The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-05
GREAT SPEECH OF
Hon. Morton G.. Hunter

In Tepty to Gov. Willard Nes0 Albany |
speech. EUery proposition of Wizards
proven false Delivered at Bloomington
July 2lst, 1860.
FELLOW CITIZENS OF MONROE COUNTY
Some three weeks since | received a paper
containing a speech delivered by his Excel
lency Gov. Willard, in the city of New AL
bany, on the night of the 10th of June last,
near the beginning of which he uses this
language:
81 came not here to say an evil word of
any party or any man that has not trans
gres8ed the rules of political propriety; but
sR1ther 10 give y0u clear, accurate HISTORY Of
@the management Of the affairs Of the STATE
from the time the Democrats acre first called
to match oUer and take charge ats aoeifdre."
After giving the speech careful reading,
SO strongly was | impressed with the fact
that instead of its being a clear and accurate
history of the past management of the af-
fairs of the State of Indiana, il was per-
version OF its history, calculated to mislead
and falsely impress the honest and unsus-
pecting readers; in many instances SUPPRESS
ing truth and suggesting error, as well as
grossly slandering the Republican party,
and the action of its members in the last
legislature, of which I was one. Not in
tending to enter into the personal contros
versy between Gov. Willard and Col, Lane,
but for the vindication of truth and history,
and to place before the people, in its true
light, the responsibility of the mismanage>
ment of the financial affairs of Indiana, in
former times as well as now, and to defend
the action of the Republican members of
the last legislature from the unjust attacks
that have been made upon them in that
speech, l appear before you to-day and ask
that you will give me an impartial and can
did bearing while perform that duty.
The Governor commences what he terms
"the history of the opposition to the Dem
ocratic party by quoting two resolutions.
One passed by the Old Whig party, on the
26th of February 1852, and the other
passed by the Republican party on the 23d
of February last ana then with an affected
appeal 10 the taxpayers of Indiana, says
If either of these resolutions be true, then
it is your duty to yourselves and posterity,
to chastise the men who have done the
wrongs to your noble Commonwealth"
For the purpose of proving the falsity OF
the resolution of 1852, and screening his
party from all blame and without one par
ticle Of evidence to support him, he makes
a broad and sweeping charge against the
opposition, and thus assumes to read theil
record from the Documentary Journal Of
1923, W hich shows loss to the State Of
kind of broad assertion undertakes to fasteu
the responsibility of that loss upon the op-
position party. | might with great proprie-
ty answer this charge, if it was even true
so far as it affects the Republican party, and
do it satisfactorily by saying that all those
things happened long before the existence
of that party; the party which be now ha:
10 fight, and which he assumes to crush by
attaching 10 it all the sins with which he ii
pleased to charge the old Wing party
But do not propose to meet the issue
rendered in that way, but to meet it manly
and boldly not With mere assertion, bu
with the records and history of my State
and by these shall the people decide who i!
really responsible for the former losses anG
mismanagement of our public affairs.
The Governor, for the purpose of giving
plausibility and the Semblance of truth Il
this broad ana sweeping charge that the oil
Wbig party was responsible for all that los
Of four millions of dollars prefaced it will
another equally untrue, and smackins
somewhat OF assumption, as follows
~ 81 do not desire to review the action o
the opposition TO the Democratic party, fo
more than Etne years, preceding the tint
that yoR called James Whitcomb to til,
head Of your government. During tina
period eOery department was in the contro
of the opposition"
Now, is it true, that all the department.
Of State were under the control of the op
position for the nine years preceding tn
Inauguration of James Whitcomb as you
Governor l think not Gov. WhitcomI
was inaugurated on the 9th day of Deem