Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-08-12
SPEECH OF GOV. %. P. NORTON,
At the Union Congregational COnven-
tton, Held al GFeencR.-i Indiana,
July 27th, 1904.
Conciude3
THE MILITARY


| come now 10 the con acration o
the conduct Of the majority o the Stat,
Legislature, in behalf Of whom Mr. Nc
Donald has made such an elaborate de
fense The great feature in its history
compared with which the others are
triaes, which filed the State With alarm
aud Indignation, aud threatened as with
civil war and revolution, was what is
known as the Military Bill, and which he
gently endorses, and mildly describes
and attempts to dispose Of in the follow
ing brief and giugerly passages:
"The FIRST objection which ihese men
made to the Military BILL which they
were so much opposed TO. was that il was
unconstitutional Ifit was. then il could
certainly 10 no harm. All they would
have had to DO in order TO avoid ~anld
have been to 90 to the courts IF j4.-ice
aud have them to decide aga ns
II am not now discussing ,h "a r,t. oi
that Military Bill, nor inquiring whether
its provisions were right or wrong, bur,
as ! understond Il, its main provisions
amounted TO simply this. The taking
OF the power Of organization and aFming
the militia out Of the hands Of the Gov
ernor, aud placing it into the hands Of
the people
The dainty and hasty manner in which
he touches the monster reveals his hor-
ror Of it, and he runs from it with all
speed, hoping 20 draw bis hearers after
him. But ! will strip the scaniy covering
which he has cast over its putrescent
corpse, and show you what he endeavor-
ed TO conceal The conception OF this
bill was a conspiracy, its introduction an
insurrection, and It's consnmatioa would
have been revolution and civil war in
our midst 1t utterly snbYerted the Con
stitution OF the State, established provi.
sional military government and was in
tended to enact the part which similar
nsurpations had done in the rebellious
States Thank Godl the infamous
scheme was defeated, its calamities
aVer,ed; and the loyal people Of the State
will honor the noble men who stood be.
tween them and the horrors of revolution
and civil war.
The Constitution expressly declares
that the Governor shall be commander
in.chief Of the militia Of the State, but
this bill denied him all power to call out
or command the militia, under any cir.
cumstanees whatever. II expressly
placed the custody, Issue and control OF
all the State arms in the hands Of the
four State officers, viz: Atbon, Ristine,
Hord and Brett, over whose action and
the disposition of the arms the Govern
or was deprived Of all control The pow
er to command the miliua without the
power to put into their hands single
musket or cartridge would be q farce
and this provision completely uullified
the whole military plan Of tue Constitu
ton.
Again, the Constitution expressly de-
clares that all officers 10 ths militia shall
| be commissioned by the 6 oor. Bu
this provision was violat ovidine
that in case the Gov used 4
/ commission the persof light bS
| appointed by the e. oficeri
or their subordiuatss certif
Gates ofappointmeut issus4 the foul
State officers shoald stand instead o
commissions, and confer full military
power and authority,
Again, It dissolved ali existing militia
ry organizations in the State, and CON
I PEELED the surrender Of their arms int
I the hands of the fauF State officers
Again, it conferred upon the fou
State officers the power TO appoint al
general officers except the Adiuiant Gen
eral, but deprived him Of all power, ant
devolved the duties Of his Office upol
others, 10 be appointed IS before men
toned.
Many other features of the bill nigh
be described, bnt thsss are sufficient t
give you q general insight into its char
acter, and to show that it was inteude
to erect new military government il
the State upon the ruins Of the onStitu
ton, which would subTert all leeiti N At
authority But all these enormitie
were sweetly toned down by the compet
tor into the mildly-drawn phrase tha
the provisions Of the bill amounted siw
ply to this; the taking Of the power c
organizing and arming the militia out c
the hands Of the Governor and placing
In the hands of the people " The pee
pie here described are the four State o
ificers-the four new executive heads, {
Legislative manufacture. / am sure N
competitor in his cooler nomsats vi
smile at the simplicity and seanty ou
! lines OF the garment with which he BIS
attempted TO cover the features of thi
revolutionary monster.
> One other matter IN his defense OF it
must notice. He says the bill was o.
! posed because it was alleged to be u
constitutional; that if It was It would d
, no harm, as an appeal could be taken |
the Courts and they would decide againi
! It, from which il would appear that vi
4 lstions Of the Constitution by the Legi
o tature are of little moment, and that il
only those of the Executive Of which /