Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-22

The present incumbent in the guberna,orial Of
fee. but In 1864 the people OF the State. b.
majority Of nearly two thousand votes, elected
Democratic State ticket and majority in both
branches al the Legislature. For the FIRST time
Governor Morton found himself acsing Governor
of the State with al the other deoartmenis Of
the State Government opposed 10 him. He has
ever clamed that Il was the duty OF the Amer.
can citizens 90 yield the will Of every Loyalty
constituted msjOrty. and If he had been in
c'ined to carry out that principle IN practice,
when he knew that the State at the recent cleo
ton had pronounced against him. his party and
his principles. and that majority Of the people
we're in favor Of Democratic principles aud pol
icy. he ought TO have bowed TO their will
IL has been said that il was these Southern
cessionists who involved this country in var. be
cause they would not recognize the viii OF the
majority Governor Morton and bis friends have
closely Initiated these secessiOnsts in the course
which they have taken When the Legislature
assembled in 1862. the Republican members OF
the Senate commenced their revolutionary action
by refusing 10 organize unless the majority would
agree to elect 70 the United States Senate man
who reflected their peculiar views and who should
meet their approval and for two DAYS no progress
made. the Senate being in state OF perfect
anarchy After they finally consented 10 an or
ganizaton and throughout the entire session
this factiOus minority, upon every possible pre-
text opposed by revolutionary measures. their
own opinions against the will of the majority.
This unfortunate state of affairs continued
without interruption until the Oath day OF Febru
ary The session was then within two days of
its close, by constitutional limitation, and when
on that day il adjourned over until the Doth, out
Of courtesy to the Republican Convention which
was To assemble at the Capitol on the 25th, il
was supposed BY the majority that the minority
would return snd complete the needful legisla-
ton of the session But after the Convention
was over. different counsels seemed TO prevail
and the Republican members withdrew from the
House Of Representatives, retired to Madison,
on the Ohio river. and remained there until the
constitutional limitation of the session expired.
Various reasons were assigned tor this revolu-
tionary action. There is one fact in connection
with the secession of the Republicans from the
House: when they seeded they went south.
They stopped however at the Ohio river
have no doubt that if they had gone still further
in the same direction their principles would have
been still more popular
Amongst numerous reasons given for the re-
fusal of the Republicans Of the House to act in
conjunction with the majority in accomplishing
and perfecting the necessary work of legislation,
is one given by Governor Morton. who says that
they left their seats in order to prevent the pass
age of revolutionary measures, and especially
TO prevent the enactment of military law by
which the DO wer which was vested in him by the
old law, was to be taken from him and put into
the hands of irresponsible Democrats That is
the argument by which lie iusti6es their action
Now. the truth is this: military bill had been
framed and had been presented to the House OF
Representatives. That bill proposed to reorgan
ize the military system of the State. IL had
reached such a stage that on the evening of the
nf a al
i0urnment over to the 26th. it was passed to a
third reading, and when the House adjourned it
was left among the unfinished business IL had
therefore, on the reassembling of the House To
be taken up and voted on there; if passed by the
House, il bad then to 60 to the Senate, and when
there. il still had its regular course to run
in addition 10 the delay incident to amendments:
and il all of these various stages it would have
been obliged TO pass through in ten days; and in
deed, in less than that time. for it is provision
Of the State Constitution, that 10 bill shall be
sent to the Governor FOR his approval unless it
shall have passed both branches of the Legsla-
ture at least two days before the close of the
session.
The first objection which these men made to
the military bill which they were 50 much opposed
to- was that il was unconstitutional. If il was
then il certainly could do no harm All they
would have had to do in order to avoid it, would
them decide against it,
| am not now discussing the merits Of that
military bill. ipquring whether its provisions
were right or wrong, but as ! understand il, its
main provisions amounted simply this, the
taking OF the power OF organizing and arming
the militia out OF the hands of the Governor and
placing it in the hands OF the people
| say. however, that the assumption of this mi
n0rity, that if they remained in their seats the
A 4 =
Is not borne out in any wise by the facts That
bill. you will recollect. was left amongst the un-
finished business when the House adjourned on
the Oath of February. There were no less than
eighty House bills on file before it. besides n
large amount of unfinished business from the
Senate and all these must have been acted on
before the military bill could have been reached
and there were only eight days until it would be
too late to pass the bill in time TO send il To the
Governor for his sanction. To be sure by a two
thirds vote it might have been taken up and
passed out of the regular order; but they knew
perfectly well that the Republican minority con
stituted more than one-thrd of the House, and
therefore the bill could never have been taken up
without their votes, and thus it must have failed
to 60 through for want of time.
But they give another reason for their reyolu.
tionary course They say that the Democratic
majority did not provide for the passage of the
Appropriation bills and other essential measures
Now, every man knows, that the general appro
priation bills. according to general usage, are
always retained until near the close of the SEES
sion in order that the committees may have the
very latest information and be enabled to present
their reports in state nearly perfect cir
cumstances will permit This is the general
practice of legislative bodies If you will take
the trouble to look over the records of Congress
you will see at glance that the most important
appropriation bills are passed in the last few
closing hours of the session Governor Morton
himself knows Just well any other man
that that was the precise condition of the ap-
preparation bills at the last session of the Legs-
lsture. They were being gradually and steadily
perfected in the hands of the proper committee
and would have been passed if il had not been
for the action of the Republican minority in the
House of Representatives Governor Morton |
saw knows that and he knew it at the time for
Mr.. Branham, of Madison who was in daily
communication with him stood second upon that
committee
Why. then. did they bolt What was their
purpose? In the first place, they had been at.
tempting both before and during the session to
dictate to the Democratic majority in the two
Houses. and failing in their attempts, they deter
mined TO see whether by withdrawing from their
places they might not succeed in debating to and
controlling the Democracy of Indiana In pur-
suance of this experiment they did go so far as
TO send propositions TO the majority at Indiana
polls from Madison. stating the terms upon which
thew would consent TO return to their seats
These propositions were some ten or fifteen in
fttfr af,e~h rf Of hon