, 1860-01-10
DON MORRISON.


DON MORRISON. |
Letter from Governor Bissell>
tFroa tho Illinois State Journal1
.Htssrs- Editors Illinois STATE journal: Some
OF ny good friends who fell greatly more an-
noyed than do by the speech of Col, Morrison !
70 the Democratic state Convention, at the State
House on Wednesday last, hare insisted thu. !
should take some public notice of it. had not
intended to DO so, nor should 1ow, only that
those good iriends seem to think ought,
This was not the frat, nor, perhaps, lie yilest |
assault made upon me By Col Morrison. for !
which there had never been the slightest proyo-
cation and the real motive for them can ouly
be apparent to those who kaow him, as do
ever passed between Col: Morrison and myself
and that our relations hare always been, ut
1east outwardly, friendly. But eary and jedt-
oe9sy are qualities which perpetualy snasw at
Its teart~aadl there is the key to all his malice
aepinst me. He and ware cnce competitors
fot the office Of Colonel Of regiment Of Illinois
volunteers which afterwards distinguished itself
in fhe Mexican war. l received On that occasion |
baf III. Ns1"d and E'r votcs, while be received |
oaf. This be erer sEsmta 10 regard as an out
ra3e upon bis rights
He stated in bis speech that at the time I was
SO Elected Colone1, I Iwas nothing but an obscure
country physician; and that Gov. Ford and
/, few other Democrats procured MY election. It
is quite probable that ut that time was less f.-
NOUS, perhaps less notorious than heat the
sape time Re can hardly have forgotten thatI
had already been member Of oar State Legis-
laltre, and had held for some time, and IS
tl,su holding the office of States Attorney in the
District in which we both lived. But let that
pass.
subsequently 10 my election as Colonel, in
District where he had always tried in Ill ways,
aud with aH Fdrttts, to make himself distin-
| guished Us politician, l WAS elected TO Con-
/ grass without any regular opposition rhile he
stayed at hume-though perfectly willing to 50
| in my stead.
Again, and two years afterwards, while he
was still wondering when he would BE- sent to
Congress, was reelected from the game Dis
tr:9t receiving eeery solitary rote given for
Congressman, amounting, according to my
present recollection, TO upwards c: 1i,',oo.
And yet, again, was returned to Congress,
though two Of tue most popular men OF the
District, {of course neither Of them was Col
Morrison,) ran against re, ona Of them consid+
cred the regular nomiree Of his partJ. After
this declined to run for Congress again, on
account OF niy feeble bcalth-but was taken up
by my friends and elected to tic office now
holds though Col. Morrison was then ready, as
he had been before, and now is, to accept the
Now, as have already stated, those who do
not know Col. Morrison will be at loss to ae
count for his repeated and apparently causeless
attacks upon me-yet those who do know him.
will, without the least hesitation, ascrbe all
the:e assaults to the circumstances above IT,
counted.
But what is the burden Of all these efurts Of
Col. Morrison against me7 lie attempts to
show that | designed to swipGe the State by
means Of aa improper issue Of State bonds. I
shall by no means descend to controversy with
Col. Morrison on that issue. For the present
let it suffice that have been IN public Office
most Of tile tho time for the last fourteen
| Years, aud | n1u not conscious, ut this day, Of
| ever luyiuy received out; cent bv virtue Of thuse
Offices or while holding them, from On; xoascs,
| which did not properly and legally belong 10
| ME. Can Col. Morrison truthtuily say tins Of
] hinselfy Ills ucirhbors will answer this .ucs-
| ton by IN unanimous 40.
A few months ayo. CcI. Morrison left Belle
vile for New York civ; stating to his friends
| that he was roiu.. there to hunt uu facts, let
| ters, etc., to eourict me Of 4 stupen1ous fraud.
Arrived ut New York, bis usual babbtiug indis-
crction led him. espec1aIIv after dinner hours,
| to proclaim tbe SAME facts-aJdiue to what ht;
| had stated at Brlleyille that besides annibila.
tin- u,e, be was ro;ny1o make himself Ill. ne 1t
| Goyernort lie femalned in New York several
weeks mnus;n,, nrn1,nd the hus;orss otI;cc. in
VII street .pd Hroadways nncstonn. eyety
| man IN ,yho,n h. cnnld ref introduced u,,J Win
| had unr1l,inr tn do vim 1liinois honds. nn,nn-
iur cIerks IL various otIices. espcciulJy where
tlsy hanpened to l.. mere boysEaud finally Of.
| fprno nne nfterncnn yyhen he {ett nDrticu1arly
rich. u 900 for auy letter that could BE- pro-
| dur,d trosn mc to INV nm in New Yorl in 70.
laliun t., The Manchester ( ,tehb;ns hon,Is-f,r
i,r - i there n,u.t he sur1, lrttrrs in rx;Strure
au.! lie was bound to l,aye them.
liz soon became Nm unweicntne and n,ost neg.
9ifrrous visitor at The business ounces ,Lcre.
and was rlainly ciyen to understand that his
Wits :werr mt desirable- "a liz lcft t1,crt.
| wi,i,ont n-comnlish;n., a,vthjn.,. rot M lei.
| ter. found ou1 nothiuy by which he could min
me- Or xiii oIf sam. Huckmustrr. or. in sLort.
make himself Enyerno- T.fort, l.avinv New
Ynrk hnwrvcr- he xrntc Il latter. anl cansed II
Ia hn ,,uhiishc,i in tI,e Democratic panrr nf tins
State. nyrr the Signature Of "Inycsti,ator. y
.iss;.nsa n corr;ct NJ ~ misconduct IN "ft;ca
III. letter Fl, far ia II nr,.tends to be mads Ut,
t,t facts i. Int tissue ot The vlr4t assnnntinns
infe:cuccs. ,leduc;;ons and downright lea. Tl.is
tn r.p,y In. but was then. and for some weeks
ttr, ea;;rr, nros,rate m nv he'd will sickness
.nd- v;hrn had sufficiently recovered to hi
ahl,, IN write ,nv frclincs Of ipd;,,ua,ion had
become somewlaI uoliticI by lapse Of time and
By continued iudispos,tion. therefore let il
E.Dass. Since the Iate speec,, Of Col Morrison,
however. so waptou. uucal:ed for und uppro.
yoked. some Of nty friends hare insisted that
,;,rht mt lourpr 10 remain silent. Uut. an i'm.
naTtial and lust uuLlic will not full 10 bea.
u;1nc,s that 1 lid mt commence this coDtro.
ycrsv- and lint forbore Iop- ere I raised my
l}nrinp a1cnnn,i.hpd ne nothing in New York
Col. Nor1isou returned to Hc,Icfillc. where i've.
| a tnan by the name Of reusoneau. of scarcely
| more character tnan Morrison h,uself This
man had aunoye.l me excessively by louv. badly
| written and nra,iy unirtc}i;pihie letters about
| State honds in Which lie pretended 10 hare III
interest either then or prospcc,ireIT. aud which
he tfe >iret1 mr. In order in be funded, answered
iii these Letters uuncrous thourI, they were
I briefly but politely, telling him finally that
could moi fund them. He lhen n,ad,. lie Il dis
Ionorubl,. nropp.ition- -whrtter he 50 rerard.t
II or not-and answered hin, br Ie,:erin Il va,
nrompted by nv f.cl,uce. aud It nut = etop ts
inrth.r corrssnnutenccs This slast letter Of niut
tn pensonea, Morrison lid not present amor
tbe others I, The convention. He hai. not suf
..,..,,, sr,,s,, Of honor or maniinr,. IN .ln If
besides which IN. we'll knew that that letter.
| re,1 To ,he convention. wmulI blow l,is 1.itifn
coh,rrhs .ky hi.h. Euf. having ascertainet
thut pcnsnn-uu lad letter, from, ME, he fnr t,,e
consideration nerhans. Of a few dolJars. s.-fnI
psnsnnean la,es MONEY ~ we'll az !: does AMI
is nearly "a ,1uscrunulous a. TO tie mauuc,
in which he rctt it-eot nosscssion d
,h,.a hns;rnsx ia1tpra of ,n;na written r.
man .ri,o had sn]ic;fcd n c,rresncn,lence vii.
a rha>n js,,rrs tl,us ,ri,t.n anJ thns oh
to;,oi 10 hr;nns IN Snr;nvfte1d on,f ,nare,
+i,an, ,,a ,,os;s s'c s,r;u,t nf ;,;nr;ors .n,
/ do,nn;nr ossvmn,;ons md cnn;rc,nres nv,ins,
n,o un,(or ro,.rs, ~ n,,tinv n sn.ecb f.for.
,I.n H. n,,',a,ts,;" S,.,a c"nr"n,on 1J.,r thest
...,ars e ,-a-a ~ a;,aJ frnn pansonc.u ,xbs,he,
h n.,.ei,a.a ~ iva c,,s-;t ahIr sn,,nosad -,
f,l'l,.. 49, ,-.-a s,ol.n ,.,,ch - r,,a - l;sr
"uetASA N.es "ei@ o'"'@1A ,A'~A H".s~ y