without hope of release. or banished without
law. The Constitution has been trampied in the
dust. All this has been done by the usurpcrs
who now insist upon being called "the govern
ment. When he voice of the people hurls
them from the positions they disgrace. and
Democratic administration succeeds theirs, then
there will he ''restoration' OF our former sys-
ten of government. and there will be some hope
of reconstruction.
What said. in a recent letter. about the cor
ruption that pervades every department OF the
military service. as just received a remarkable
illustration. You remember Schenck. of Vienna,
and his man Fish: The latter appointed by Schencf
Provost Marshal of Maryland, in which capacity
1 he arrested hundreds Of worthy aud innocent cit
izens. sent dozens of delicate ladies across the
lines in mid winter and cut up other didoes of that
kindf Well. FISH himself. the great arrester, has
been arrested. and is here. ia the same pris-
on to which he sent scores of people far better
than himself The charges against him are OF
the most grave ami serious nature, aud involve
fraud and corruption in the very worst degree A
noise Is being made about il; and there Is no end
TO the stories that are being circulated about
Fish. VIM, however, IN all he did only obeyed
Schenck's orders A pretty pair. these we're. 10
manage the le-tinies of great State. But. af
ter ALL there is nothing surprising in the matter.
ltlssuch men whom the administration delights
to honor. Look at Ben. Butler, after squeezing
million of dollars out OF the rich planters and
merchants Of Louisiana, now trying to exc out
another quarter OF million by selling permits
to fish Tor oysters Ia the waters of his depart
menil No one IL allowed 20 take single oyster
from the great oyster beds OF the Chesapeake.
until he has first paid good round SUN to But
Ter for The privileged And so tgoes Wherever
an official Of the Lincoln administration AS power
TO do 50, the people ieecel aud robbed, in
order that these loyal" men may roll in luxury
PA
/ eB-At Gettysburg $4,000 muskets we're taken.
/ or these "a 600 were found to he loaded, ~ 900
containing two loads. aud 5000 from three to
\ twelve loads each. In numerous instances half
dozsL balls were driven in on single charge
OF powder In some cases the former possessor
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