The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-02-22
Indiana OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Morton
and the 18th Amendment.

Tile Republicans of Indiana are about
% assemble again in convention. and,
as we learn by the papers, to be address
ed by Governor Morton The occasion, |
the time. and the new era about to be- |
gin with the adoption of the 10Th !
Amendment, make IL proper 10 say
something on the politics OF Indiana
| aad of it's distinguished states man, !
| Governor Morton The career Of 1ndi- |
ana and that of Morton have both been
| politically remarkable. While the Dem
ocratic party retained its original pa;ri-
otism and sagacity, no State could be
| counted on more surely for Democra- &c
| candidates. Supporting jackson and
/ Calhoun, Polk and Pierce, and Buchan-
! al, It sustained Democracy with uni
! nifty pleasing and conmendable to
| the Democratic mind But Indiana is
patriotic State, and when the Democrat
! ic party lost both its patriotism and sa-
gacity, it lost Indiana When rebellion
/ reared its horrid flag, Indiana rallied
quickly and warmly under the flag Of
] its country and has ever since maintain
| ed it's POSITION 1t voted for Lincoln in
! 1860 and 1864 and for Grant in 1868.
| In this whole time. however, it has had
a body of Democrat who in war were
/ disloyal and in peace bi ter-not indeed
the whole party, but enough to make the
party illiberal and Impractical openly
| sympathizing with the rebels-willing
to repudiate the public obligations and
| conspiring to resist the laws The In
diana peace Democracy were at one
time very formidable, and threatened to
! form that very nucleus. point d appni,
! which was wanting to make q rebellion
i in the North as we'll as the South. That
! the conspiracy faied-that Indiana
10 maintained a firmly loyal and patriotic
4 front, was very largely due to the cour-
age, firmness and talent of Governor
Morton OF all the loyal Governors
and bold patriots who stood round Lin
| coln in the trying hours of our country's
] crisis, none exceeded Morton in nerve,
sagacity, patriotism or unlliuching pur-
/ pose Being Governor of Indiana when
the war broke out, he foresaw what was
needed. and took every measure within
human means to accomplish that grand
result in which the noble men Of Indi-
ana took so conspicuous a part. and in
spite of treason and Instruction and ob
loquy at home, shared so gloriously. On
the first tap Of the drum Morton organ
lied the volunteers, and sent them
promptly forward; then organized
Sanitary Commission, aud followed the
columns of troops With streams Of sup
plies We all know what extraordin-
airy difficulties he met VII His life
was threatened: riot and instruction
existed in some counties. The Legisla
ture adjourned at one session, without
making appropl iations, even Tor the
charitable institutions of the State.
The Governor called upon the counties
for aid, and entered the market With Is
own credit The faith and the honor of
the State were preserved; and lesson
read to the leaders of factions which will
be an example and warning TO future
tories. Indiana supported her patriotic
Governor, and came safely through the
fiery ordeal of war, treason and faction.
That she was not dishonered among the
States whom history record as the pre-
servers of the Union, is largely due to
her patriotic Governor.
Then came the conspiracy Of the Sons
+ of Liberty-the Ku Klux of Indiana
whose schemes, however silly and weak,
were nevertheless dangerous to the
country, for there was throughout the
country a dangerous element of faction,
which wanted the members and organi-
cation which the Sons of Liberty would
have furnished. In New York it was
manifested in draft riots in Ohio it was
rallying under Vallandigham, and in In
diana it was organized under the Sons
Of Liberty. 1t was factious, riotious
and dangerous The nerve and energy
of Morton did more than any one thing
to suppress it. There are hundred
men who can see intellectually what
ought to be done to one who has the
moral courage to do it. The men whom
Mcclellan would have spared and Lin
coin pitied, Morton crushed. We can
afford, in the long days of summer and
the pleasant sunshine, to discuss legal
and constitutional questions; but when
war comes, and the country is in danger,
strike at once and strike strong, is the
great and wise principle of action. For
tunately for our country, we had few
leading minds who understood this; and
the sa2acity and patriotism Of the peo>
Pile brought them TO the lead of public
affairs. Morton was one Of these
worthy to stand beside Stanton, Grant,
and that gallan. band Of warriors and
statesmen who led the country to victo-
ry. Stanton is in his grave. but Nor
, ton survives.
In 1864, when the Democratic party
were crying out about the sunconstitu-
tionality of the war measures Morton
turned upon them. made their arguments
ridiculous and their cause detestablc.
But it was in 1866 that Morton abe
that great speech in Masonic Hall which
resounded throughout the country.
Peace had come, and except in the
South, where the Ku KIax Klans were
raiding and ravaging among peaceful
people, the country was reposing, when
the Democratic leaders had the audacity
to suppose that the neti,n had forgot
ten and forgiven traitors, and would
again put in power those who had sym
patlized with them. A bugle call was
needed; and it was given by Morton at