Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-02
The Indianapolis nIeetins.

lature, and have made periodical visits to
the Capital to tell those men that they
we're no true representatives Of liberty
loving Indiana. Governor Morton has
time and again exhorted immense crowds
Of his Union fellOw-citizsns, while a re-
eeptiOn has been given to- and a speech
heard from almost every Indiana soldier
Of note who has visited his home. That
is the way to do it. 1t is by these meetings
that Unionism hourishes and triumphs.
Would there were more of them all over
the land.
The mass meeting at Indianapolis on
Thursday last was tremendous one. We
can best give an idea of the crowd by
quoting from the Journal of that city:
HAt 10 o'clock the clouds broke away,
and the sun came out And then the
/ crowd sWelled faster than ever. The prom
ise Of a pleasant day seemed to be an
swered by fresh burst of people, and
faster whirl of huge excursion trains
When we reached the State House yard
the entire eastern side from Washington
street to Market was full, and it was al
most impossible to get near the main
stand. Still the long procession poured
| through the gate, and stray streams were
| leaping in cataracts over the fence in fifty
places. The day seemed to have become
/ enchanted with crowd that tOOUldRt be
/ put out by any sort Of weather, and sheW-
ed its prettiest face, though it changed
oapriciously several times before dark.
'sAbout half past ten o'clock Governor
johnson entered the yard, accompanied by
Governor Wright, who readily accepted
the hospitable duty, so well known to his
! own career as Governor, of receiving Gov
ernor Johnson At this time the sight Of
the crowd was q memory for a life time.
We can't 'tdescribe it. We never saw such an
one before, and we doubt if any one else ever
did, at least in Indiana. There could hard
ly have been less than $4,000 people in one
solid block, with faces upturned to the
stand, as if their bodies were one huge
chunk on which faces had been glued, like
shells on fancy basket, as thickly as they
could stick The whole number in attend
once on the meeting was fully 25, 900, and,
measured by the old exaggerated standard
Of party campaigns, was at least 10000.
We put it moderately and reasonably at
25, 600.
Governor JOhnson's speech was brimful
Of patriotism. To those who say they are
"tired Of the war;" he said
"Talk about being tired Of the war
know it is terrible, and realize its hor-
rors, but these are incidents Of a civil
war. The ruin that has come, the blood
that has been shed, are upon the heads of
those who precipitated this civil war, and
not on ours. You who have brought on
this war, have force6this ruin, set brother
against brother, orphaned these children,
widowed these wives, and filed the land |
with mourning-you have done all this
and let me ask you rebel sympsthiZers 10 |
lift up your hands and see if they are not |
crimsoned with the blood Of the victims Of |
the rebellion? Whether it comes sooner |
or later, justice will come. The slower its |
pace, the sureris its blow. 1t will come,
if we live; and if not living, when we are |
dead. Sooner or later, justice will over
take those whose hands are crimsoned |
with blood.
"Tired Of an eighteen months wGr p
Your fathers fought for seven years 10
establish this government and you are
tired of fighting eighteen months to defend
it. So far as am concerned, l am ready
to fight seven years, thirty years, and
would not stop then. What is a war Of
thirty ears, when you look at the vast
results to foR from it down the sea Of
time, in laying the foundation Of govern
mgut which will endure while the sun
rises and sets. say, to-day, not from
impulse, but from cool reflection, if my
life was spared seven hundred years,
would fight on and fight ever. would
war against this Southern sristocracy as
long as the Moors did against the Span
iards seven hundred years ago."
CincinnatTs poet, 7. Buchanan Read,
spoke vigorously and well. He said
"When this unnatural rebellion broke
put, was five thousand miles from here,
was standing among the ruins of the
Did Republic Of Rome, my feet white with
The dust Of the palace Of the Csars-all |
Italy at that moment was clamoring for
Union, from Alps to Htns past me rolled !
The cry-thst one word Union woke that
antique land, and led her sons to triumph
1t the grave. at that same moment 1
fsnoied the setting sun blushed as it went
sinking into the West over a nation near
y one-half Of which was clamoring for l
iisunion. Could I remain there under such !
circumstances Mol Ny heart would
rave ceased TO beat. I gave up everything
o return to do the little l could for my 8
country. What is painting worth among c
he ruined chambers Of q nation What
would poetry be worth among the broken !
emples Of human liberty?
"If God has given me the power Of song '
will lift my voice in this cause-it is my i
ountry's csuse-it is Gods cause. If need I
e, will golike the Poet Korner, with my
7ar songs on my lips and my sword in my
and. l propose giving you one Of those
7ar songs" 4
The poet then read a poem, ritten, as Y
e said, for a Fourth of July celebration G
4 Rome, entitled, TIE DEFENDERS" :,
It was received with immense applause. a
Ir. Read then said: n
Ny countrymen, feel deeply on this p
lbject. Ny father fought for this coun- !.
y. This accursed rebellion has caused n
le death Of my brother and my two ii
ephews. have right to feel deeply, C
ay, bitterly, and in the bitterness Of my
cling, 1 wrote the following poem"
Mr.. Read then read "THE OATH" every d
ANA Of which was enthusiastically ap- d.
lauded and subscribed to. Of
Our Foreign Relations. Ut
The Committee upon Foreign Affairs, of CO
hich Senator Sumnn- 10 nbs;rr,o, L., IS