Year: 1866

We recently published a statemen


that Maj. Gen. John NJ. Palmer haC


been indicted by circuit court in Ken


lucky for felony, his crime consisting, il


the language of the Indictment, for aid


ing and abetting the escape of a fugitive


slave from that State, while acting il


the capacity Of military commander


thereof, and have since learned that


though the Indictment was quashed foI


q while, he has since been re.iudicted


and the court of appeals of Kentucky


has ordered that Gen. Palmer be pro-


ceeded against for violating the laws OF


that State in issuing military order No.


20, said order allowing the fugitive
slave in question to seekthe freedom in In
diana which, notwithstanding the eman-
cipation proclamation had been issued
and accepted by shareholders as the SOW
ereign law OF the land, was denied him
in Kentucky.


The malignity of the Kentucky rebels
could not be better illustrated than by
this action. Slavery had been abolished


for more than year, when the Gen.
eral issued this order, and the law rela-
tive to the fugitive slaves had been dead
ever since slavery was abolished. Gen.
Palmer is, therefore, to be tried under
dead law, for the ofense of impairing a
dead Institution; and the penalty Of
conviction is Imprisonment. General P.
is not there to defend this suit and
would not defend it if he was there.
Consequently the rebel court has it all
It's own way. Only, if it should at
tempt TO enforce its decision against
Gen. Palmer, or any other Union Cen
eral, the loyal North would read Ken
lucky lesson on good manners that her
traitorous courts would remember a
good deal longer than they have the
punishment received during the recent
war.


The decision Of the court OF appeals
declares Gen. Palmer to have been
guilty of felony. 1t says that neither
the Secretary of War nor the Federal
Government has any right to sanction
any law interfering with Kentucky
slave laws. Now the order No. so.
which is the foundation of this COM
plaint begins by reciting that the oper-
ations Of our armies are embarrassed by
the number of negroes coming into our
lines, especially into the garrison at
Louisville. The army cannot undertake
to hunt up their owners; and the own
ers do not come and take them away.
They cannot be suffered to starve in the
streets, and their destitution is breeding
pestilenCe in the camps. They are,
therefore, commanded to disperse and
procure employment and all officers
are instructed to aid them in procuring
employment. Such as cannot find en-
plOymeDt in Kentucky. are authorized to
receive passes to go into Indiana in
search Of employment, the officer grant
ing the pass to keep record of the name
of the negro, and where he or she went.
Under this order, negroes escaped" into
Indiana, free State, contrary to Ken
lucky law; and the General is indicted
for felony for having aided and abetted
such escape.


This, then is the present feeling in
kentucky toward Union men, and not
only in Kentucky but in the States
which seeded from the Union. 1t is the |
same feeling which precipitated the ma
tion into fratricidal war in 1861, and |
which though thoroughly whipped out |
OF the rebels who resorted to arms in de- !
Tense thereof, is still cherished by them. |
Are men with these feelings fit to be re-
stored to the Union without giving a
better guarantee of future good behavior
than their mere word or oath They |
have violated their oaths, words and |
honors once, and should we trust them
again upon the same conditions as we
did then The people of all the States
which have held their elections since
my policy" was inauguarated, have an
swered No and the States which are to
decide the same question by the ballot
tomorrow will be equally enthusiastic
IN the declaration that the reconstruc.
aon policy of Congress must and shall
oe sustained.