Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-08-06

Treason.

efforts if possible; to give aid and com
fort to our Southern enemies in their
war on the Constitution and the Union;
to carry out the principles of secession
still! further than is nov attempted in the
South, by another division of the Union
and the erection Of Northwestern Con-
federacy; to embitter the people of the
West against those Of the East in order
to produce permanent arrangement;
to gain political ascendency and there
By to control the patronage and power
Of the Government, and thus be enabled
to give a perpetual lease Of power to
party which has brought on US all the
woes that we are now groaning under;
and whose object it likewise is TO estab-
lish a principle-that Of the right Of Sc
cession-whicb will inevitably result in
National dissolution, anarchy, and ruin.
These are some Of the objects Of this
secret and reasonable cabal which has
Just been unearthed and exposed to the
light Of day. Gan any right-mindsd
man look on such an organization and
contemplate it in its length, breadth,
and depth without feeling a shudder Of
horror2 Is it possible tina. we have
amongst us men who are so lost to pa
triotism, to honor, to social order, to the
good Of society, and to the associations
and recolections Of this Heaven-favored
land, as to belong to an organization
which is engaged in such foul, treason
able, and damnable conspiracy The
proof that such an organization exists
is conclusive. The secrets have been
found out, the ritual has been published,
and the result is before the public.
There is no doubt of the correctness Of
the main facts Indeed, the organs Of
this conclave of traitors do not deny the
existence Of the Order, but, with brazen
effrontery, attempt to justify it. While
a bloody war is being waged with armed
rebels for the maintenance Of the au-
thority Of the Nation, the preservation
of the Constitution, and the integrity Of
the Union, and for the liberty of the
people and the Independence Of the
country, these Shiny, yeuomous, crawl
ing conspirators not only keep up an or
ganization for the benefit of the rebel.
lion aud the downfall Of the Govern
ment, but they an blushingly acknowledge
the existence of the conspiracy and seek
to justify it.
II this be not Treason, we do not know
what is. These men complain when
they are called rebels and traitorsS Do
they not, by their actions, render them
selves obnoxious to these appellations2
Ought they TO complain, after mourning
the odium that their offenses subject
them to, il the loyal people Of the coun-
try "eall things by their right names2
Section 3, Article III, OF the Constitu-
ton of the United States, thus defines
the crime Of treason:
Treason against the United States
shall consist only in levying war against
them, or in aahering to their enemies,
giving them aid and comfort"
Are not the members Of this secret
junto-are not all the prominent and
knowing opponents of the Government
ddhsring TO the enemies Of The United
States, giving them aid and comfort
What would be the prospects of the reb.
els in their war on the Union were the
loyal States thoroughly united as one
man in the determination to crush the
rebellion7 What hope has the rebellion
had for the last year, since foreign inter
vention failed them, besides the Copper
head party and the organization of the
Knights Of the Golden Circle in the
North9 Every rejecting person knows,
and every uuprejudiced person will &C
knowledge, that If it we're not for the
hope of the success of the Copperhead
party in the fall elections, the rebellion
could not live month; and that, IL
President Lincoln should be reelected,
the last prop will have been knocked
from under the lettering structure. Even
the rebel organs acknowledge this. They |
don't pretend to deny it.
Are not these rganizations-the out. /
side so-called Democratic" party, aud |
the inside cabal styled "Sous of Liberty
or "0rder of American knight" the |
wheel within a wheel" they not |
giving laid and comfort" to the enemies
of the United States2 And, therefore,
are they not reasonable, and are not |
their members traitors, of different de- !
grees, according to their knowledge of |
right and wrong, and their opportunities /
for gaining correct information in regard |
to tseIr duties as law-abiding eitizeus7
1t is probably true that they could not |
be indicted for treason under the laws T
made in pursuance of the Constitution
Of the United States, because that in
strument further says: mo person shall |
be convicted of treason, unless on the
testimony of two witnesses to the same |
overt act, or confession in open court"
They have not, yet committed the overt |
act They have not got so far along in |
their reasonable career as to levy war
against the United States, as their fell |
low rebels in the South have done. But
their whole eourse-their talk, their &C
tons, their secret movements, their open
denunoiation of the Government, their
sympathy with the rebels, their hostility |
70 all the means used in suppressing the
reoelhon = conelusively prove that I
though not guilty of the crime of treason
technically, though not subject to the
pains and penalties provided bv law for
this fearful crime, they are traitors at
heart, and only watch and ws;,p g.