Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-09
Honesty.

The sObriQuet "hOne5t has been appned 10
the President until it is generally getting to be
considered s~atirical. Day after day some fresh
exposure is made of what can be considered
neither honest nor lawful. The minds Of men
are now opening TO a sense of the wickedness
which has characterized the repeated violations
of constitution and law by the President in the
name of ~"putting down the rebellion" 1t be-
gins to be seen that this plea may possibly be
used to cover something else than putting down
treason. The friends OF Mr.. Chase are now pro
foundly penitent over their former justification
Of this idea; for they find that Mr.. Lincoln can
use the "milii.ry necessity" doctrine to their sc
rious detrimeat. There was never IN American
history a builder confession of dishonesty and
corruption than is contained in the letter OF Mr.,
Lincoln TO Montgomery Blair. which We pub
lisbed day before yesterday. No man can JUST
~ or apologize for the violation of honor and
duty which is here confessed
The bargain to consider Frank Blair a General
and yet not a General. resigned but not resigned,
is too absurd on its face To require consideration
By the Constitution he could not be n General
and a member OF the House. The agreement
was TO accept his resignation, but to let him
withdraw il when he should have served the pnr-
pose for which he was wanted in the House. He
either resigned or he did not. He was either a
General still while in Congress, or he was no
General. If he had ceased to be a General he
could not.be made one again. except BY re ap
pointment. IL lie was still a General with any
possible right TO withdraw his resignation, then
he had no seat as a member of Congress, and
the President, by his oath of Office, aud every
consideration of morality and honesty. was for
hidden TO aid him in securing that seat. What
are we TO think OF the standard OF honesty bv
which Mr.. Lincoln regulates his conductr Is it
fixed. is il a high standard, Is il any standard
whatever but political expediencyf Apply the
same principle, here exhibited, to transactions
in the world between men OF business. Is it
honest 10 tell a man a debt is paid when the
money has ONLY been DEPOSITED, with a secret
bargain that the debt shall not be considered
paid7 What word is it that men apply. in ordi
nary Transactions. TO tie obtaining OF goods,
favors. or money by the eoncealment of an ex-
isting fact or agreement, which the party inter
ested is entitled to knowI Have the people no
interest in the constitutional qualification of their
Congressman What. then, was the c~onstitu
tional provision made tor Is he a trustworthy
President who fills Congress with men under his
own hand, held fast bY his bargains-oficehol
ders, bought by his promises to consider their re-
signations void, or to allow them 70 be undone at
will2
This is no trihing affair. In ordinary times il
would unquestionably result in the impeachment
Of a President. nor would his own party dare de
fend him They would seek in haste to throw
on all responsibility Tor MS act
The oath of the President was violated by the
secret bargain made. He in fact entered into a
plot with "the Blairs' to avoid ard set at def
ance a plain provision of the Constitution, and
thus to defraud the people. And he coniesses
that he did it for political success. He wanted
Frank Blair's vote in Congress. and was there
fore willing to make this atrocious bargain.
What is the use of this provision of the Con
stitution at all, hereafter. it Mr.. Lincoln's exam
pie is followed Any Office holder may be elect
ed to Congress, hand in his resignation Of the
other office 10 the President, with an agreement
that he may take it back at any time, and take
his seat in Congress under this corrupt bargain.
A grosser wro,g cannot be offered to the Ameri
can people than this, which 'honest Abe Lin
coin has confessed, and which, in the code OF
morals of his party, was not even regarded as a
wrong until the Chssa faction began to split of.
and then began to see through the LincOln-Blai
plot r.-.l
Oh for the honest old dsysl There was a time
when the President Of the United States was
above such plots as this-when an. intrigue u
violate the provisions of the Constitution for a
partisan political end would have shaken the na-
ton, reused the indignation OF an honest people.
and destroyed forever the moral power of an sd
ministration.- Aud so il ought TO be now. But
so it is not. The degradation Of public morals
has been so great under radical teaching. that the
people receive with silence and without rebuke
the information of such an act as this. They
rather expect dishonesty in the highest and in the
lowest stations. They have, in fact. been taught
that dishonesty, to accomplish a partisan end. is
the highest type of honesty. ii the end be only
such as they wish accomplished.-(N- Y. Jour,
Of Com. ..s.r .tH