The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-04-08
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Very few strangers visit the Senate
Chamber without inquiring which Of
the assembled fifty-four is Governor
Morton, of Indiana. They will be
pointed to a man seated TO the left of
the presiding officer, large man of
about fifty, with a head thinly covered
with dark hair on the sides, but in
cling to badness on top, a big, broad
forehead, aud a pair of large, dark
eyes that may look dull and express
iOnless, or keen and bright, according
as their owner is interested or not in
what is going on around him. An in
disposition of two or three years du-
ration has taken the color out of his
checks, but otherwise, when seated,
he has the appearance of one in good
health. 1t Is only when he attempts
to walk across the floor that his all
ment is discoverable, and in this re-
spect he is improving slowly, but his
physician says, certainly. He moves
about with much less effort, appar.
emily. than he did three months ago.
= If Morton mad never been a Sena-
tor, he would be remembered as the
great Governor of Indiana, as long as
any man connected in a civil capacity
with the late war Is remembered ii
he had never been Governor of In
diana, he would already be known
from the part he has taken in the de-
bates of the Senate since his accession
to that body, as ore of the ablest
members of il. There is that In him
which viii show itself wherever you
put him as superior to the ordinary
stuff of which latter day statesmen
are made. There is such a deplorable
similarity Of unimprovable mediocrity
among most of our Congressman that
one is led to suspect they are manu-
featured by machinery, on the divi-
sion of-labor principle Ia hundred
heads made In one shop, a hundred
hands 10 another, hundred feet in
another, and so On-any head will FIT on
any shoulder. On the same subject and
the same side they may all be relied
upon for very nearly the same speech.
But Morton Is not of that kind.
There is an individuality Of thought
and expression about all he says that
separates him from the crowd and
marks him as a man of great intel
lectual power. His speeches are al
ways full OF strong points, which car
ry conviction to the mind of his
hearers, and clinch it there to stay.
He can say more IN ten minutes than
most men will say in an hour, and say
it so that it will be remembered too.
His style is torcible, but not fiowery;
strong, but not brilliant. He has
none of that cheap ambition for d $
play in debate which consists Of orna-
ment without thought, and pomp with
out substance, and invariably mistakes
the glare of words for the glitter of
ideas, which has been aptly compared
to the Helen of the sculptor Lysip
pus. which makes finer. supply the
place Of beauty. To fully appreciate
his power, you must listen to a debate
in the Senate-hear his associates
rise one after another-and declaim
in majestic common place, then hear
Mr.. Morton thunder for about ten
minutes. You'll discover at once the
difference between debate aud de-
clamation. In every discussion In
which he has taken part, he has
shown his superiority over all his as
sociates in the faculty of powerful
condensation which presents thoughts
one after another In rapid succession
without the waste of a single word. /
And o answer him in the STYLE OF an
ordinary stump speech is only to tilt
with the sword of a harlequin against
the armor Of Achilles.
Morton IS not less great as poll
tIeian than as a statesman, If I were
at liberty to print all know on the
subject, | could easily show how much /
Il a