Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-13

sai5. that the loyal negroes should vote than
those who have been fighting against the Gov
ernment-ouF secession friends. have not any
great love for those Who have beea fighting
against Us; | have no cause to love them. yet
do not agree with him, and believe they
not qnts 50 much 10 blame for what they have
done 80 some other people who have engaged
them 70 DO H. without the manhood TO take sides
wish them. would give them . procisnstion
Of amnesty, because they have fought bravelJ
asd vell. tn mistaken cause / would prefer
70 put it 10 this phrase: THAT /
cordially thank President Johnson for
whAt be has done. and President Lin
coin for what he did in bis life, in
recognizing that principle. would like 70 see
question tried before the judicial tribunals. 4
wish thar A. Il Stephens would not AK for par
don or amnesty, but that be would submit him
self to be tried before the courts of the United
States, and plead his defense that he vas a
Union man: that be had fought for the Union in
the State OF Georgia, and in the convention
which that State held. when be made one Of The
best speeches ever made for the Union. That
would De true. That while be was thus battling
for the Union the present chief OF the bureau OF
military Justice. who was then a Cabinet coun-
seIoF, entered into a truce With rebel commits
sioners by which the Government OF the United
States was prohibited from preparing Its forts for
defense, from REINFORCING lucIi puthiDb iOOA
in them. and by which The rebels were allowed TO
erect batteries around these forts which
afterwards destroyed them. That while
he was making these speeches Ia de
feuss OF the Union Mr.. Buchanan
Mr. Floyd, aud other Cabinet Ministers,
were putting arms 10 the hands OF reasonable
parties in the South TO put the Union men down
and coerce them into rebellion. | would
have him make that plea. i would have him
up the plea that the present Secretary of War
was a member Of the Cabinet Of James Buchanan
Of the time this truce was made by which the
fate of Sumter was sealed. | would have him
say that even after Mr.. Lincoln assumed the
reins of power. the question Of reinforcing and
victualing Fort Sumter was discussed in the
Cabinet aud every member Of that Cabinet. with
the exception Of one. voted against It's reinforce
| ment and in surrendering il to the rebels. /
would have him say that citizenship, faith 10 the
Government, was upon the condition OF the Gov
| ernments faith 10 its citizens; that the Govern
ment was bound to protect its citizens, bound
not to give arms 10 traitors and rebels bu. bound
to send its arms and its armies TO its true and
faithful citizens. IL did not do it. Mr. Stevens
thought that, having been abandoned by his
| Government committed no greater fault in finally
Welding to secession, than the Government did
In deserting him in the first place.
do not wish to be understood as saying that
the terpitude of one individual is any excuse or
defense for the crime OF another; bur Mr.. Blu
cbanan, and Floyd, and Holt, and the other Cab
met Ministers. made the actual Government at
the time, and that Government furnished arms
TO the rebels and entered into conventions with
the rebels. enabling them ~ use those arms,
while i. tied the hands Of the Government
against the rebels. Thus the Government actu-
ally beiray we'd the Unionsts OF the South, and not
only permitted, but aided the rebels TO coerce
them into secession A man who is constrained
to commit crime cannot be punished for it. es
pscielly if those who thus aided in constraining
him we're bound to protect aud defend him. Now.
imagine Aleck Stevens in the criminal dock
with Joe Holt as the public prosecutor; Aleck
making that magni6cen. Union speech which he
delivered in the Georgia Convention, and con-
taastDg il with Joe Hollis letter of November or
December, 1860, justfying treason aud rebellion,
and also with the convention made by BuchaD
ans Cabinet, With the rebel Commissioners, and
signed by Joe Holt and Toucey, in which they
sgreed not TO defend reinforce the forts, but
allowed the rebels 10 construct batteries against
them. which afterwsrd destroyed them. Who.
/ ask, would look mos. like criminal in the
eyes Of the nationf
Now, have made this supposilon because /
have heard so much about the total humiliation
Of these men who save been in rebellion, espe-
cially by those men who have never been down
there TO help kill any of them-who were care
ful not to GO South as long as the rebels had
any arms defend the mseves with That class
are for eyrerminating the people of the South
and brushing out their State lines
want TO bring back to their consideration, in
the strongest point OF view OF which am espa-
BILE. the attitude occupied by our Government TO
these States in the beginning of the war. When
Virginia voted. by $4,000 majority, for the
. Union, but when q crowded. DULLES in Richmond
were ready TO drive the State out of the Union.
the Government stood by with its arms folded.
Ddn't these loyal men have the right to demand
protection at that time much as the
Govern nent had to demand them to remain
loyal. When every State in the South was in
the same condition-wih the exception of South
Carolina don't believe il can be asserted in
any State that majority were in flavor of Sc
cesson | put in this plea, in behalf of great
number Of men who remained loyal and true to
the Government as long as they could do so, and
would have remained loyal and true to this day
if the Government bad remained loyal and true
to them / say that they shall not now be pro-
scribed by the very men who deserted and aban-
doned them in the days of their trial.