Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-25
From the Cincinnati Enquirer, Gath
Stealing and Publishing Private
COrrcspondence.

If we are in danger of not having quite as
much freedom as is desirable upon one side
there seems abundant reason to conclude that the
great system of compensations is at work to
make up the deficiency by giving us little more
than is usual upon the other; and if men do no,
enjoy all their native liberties themselves, they
have the consolation of feeling that they have
an overpus of liberties taken with them, which
in the estimation of some, may be pretty nearly
the same thing. Once. if gentleman happened
to find the private letter of another in the street
he would have thought il indicate TO pry into its
contents; now all that is necessary to expose the
private correspondence of any man to military
seizure, is the suspicion that he does not belong
to the Administration party; and, when il is once
in military possession. editorial gentlemen gladly
embrace the opportunity to get hold of, publish
and comment upon il as II this were the very
calling for which they were divinely ordained
Seizures OF private correspondence have some
times taken place under other governments
such as we Americans have been accustomed to
characterize despOtic-but We probably
supplying the first instance In which the general
government has acted as the tender of the party
editor; or in which such seizures have assumed
the aspect of regular party measure Captured
correspondence under despotic governments goes
unviolated into the hands of the officers of the
law or of the State, where it is examined If il
contains aught that is criminal. prosecution fol
lows; but if not, il is returned without publicity
TO its proprietor. We have improved upon this
practice; and apparently the first thing done by
Provost Marshal after he gets hold of mans
private papers, is to hand them over to the near
est party editor to be published, commented upon,
and distorted TO his advantage.
Some people may think this is honorable
others may think differently We cor TESS an
ipol no latt A.,
derstand that man may do honorably as a news
paper editor what it would be disgraceful for him
to do as a private individual. We believe that a
newspaper man who comes into ilegitimate pos
sesson-and the kind of possession which we
have described as ilegtimate-of the private
correspondence of another, puts it into his
columns, and uses il as the basis of criminal
charges. differences or insDsations against its
owner, has no title to consider himself a gentle
man, nor any right to demand recognition as
such at the hands of others.
We refer particularly to letters purportng to
have been written by Hon. ID. W voorhees,, and
to H. H. Dodd. of indianapolis, published in the
Gazette. We do not suppose that the source
from which the Gazette received these letters or
copies Of them alters The case a particle. Ii
makes itself party To the proceeding by unjust
commentaries upon their contents, and BY head
lines in which the word Traitor is employed.
Under no circumstances is the public entitled to
the private letters of Mr.. voorhees, or of Mr.
Dodd through such vehicle: not even if they
contained reasonable matter. But containing
no treason nor anything like it. the act of the
Gazette is no more respectable than if the ed-
tors had stolen the letters from the pockets of
the owners, broken them open. and made the use
which they have of their contents.
There may be no laws to prohibit this species
of cOnduct-indeed we do not know that we hive
any laws that, to the party in power, prohibit
anything-but the practice is contrary to the
rules of common decency which. in better times
prevailed; and we do not know of any party ext
gency sufficiently pressing to justify it at any
time. 1t is giving party agencies fearful pow
er, TO permit such practices TO prevail This is
carrying inquisitorial proceedings to an extent
hitherto unknown in American politics. There
ought to be, if there is not, such thing pri-
vate rights: place where a man charged with
no crime. and chargeable with none, may be free
from having his private papers ransacked, and
spread before the world to constitute the mate
rial for party whipters TO garbe and employing a
perverse ingenuity to torture from them some
thing upon which is found a charge fatal to his
reputation.